I recently listened to a fascinating and unsettling account from a young Asian woman who had a profound spiritual experience after converting to Christianity. She described being shown various demonic realms, places that at first appeared luminous and beautiful but were, in reality, realms of deception and bondage. One of these realms stood out to her in particular.
She recalled that upon entering, everything seemed overwhelmingly radiant, almost heavenly. Had she not been given divine insight, she would have mistaken it for paradise. But as she looked deeper, the illusion crumbled. The ruler of this realm was a powerful female demon who often appeared to her in the form of a sweet, innocent little girl. Yet behind this deceptive facade lay a being of immense control and manipulation.
The woman recounted a terrifying moment when she found herself completely paralyzed, unable to move or wake up, an experience eerily similar to what I endured many times during my own tantric Buddhist retreat. Although she tried to cry out for help, her voice was muted and she wasn’t able to make a sound. This also happened to me. The presence she describe, this seemingly innocent yet domineering entity, was one I, too, had encountered, appearing to me repeatedly in the guise of a little girl.
What struck me most about her testimony was the nature of perception in these deceptive realms. She was shown that those who followed the demon experienced twisted illusions: what seemed pure and good was, in truth, horrifying. She gave the example of one disciple enjoying what he believed to be the most delicious meal, but when the illusion was stripped away, it was revealed to be putrid, bloody, and rotten. The demon had blinded her followers, warping their perception of reality.
Hearing this, I couldn’t help but think of certain so-called “pure realms” I once believed in. Could it be that what many perceive as celestial paradises are, in fact, carefully crafted demonic illusions and that what seems like liberation is, in reality, a deeper form of enslavement?
This woman’s testimony confirmed something I had long suspected: some of the most dangerous deceptions do not come in the form of overt evil but in the guise of beauty, power, and enlightenment. If we are not discerning, we risk being ensnared by realms that promise transcendence yet drag us into darkness.
Tantric Deception 