The official bibles of Christianity, Islam and Judaism don't get too specific about the origins of angels and demons, or devils as they are commonly called. The apocryphal tales fill in the details, some saying that God created these spirits to aid in the creation of the world. Other stories posit angels as the first draft of humanity. Still, others give a host of origins, some specific to individual orders of angels. Medieval philosophers and some mystics thought of the angels as extensions of God, like fingers, whether they meant it literally or as a philosophical idea relevant only to the biblical text.

In our lives, we are faced with moral decisions where we stake out who we really are. We are faced with opportunities to be good, kind, brilliant humans. Likewise, we are often given a chance to behave in ways that are variously selfish, cruel, and shameful. Our choices define us, and when we speak of wrestling with our demons, are we speaking of a literal match with an otherworldly creature, or are we speaking in symbols about how we fight our darkest selves and try to resolve to be better? Wrestle with your demons, and we'll tell you if you're more of an angel or more of a devil!