Cast ye circle, make it twice.

The Roman neoplatonists used the expression genius loci for a presiding spirit of a place. This comes from the Latin genius (pl. genii) from the verbal root gen meaning "birth" or "innate".

Genii are indwelling spiritual or ethereal being, as without corporeality. Genii beings that are actively individualizing although they still ethereal. This is in contrast to a daimon (pl. daimones) which is a reference to all kinds of nature spirits and divine entities which are not fully individuated or associated with a place. However, a daimon can indeed have a tremendous influence on an individual. The word demon was created from the original word and indicated specifically evil spirits.

Many traditions regard a genius is an instructing divinity, but not necessarily of the higher classes. In Greek and Roman belief, the genii were personal tutelar deities of human beings, assigned to a person at birth, following that person through life as a companion, and conducting her to Hades after death. We get our sense of the guardian angel in the jewish/xtian traditions. This may bare some relationship with the Maya term wayob and the more contemporary nahua term nawal. The genius loci refers to the deity that presides over a locality or over some aspect of the topography. These are still the ethereal even as they are bound to a physical location.

The word theophany comes from the Greek theophaneia, which is made up of theos (god) and phainesthai (to appear). The appearance of a god involves and encounter or an inner illumination which is momentary. This is different from an epiphany, which is a lasting of the person. Theophany also refers to the presentation of a god at the festivals and mystery celebrations in Greece.

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