azazerl-real or imagery?

The famous scapegoat was the goat sent to a place called Azazel on Yom Kippur. Now, how is this to be understood ? After all , the imagery smacks of demon belief as the goat is the symbol of the demonic forces? Do we offer a sacrifice to the demons to appease them as is the implication ?

The Chinuch author explains that the message is one that the sinner loses everything and doesn't even have his blood offered on the altar. Rather everything is lost and discarded. The problem with this approach is that only the Kohain that cast the scapegoat down the cliff actually witnessed its'
gory end. So if this were a lesson of sorts it was lost on one solitary Kohain!

Some Chassidic sources I read once indicate that the scapegoat was a form of concession to the reality of evil . On the day of Yom Kippur, there should be no prosecution of our people . By casting the goat , this was to appease the evil forces!? But how? and why?

I believe that the service in the Temple paralleled the real world. In this world there is the necessary, the useful and the wasteful . Wasteful could be useless or pleasurable. In either case
there is no secondary purpose for that thing other than itself.

In the Temple service there was the basic,daily service. Then there came the memorial or Holiday service which enhanced our enthusiasm for G-d,country and Israel. these were useful. On yom Kippur we offered the scapegoat as a throwaway. No one would miss it,as it wasn't seen by the masses .This represented a service to G-d of love alone for no benefit just love!

At the same time the scapegoat brought forgiveness for the most callous of sins,those that were done willfully even if they weren't done under duress. That is , love of G-d for its' own sake-just love,brought forgiveness for doing a sin that had no benefit or temptation. Rather it was a sin done just to sin. In other words just to anger G-d.

This was a sacrifice with no benefit. No fats were offered nor was there blood to be sprinkled. There was no meat for the fire or the Kohain-not even a skin. This represents the ultimate service to G-d . That is doing without seeking reward,not even recognition. This type of service is what brings forgiveness and G-d's blessings for all of us.

This is hinted in the word Azazel. The numeric value of Azazel is 114.The fact that we offer a He-goat to it reaffirms its'position, hence another 114. Together it equals 228,the same number as baruch which is the source of Blessings!