If it’s the first time you hear about the term Egregore and you’re a magic practitioner, you’ll want to stick around. We’re about to explain how groups of people come together. They may do so consciously or unconsciously, but they end up influencing reality with their thoughts. If this sounds like Chaos Magic, it’s because it is. However, you don’t need to practice Chaos Magic to identify Egregores, destroy them if they’re negative, and benefit from them if they’re positive.
What’s the definition of Egregore?
An Egregore, pronounced AY-gray-gohr, is an autonomous entity that is created by the thoughts of multiple people working for a common goal. The more people believe in it, the stronger it becomes. It can influence the actions and the thoughts of the people in the group. The Egregore and the people that created it have a symbiotic relationship. This symbiosis has been compared to the relationship between a corporation and its members.
The concept has roots in the cultures of Ancient Greece and various Asian cultures. It was featured in the Book of Enoch, an ancient Hebrew religious and apocalyptic text traditionally ascribed to Enoch, a relative of the biblical figure Noah. This is a text that discussed, among other things, fallen angels, which are referred to as Egregores. It also appeared in The Manuscript found in Saragossa written by the Polish Count Jan Patocki, who lived in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries in the Russian Empire. In this text, the term is also used to refer to fallen angels. Eliphas Lévi was the first person to give the word Egregore a meaning closer to the specific connotation it has today. He described them as destructive energies that had their own agenda and were completely indifferent to humanity. This was the case because they are unaware of our existence.
In 1987, an article in Gnosis magazine defines Egregore as a sort of group mind that comes into being when people consciously come together for a common goal. Today, we understand an Egregore as both those that are created consciously and unconsciously by multiple people. The concept of Egregore is a key concept in Chaos Magic. An Egregore is like the spokesperson of a group, or an expression of their collective ego.
What’s the difference between an Egregore, a Thoughtform, and a Godform?
Some of you may be confused. Wait, so if I think of something, anything, it becomes an Egregore? And what about Deities, are they not technically Egregores, too?
There’s a difference between three concepts: a Thoughtform, an Egregore, and a Godform (which would be somewhat synonymous with Deity).
A Thoughtform is any form of cyclical thinking that affects your behavior. The difference between a Thoughtform and an Egregore is that a Thoughtform is created by just one person and influences just that person.
A Godform, on the other hand, does share a few characteristics with an Egregore. For instance, they are both energies that become stronger as more people believe in them. However, a Godform, unlike an Egregore, is sentient. It has the ability to react to stimuli, for example, candles that you light in their honor. The manifestation of the Godform will be influenced by the practitioner themselves, as well. It’s the manifestation of an Egregore but in a vessel.
Are there different types of Egregores?
Even though things in magic are rarely black and white, people tend to categorize Egregores in this way:
- Negative Egregores: They are dark and opaque in shape. They are low-vibrational. It affects both the people that created it and the people it’s directed to. It’s a negative thought that takes hold of you and can influence your actions.
- Positive or Altruistic Egregores: They are more luminous. They bring in beauty, health, energy, and vitality.
Egregores that are created consciously adopt the shape of those who created it. Those that are created unconsciously have more of an abstract shape.
What are some examples of an Egregore?
The famous Christmas spirit is an Egregore, as well as Covid. Covid is becoming a particularly powerful Egregore. People all over the world dedicate their thoughts and feelings to it, making it stronger.
People are often at a crossroads when it comes to the Harry Potter phenomenon. J.K. Rowling has recently disappointed many fans by exposing her transphobic and otherwise problematic views. However, the fans seem unable to let go of that magical world and the characters from the books and the movies. This is so because they have become an Egregore. They have an autonomous existence outside of the author that created it, and, as an Egregore, they influence the thoughts and actions of the fans.
Why is it important to know about Egregores?
It’s important for witches and other practitioners to know about Egregores so they can use their free will against the negative ones. They can pay attention to their thoughts and feelings if they are influencing a Negative Egregore. They can also question their actions and impulses at all times to see if they’re influenced by this collective force.
If a Negative Egregore is wreaking havoc in their local community, a witch can take certain measures so the Egregore becomes weaker or stops existing.
Can we destroy an Egregore?
There are certain things a witch and other practitioners can do to make an Egregore go away. As a rule of thumb, an Egregore is destroyed the same way it’s created: by directing your thoughts, but in the opposite direction.
Here are some more specific things you can do to destroy an Egregore:
- Energetic cleansing can destroy or weaken some Egregores, especially if they are not as powerful.
- You can create an opposite Egregore to take its place. For example, if a group of bullies has created an Egregore against the person they are bullying, you can come together with the target of bullying to create an Egregore that protects them.
- Look after your thoughts, feelings, and words, so they don’t feed the Egregore.
In short, our thoughts, feelings, and words have power to create huge energetic forms that can influence reality. This is a reminder among many that, especially as magic practitioners who know the true power behind our words and thoughts, we must continue to be very careful of what intentions we put out into the world.
Can you think of an example of an Egregore? Share it in the comments!
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