Egregore
Egregore (also spelled egregor; from French égrégore, from Ancient Greek ἐγρήγορος, egrēgoros 'wakeful') is an occult concept representing a non-physical entity that arises from the collective thoughts of a distinct group of people. Historically, the concept referred to angelic beings, or watchers, and the specific rituals and practices associated with them, namely within Enochian traditions.[1]
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In more recent times, the concept has referred to a psychic manifestation, or a thoughtform, which occurs when any group shares a common motivation—being made up of, and influencing, the thoughts of the group.
History
The concept of egregorial powers has its roots in the Book of Enoch.[2]
Later the term and concept found its way into other languages. Manuscrit trouvé à Saragosse, or The Manuscript Found in Saragossa, was a novel written in French by the Polish author Count Jan Potocki (1761–1815) in the Russian Empire in the early 19th century which features the term 'egregores', referring to "the most illustrious of fallen angels."[3]
The term 'egregore' was also used by the French author Victor Hugo, in La Légende des siècles (1859) ("The Legend of the Ages"), where he uses the word égrégore first as an adjective, then as a noun, while leaving the meaning obscure.[4]
Éliphas Lévi, in Le Grand Arcane ("The Great Secret", 1868) identifies 'egregors' with the tradition concerning the Watchers, the fathers of the nephilim,[5] describing them as "terrible beings" that "crush us without pity because they are unaware of our existence."[6]
Another concept of the egregore is the GOTOS (Gradus Ordinis Templi Orientis Saturni (33°)) of the Fraternitas Saturni.[7]
Contemporary usage
A 1987 article by Gaetan Delaforge in Gnosis magazine defines an egregore as a kind of group mind that is created when people consciously come together for a common purpose.[8]
Egregore is also used in relation to the Montreal Surrealists, best known as Les Automatistes, in Ray Ellenwood's Egregore: A History of the Montréal Automatist Movement.[9]
Gary Lachman identifies Pepe the Frog as an egregore in his book Dark Star Rising.[10]
Egregores exist as a primary motivator for the actions of one of the four main characters in Decompressed: Nuke Ops, a webcomic set within the universe of Space Station 13.
See also
- Akashic records – Term in theosophy and anthroposophy
- Collective unconscious – Term of analytical psychology
- Faith healing – Prayer and gestures that are perceived to bring divine intervention in physical healing
- Gestalt psychology – Theory of perception
- Memetics – Study of self-replicating units of culture
- Panpsychism – View that mind is a fundamental feature of reality
- Pathetic fallacy – Attribution of human emotion and conduct to non-human things
- Servitor – Psychological complex employed in the use of chaos magic
- Synchronicity – Jungian concept of the meaningfulness of acausal coincidences
- Tulpa – Entity manifesting from mental powers
- Vitalism – Discredited scientific hypothesis
References
Citations
- Bernstein 1998.
- Reed 2005, p. .
- Potocki 1996, p. .
- Hugo (2002), "Le jour des rois", La Légende des Siècles IV, V, and "L'Italie – Ratbert", La Légende des Siècles VII.
- Stavish 2018, ch. 3.
- Lévi 1868, pp. 127–130, 133, 136.
- Flowers 1995, p. 36–38.
- Delaforge 1987.
- Ellenwood 1992.
- Constable 2018.
Primary sources
- Hugo, Victor (2002) [1859]. Guyaux, A.; Hovasse, J. (eds.). Victor Hugo: La légende des siècles: première série: actes du colloque de la Sorbonne des 12-13 janvier 2002 (in French). France: Presses de l'université de Paris-Sorbonne.
- Lévi, Éliphas (1868). Le grand arcane, ou l'occultisme dévoilé [The Great Secret, or Occultism Unveiled] (in French).
- Potocki, Jan (1996) [1847]. The Manuscript Found in Saragossa. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0140445800.
Secondary sources
- Bernstein, L. S. (1998). "Egregor". The Rosicrucian Archive. Confraternity of the Rose Cross. Archived from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
- Constable, Simon (May 21, 2018). "What Magic Got Trump Elected?". Forbes. Retrieved 2022-03-04.
- Delaforge, Gaeten (1987). "The Templar Tradition: Yesterday and Today". Gnosis Magazine. No. 6.
- Ellenwood, Ray (1992). Egregore: A History of the Montréal Automatist Movement. Toronto: Exile Editions. ISBN 978-1550960211.
- Flowers, S. Edred (1995). Fire & Ice: Magical Teachings of Germany's Greatest Secret Occult Order. Llewellyn's Teutonic Magick Series (2nd ed.). Llewellyn Publications. ISBN 0-87542-776-6.
- Reed, Annette Yoshiko (2005). Fallen angels and the history of Judaism and Christianity: The Reception of Enochic Literature. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0521853781.
- Stavish, Mark (2018). Egregores: The Occult Entities That Watch Over Human Destiny. Inner Traditions/Bear. ISBN 978-1620555774.
Further reading
- Benchamma, Abdelkader (2022). Ibars, Stéphane (ed.). Abdelkder Benchamma: Egregore. France: Actes Sud Editions. ISBN 978-2330144999.
- Butler, Walter Ernest (1970). "The Egregore of a School". Servantsofthelight.org. The Servants of the Light. Retrieved November 22, 2011.
- Dominguez, I. (2008). Spirit Speak: Knowing and Understanding Spirit Guides, Ancestors, Ghosts, Angels, and the Divine. Red Wheel Weiser. ISBN 978-1601630025.
- Faugerolas, M. (2015). Angels: The Definitive Guide to Angels from Around the World. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0399176401.
- Greer, J. M. (2017). Circles of Power: An Introduction to Hermetic Magic. Aeon Books Limited. ISBN 978-1904658856.
- Greer, J. M. (2021). Inside a Magical Lodge: Traditional Lodge Methods for Modern Mages. Aeon Books Limited. ISBN 978-1913504755.
- Lachman, G. (2008). Politics and the Occult: The Left, the Right, and the Radically Unseen. Quest Books/Theosophical Publishing House. ISBN 978-0835608572.
- Lachman, Gary (2018). Dark Star Rising: Magick and Power in the Age of Trump. Penguin Publishing Group. ISBN 978-0143132066.
- Leviton, R. (2004). The Emerald Modem: A User's Guide to Earth's Interactive Energy Body. Hampton Roads Publishing Company. ISBN 978-1571742452.
- Manitara, O. (2014). Manuel essénien de la paix [Essene Peace Manual] (in French). Canada: Éditions Essénia. ISBN 978-2897243258.
- Riaikkenen, Roza; Riaikkenen, Margarita (2004). The Laws of Life. Trafford. ISBN 978-1412017930.
- Robinson, M. (2017). The Astral H.D.: Occult and Religious Sources and Contexts for H.D.’s Poetry and Prose. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1501335839.
- Sophia, A. (2013). Sacred Sexual Union: The Alchemy of Love, Power, and Wisdom. Inner Traditions/Bear. ISBN 978-1620550076.
- Zagami, L. L. (2018). The Invisible Master: Secret Chiefs, Unknown Superiors and the Puppet Masters Who Pull the Strings of Occult Power from the Alien World. CCC PUB. ISBN 978-1888729702.
External links
The dictionary definition of egregore at Wiktionary