Egregor
An egregor is a term in Western Magic applied to the collective energy or force of a group of individuals, especially when the individuals are united toward a common purpose. An egregor forms in a magical LODGE and becomes a reservoir of magical and spiritual power that influences Rituals, the lodge itself, and the individuals within the lodge.
Dion Fortune referred to this energy as āa great thought-form in the group-mind of the Lodge.ā The term egregor is said to have originally been used for an ElementAL magically created by a group to guard it. An egregor evolves from the thoughts, emotions, and awareness of a collective. It can be either positive or negative. A negative example would be mob violence, and a positive example would be a healing circle.
A magical lodge egregor takes time to develop. Lodges that have been in existence for a long time have powerful egregors. Everything that takes place within a lodgeāmeetings, activities, initiations, and various ritualsācontributes to and energizes the egregor. In addition, the individual thoughts, intentions, emotions, virtues, and actions of the members feed the egregor as well.
An egregor takes on a synergistic life of its own. This is one reason that lodges are careful about who they admit to membership, for if the egregor loses power or turns negative, the lodge ultimately will fail. A newly chartered lodge will build its egregor in part from its chartered tradition, by drawing upon the symbol s, teachings, deities, myths, rituals, and inner planes contacts used by other lodges.
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FURTHER READING:
- Fortune, Dion. Esoteric Orders and Their Work and The Training and Work of the Initiate. London: The Aquarian Press, 1987.
- Greer, John Michael. Inside a Magical Lodge: Group Ritual in the Western Tradition. St. Paul, Minn.: Llewellyn Publications, 1998.
SOURCE:
The Encyclopedia of Magic and Alchemy Written by Rosemary Ellen Guiley Copyright Ā© 2006 by Visionary Living, Inc.