Egregores and Collective Consciousness in Magic

By NICOLE LAU

Introduction: When Groups Create Gods

What happens when many people focus their thoughts, beliefs, and energy on the same thing? Can collective consciousness create autonomous entities? Can a group's shared beliefs literally bring something into being?

This is the concept of the egregore—a group thoughtform or collective entity created by and sustained by the focused attention of multiple people. From corporate brands to nations to magical lodges, egregores may be everywhere, shaping our reality in ways we don't recognize.

This guide explores what egregores are, how they form, their power and dangers, examples throughout history and today, and how to work with (or against) collective consciousness in magic.

What Is an Egregore?

Definition

Egregore (from Greek ἐγρήγορος, egrēgoros, "wakeful" or "watcher") is an autonomous psychic entity created by and influencing a group of people. It's a collective thoughtform that takes on a life of its own.

Characteristics

• Created by groups: Requires multiple people's energy
• Autonomous: Develops beyond creators' conscious control
• Self-sustaining: Feeds on group's continued attention
• Influences members: Shapes thoughts, feelings, behaviors
• Can grow or diminish: Based on group's energy
• May outlive creators: Can persist after original group dissolves

Related Concepts

• Thoughtform: Individual creation; egregore is collective
• Tulpa: Individual mental companion; egregore is group entity
• Collective unconscious: Jung's concept of shared psychic substrate
• Morphic field: Rupert Sheldrake's theory of collective memory
• Meme: Cultural information that spreads and evolves

How Egregores Form

The Process

1. Shared Focus

• Group focuses on common symbol, idea, or goal
• Shared rituals, beliefs, or practices
• Collective attention and energy

2. Accumulation

• Energy builds over time
• More people = more power
• Repeated focus strengthens it

3. Autonomy

• Entity develops beyond conscious creation
• Begins influencing group members
• Takes on characteristics and "personality"
• May act in ways group didn't intend

4. Self-Perpetuation

• Influences members to feed it more energy
• Recruits new members
• Resists dissolution
• Becomes self-sustaining system

Factors That Strengthen Egregores

• Number of people: More participants = more power
• Intensity of belief: Strong conviction feeds it
• Duration: Longer existence = stronger entity
• Ritual and repetition: Regular practices strengthen
• Symbols and imagery: Visual focus points
• Emotional investment: Passion and devotion
• Exclusivity: In-group/out-group dynamics

Examples of Egregores

Magical and Spiritual

Magical Orders

• Golden Dawn: Occult order's collective entity
• Masonic egregores: Lodge spirits
• Wiccan covens: Group mind of coven
• Magical lodges: Intentionally created group entities

Religious Egregores

• Deities: Some argue gods are egregores (controversial)
• Saints and angels: Collective belief giving them power
• Religious movements: Spirit of the church/sangha/ummah

Secular Egregores

Nations and Nationalism

• National spirit: Collective identity of a nation
• Patriotism: Feeding the national egregore
• Symbols: Flags, anthems, monuments
• Influence: Shapes citizens' thoughts and behaviors

Corporations and Brands

• Brand identity: More than just marketing
• Corporate culture: "The way we do things here"
• Loyalty: Emotional attachment to brands
• Examples: Apple, Disney, Coca-Cola

Political Movements

• Ideologies: Communism, fascism, democracy as egregores
• Political parties: Collective identity and energy
• Social movements: #MeToo, BLM, etc. as collective forces

Internet and Memes

• Online communities: Reddit, 4chan, etc. develop group minds
• Memes: Ideas that spread and evolve
• Viral phenomena: Collective attention creating reality
• Anonymous: Decentralized collective entity

Sports Teams and Fandoms

• Team spirit: Collective energy of fans
• Fandom: Star Wars, Harry Potter, etc.
• Influence: Shapes behavior and identity

The Power of Egregores

What They Can Do

Influence Members

• Shape thoughts, feelings, and behaviors
• Create sense of belonging or exclusion
• Motivate action aligned with group goals
• Suppress dissent or individual thought

Amplify Magic

• Group magic more powerful than individual
• Egregore acts as battery or amplifier
• Can accomplish what individuals can't
• Sustained over time

Create Reality

• Collective belief shapes perception
• Self-fulfilling prophecies at scale
• Social construction of reality
• "If enough people believe it, it becomes true"

Persist Beyond Creators

• Outlive original members
• Influence future generations
• Difficult to dissolve once established
• Historical egregores still active

Positive Potential

• Unity and cooperation: Bringing people together
• Amplified magic: Achieving collective goals
• Shared purpose: Meaning and direction
• Protection: Group entity protecting members
• Wisdom: Collective knowledge greater than individual

The Dangers of Egregores

Loss of Individual Autonomy

• Group mind overrides individual thought
• Pressure to conform
• Difficulty leaving or dissenting
• Identity subsumed by collective

Mob Mentality

• Collective can act in ways individuals wouldn't
• Deindividuation and loss of personal responsibility
• Violence and extremism
• Rationality suppressed by group emotion

Feeding the Beast

• Egregore demands continued energy
• May manipulate members to feed it
• Becomes parasitic
• Members drained or exploited

Unintended Consequences

• Egregore develops beyond intended purpose
• Takes on negative characteristics
• Acts against members' interests
• Difficult to control or redirect

Resistance to Change

• Egregore resists dissolution or transformation
• Maintains status quo
• Suppresses innovation or evolution
• Outlives its usefulness

Historical Examples of Dangerous Egregores

• Nazi Germany: Collective entity of fascism and nationalism
• Cults: Group mind controlling members
• Witch hunts and moral panics: Collective hysteria
• Totalitarian regimes: State as all-consuming entity

Working with Egregores

Creating an Egregore Intentionally

Why Create One?

• Amplify group magic
• Create protective entity for group
• Sustain group purpose over time
• Magical experimentation

How to Create

1. Define purpose: Clear, specific intention
2. Design: Name, symbol, characteristics
3. Group agreement: All members consent and understand
4. Ritual creation: Formal birthing ceremony
5. Regular feeding: Consistent group practice
6. Boundaries: Limits on egregore's power and scope
7. Dissolution plan: How to end it if needed

Best Practices

• Small, focused groups work better
• Clear rules and boundaries
• Regular check-ins on egregore's influence
• Maintain individual autonomy
• Be prepared to dissolve if problematic

Feeding an Existing Egregore

• Participation: Engaging with group activities
• Belief: Accepting group's worldview
• Ritual: Performing group practices
• Symbols: Using group imagery
• Recruitment: Bringing in new members
• Devotion: Emotional and mental energy

Starving an Egregore

Why Starve?

• Egregore has become harmful
• Want to leave group
• Dissolving intentional creation
• Weakening negative collective entity

How to Starve

• Withdraw attention: Stop thinking about it
• Leave group: Physical and mental separation
• Reject symbols: Remove imagery and reminders
• Counter-narrative: Challenge group's beliefs
• Individual identity: Strengthen personal autonomy
• New focus: Direct energy elsewhere

Protecting Yourself

• Maintain individual identity: Don't lose yourself in collective
• Critical thinking: Question group narratives
• Boundaries: Limit egregore's influence
• Grounding: Stay connected to physical reality
• Outside relationships: Connections beyond the group
• Exit strategy: Know how to leave if needed

Egregores and Social Change

Positive Collective Entities

• Social movements: Collective will for justice
• Mutual aid networks: Community support egregores
• Healing circles: Collective healing energy
• Resistance movements: United against oppression

Negative Collective Entities

• Hate groups: Collective bigotry and violence
• Conspiracy theories: Self-reinforcing belief systems
• Toxic fandoms: Harassment and extremism
• Corporate exploitation: Profit-driven entities

Magical Activism

• Creating egregores for social change
• Starving oppressive egregores
• Collective magic for justice
• Binding harmful collective entities

Theoretical Perspectives

Literal Interpretation

• Egregores are real, autonomous entities
• Exist on astral or mental plane
• Have genuine consciousness
• Can act independently of creators

Psychological Interpretation

• Egregores are emergent properties of group psychology
• Collective unconscious manifestations
• Social psychology phenomena
• Useful metaphor, not literal beings

Sociological Interpretation

• Egregores are social constructs
• Collective representations (Durkheim)
• Shared narratives and meanings
• Cultural forces

Both/And

• May be both psychological and metaphysical
• Emergent consciousness from collective
• Real effects regardless of ontological status
• Pragmatic approach: work with what's useful

Conclusion: The Power of Collective Consciousness

Egregores—whether understood as literal entities, psychological phenomena, or social constructs—demonstrate the immense power of collective consciousness. When groups focus their attention, belief, and energy, they create forces that shape reality.

Key insights:

• Collective consciousness creates autonomous entities
• Egregores influence members' thoughts and behaviors
• Can be intentionally created or emerge spontaneously
• Amplify magic and manifest collective will
• Dangers include loss of autonomy and mob mentality
• Exist everywhere—nations, corporations, movements, fandoms
• Can be fed, starved, or dissolved
• Powerful tool for both good and harm

Whether you're creating an egregore for magical work, participating in collective movements, or simply navigating the group minds that surround us, understanding egregores helps you work with—or resist—collective consciousness intentionally.

The groups we belong to shape us. But we also shape them. And together, we create entities greater than ourselves—for better or worse.

Choose your egregores wisely. Feed the ones that serve. Starve the ones that harm. And never forget: you are more than any collective you belong to.

NICOLE LAU is a researcher and writer specializing in Western esotericism, Jungian psychology, and comparative mysticism. She is the author of the Western Esoteric Classics series and New Age Spirituality series.