In the past, there has been little information surrounding the term ‘Egregore’ (or Egregor), and its meaning, and even today, accurate information that digs deeply into it can be difficult to find. This article will examine the nature of the Egregore in the hope of providing insight that the reader will find helpful and may wish to ponder further.

“Egregore” is derived from Latin, which translates to “thought form”, however, its origin is in the Ancient Greek word “Gregoros/Gregori” from 2600 years ago, meaning “watchful, alert”. It appears later in the Septuagint translation of the Book Of Lamentations from the Hebrew Bible, in the Book Of Jubilees (an ancient Jewish text, also referred to as “Lessor Genesis”), and in The Book(s) Of Enoch, ca. 300 B.C.E. (Book Two: The Watchers, in particular). Gregoros was translated to Grigori, also an Ancient Hebrew word (IRIN), meaning “Watchers”. The translation of Grigori from Greek to Hebrew has been the subject of much debate among Occultists and Scholars as to whether or not Egregore are Thought Forms, Fallen Angels, all Angels, or even Deities.

(behindthename.com/name/gregory), (en.m.wikipedia.org/watcher)

Over time, Egregore have been viewed negatively, and the reasons for this will be explained a little later in this piece, however, the word itself and its concept are not negative in Occultism.

In 1987, Gaetan Delaforge defined the Egregore in Gnosis Magazine as a type of collective mind, created when several people come together, consciously, for a common goal(s). For example, during meditation, ritual work, or prayer. When people do so, the protective Egregore is ‘born’ having been assigned a task and a life-span (although in some cases it may be infinite). The Egregore is the impression that surrounds a group that has come together as one, unified and dedicated to a particular cause. Its summation includes the spiritual, emotional, mental and physical energies that are put out collectively as we use our Will to shape our reality.

The Egregore then exists as an entity, however, is always connected to either a group or individual. As a Thought Form, it does not have its own conscious mind. It behaves in accordance with the desires of its creators.

Many Practitioners agree that almost every person, whether incarnate or discarnate, is linked to an Egregore, and that the one they are connected to may be positive or negative. The nature of the Egregore is determined by its vibration (low being negative and high being positive). When people are linked to a negative Egregore, most times, it is thought to be the result of negative connections to either physical beings (on this plane), or astral beings (from other planes). Some of these relationships or arrangements may be the result of psychological persecution, as an example I came across, where the desire to control another is so strong that this energy exists across multiple lifespans and simultaneously in many realms. An Egregore of this very negative kind may feed off the “monadic essence” of a person, in this incarnation even if the Egregore was created prior.

“The word “monad” is generally defined in dictionaries as meaning “primary unit” or “ultimate unit.” In some of the more basic and foundational textbooks of Theosophy, such as “The Key to Theosophy” by H.P. Blavatsky and “The Ocean of Theosophy” by William Q. Judge, the term “Monad” is used quite simply and applies to the conjunction of the two highest “Principles” of the inner, spiritual constitution of the human being, namely Atma and Buddhi, which are usually termed the seventh and sixth Principles of man.

Atma, being pure eternal Spirit, one with the Absolute Infinite Omnipresent Divine Principle, can effectively have no connection with or influence on anything differentiated, manifested, or conditioned, except through Buddhi, the Spiritual Soul, which serves as the vehicle through which the divine light and radiance of Atma shines through to Manas, the next highest Principle, and which is our Reincarnating Ego, our permanent individuality, the Mind-Entity or Human Soul, which has been described and explained at some length in articles such as Ego Is Not a Bad Word and Manas – The Mystery of Mind.”

(http://blavatskytheosophy.com/what-exactly-is-the-monad/)

Should this continue, the energy drain on the individual can cause all forms of illness, on all levels. These attachments must be removed, and the most commonly held belief is that they may only be removed by a positive Egregore. Because a person can become very suddenly connected to negative Egregore in present day, even if it was created hundreds of years ago or more, it is often quite challenging to diagnose the problem; especially as such a being may be re-activated simply by how the person is thinking.

Egregore are kept in existence by the conscious and psychic forces of those who created it (and as the soul is eternal, we can understand how they may continue to exist long after the creators have experienced physical death). The Egregore is then an autonomous being. The life-span of the Egregore is dependent upon the strength of the collective Will and emotions of the creative group. When the Will is strong, and thus the emotions and intentions are absolutely clear, we have the creation of the positive Egregore. The Practitioners determine its tasks and life-span. Egregore of such high vibration are capable of bestowing good fortune and protection on the group and on others.

The Egregore may also be created by a single individual, however, the same conditions apply as to whether a positive or negative being results. The motivation and energy being sent out by the individual determines the nature of the Egregore (e.g. a well-balanced person with virtuous intentions and very positive energy will create a positive Egregore). As a specific example, at age 10, I was taught this lesson by my Grandfather, an amazing Occultist and Practitioner, about a friend of his who wanted to do something to protect the baby Harp Seals who were being illegally and brutally poached along the Gulf of St. Lawrence. My Grandfather told me it was an act of such offense against nature that his friend felt compelled to do act. At first he had decided to create a Thought Form on his own to protect the baby seals, however, my Grandfather wanted to help, and so they decided to create one together. He explained to me that they focused on love, not hate, and their intention was to protect the baby seals without harming the poachers. They chose to manifest a Thought Form which reflected the best, most positive aspects of both of their characters, and made its task to appear on the shores to approaching poachers as a frightening figure that could be seen from a great distance, especially the eyes, to scare them off. The goal was to get the poachers to turn around and leave; nothing more, nothing less. They created their Egregore and had much success with it. In this case, the life-span was indefinite and their creation was directed to carry out its task “for as long as needed, and no longer”. Even at the age of 10, I understood that my Grandfather and his friend, had given a piece of themselves to create this protective being, and that as good men, their Egregore was also good/positive. While they were upset by the poaching (which if you look back to 1976 and what was going on in the areas of Newfoundland and Labrador, any decent person would be), they made sure that they sent out their intentions with love in their hearts for the baby seals, and (he really emphasized this and how important it was, and what could go wrong if it was done in the opposing manner), love in their hearts for the poachers, with intention that they would gain the wisdom to become good and positive men. Thus, while Egregores/Thought Forms are linked to groups, both naturally occurring over time and intentionally created to complete a task, individuals may also create such positive beings. Finally, to sum things up, he told me the story of a Magician who created a negative Egregore, then lost control of it, and what happened to him. I had a few nightmares after that part of his lesson, but I never forgot the importance of what he taught me.

(humanityhealing.net/2011/05/the-real-meaning-of-egregors)

Confusion Over The Egregore As Watchers Or All Angels

This area of investigation proved to be the most difficult with respect to much controversy over whether or not the Egregore are actually Angels, particularly in reference to The Watchers, fathers of the Nephilim, rather than Thought Forms. The difficulty for most Scholars and Occultists seems to be in the original translation of the word Grigori. To recap, in Ancient Hebrew, Grigori does translate to “watchers” (e.g. Azazel, one of the 10 Watcher Chiefs). However, Grigori was first mentioned in Ancient Greece and, as noted at the start of this piece, translates to “watchful, alert”; and then its Latin translation, Egregore/Egregor, becomes “thought form” in English. Because of this link to the same word for Thought Forms in one language and to Fallen Angels, or Angels generally, in another, some Occultists see the Egregore as Angels (whether Fallen or otherwise), while others do not. For the purposes of this article, I of course leave it up to the reader to decide whether they draw the meaning from the original Ancient Greek source, or from works such as Enoch’s writings, or still later, the works of Dr. John Dee and Edward Kelly, as one example. Some may choose to draw from both. Additionally, while the date for Enoch’s writings (Book Two), is ca. 300 B.C.E., Historians admit that they are still not certain about the date. Some estimate that it may range from 300 to 600 B.C.E., however, in researching this you will find that the dates vary greatly. Even looking into the fact that the The Book(s) of Enoch were found hidden away with the Dead Sea Scrolls did not help to confirm the date of their writing. Historians place the writing of the scrolls between 150 B.C. and 70 A.D., and this is still under debate. What we believe, as always, must be drawn solely from our own personal truths; and ultimately, we strive to look within to find the truth of ourselves and all things, going deeper each time in order to rise. What can be said as a consideration is that Angels, and other such beings, can mean different things to each of us and so to some, the creation of a Thought Form who is meant to protect, watch over, guide, or deliver a message, can certainly be viewed as an Angelic being. What we must further explore is the matter of a separate consciousness in what we create. As in Alchemy, once we unlock its secrets, which exist within ourselves, and reach a high enough level of enlightenment, we are told in such writings as The Emerald Tablet that we may then create as we were created. Thus, while Thought Forms become autonomous, they are still behaving in accordance with our Will and not thinking for themselves; however, if they were to evolve beyond that to a state of separate, individual consciousness, couldn’t they be Angels to some? Were the ancients able to achieve this? Were The Watchers the result of the desire of mankind to be schooled in sacred knowledge? Did they think about it enough, want it enough, that they were able to manifest such beings? Some would call this blasphemous, but it is not my intention to offend anyone. If we never ask questions, especially the hard ones, we will devolve rather than evolve.

As a side note, even the phenomenon of Poltergeist can be considered an Egregore. It is the negative energy manifested by a living person, acting out on their sadness, frustration, or even rage, however, the Poltergeist is not self-aware. It is being directed by the mind of another. Also consider such Paranormal Phenomenon as Residual Energy (like a fingerprint left behind by one who has passed on); you may see, hear, and experience that energy, like a time loop, however, it is not consciously aware. It exists because of the pain and suffering in someone’s life, and the emotions and thoughts they experienced. It is similar to the negative Egregore except that because it was created in the moment of physical death, this energy exists but was given no instructions to do harm, and so it does not interact with others.

Conclusions

Theron Dunn, Freemason, 32 Degree (R.I.P.), wrote what is, in my personal opinion, one of the best definitions of the Egregore that I have come across. I would like to share this excerpt with you from his piece written in 1988 for the Illuminati News:

“In a lodge of freemasons, the egregore is strengthened by time and experience, and the will and intention of good men. The strength of the egregore is patent in the effect the ritual has on the candidate, an effect that cannot be accounted for simply in the execution of the ritual itself.