What is an Egregore? Don't look in the dictionary, you probably won't find it. The closest Latin root to be found is: "egregius", meaning distinguished or illustrious. That does not sound related or add much to our search. Most of the material found here is taken from internet sources, mostly from Rosicrucian and general mystical sites. An accepted definition would be: It is the psychic and astral entity of a group. It is a kind of group mind which is created when people consciously come together for a common purpose. Each of us belong to several of these groups. The process is unconscious. There also are drawbacks, some disturbing psychic influences in many cases, and a restriction of freedom. It is impossible to free oneself from certain egregores, for example the egregores of the country you live in. However we should free ourselves from non-essential egregores. If this process is continued for a long time, the egregore will take on a life of it's own, even if all the members should pass through transition, it would continue to exist on the inner dimensions and can be contacted even for centuries later by a group of people prepared to live the lives of the original founders, particularly if they are willing to provide the initial input of energy to get it going again. These thought-forms are created reality by an individual or a group. They exist in the exoteric and esoteric realms. They are created by groups such as societies or cultures, professions and trades, or any group. They can be accessed by all members of that group. They change as the group contacting them changes. The egregore is prone to change, either to evolve or degenerate as members of that group change. The group then reflects the changing "egregore". This contact of group members to their "egregore" is automatic in most cases, when the member actually feels that he/she is a member of that group. Most members are unconscious of this process. There are also instances where some groups deliberately use the egregore for the spiritual development and well being of their members. This is true of various mystical organizations. For some beginners, this is where the danger lies, because of the tendency of man to seek protection, the price of which is often a loss of freedom.

Many Mystical Fraternities and organizations use their created egregore for the benefit of their members, as they can be contacted through attunement and meditation. The Rosicrucians deliberately created the Celestial Sanctum so the members could utilize this body for their spiritual development and for their well-being. These thought-form entities are created by visualization, initiation, ritual and such. I personally believe that the Rosicrucians and all Mystics of the Western Tradition use this process constructively for the benefit of their initiates. However, not all Mystical organizations feel the same way; the Philosophers of Nature do not perform any group ritual in order to reduce the influence of its egregore to a minimum.

When egregore is concerned with esoteric or spiritual groups, its influence will even be greater. Those that discover the "secret" can tap in on a powerful egregore representing, a spiritual or esoteric tradition, will, if they follow the line described above by activating and maintaining such an egregore, obtain access to the abilities, knowledge, and drive of all that has been accumulated in that egregore since its beginnings. A group or order which manages to do this can, with a clear conscience, claim to be an authentic order of the tradition represented by the prevailing egregore even if the exoteric lineage is lacking. (I am not personally advocating that lineage should be supplanted for the egregore, but this is probably the new thinking that can explain what is happening today, with all the new Mystical organizations springing up on the internet.)

It is then possible for a member to contact the same egregore years later, after transition, when reincarnating into a new life. Some organizations have worked very hard to create a permanent spiritual egregore that will survive for many years, even an eternity. This is particularly true for the Rosicrucians. Many present members claim that they have been members in previous incarnations. It is possible that they contacted the "Rosicrucian Egregore" and had a strong urge to re-join the fraternity again in this life time.

In conclusion, may I take the liberty to explain that while knowledge of the subject of egegores seems limited to many, it was thoroughly understood by the founders of the Mystical Orders. You can be sure that Dr. Harvey Spencer Lewis, as an example, was well versed on the subject. His writings refer often, in some what of a veiled way, to egregores. I will add in closing: Choose your egregore carefully, it can be of utmost importance in bona fide Mystical Orders and very disastrous in the wrong hands.



After preparing this page, it was called to my attention by the writer, Liora S. Bernstein, of an essay she prepared a few years ago on the egregore, that is found on the internet. She is profoundly interested in the derivation of mystical words. While the word egregore is usually spelled today with an "e" at the end, she spelled it by dropping the "e", which is proper according to her research. She updates the essay frequently to keep it current. For those interested in further research on this word, please go to her very complete essay: click here.


 
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