Egre-who?

I’m writing this from bed, where I’m currently lounging, taking a sick day from the day job because my baby girl gave me a cute little virus.

I really hope it goes away soon… I have plans this weekend, and being sick sure isn’t one of them!

I’m still waiting on the proof of my book Guide to the Gates, by the way. Apparently the printer had some sort of problem with their laminator, which has caused a bit of a backlog. Supposedly it should be on the way soon… anyway, send some good Mercury/Saturn vibes (for printing) my way for a speedy print run because that will mean you can get your copy sooner!

So where was I? Last week’s email (which was delayed by a week due to Internet Gremlins) (can you tell I have Mercury retrograde in my natal chart?) I talked about the idea of Gods & Aliens, and this all made total sense to me when I learned about it - sufficiently advanced aliens being indistinguishable from Gods.

(If you missed last week's email, I am in the process of setting up a blog where you can view the archives, but if you email me & let me know, I will forward it to you for now!)

But then I learned that not all higher powers are actually aliens… some of them are home-grown, as in human-made!

This is the idea of the Egregore.

By classical definition, an egregore is an astral being that is created and fed by ritual action from human devotees. This means intentional, repeated, actions in order to bring about and then sustain an astral being. At first, the being does the bidding of the human, but in all the lore, there inevitably comes a time when the egregore overthrows the chains and becomes the master, not the servant.

Egregores are traditionally associated with Lodge magick traditions like the Freemasons & such. The Lodge’s Egregore is like the sum personality of all the members of the Lodge, especially the founders, and it goes on to influence all of the members much more than any new initiate could hope to influence the Egregore. This is why choosing a lodge is an incredibly important decision if anyone is pursuing lodge-based magick, and can be a cautionary tale against joining any old lodge that will have you.

But in modern times, the concept of the Egregore can be broadened significantly - it’s this idea that wherever two or more people gather, the whole is greater than the sum of the parts? That’s the egregore.

Corporations have them (especially big brands). Movie franchises have them, too. Sports teams, universities, and cults… and religions. (Especially religions!)

One potent example of the more classical type of Egregore comes from Tibetan Buddhism, and the Gelupka school in particular.

One thing about Tibetan Buddhism that a lot of people don’t know is that it is incredibly insular, and incredibly sectarian. Tibetan Buddhism cannot be likened to anything outside of Tibetan Buddhism, and even within a school, comparisons or even contemplation of other ways and other paths is rigidly discouraged.

The other thing about Tibetan Buddhism, which you may be aware of, is that its practitioners have access to some of the oldest, most potent spiritual traditions and practices on the planet.

This combination, as you may imagine, can lead to some... surprising... results.

The egregore that I am referring to here goes by the name of <REDACTED>. He may have been a real lama at some point, but that would have been centuries ago. Then, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, his spirit got revived in response to a multidisciplinary approach (i.e. people in one school of T.B. starting to compare notes, draw comparisons, and learn from other schools of T.B.) in early modern times, and grew in influence and capacity.

<REDACTED> has the ability to bring great protection and and power to his followers, but he is also known for being extremely vindictive and vengeful.

As a young Lama, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama (that’s the one you know of) was urged by a mentor to devote himself to <REDACTED>. But he had a dream in which he saw through to the true nature of the being, decided that it was not an entity that he wanted anything to do with, so he refused.

And many of the adherents of the Gelupka school to this day will blame this decision with the eventuality that China would conquer Tibet and send the Dalai Lama into exile in India! (Talk about vengeful.)

So clearly, <REDACTED> is an extreme example of an egregore created and summoned by people with great spiritual power, and not all egregores are so potent.

But if you’ve ever wondered why some sports fans get SO rabid over “their” team, or why some people get so caught up in the Marvel Cinematic Universe…

Egregores.

If this hits home, or you know someone who you think may be under the effects of an egregore and you want to help them out, pick up Mark Stavish’s book “Egregores: The Occult Entities That Watch Over Human Destiny”. It’s a quick read, but it’s packed with information on how to spot an egregore, and has information on how to free yourself from their influence should you need to.

P.S. You'll note that I have redacted the name of the being from this blog post. This post was initially sent to my list as an email, and I included the name of the being in the email, but upon further reflection I realized that I did not want to aid in any intentional or unintentional revival or attraction from the being itself, and in fact, I did have to perform some extraction of his energy out of my space the very next day. If you want to know the name, you can read the book - but I would advise care in how deeply you research this topic without spiritual protection!