Egregores: The Thought Forms That Shape Our World

egrgore — Photo by Susan Wilkinson on Unsplash

In today’s world of political extremism and social division, egregores—powerful thought forms created and sustained by collective belief—are shaping our reality in profound ways. These psychic entities emerge when groups of people direct their energy and attention toward specific ideas, symbols, or movements, gradually developing an apparent autonomy that can influence the very people who created them.

Understanding Egregores

The term egregore originates from the Greek word ‘egregoroi’, meaning ‘watchers’, and was later adopted by occult traditions. Unlike servitors, which are consciously created for specific purposes, egregores emerge organically from group consciousness. Unlike gods or spirits, which are typically understood to exist independently of human belief, egregores are entirely dependent on human energy and attention for their existence – though once established, they can appear to act with remarkable independence.

As we witness the rise of far-right politics, the erosion of rights under Trump’s presidency, growing economic inequality, and accelerating environmental destruction, understanding egregores becomes not just intellectually fascinating, but urgently necessary. These invisible forces manifest in nationalist movements, wealth-hoarding economic systems, and media ecosystems that feed on fear and outrage.

Recognising how these thought forms operate gives us insight into our own participation in them—and potentially, pathways to withdraw our energy and redirect it toward more life-affirming patterns.

How Egregores Form and Function

The formation of an egregore begins with shared belief and repeated practice. This concept has historical roots in theosophical writings, notably Annie Besant and C.W. Leadbeater’s influential 1901 work “Thought-Forms,” which explored how thoughts create tangible energy patterns visible to those with clairvoyant abilities. Consider a new religious movement: it starts with a core of believers engaging in shared rituals, holding common beliefs and directing their attention toward the same symbols and ideas. Each prayer, each ceremony, each moment of devotion adds energy to the forming thought form.

Key components in egregore formation

Collective Focus

When multiple people direct their attention and energy toward the same concept, they create a kind of psychic resonance. The more people involved, and the more intense their focus, the stronger this resonance becomes. This is why major religions, popular movements and powerful institutions tend to develop strong egregoric qualities.

Ritual and Repetition

Regular practices – whether formal ceremonies or simply habitual behaviours – help strengthen and stabilise the egregore. These don’t need to be consciously magical; corporate meetings, sporting events or social media engagement can all serve as modern forms of ritual that feed these entities.

Symbols and Anchors

Egregores typically develop physical anchors – symbols, buildings, objects or images that help focus and channel their energy. These might be religious icons, corporate logos, national flags or other representations that capture and direct collective attention.

Types of Egregore in Modern Life

Once you understand how egregores form and function, you begin to recognise their presence throughout our world. These thought forms don’t exist only in explicitly magical or religious contexts – they emerge wherever human belief and attention create patterns of collective energy.

Religious Egregores

Perhaps the most readily recognisable, religious egregores are strengthened through centuries of devotion, ritual and belief. They manifest through sacred buildings, symbols and ceremonies. Even smaller religious movements can develop powerful egregoric qualities through intense devotion and regular practice.

Cultural Egregores

Nations, cultures and subcultures develop their own egregores. These are fed by shared myths, customs and beliefs. National identities are particularly strong examples, sustained by flags, anthems, shared histories and collective rituals. Cultural movements, from punk to hippie culture, can also develop egregoric qualities.

Institutional Egregores

Schools, universities, corporations and governments all generate egregoric energy through their structures and practices. These are maintained through uniforms, logos, buildings, hierarchies and routine behaviours. Think of how an old institution like Oxford University has developed its own apparent ‘personality’ and will over centuries.

Digital Egregores

Perhaps the newest form, these emerge through social media platforms and online communities. They’re fed by likes, shares, viral trends and digital interaction patterns. These egregores can form and dissolve rapidly, but some – like the major social networks – have developed substantial power through constant attention and engagement.

Working With (and Against) Egregores

As magical practitioners, understanding egregores isn’t just theoretical – it’s practical knowledge that can inform how we move through and interact with these thought forms in daily life.

Recognition and Awareness

The first step in working with egregores is learning to recognise their presence and influence. Notice how different spaces carry different energetic patterns. A bank feels different from a church, a corporate office different from a local shop. These aren’t just architectural differences – they’re manifestations of different egregoric energies. Pay attention to how these energies affect your thoughts, emotions and behaviour.

Protection and Boundaries

Once you recognise egregoric influences, you can develop practices for managing your engagement with them. This might include:

Creating personal wards or shields before entering spaces with strong egregoric presence
Setting conscious intentions about how much of your energy you’re willing to give
Developing cleansing practices for after exposure to powerful egregores
Learning to distinguish between your own thoughts/desires and those induced by egregoric influence

Conscious Interaction

We can’t completely avoid engaging with egregores in modern life – nor should we necessarily try to. Instead, we can choose to interact consciously:

Decide which egregores you want to feed with your energy
Create or strengthen positive egregores through intentional practice
Withdraw energy from harmful egregores through conscious disengagement
Work with others to create alternative thought forms that serve life-affirming purposes

Each of us has to decide for ourselves which egregores we choose to nourish and those we do not want to feed. Below Ive listed some examples of both

Common Egregores we may want to withdraw energy from

Corporate Egregores

Amazon’s egregore feeds on convenience, instant gratification and the illusion of endless choice. Withdraw by:

Choosing local bookshops and markets
Accepting longer delivery times
Building relationships with local sellers
Using libraries and borrowing networks

Media Egregores

Tabloid media entities feed on outrage, fear and division. Their egregores grow stronger with every angry click and share. Withdraw by:

Supporting independent journalism
Breaking the habit of rage-scrolling
Choosing when and how to engage with news
Creating information-sharing networks within communities

Nationalist Egregores

These feed on fear of the ‘other’, artificial scarcity and manufactured crisis. Withdraw by:

Building international friendships and connections
Supporting refugee and migrant communities
Questioning nationalist narratives
Creating local community bonds that cross national/cultural boundaries
Creating local community bonds that cross national/cultural boundaries

Social Media Platform Egregores

These feed on attention, comparison and the commodification of human connection. Withdraw by:

Setting clear boundaries around usage
Moving important relationships offline
Finding alternative ways to stay connected
Creating genuine community spaces

Life-Affirming Egregores to Support

Women’s Networks and Circles

Women’s circles and consciousness-raising groups
Mentoring networks and skill-sharing
Mutual support systems
Intergenerational wisdom transmission
Community childcare networks
Women’s health collectives

LGBTQ+ Communities

Pride celebrations and community spaces
Chosen family networks
Mutual aid and support systems
Queer arts and culture preservation
Youth support organisations
Health advocacy networks
Intergenerational knowledge transmission
Community archives and history preservation

Environmental Protection

Community gardens and food networks
Local conservation groups
Seed-sharing networks
Urban rewilding projects
Traditional ecological knowledge preservation

Community Resilience

Tool libraries and repair cafés
Skill-sharing networks
Local exchange systems
Mutual aid groups
Community kitchens
Neighbourhood support networks

Arts and Culture

Independent artist collectives
Community music and performance spaces
Public art projects
Traditional craft preservation
Storytelling circles

This isn’t about achieving perfect withdrawal from harmful egregores – in our interconnected world, that would be neither possible nor necessarily desirable. Instead, it’s about conscious engagement: understanding where our energy flows and making deliberate choices about how we direct it. Every time we choose to support a local business, participate in a community garden, join a women’s circle, or celebrate at Pride, we strengthen life-affirming egregores. Every time we step back from mindless consumption, rage-scrolling, or nationalist fear-mongering, we withdraw energy from harmful ones.

In this way, working with egregores becomes both a magical practice and a practical tool for social change. By understanding how these thought forms develop and sustain themselves, we can more effectively build the communities and world we wish to see. Our attention, our energy, and our practice are powerful – let us use them wisely.

Blessed be

Eva x