(specifically, shatabhisha and the egregore)
My main point of reference for this will be “Egregores: The Occult Entities That Watch Over Human Destiny" by Mark Stavish
The word egregore is Greek in origin and is derived from égrégoros, meaning “wakeful” or “watcher.”
It is said of varuna, the presiding deity of shatabhisha that "With his 1000 eyes he see the whole world. The stars are said to be his eyes which watch over the movement of humans."
shatabhisha, with its 1,000 eyes and spies is the cosmic observer of all. varuna himself is the god of cosmic order — punishing those that go out of alignment with it; his agents, those born under his lunar mansion partake in the same role. shatabhisha, symbolized by an enclosed circle is the very binding force that allows a group dynamic to exist and persist
🗝️ From Joscelyn Godwin's "The Golden Thread,"
There is an occult concept of the “egregore,” a term derived from the Greek word for “watcher.” It is used for an immaterial entity that “watches” or presides over some earthly affair or collectivity. The important point is that an egregore is [inflamed] by human belief, ritual, and especially by sacrifice.
Based on these metaphysical premises, Godwin suggests— that for a city, nation, or empire to exist, its devotees must be focused on life in the material world to some degree. (rahu) "When their direction is turned otherworldly (ketu), the cults of family and state, the cults of blood, become weakened and are simply a jumping-off point for the individual instead of an end in themselves."
"All members of a group, a family, a club, a political party, a religion, or even a country, psychically included in the egregore of the organization to which they belong. . . .
Therefore, each individual who is involved in a group receives the influences of the egregores, that is the astral counterpart of the group, in his psyche. This process is unconscious. The resulting drawbacks are, first, some perturbing psychic influences in the majority of cases, and second, a restriction of inner freedom. It is impossible to free oneself from certain egregores. . . .
However, we should free ourselves from all egregores that are not essential. . . . Be cautious . . . mental freedom should not transform us into dropouts or misfits. It should simply open the freedom of the inner path while liberating us from unnecessary obstacles."
🗝️ From Walter Butker's "The Egregore of a school"
"It is increasingly apparent to those outside the group that any member of it is being influenced to some degree by the pressure of the collective thinking of all linked with it, and unless care is taken, the power of independent thought may be reduced.
For many people this is something they actually seek, they may feel inadequate in the everyday world and feel that by being linked in this way, they are protected from what they see as aggressive tendencies from other people. Or again, they may feel inadequate to deal with new ideas and situations and feel that the Group mind will do their thinking for them, and they will not be in danger of wrong thinking."
Victor Hugo appears to be the first author to use the word egregore as part of modern language in La Legende des siecles (The Legend of the Ages) in 1859.
Victor Hugo has shatabhisha moon and venus.
🗝️ from Practical Kabbalah, translated by Piers A. Vaughan
Psychically integrated through ritual initiation or through an intellectual adherence to these currents, the affiliate becomes one of [the egregore's] constitutive cells. He augments the power of the egregore through the qualities or faults which he possesses, and in exchange, the egregore isolates him from the external forces of the physical world, and with the collective force it had previously stored, greatly enhances the feeble means of activity of the man who joins with it.
Instinctively, popular language gives the name of “circle” to an egregore, thus intuitively expressing the idea of a circuit. Between the constitutive cell and the egregore—that is to say, between the affiliate and the group—a sort of inner psychic circulation is thereby established.
the primary symbol of shatabhisha being a circle ⭕️
any interruption in the performance of the ritual will have an equally disruptive effect on the vitality of the egregore. Thus rituals, after a certain period of time, cannot be modified without weakening the egregore, making secrecy all the more critical. Rituals composed of “secret names, words, and formulae . . . to awaken and establish the egregore” are also directed around specific astrological events to coordinate with celestial and cosmic cycles
shatabhisha, 'the veiled star' is innately highly secretive and calculating, associated with nighttime and the black sun
the eyes of varuna are everywhere
essentially, an egregore is the astral counterpart of any group of people, formed and charged by the thoughts and emotions of its collective members — which is in turn is capable of influencing each member individually. I highly recommend reading Mark Stavish's incredibly comprehensive book on egregores if you found the idea interesting. I was mentally connecting the phenomenon with shatabhisha nakshatra during the whole read.
side note: this makes me think of the egregore formed around the school of Vedic astrology... how we are all influencing and being influenced by each other's thoughts in this circle, regardless of whether we come into contact with them via writings or by any other physical means... food for thought ⭕️
2087
stormborns
yousharknotpass
