Mark Stavish, author of Egregores: The Occult Entities That Watch Over Human Destiny, is our guest in podcast episode 194.

Mark Stavish, the Director of Studies for the Institute for Hermetic Studies and a life-long student of esotericism with over 35 years of experience in comparative religion, philosophy, psychology, and mysticism with emphasis on Western spiritual traditions. He has authored more than 26 books including The Path of Alchemy and Kabbalah for Health and Wellness. Stavish is also the author of the blog VOXHERMES at https://voxhermes.wordpress.com/.

In this wide-ranging and extended interview, Mark Stavish and I discuss his recent book, Egregores, and a myriad of related subjects including eastern religion, the relationship between divinity, deity, and humanity, the modern political landscape and the interface with esoteric belief systems, and much more!

“One of most important but little-known concepts of Western occultism is that of the egregore, an autonomous psychic entity created by a collective group mind. An egregore is sustained by belief, ritual, and sacrifice and relies upon the devotion of a group of people, from a small coven to an entire nation, for its existence. An egregore that receives enough sustenance can take on a life of its own, becoming an independent deity with powers its believers can use to further their own spiritual advancement and material desires.

“Presenting the first book devoted to the study of egregores, Mark Stavish examines the history of egregores from ancient times to present day, with detailed and documented examples, and explores how they are created, sustained, directed, and destroyed. He explains how egregores were well known in the classical period of ancient Greece and Rome, when they were consciously called into being to watch over city states. He explores the egregore concept as it was understood in various Western Mystery traditions, including the Corpus Hermeticum, and offers further examples from Tibetan Buddhism, Islam, modern esoteric orders such as the Order of the Golden Dawn and Rosicrucianism, the writings of H. P. Lovecraft and Kenneth Grant, and the followers of Julius Evola and Aleister Crowley. The author discusses how, even as the fundamental principles of the egregore were forgotten, egregores continue to be formed, sometimes by accident.

“Stavish provides instructions on how to identify egregores, free yourself from a parasitic and destructive collective entity, and destroy an egregore, should the need arise. Revealing how egregores form the foundation of nearly all human interactions, the author shows how egregores have moved into popular culture and media--underscoring the importance of intense selectivity in the information we accept and the ways we perceive the world and our place in it.”

Mark Stavish's book Egregores is well-researched, very interesting, and thought-provoking. For all those interested in esotericism, I would consider it a must-read. I found it to be quite timely as well considering his approach juxtaposed with current events. While I did not agree with the premise completely in regards to whether deity is a subset of humanity, Stavish's book would certainly be a worthwhile addition to any occult library and as far as I know, it is the only serious treatment of the subject that I've read. I appreciated the opportunity to discuss it with Mr. Stavish at length during this interview.

Just as an aside, it was not as easy as you might imagine to bring you this interview. We must have rescheduled more than half a dozen times for various reasons. Then on the day of the recording, my co-host Rudolf was unable to attend. Immediately after finishing the recording, my computer crashed. But we have persevered to provide you with an extended and quite excellent interview. Enjoy!

The intro music is “Awakening” by Paul Avgerinos and the outro music is “I Watch Over You” by Federico Moscogiuri.

In the Chamber of Reflection, we’ve begun our study circle around P.D. Ouspensky’s excellent book The Psychology of Man’s Possible Evolution! This wonderful little text contains transcriptions of a few of Ouspensky’s lectures based on the teachings of G.I. Gurdjieff and contains some marvelous insights into the human condition. Join us to read and discuss a lesser-known book that holds great potential to unlock our understanding of our own minds and how to begin the process of transformation.

And I’d like to remind you that although you’re able to listen to this podcast at no charge, it costs time and money to create. We ask you to support our efforts and the creation of future podcasts by joining the membership section at https://chamberofreflection.com or subscribing via Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/occultofpersonality. And if you’re already supporting the show or have done so in the past – my heartfelt thanks and I salute you!

Egregores: The Occult Entities That Watch Over Human Destiny by Mark Stavish - https://www.amazon.com/Egregores-Occult-Entities-Watch-Destiny/dp/1620555778

Institute for Hermetic Studies - http://www.hermeticinstitute.org/