The Invisible power of Cults & Egregores
A cult is a movement or organization that demonstrates a strong level of devotion or commitment to a specific person, idea, concept, or object where the members show extreme and blind allegiance. The word cult doesn't only refer to religious groups; it can also apply to fandoms and political, social, and lifestyle movements. However, an egregore is a formless entity or thought form created by the group's combined emotions or energy.
Charismatic Leader - Cults usually revolve around a leader that claims to have superior knowledge above everyone else, which makes them fit to lead. The cult leader comes in under the guise of someone who is honest, loving, trustworthy, and helpful, but all of those qualities are lies. The cult leader is hiding their true selves. Their plan is to invade the victim's psyche so the victim can become one of their followers or puppets. Their plan is to have the victim lower their guard in order to devour the victim or to be worshipped by the victim. This is how they trap their members.
Authoritarian Control - The cult leader starts abusing their power by exploiting and exerting control over other cult members by using them as an energy source. At this point, the cult leader forms an egregore. The egregore is tied to the cult leader. The cult leader, with their indoctrination, links each cult member into a consciousness that is difficult for the victim to escape from. The egregore amplifies the cult leader's influence, and in return, the cult leader channels the egregore's energy to maintain control over the group and direct its collective consciousness.
Cognitive Dissonance - The victim is fighting against something that they don't know how to fight against. They have dropped their defenses, and at this point, the victim is confused about how the cult leader has changed but dares not to question them. A lot of the members are experiencing cognitive dissonance, and to resolve the dissonance, members may rationalize or justify the cult leader's teachings or abuse, thinking they deserve it, and so forth, which causes the victim to be even more committed to the group's teachings.
Isolation - The cult leader will want to separate or isolate the victim from their friends and family. They will have you go no contact because they can't have outsiders telling you that the leader is wrong or that they are in a cult. The cult leader does not want their grand scheme recognized by the masses or others. That would ruin their image, and they will lose puppets to use. During this time, the cult leader is mentally deranged, power-hungry, abusive, and maybe violent or dangerous.
Indoctrination - The member participates in rigorous indoctrination, including rituals, teachings, chores, etc. The continuous energy from the cult members helps the egregore sustain itself. The rituals and group activities are meant to feed the egregore. The more energy the members invest, the more influential it becomes. This creates a vicious cycle where the egregore's influence binds the members to the organization and its ideology. At this point, there could be fighting within the cult, where cult members abuse each other and try to imitate the cult leader because they want to be just like the leader. The cult member is slowly losing their identity, just like the rest of the members of the cult. The cult members also start telling on each other to appease their leader. Especially if one of the members is not indoctrinated enough or breaks one of the rules. The cult leader has their trusted underlings to report back to them to let them know if anyone has delegated from the teachings or is doubting the cult leader's authority. Also, they spy on cult members to ensure they are programmed correctly. They also try to recruit other people into the cult as well.
Recovery - The egregore creates a sense of belonging and purpose, which makes it hard for the victim to leave. The egregore's influence on the victim intensifies the loyalty and commitment to the cult despite the repercussions. Some of the things the victim goes through are psychological abuse, social isolation, financial exploitation, illegal and unethical activities, and public scrutiny. The process of breaking free from a cult isn't only a physical thing but also requires dismantling the egregore's influence. The egregore's presence may still appear in the form of internalized beliefs, emotional attachments, and psychological conditioning. Through therapeutic interventions and support from members outside the cult, we can help the victims dismantle the egregore's hold and reclaim their identity. The victim has to rediscover their own identity and beliefs outside the collective influence of the cult and its egregore.
Cults and egregores represent the collective consciousness and group dynamics. Cults revolve around the cult leader and their doctrines; the egregores they produce represent the collective energy and attention of their followers. These thought forms impact the group's identity and activities. Understanding the role of egregores in cults provides knowledge about the psychological and spiritual dynamics at work and how groups can manipulate belief systems and exert control over their members. It emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and independence and the ability to recognize and resist unhealthy group dynamics. The study of cults and egregores is an important field of research, providing lessons on the power of collective belief and the responsibility that comes with it.
