Egregore - Group Dynamics in Religion.

 Egregore is the term that I use in this paper to identify the concept of a composite identity for a group in religious activities. Egregore may be described as the group-mind and/or group-spirit of a body of people engaged in a cooperative activity. In planning and leading group activities and rites of worship the Drui should be aware of the egregore, including, how to build, maintain and direct a healthy group identity. In this paper I would like to briefly examine the concept and role of egregore in the activities of Draiocht and the role of the Druid as religious leaders in managing egregore. 
What I consider to be a healthy egregore is based on a holistic model wherein it becomes an independently identifiable and dynamic living thing that is more than the sum of the parts and which exists with it’s own identity separate from the identity of any particular member. There is also an egregore model which I would consider generally unhealthy wherein the group-mind is actually just an extension of the identity of a single leader, and which is a common characteristic of what I would consider to be a harmful cult. Egregore can be constructively developed and intentionally guided or it can be allowed to develop without active, intentional guidance in a natural dynamic fashion. Egregore can also develop in a haphazard and unbalanced way in which it is allowed to lose dynamics and become a static thing which becomes mentally, emotionally and/or spiritually paralyzed. It is my opinion that egregore should be consciously developed and maintained in order to keep it healthy and functioning in a well balanced and actively dynamic manner.
Size of an egregore can range from two strangers who decide to pray together and who will never see each other after one isolated time of spiritual need, to large bodies of people who share membership in a specific common spiritual identity. A small group of strangers may suddenly find that they share a spiritual need and they may gather in prayer, this sort of spontaneous small-group egregore can often be seen in times of extreme crisis such as during disasters. At the other extreme end of the spectrum is the massive grouping of people who are members of a specific religious body which may spread to the ends of the Earth but who share, through that membership, a common spiritual identity. Between these two extremes of size fall many groups of differing sizes, some may be contained within a living room while others need a large building or field and still yet others spread across the boundaries of nations.
Duration of an egregore can range from the short lived group mind of people gathered for a single activity to the extremely long-term identity of a religious organization. Any time people gather for a coordinated activity, even if that activity is a single event, some sort of egregore is formed. An interfaith event such as a memorial may only happen the one time but as those people gather and hear speakers and participate in prayers their minds and emotions are being directed toward a common focus and so an egregore develops. A short duration egregore is generally felt as being spontaneous and generally is not a highly planned thing. A long duration egregore develops with any group that meets regularly or in which the participants share some sort of common spiritual identity. It is in a long-duration egregore that considerations or consistency and balance become of prime import. Be a spiritual activity a single event bringing strangers together or be it a long term spiritual group worshipping together repeatedly, it will have some sort of group identity.
Formality of structure and management of an egregore is a consideration that is often linked to the combination of size and duration with both having an effect on the need for formality. Generally, as a group becomes larger in structure there is tendency toward more formality in how the structure and organization is arranged. Duration also generally effects the formality or structure and organization in a relative fashion in which longer duration brings about greater formality. As groups increase in size and duration they tend to develop formalized education and standards for membership and leadership and often a centralization of authority. These general principles are seen as tendencies and are certainly not any sort of hard and fast rule there are many available examples of massive groups of people attending a candlelight vigil with minimal formality, just as there are long lasting organizations which have little formality with no centralization of authority and even no formal clergy.
Within an egregore there are many relationships which effect the dynamic balance. These relationships can be emotional, intellectual, physical, spiritual, economic and/or familial, basically running the gamut of human social structures. These internal relationships can strengthen, weaken, unbalance, rebalance and even shatter an egregore. So within an egregore an effort should be made to maintain balance in these internal relationships as they effect the overall group, reducing the consequences of interpersonal tension and difficulties, working toward the goal of fostering supportive reciprocal interpersonal relationships.
An egregore is going to have external relationships which must also be considered. These external relationships exist between a particular egregore and the world around it in how it relates to society as a whole, the environment, deities and spiritual issues and to other groups. Any given egregore may be a component part of a larger egregore and so it will relate to that larger egregore in some fashion, for instance a family may have a spiritual egregore and yet that egregore is part of the larger egregore of the congregation in which they worship which, in turn, may be part of an even larger egregore made up of congregations joining together in a larger denominational body which is, in turn, part of an entire religious movement. It is important to consider how a group identity relates to all aspects of environment from the immediate surroundings to the entire world be those surroundings spiritual or mundane.
Participation in an egregore is another important area of consideration in which we identify who is included in or excluded from the group identity. Methods of inclusion can be almost passive and as simple as the presence of an individual in the activity or simple formal membership in the group. Active inclusion methods are techniques whereby a person does something or performs a task relative to the group identity and so feels himself or herself to be doing something or filling a role. In actuality almost any group will see many methods of inclusion at work some of which are more passive while other methods are more active.
When directing the egregore in ritual there are two main varieties of technique, the passive techniques which are ‘presented direction’ and the active technique which is ‘inclusive direction’ with examples of each variety being seen in most rites. Presented direction is considered to be passive on the part of the attendees because it consists on the things being presented to them, while inclusive direction is considered active on the part of the attendees because it consists of things which they do or activities in which they participate. Included in the area of presented direction are things such as oratory, drama, incense,  background music and the details which set the stage or establish the atmosphere. In the area of inclusive direction we see things such as chant, singing, dance, group movement, group recitation, call and response and basically any activity which includes the body of participants in the action.
A final area of concern is that of the attitude of the leader toward the egregore and his or her awareness of the egregore. The good leader will consider issues of egregore and how to best direct activities and energies to develop a healthy balanced group identity. The largest danger in leadership is that the leader will at some point confuse his or her personal identity with the aggregate identity of the group, this is often the result of pyramidal leadership concepts in which the leader is seen to be at the top or ‘in charge’ of the group. Application of our concept of centrality to the paradigm of leadership helps to prevent this because the leader is not seen as being at the top of a pyramid but at the center of a group and so rather than being the head that dictates he or she becomes the hub which holds the wheel together and allows it to turn smoothly. The leader must remain aware of egregore to allow him or her to direct it in a healthy direction and to prevent any confusion between the individual identity of the leader and the aggregate identity of the group.
Egregore is the group mind or group spirit of a body of people gathered together for common religious activities. Egregore can be either a healthy, well balanced, nurturing spiritual identity or it can become an unbalanced, damaging thing which is unhealthy for the participants. Issues of egregore are to be considered as they are seen within a rite of worship and as they are seen within the life of a spiritual congregation or organization. A good leader intentionally directs egregore in a healthy direction using a variety of methods of inclusion which range from the passive to the active. A good leader makes every effort to keep his or her own personal identity separate from the aggregate identity of the group. Through good leadership an egregore can grow and thrive becoming a healthy, well balanced, nurturing spiritual environment.