Collective enchantments & reality selection
Further readings in ‘Applied Magic’.
Group-Mind is a concept that, as a primarily solitary-practitioner I have vastly under-explored. But I am intrigued by the practical applications possible through consciousness shifting in groups. In Applied Magic, Fortune draws a distinction between group-mind and group-soul. Group-soul refers to what I call ‘universal consciousness’, others might call it the Akashic Records, or collective consciousness, god, goddess or the divine. Group mind, on the other hand is collective focus, it’s how brexit happened, and how the big idiot was elected. Fortune explains it like this.
“the group soul is the raw material of mind-stuff out of which individual consciousness is differentiated by experience; the group mind is built up out of the contributions of many individualized, consciousnesses, concentrating upon the same idea.”
Dion Fortune – Applied Magic.
The examples I have given of group-mind are somewhat negative. Yet evolving group-mind could be critical in shifting our reality away from environmental destruction, war, greed, and inequality.
Group spell casting has from time to time gained some media attention and hence the attention of group-mind. The actions never seem very successful and it is easy to see why the general public might dismiss public spell-casting as spectacle.
I wonder though. In magic, like in everything, you need a stronger force in the direction of desired change than the current energy it takes to maintain the status quo. Let’s take the 2016 US election as an example. In the lead up to the election there were numerous actions by American witches to bind the republican candidate from winning. Obviously, they were not successful. But, perhaps not because the magic itself was ineffectual but because there weren’t enough witches performing the spell to counteract the magic of the republican party. The republican party had the benefit of millions of dollars with which to seize the attention of group mind, and combined with the spectacle of their candidate this created a potent (and toxic) enchantment.
When Fortune wrote Applied Magic, social-media the biggest influencer over group-mind since consciousness itself was not even a possibility. Mass-media as we know it today did not exist, radio broadcast was still the radical new technology. Social-media has taught us that group-mind is not difficult to manipulate. Facebook, instagram, twitter are enchantments that keep consciousness contained through the digital cage of algorithms.
We will need to counteract the enchantment of these algorithms, and before you think I have gone off the deep-end, I understand how difficult this will be. It will take mass group action.
One way of doing this might be through developing public ritual. We have some, for example when we have periods of collective mourning temporary shrines emerge with wreathes, flowers, teddy bears and personal notes expressing grief, support, and love. We love a good parade, and will happily participate in the rituals associated with Christmas, Hallowe’en, Easter etc.
My own personal spell-casting has been successful, and I know plenty of other witches who can say the same and will also agree that group spell-casting has always provided a challenge. So, I am going to try an experiment, and will report back. I am going to choose a group spell-casting project that feels scope appropriate to the number of witches participating and see what happens.
More on this later as I will need witches to participate in the experiment.
