Thoughts on Group Mind: Inspired by Dion Fortune’s Applied Magic.
Collective enchantments & reality selection
Ithell Colquhoun, Dance of the Nine Opals (1942)
This brief essay is part of a series exploring the thinking of Dion Fortune as part of the prep-research for the She Speaks Volumes podcast.
Group-Mind is a concept that, as a primarily solitary-practitioner I have vastly under-explored. However, 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 would 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 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 individualised, consciousnesses, concentrating upon the same idea.”
Dion Fortune - Applied Magic.
Thought to be a picture of Dion Fortune, photo origin unknown
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 and 2020 US elections 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 broadcasted magic of the republican party. The republicans 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.
This sounds like am speaking metaphorically, but I am not. I am exploring methods of reality selection through changing consciousness. 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, SnapChat, Tik-Tok and the rest keep consciousness enchanted through the digital-incantation 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 do have some, for example when we have periods of collective mourning temporary shrines, or altars, emerge with wreathes, flowers, teddy bears and personal notes expressing grief, support, and love. We love a good parade, (mardi-gras, carnival) and will happily participate in the rituals associated with Christmas, Hallowe’en, Easter etc.
The past few years have seen a resurgence in public rituals observing the wheel of the year, as well as a stunning growth in witchcraft, and other animistic practices. Group-mind is shifting back towards the magical and this should give us hope – we will need magic to shift consciousness, and evolve humanity.
In Fortune’s novel The Sea Priestess there is a point where Morgan le Fay and Wilfred are discussing the what she needs to complete her own training – to become the Priestess. Morgan Le Fay explains how her evolution relies on fixing her self as a ‘magical-image’ and how that works:
“For me to make a magical image by myself is auto-suggestion,” said she, “and begins and ends subjectively. But when two or three of us get to work together, and you picture me as I picture myself, then things begin to happen. Your suggestion aids my auto-suggestion, and then--then it passes outside ourselves, and things begin to build up in the astral ethers, and they are the channels of forces.”
With this quote I am sharing the idea of the process, not the idea of identity. I think this process of forming shared visions of reality is important to shifting group consciousness. I know this article is not a cohesive idea yet, but I think it is well worth scratching around in this dirt.
The Sea Priestess 2nd Printing - New York: Samuel Weiser, Inc., 1972. Cover artist George Moore???
My own personal spell-casting has been successful, and I know plenty of other witches who can say the same, but will also agree that group spell-casting has always provided a challenge. I would love try a group-mind experiment. The spell would need to be designed appropriate to the size of the group - which I don’t think needs to be in-person. The experiments would probably start simple and evolve. If you are curious or interested in participating - shoot me a message.