What are Energy Constructs?

A construct is something made out of energy. In an earlier article, we made energy balls which are perhaps the simplest objects you can make out of energy. This concept exists similarly across very different Occult paths (different practices or philosophies). In Psionics we call it a Construct because it is literally built (or constructed) from energy. In other practices, there are slightly different terms which often reflect a slightly different perspective or practice. Having read this you might want to check out the How to Make a Construct in the Magic Muscles section.

Sigils and Servitors

In Chaos magic, a more psychological approach is taken. In Chaos Magic a similar concept is that of an idea, which gets embedded in the subconscious. It can be as simple as a sigil or more complicated like a servitor which is a fully autonomous entity which is created to serve the needs of the Chaos Magician in his/her/their own mind. Again this has a mostly mental existence because Chaos magic does not consistently bother with paradigms such as the ether and energy work. Egregores are a similar concept but perhaps bigger with a scope to transcend the singular individual.

Franz Bardon’s Created Entities

Similarly, Franz Bardon writes about the Created Elemental which is a created spiritual creature and depends on the Elemental energy which is manipulated to make them. Franz Bardon also writes about accidentally created larvae and phantoms by the excited mind.

Thought forms, Tulpas and Tulpamancers

In Theosophy, there’s a similar concept called a thoughtform which attempts to bridge the gap between constructs and servitors. It is a thought which has been given form. It is believed that Theosophy has taken its teaching from the Tibetan Buddhist Tulpa. The Tulpa comes from the concept of the mind-made body in Buddhist thought. Most commonly this is a spiritual body that the Buddha makes, to which he can transfer his consciousness in order to travel to heavenly realms. It is called the Nirmanakaya. In Tibetan Buddhism, there is a more diverse form of this called “Sna Tshogs Sprul Pa” or a Tulpa. This can take the form of anything. The term Tulpa reached many of us through the media and an internet community grew of Psions who called themselves Tulpamancers through Reddit and 4chan. They often created thoughtforms of popular TV show characters such as My Little Pony.

Golem

In Judaic mysticism, there is a concept known as a golem which is similarly a living creature made of clay by mimicking the way that god breathed life into Adam. It is said that it is brought to life with the power of a word. The word is supposedly hidden within the text Sepher Yetzirah.

Egregore

Egregore is also an interesting term. It actually originated in an Apocryphal Text called the Book of Enoch 1 (Sepher Khanokh) and there it meant watching guardian angels. Over time in the occult community, this went on to mean the angels watching over a particular magical practice or group of practices united by a similar philosophy or school of magic. In Chaos magic, in the late 1970s, the term suffered a further significant mutation to mean the overall spirit of a magical tradition, school or collection of practices often generated by the collective thoughts of practitioners over time whether deliberately or not. It was suggested that through belief they not only created something which existed within the mind of the practitioner but the egregore also transcended the individual into the Collective Unconscious and could be accessed by anyone practising the same or a similar tradition.

Conclusion

There are lots of different words for this concept, but it transcends the boundaries of philosophies and practices. It is often created in slightly different ways in different practices depending upon the practices accompanying philosophy, but similarities do exist.

Check out the page in my Magic 101 Magic Muscles Course called Making an Energy Construct.