Thoughtforms are those critters people create just by imagining them and putting a ton of energy in them so that they can actually affect things in the real world. They can range from small critters that are kept around just for personal employment or as familiars (called servitors) to huge icons that most everyone recognizes and are affected by although they are considered imaginary because they don't have a solid state in the mundane world, such as the Easter Bunny, Santa Claus, and the Boogeyman (called godforms). In between are critters such as mascots that are created by and maintained by a group and don't have a very large "following" (called egregores).

I have some thoughtforms that I have created myself; some have been for protection purposes, while a few were created to help with spells and other magickal workings. I enjoy the process of servitor/egregore creation because it allows me to work with character design.

And then there are some thoughtforms that other people have created, that I sometimes interact with; most of the time they are either egregores or godforms, but I have found some egregores to enjoy working on a personal level much more than godforms. Some approach me while I am doing astral work, usually to hand me a message, but sometimes they just want to have some fun.

It may not be something that we think about all too often, but just like Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny were thoughtforms created for purposes relevant to their time, so have we of these modern times created thoughtforms, more widely known as pop culture icons. They have their individual followings, who are affected and inspired by them, and in turn feed them energy through their appreciation, helping them to grow stronger. Allow me to introduce one such egregore to you, who has been establishing a rather firm presence in my life over the Ostara season on into Beltaine:

Sonic the Hedgehog represents freedom, movement, productivity and creativity, mental acuity, and the power of music and dance. Elementally speaking, he represents the wind and air; if he were to have any astrological correspondences, he would be akin to the Sun and possibly Sagittarius or Gemini (although his "birthday" is in June of 1991, the real date of his creation as a thoughtform was way back in the brainstorming stages of his first game). His original purpose under the management of Yuji Naka and Naoto Oshima was to help their employer, SEGA of Japan, to reach a greater level of influence in the gaming world than their rival, Nintendo. As an egregore today, he encourages people to keep moving and to keep fighting for what is right, and to not waste time wallowing in tears or despair.

I'd like to learn about other people's "imaginary friends" and the many ways in which they have been affected by these creatures of thought, whether of their own creation or someone else's.

Yes, they *are* real; just like how the sunlight makes us feel warm, although light has no real physical form, so do thoughtforms have their place in reality, despite having no "real" bodies.

No, I did not post this just to have some excuse to blather about Sonic. Yes you did. Hush.