Introduction:

When one hears the word Druidry or Druidism pass through their mind they might imagine a spiritual sage absorbed by the beauty of nature. Another might think of a savage barbarian fighting back civilization. In reality we do not know everything about these people and this spirituality, but thanks to the writings of the Romans and Greeks we know that they almost certainly had to have resembled the former.

Druidry as a spirituality has been with us since its conception in Central and Western Europe some three thousand years ago, though through periods whereby it survived only through some fragmented writings, adaptions of Bardic tales by the Church, or through Jungian subconscious collections which were not to resurface until the 1600’s. Indeed, unlike Islam or Christianity, Druidry has not had a continuous lineage of patriarchs, imams, or spiritual leaders since its beginning. Nonetheless, its validity in the realm of world religions was in the past immense, and today it is seeing a resurgence unlike no other.

The History:

It all began thousands of years ago, though the exact beginnings remain uncertain. Many different scientists, linguists, philosophers, and sociologists have proposed their own theories which have a veracity which varies quite largely between them.

Archaeological evidence derived from the megalithic cultures of Western Europe, in particular the British Isles, suggests an existence of Druidry in some form of proto-Druidic beliefs, long before the linguistic Celts arrived in Britain. This evidence combined with linguistic evidence connecting deities and beliefs of the Celts and other Indo-European groups as far as India leads to an exciting reverberation in the annals of man’s history as it gives us one more link in the chain of our inter-connectedness.

This has not however, stopped other theories from being pushed which vary from being extraordinarily mythic to ones which tread a path loose in footing. Indeed, one of the most important stories in Druidry is the existence and disappearance of the city of Atlantis. Before it succumbed to the drowning of the ocean its sages left to the East and West—this is a theory on why the teachings of so many indigenous cultures are so similar. While this remains almost certainly a myth, it is no wonder why some people have thought it to be true. Indeed, many unnamed cultures have been wiped off the face of the Earth due to rapid flooding, droughts, or other natural disasters. It is no wonder then that the ancient Druids, as well as contemporary scholars may have thought this to be true.

The truth is that the origin of the Druids is likely a combination of the aforementioned evidence, alongside new theories and discoveries yet to be found. What is known about the early Druids comes largely from the writings of the Romans and Greeks. Yet, as time has moved so too has our knowledge expanded. Discoveries of Irish Ogham writings, which are Irish writings in an ancient alphabet, have enriched our understanding of Druidic belief, and given us an even richer basin from which the ancient ones drew their tales.

What is known however, is that as Christianity appeared in Europe, and in particular the regions where Druidry was strong—Ireland, Britain, and Brittany—it tended to eclipse indigenous spirituality. Luckily, the Church often adopted many of the Druids’ ancient tales, which although modified to fit into the dogma of Christianity, still hold great value in helping us explore this ancient spirituality. Furthermore many Christian celebrations were shifted to days or important time stamps of ancient pagan faiths. Indeed, the celebration of Jesus’ birthday near the winter solstice was an adaptation from indigenous European spirituality.

Certainly as time went on, the number of Druids decreased. First they disappeared as they nominally became Christians, then completely as those beliefs were held to be true. Eventually however, certain scholars began searching for something which connected them to their ancestors and this is where the first archaeological research into the megalithic culture of the British Isles began. Soon after, this exploration shifted to a fraternal society of Druids much like the Freemasons, which drew nominal inspiration from these ancient people.

By the 1900’s however, due to the direction of a subset of the modern Druids, the movement redirected itself largely to spirituality. Over the past 350 years certain individuals had been amassing information on the beliefs, spiritual practices, and organization of the ancient Druids, and they had began to start implementing them in their life to great success.

In the 1960’s a grand counter-cultural movement began sprouting in Europe and North America which shifted Druidry from obscurity to the forefront as a legitimate spirituality. Indeed, due in large part to Ross Nichols, English Druidry became a legitimate path to enlightenment. From this point on, many forms of Druidry developed into many more groups with different beliefs and organizational structure, yet they all held onto the same core fundamentals.

Druid Beliefs and Organization:

One of the most beautiful things about Druidry is its belief system. It is one of the few spiritualities today without a priesthood, or any other sort of authoritative spiritual guidance system. As such, it is a religion without dogma, and because of this peoples’ beliefs may vary widely from individual to individual.

What is shared between all Druids is a reverence for Nature—what form this takes; pantheist, polytheist et cetera does not matter. Almost all Druids also belief in an Otherworld, though again what this means for the individual can vary. Another belief which is held by most Druids is the idea of awen or some sort of spirit which infuses the world. Awen is somewhat like the Dao in Daoism, or Asha in Zoroastrianism for those of you familiar with those faiths.

Some people find this lack of dogma liberating while others find it too free, and have a difficult time finding structure to the religion. Yet, this does not mean that the spirituality is without structure, rather the historical foundation upon which the movement is cemented gives a vast reservoir from which modern Druids have drawn the organizational apparatus of the movement.

Indeed, Druids meet together in what are called groves, those are meeting-places most often in nature, but if required can be in a field, a public garden, or even the home of a member. In these meetings anything can occur, but one walks into a sacred circle and almost invariably feels the security of the space, and immerses oneself into an ancestral world. Druids also celebrate many days of the year together, most notably eight days of the year which have special calendar significance. An interesting point is that the modern celebration of Halloween is actually largely derived from an ancient Druid celebration of the same sort.

Historically Druids would be broken up into three groups: Bards, Ovates, and Druids. Bards were those men and women who took largely to the arts, including singing, poetry, dance and so much more, and were the stores of information and culture for the ancient ones. Ovates were the diviners, and religious philosophers, those that people went to for guidance in their lives, and for communication with their ancestors in the Otherworld. The group of Druids were the religious and all-encompassing philosophers, and it has been said that Druids were able to stop a war from happening based solely on their guidance. All of these groups however, were likely stages in the growth of an individual Druid, and a practitioner would likely pass through each stage at some point in his or her life. For example in most places in the British Isles, a curriculum existed whereby a Druid was initiated as a Bard and trained in that discipline for nearly 12 years. Today, people still break themselves into these groups, and the number three has special significance in Druidry.

If you wish to learn more:

If you wish to learn more about this wonderful religion then please take a look at the following books.

Druid Mysteries: Ancient Wisdom for the 21st Century by Philip Carr-Gomm is an excellent introduction to the history and beliefs of the Druids with brief, interspersed exercises to help you envision what life as a druid may have been like.

The Druidry Handbook: Spiritual Practice Rooted in the Living Earth by John Michael Greer is a wonderful all around book which goes into history, beliefs, and actually implementing these practices into one’s own life. A must read for anyone interested in the religion.

The Path of Druidry: Walking the Ancient Green Way by Penny Billington is the must have handbook for practicing druids. It is a book which helps you immensely in the spirituality of the religion.

Alternatively browse the website of the Druid group known as the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids, by clicking here.

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-G.L.