Exploring a spirituality
of the past, for a better future: The Druid’s Primer
(originally published in Watkin's: Mind Body Spirit,
May 2012)
Most of us are aware of the druids, even if the image in our minds is somewhat
obscured and our perception is that of a religion shrouded in mystery. Most
people would regard Druidism/Druidry as a long dead, primitive spirituality
that met its demise as Christianity spread across Europe. However, the truth
is hugely different and far more complicated than most people expect.
I became seriously interested in Celtic culture and more specifically Druidry,
over twenty years ago. At that time my understanding of what druids did was
very limited and I was not aware that they still existed in any serious sense.
I have long had an interest in religion, stemming from my Catholic upbringing
and my introduction to Buddhism as a teenager, plus a fascination with mythology.
As I looked more deeply into the roots of Christianity I became increasingly
aware of the legacy of Celtic paganism that has been absorbed into Christianity
to a surprisingly large extent. Having also developed a great interest in ecology,
social/political issues and creativity, I was pleased to find that these areas
are of no small significance within Druidry - hence this path seemed an obvious
choice for me.
After some years, studying the druids of old, encountering many stumbling blocks,
I eventually joined a druid grove in Ireland and also joined the international
Druid order the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD). Of course, the modern
path has dispensed with the more violent and undesirable aspects of the ancient
path, nonetheless modern orders I have encountered generally aspire to the principles
and spiritual wisdom of the original form.
Through the course of my own study and study with OBOD it was clear to me that
much of the original source material that has inspired the modern druid movement
has fallen into obscurity and what exists is widely scattered among the literature
and lore of the past. I have also become increasingly aware that almost all
of the modern texts on Druidry focus on the Welsh traditions, with other Celtic
nations remaining in the background.
I felt that I could perhaps throw some light on the obscured roots of the modern
Druid path, particularly many of the beautiful and extensive traditions of Ireland
and Scotland. I also wished to demonstrate that Druidry is a highly practical
and relevant spiritual path for today’s world – uniting our heady
spiritual aspirations with a deep love and respect for the natural world.
The book starts with a brief history of Celtic culture, a chapter defining what
druids do and a compendium of the major deities. I felt it important to lay
an honest and detailed foundation before moving onto more complex ideas such
as cosmology or the annual seasonal observances.
I’ve structured the book so that each chapter stands alone but builds
on the content of previous chapters. In all cases I’ve drawn from verifiable
sources from Wales such as The Black Book of Camarthen and The
Mabinogion, Irish texts such as The Scholar’s Primer and
The Book of Invasions and Scottish texts such as Carmina Gadelica.
I’ve also consulted the works of most of the major writers on Druidry
from the 18th century revival onwards.
I’ve blended my own personal insights from experience with the core aspects
of druidic thought and practice with the intention of giving a more picture
of what Druidry is. I hope that this proves useful to the would-be druid, but
in truth I wrote it as much for myself as anyone else.
In compiling this distillation of druidic knowledge the process of writing crystallized
my own understanding and conception of what it really means to be a Druid in
the modern world. As I understand it, Druidry is not really about magic, creativity
or being an environmentalist; indeed it may incorporate all of these things,
but primarily it is about forging a connection to the divine in a very direct
way. Having much in common with Taoism, Druidry is about becoming more in touch
with the world, with the rest of humanity and in doing so, discovering your
true self and the spark of divinity within us all that exists throughout all
creation.