A Little Bit About Druidry

by Pauline Kennedy Allan

Many people when they hear the term Druid tend to think of two types of image: one image is of old men with long beards, wearing white robes and carrying a staff, the other is of individuals usually robed in white at Stonehenge at the Summer Solstice. Both are stereotypes and neither are complete. The image of old men with beards and carrying staffs became popular in the late 17th and early 18th centuries at the time of what is now called the druid revival period. The Stonehenge image is also rooted in that period but modified by news reports that often appear around the summer solstice. In modern druidry there are just as many women as there are men and many of us, if we wear robes at all, prefer more practical colours than white.

Some people argue that Druidry is a new faith with its roots in the Druid revival of the 17th and 18th centuries. Others will argue that it is a faith that has existed in these islands since ancient times and that it has survived in some form through the last two millennia to the present day although there is not much in the way of written evidence to back this up. The reason for this is that Druidry is primarily an oral tradition and has been since it began.

There are a few classical references about ancient Druids but it must be remembered that those references were written by outside observers who may well have had their own reasons for interpreting what they saw in various lights. Miranda Green writes of three considered to be the most important and they are Caesar (100–44BCE), Strabo (c. 60BCE – 20–25CE) and Diodorus (First Century BCE). “All three of these writers present a mixed image of the Druids, though the emphasis is on their barbarism.” (Green 1997, p40)

Examples of classical quotes given in Miranda Green’s book Exploring the World of the Druids are:

…the Druids, in addition to natural philosophy, study also moral philosophy. The Druids are considered the most righteous of men… Strabo, Geography IV, 4, 4

…the groves devoted to Mona’s [Anglesey] barbarous superstitions he demolished. For it was their [the Druids’] religion to drench their altars in the blood of prisoners… Tacitus, Annals XIV, 30-31

A large number of young men flock to them [the Druids] for training and hold them in high honour…. The Druids are wont to be absent from war, nor do they pay taxes like the others…. Attracted by these prizes many join the order of their own accord or are sent by parents or relatives. It is said that they commit to memory immense amounts of poetry. And so some of them continue their studies for twenty years. They consider it improper to entrust their studies to writing, although they use the Greek alphabet in nearly everything else, in their public and private accounts. Caesar, Gallic War VI, 13-14

As you can see even in ancient history there were mixed viewpoints on Druids. Much of the Druidry around today owes something to the Druid revival in the 17th and 18th centuries. At that time educated men fell in love with the idea of wise and noble Druid ancestors and they started societies based on what little they knew and much more on what they believed these ancestors to have been. Many of the gentlemen involved in these early Druid orders would probably not be impressed by what has since developed. The societies formed in the 17th and 18th Centuries were Christian and often bore a number of resemblances to a Gentleman’s Club. Individuals that were members of Druid Orders in the 18th and 19th Century include: John Aubrey, John Toland, William Stukeley and William Blake. There are still Orders that are primarily charitable or still have a Christian focus but now most people when they think of Druids also think of Pagans and that is because many of the larger and better known of the modern Druid Orders are Pagan.

One of the most important names in the history of modern Druidry is Iolo Morganwg.

“On 21st June, 1792, on Primrose Hill in London, an itinerant stonemason named Edward Williams won himself a place in history. Under his Bardic name, Iolo Morganwg, Williams proclaimed a Gorsedd of Bards of the Island of Britain, using a ceremony he claimed to have discovered in an ancient Welsh manuscript.”

It has to be acknowledged that he was both a scholar and also a creative genius. He was also unfortunately an excellent fraud! It has been discovered in more recent times that much of the work that he published as his research was actually his creation. That’s not to say there isn’t some good stuff in it, there is, but it gets a little confusing sometimes as to how much was created by him and how much came from other sources. Many modern Druid orders use something of what he wrote in what they teach and in their rituals but what is taught is not set in stone.

Today, as in ancient times, much is taught through a variant on the oral tradition. I say “a variant” because it is believed that in ancient times those studying to become Druids would memorise phenomenal amounts of material and we do not but we do maintain that Druidry is a path that needs to be experienced with your whole being. Modern Druidry does not have any one set of texts that are used for guidance or teaching. Some Druids use the Wiccan Rede and the Karmic Law of Return as ethical guidelines but these are not requirements. There are books written and published particularly in the last couple of decades that can guide people to some extent on the Druidic path but ultimately it is a path that leads you to go out and experience things for yourself.

So what exactly is Druidry? Strangely enough, I find that’s not a question that has a simple answer. Like most Pagan paths Druidry is a nature-based path. OBOD says Druidry encourages us to love widely and deeply, while the Druids of Albion say:

“Druidry is the song of the Divine Spirit that flows eternally through the fabric of the Island of Britain. It exists of itself. It was here before humankind first set foot on these shores and will remain long after humanity has left this Earth to dwell amongst the stars.”

And the BDO says among other things that:

“One of the strongest trends in Druidry today is the growth of ecological awareness and activism. Such concerns come naturally to a philosophy that has always regarded trees, stones, springs, rivers, lakes, hills and mountains as sacred and imbued with spirit.”

What none of the quotes above say is that Druidry also tends to draw heavily on Celtic tradition and myth and the Celtic metaphysic (for further information on the Celtic metaphysic I suggest reading The Voice within the Wind by Greywind). In The Path through the Forest, Graeme Talboys says: What makes the Druid Way unique is that it is rooted in a particular place and a particular culture. That place and culture is the ancient Celtic world.

As others more experienced than I have said Druidry is a personal journey. It is about developing your relationship with the Land, the Ancestors, the Gods and other beings. It is about finding, accepting and working with your connections to the World. It is about inspiration and creativity. It is about Truth, Justice and Love. Druidry is a path that encourages you to learn, to experience things, to develop as an individual. I think it is also a path that encourages you to be rooted in the world we live in, to be aware of it, to work to improve it in whatever way you can.

Modern Druids, like other Pagans, are found among the many campaigners for various ecological issues such as conservation of resources and natural environments and protection of wild and domestic animals. Many of us also support a range of charities linked into these issues such as the Woodland Trust, Scottish Wildlife Trust and SSPCA to name but a few. Druids generally prefer to celebrate outside surrounded by nature. In general we consider the whole of nature to be sacred but there are places that most Pagans find especially sacred and Druids are no different. These extra special places are often ancient sites such as stone circles, holy wells and groves of trees. If we can, we will often choose somewhere we feel is especially sacred for our celebrations. Caer Clud usually celebrates at the site of an ancient hill fort in Pollok Park but we have also held celebrations in other parks in Glasgow and even inside depending on what is planned.

As well as the eight festivals known as “the wheel of the year” that many Pagan paths, although not all, follow Druids also celebrate various events in our lives such as the naming of a new child, becoming an adult, the joining of a couple, the giving of a new name to someone who has chosen to become a Druid and funeral rites for those who have died. There can be celebrations for any stage of life or event in life that we wish to celebrate or mark in ritual. These rites of passage are usually written especially for the occasion in question and for the people involved in it.

Nearly all Druid rituals have certain things in common. We often gather and cast a circle just as many other Pagans do. One of the first things Druids usually do in the circle is call for peace in all directions. The phrase that is often used is “Let us call for peace for without peace no work can be done”. Druids usually (although not always) call on the Spirits of the four elements, Earth, Air, Water and Fire. Often we will call to particular animals associated with each direction examples include the Hawk in the East, the Stag in the South, the Salmon in the West and the Bear in the North but other animals can also be used. Druids may share in a couple of prayers that are common among us. One is called the Druid’s prayer, the other the Druid’s Vow. The Druid’s prayer has several versions of the words but all follow a similar pattern. One example is given below:

The Druid’s Prayer

Grant, O Spirits, Thy protection
and in protection, strength
and in strength, understanding
and in understanding, knowledge
and in knowledge, the knowledge of justice
and in the knowledge of justice, the love of it
and in the love of it, the love of all existences
and in the love of all existences, the love of Spirit and all Creation.

I have not heard of any other version of words to the Druid’s Vow but it can be sung as well as said. One of the most powerful experiences I have had recently was at DruidCon on 23rd August where there were close to one hundred people, mostly Druids of various varieties but some others too, saying the words of the Druid’s Vow together:

“We swear by Peace and Love to stand, Heart to Heart and Hand in Hand. Mark O Spirits and hear us now confirming this our Sacred Vow.”

Usually the Druid’s Vow is repeated three times and then often followed by singing Awens. The word Awen means flowing spirit or inspiration. It comes from the Welsh and in Irish the word that would be used is Imbas. It has a similar meaning but can be chanted differently. When chanted Awen is pronounced a bit differently to the word in speech, it is extended as: Ahh-oohh-enn and it is usually chanted at least three times and often in multiples of three. It has an associated symbol and that symbol has many meanings.

Image: Three dots above three spreading rays

The three dots can symbolise the passage of the sun on the horizon through the year, marking the solstice and equinox points and the rays can symbolise the light from the sun at these times. The rays can also symbolise the three aspects of druidry usually called Bards, Ovates and Druids. They can also symbolise the three virtues that are important in druidry: Love, Truth and Justice. If it is depicted with three circles around it as it is here the three circles are symbolic of the three worlds of Abred, Annwn and Gwynvyd, or Upper, Lower and Middle worlds.

The rest of any rite or celebration is usually written about the focus for that event, it may include: chanting, telling or re-inacting a myth and making offerings. It may also include the sharing of wine or mead and bread or cake and an eisteddfod where we share songs, stories, poetry and prose often on the theme of the celebration.

At the end of the celebration the circle is opened, we sometimes refer to this as rejoining the apparent world. Anything used during the ritual is carefully tidied up and cleared away. We do our best not to leave signs that we have been at a site. This is not because we are trying to hide what we do but simply so that there is nothing left that can mar other people’s enjoyment of the site.

One of the last things I want to mention is deity. Many Pagan Druids revere the divine force as Gods and Goddesses. Some may consider all Gods to be facets of one God form while others believe that each deity is an individual in his or her own right. There is no correct way of thinking in this. Some of the better known Gods include Lugh, Cernunnos, Arawn, Belenos or Mannanan. Some of the better known Goddesses are Epona, Cerridwen, Macha, the Cailleach, Arianrod and Bridgid or Bride. As with other aspects of Druidry it is up to the individual as to how they interpret the manifestation of the Divine, there are no requirements to believe in any particular deity or deities. What you will often find though is that Druids are drawn to one or more of the Celtic pantheons and often use the few surviving Celtic myths in aiding their understanding of these Gods and Goddesses.

As well as deity Druids also usually revere the Spirits of Place and the Ancestors and often call upon both to join with the participants in a ritual. It is this tuning into the Spirits of Place that can make the Druids of one place vary so much from the Druids of another place even if they belong to the same Druid order. However, our differences are something that we celebrate and learn from. Respect for one another’s viewpoints is one of the cornerstones of all the Druid traditions that I know of and that is one reason why you may also find a number of Druids involved in Interfaith work alongside other Pagans.

Finally I would like to mention a couple of common misconceptions about Druids. We do not worship the sun. Druids do not sacrifice living beings of any kind. We do make offerings but these are things that are ours to offer and can be as simple as our time in service to our friends and community. Druids try to live in harmony with the world around us. We try to live with respect for other people’s beliefs and views. We try to keep the virtues of Truth, Justice and Love close to our hearts. We try to live in peace.

Blessings of the Grove to all of you reading this article.

Potia

References:

Further information on Druidry:

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