Water is fluid, soft, and yielding. But water will wear away rock, which is rigid and cannot yield. As a rule, whatever is fluid, soft, and yielding will overcome whatever is rigid and hard. This is another paradox: what is soft is strong.
Lao Tzu

Over the years I have been invited to give talks on Druidry, and aspects of Druidry. This is the text of a talk I gave on an introduction to my personal Druidry – written a long time ago now!.

What is Druidry?

Preconceptions

Think of the word Druids. Allow that word to slide through your conscious mind. What do you see? Old men dressed in white robes, with long white beards. Priests of old who sacrificed animals and humans at the temples of Stonehenge, Avebury and other stone circles. Or groups of robed figures standing in the circle at Stonehenge, worshipping the sunrise at the Summer Solstice, with funny headgear, sage and serious, but with little connection to today’s world. Are these the images you see when the word is mentioned? Is this your understanding of what Druidry is? If it is, then I hope that the next hour or so will help dispel some of those images and misunderstandings. For a start, Druidry is more commonly associated with the general public as a spirituality practiced by men, with no place for women. As we shall see, that may have been true once, but I hope to show that there is no gender divisions practiced in the Craft as I have been taught it and practice it.

Introduction

When I was asked to join you here to give a talk on Druidry I began to think about how I should tackle the subject. I came up with all sorts of areas that I felt I needed to speak on, and soon the whole talk would have taken more than a few hours! So I had to throw it all away, and start again, this time being less ambitious with the amount of ground I hoped to cover, and the amount of detail I could give.

So let me begin my talk with a brief overview of my personal path, my thoughts and understandings of the broad stream that would define my paganism and my Druidry. I am a pagan, and my Druidry is firmly rooted in pagan beliefs. Whilst I know and understand that there are Druids who would claim, for example, to be Christian, and others who say that Druidry fits any religion, I am unable to give any insights into how they would define their own individual Druidry – though it is of course perfectly valid for them to do so. And this is a crucial thing to understand – that there is and can be no definition of what Druidry is and no broad definition of how it should be practiced. Every person I know who is following the Druidic spiritual path has their own thoughts, ideas and individually valid concepts. That in itself makes this talk difficult, and must therefore presuppose that I am speaking of my understanding of Druidry and my practice of the Craft.

I came to Druidry by a long and convoluted path, discovering it by way of a background in ceremonial magic, Wicca, and Witchcraft – though I won’t go into a discussion of the differences between Wicca and Witchcraft here – that is another talk in itself!

I also came to find Druidry by chance. Some years ago I was about to undergo some serious surgery, and knew I would be unable to work for at least 3 months – maybe even longer – as I recovered. So, I thought, now would be a good time to explore my spirituality, to understand more fully what it was that I was still seeking. For at that time I was still unable to say that I felt my path was right for me. As I prepared for my extended lay off I bought some books, on witchcraft and other pagan issues. In those days I was a member of a book club and, the month before I was due to enter hospital the magazine offering me the usual ‘editors choice’ clattered through my letterbox. As I idly flicked through the magazine, full of special offers and irresistible bargains that I was having great difficulty in working up any enthusiasm for, I came across a book and an author I was unfamiliar with. I thought about whether I needed yet another book on yet another pagan path, but decided that it would be interesting to read, if nothing else. That book was Druid Priestess by Emma Restall Orr, and it changed my life!

My understandings of Druidry and how I practice it is firmly and strongly rooted in the teachings of Emma, Bobcat, who I am honoured to now know and who I assist in a small way working as the Resources Co-ordinator for The Druid Network. I have studied with her and have stood in the sacred circle at Stonehenge, at Avebury, and other places, with her as Priest. Her methods and her insights will inevitably colour my words today.

So, very briefly, that is me. But where to start a talk on Druidry? The word itself opens up vast vistas in my mind, and we have but a small canvas to work with today. By way of background to the subject let us begin, very briefly, by exploring the roots of modern Druidry, its history, and some common misconceptions:

Roots

To tell the story of the history of Druidry is fraught with difficulty. Druids wrote nothing down, and its roots and history are hidden in the mists of the past. It was an oral tradition, with knowledge passed from one to another by word of mouth, and to become a Druid involved year upon year of dedicated study, working to learn the lore of the Druid that was encoded into the myths and stories of old.

Bard Ovate and Druid

Whether or not there were particular specialisms in ancient Druidry is debatable. Not all classical writers talk of them. Those that do talk of three specialties. The Bard was the keeper of the arts, using song, poetry and creativity. The skills of prophecy and divination was given to the Ovate and philosophical teaching, counselling and judicial tasks were those of the Druid.

A definition of these grades could be something like this:

The Bards were, to quote Philip Carr Gomm, Chosen Chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, “the keepers of tradition, of the memory of the tribe – they were the custodians of the sacredness of the Word.” In their training they learned grammar, hundreds of stories, poems, philosophy and other skills.

The Ovates, or Vates, worked with the processes of death and regeneration. They were the native healers of the Celts. They were natural philosophers, or philosophers of nature: natural science. They specialized in divination, conversing with the ancestors, and prophesying the future.

The Druids formed the professional class in Celtic society. They performed the functions of modern day priests, teachers, ambassadors, astronomers, theologians and judges. They underwent lengthy training: some sources say 20 years. Druids led public rituals. In their role as priests, and again I quote from Philip Carr Gomm, “they acted not as mediators between God and man, but as directors of ritual, as shamans guiding and containing the rites.” Most leaders mentioned in the surviving records were male. It is not known whether female Druids were considered equal to their male counterparts, or whether they were restricted to special responsibilities. References to women exercising religious power might have been deleted from the record by Christian monks during the Celtic Christian era. However, when the Roman Army was sent to destroy the spiritual heartland of the Celts of the Island of Britain in CE 60, there seems little doubt in my mind that the accounts of the black clad women of Anglesey, of Ynys Mon, howling across the waters at the Roman Army of Suentonious were well and truly Druids!

In popular culture, Druids are often associated with the Neolithic stone circles of places such as Avebury and Stonehenge, though it is now known they did not build them. There is no doubt that such sites were used for important ritual and spiritual purposes, using their astronomical alignments and meanings to reflect the energies of the passing year, appeasing their gods and spirits of place, helping ensure the elements were kind and that the harvest would be plentiful. However, with some historians and archaeological authorities the debate still rages as to whether those who led these rites were Druids or not. Whatever their name, for me the Priests who led those rituals represented the native spiritual path of these Islands, and that is also what the Druids as documented by the Romans were – Priests of the spirituality of Britain, working with the changing seasons, with the elements of the natural world, taking care of the needs of the community, the tribe. Some will argue that there is a direct link between the Druids of old to modern Druids, others will say that is nonsense, and that the Druidry of today has nothing in common with those from the past. And in a sense they are both right…..

Ancient Druidry was undoubtedly practiced within a framework and within a world we would find alien and terrifying. The world would have seemed a dangerous place, with events controlled by unseen forces – the spirits of the land and the gods! To attempt to control those forces would have involved practices that would clearly be unacceptable today! And in that sense Druidry today has no links with the past.

As evidence of this fact it is often said that ‘modern’ Druidry evolved in the 18th Century as an extension to Masonic practice, those rituals, philosophies and practices having no link whatsoever with the ancient ways. To quote, a gentleman named Henry Hurle – who formed the Ancient Order of Druids – at a meeting in London, England, in 1786, identifying a need for the formation of a Society for the furthering of the ‘harmonious Brotherhood of man’: “It appears to be that society lacks good fellowship, hilarity and brotherly love.” He also spoke of the Druids and said “they were of old men who undertook to enlighten the people of their day and who introduced among the ancient Britons the useful and polite arts, and these were the Druids.” No place for women here then, in this definition of Druidry.

This image of Druidry continues to colour the perceptions many still hold of the path. It was dominated by men, and their writings and practices reflected this; the old man in white robes and flowing white beard I talked of at the beginning of this talk, and this, as perhaps we are beginning to see, has nothing to do with the Druidcraft of old.

So think again, look again at the Druidry I know and practice, and we can see that the links to long ago are there still. Druidry today is as relevant as it has always been, although perhaps we do not practice it in exactly the same way as our ancestors! The Druids of today still honour the Spirits of Place and of the Ancestors. The way Druidry is practiced today has evolved, has had to evolve, to remain relevant to modern society – perhaps it has never been more relevant.

Spirits

I have just spoken of Spirits of Place, and of the Ancestors. But what do I mean by Spirits of Place? And of the Ancestors?

Spirits of Place are exactly that; Spirits of a specific location, a wood, a valley, a hilltop, a garden, a river. All are unique, all give the specific location its identity and individuality. They have distinct presence, powers, and perceptions, but they do not move around beyond their own boundaries. Within Druidcraft that individuality is recognized, respected and honoured.

And the Ancestors? Working with the Spirits of the Ancestors means acknowledging them as part of our blood and bone, as those who brought us to be here in the now, at this point of time. It is recognizing that we stand here in the present as a pivotal moment between those of our bloodline and of those to come. It is recognizing that we owe who we are to those who have gone before, and honouring that heritage.

And it is also honouring those who have been our teachers, those who walked this spiritual path before us, and those who worked and tended this land before us.

Today

Druidry today is a highly personal path. But within that personal interpretation there are some common strands that help to form a loose definition.

I have already said that I believe Druidry to be the native spiritual tradition of the islands of Britain. It was and still is a magical pagan religion. To borrow a few words from Emma Restall Orr:

“Druidry is based on sacred relationship between the individual and the spirits of nature, the landscape and the ancestors. Its ethics are based on honour – profound respect – for life itself, its practice based on the quest for wisdom through inspired relationship with spirit and the expression of truth through living fully and in a sacred manner, in beauty and with conscious creativity.”

Let me take those words and try to expand a little on them.

Druidry a magical religion? Well, yes it is, providing we recognize this is magical without a ‘k’, in the Wiccan or Witchcraft sense of the word. It is the magic of relationship, the magic of activating change – positive change of social and environmental issues. And that magic has to be based on those sacred relationships, where we perceive and honour others as spirit, developing true spirit to spirit relationship, devoid of defensiveness and entrenched emotion.

And that relationship can go further, deeper, revealing beauty and inspiration. Our relationship, as Druids, with the spirits of nature and of others can reveal truths we may sometimes not wish to see or acknowledge. But the relationship of the Druid with his environment is more than simply external – it is relationship with ourselves, relationship within as well as without. Self knowledge, understanding who we are.

And that can sometimes be a very difficult thing to do, with openness and honesty. In our busy lives today it is all too easy to place barriers within ourselves in order to protect us from the truth of who we are and what we seek. And through Druidry those barriers must be torn down, to reveal in all our beauty that which we truly seek and desire. This can be a difficult and painful process, fraught with difficulties, fraught with the desire to run back to places in our mind which we have found safe and comfortable, places from which we cannot grow and learn.

To understand Druidry is to recognize the need to continually learn, to expand our courage and face up to issues that hurt us. This involves courage, creativity and confidence, for to find ourselves exposed in the realization that we are responsible for our own actions and reactions can be hard. I know this from experience, each lesson learned exposing more and more of that which I held as important to me as being based on the conventions of a society where consumerism is rife and an individual’s status is measured by monetary and material value and by possessions alone.

So we can define a core principle of Druidry as relationship. And central to that relationship is the understanding that all life is sacred. The sacred nature of all existence is a reflection of the understanding of the immanence of spirit, the concept of animism; the understanding that everything in creation has spirit, and is a part of the whole of creation.

And through the animist point of view we can see that everything interconnects. Every idea, thought and action affects everything else, energy vibrating through the web of connectivity, the web of existence. This understanding of connection increases our sense of belonging with all creation, giving us a realization that we are never truly alone. But it also means we have an increased responsibility for that which is entrusted into our care as we walk this earth. Our attitude to the environment must change as we recognize that all of creation is alive with spirit, and all is connected.

What else does Druidry mean?

It means that the cycles of nature and of life are recognized and honoured – from the turning of day and night and of the seasons and ages, to the concept of life, death and rebirth in all its many forms as we walk the spiral of existence. But what does this really mean?

Life is change, and each year we see natural change as the seasons turn. As the wheel turns we move from the time of decay at Samhain through the depths of death during the dark winter months, where nature rots, and then wakes and gets frosted witless and crawls back and pushes through, regenerating again and again before we re-emerge into the springtime around Imbolc. Slowly the sun gains in strength and the days lengthen, reaching equilibrium at the Spring Equinox. Then the sap begins to rise faster as we approach Beltane and the days grow gradually warmer. By the Summer Solstice the sun is at its height, and as we move towards Lammas the crops ripen and the harvest is brought in. Then, as the days grow shorter and shorter we find ourselves at the Autumn Equinox, with the last of the harvest brought home, the fruits picked and stored for the dark cold time of the winter ahead of us once again.

But it isn’t as easy as one unstumbling flow. It’s mud spatteringly painful, trudging through mud spattering fields tending livestock and crops, hoping against hope that the rains will come when we want them, and will stay away when we don’t. It’s the bitter cold of frosty urban nights, cars struggling along icy roads, slithering and sliding – or working through the midday heat of a stifling office while the sun bakes the streets below. It’s the beauty of the Sparrowhawk hunting its prey, or the mangy old pigeon scavenging through bins. It is love and war, the fighting for survival against unbearable odds. But it’s also the beauty of sensing the flow of nature. Of feeling the harmony as our lives are shaped by unseen unknowable forces.

Today, in this modern world so often disassociated from nature, some may feel isolated and immune to these changing seasons, failing to recognize them as the year flows past us unheeded. But in Druidry we honour the turning wheel of the year, in common with many pagan paths, through the Eightfold Year – ‘Walking the Wheel’ of the seasons and the eight festivals.

And just as the seasons change, moving from the birth of the year, through springtime to harvest and into the winter again, so do we live our lives. We are born, and we spend the springtime of our lives learning, testing boundaries, seeking knowledge. Then we move on to maturity, through our ‘summer months’ into the autumn of our lives, where we have (perhaps!) learnt much that life can offer us. And then we move into old age, becoming the wise old man or the crone before we finally leave this existence, returning to where were came. But for many Druids this is not the end, since inherent within the celebrations of the wheel of the year and of life itself is the concept of reincarnation – each lifetime giving us lessons and understanding of the physical existence we see around us. For, when the spirit is ready, we will return to this world again, to explore our physical existence again in whichever way our spirit needs to grow and learn.

So, for me, through living my life in harmony with the wheel of the year, in harmony with the seasons I find myself able to work with the flows of natural energy around me. Instead of working against the flows of the natural word, but instead by recognizing and understanding when is the time to work within myself, or to make plans, or to make manifest my ideas and hopes, my life is no longer one battling against the elements. Things flow, things are in tune – well, most of the time!

I have already mentioned that Druidry honours the Ancestors – our own personal ancestry (even the ‘bad guys!), the Ancestors of the Land, and the Ancestors of our spiritual path. At most Druid rituals the Ancestors will be honoured and invited to join with those present in the Circle – but always with care and respect. We will also always acknowledge and honour the Spirits of Place, asking acceptance of our presence whenever we work with Spirits of Place. Whilst we will often honour the elements of the four directions in our Circle – a practice borrowed from other pagan traditions – we will always honour the Three Worlds, of Earth, Sea and Sky –

But perhaps even here there are differences of perception between different pagan paths. When the Druid honours the four elements of Earth, Air, Fire and Water into the Circle, it is with the understanding that these elements are already present within the circle. The Druid’s perception is that they are everywhere, and therefore to invite them, or invoke them – perhaps as protection – is seen as unnecessary and is a major difference with, say, Wicca. The elements are welcomed within our Circle as a source of inspiration and are honoured accordingly. Whilst it is very possible to attend an open Druid rite, where many pagan practices come together, and to hear, for example, the invocation of the Watchtowers for protection, in a exclusively Druid ritual they are already considered present, and when considered appropriate, need honouring accordingly with no need to ask or demand their presence.

And what about the three Worlds I spoke of earlier? Here we honour the Earth on which we tread, which holds us and sustains us, the Sky above, the wind and the clouds, the rustle of the leaves in summer or the rattle of bare branches in winter, and the sea around us – the waters of life that flow through our lands as blood flows through our veins.

However in some Druid traditions – though not mine – and particularly amongst those who would consider themselves Celtic reconstructionists, and in its most simplistic form, we can consider Upperworld – Sky – to be where the gods exist, Lowerworld – Sea – where the ancestors dwell, and Middleworld – Earth – to be where we are in this physical plane, balanced between sea and sky. But there are yet other practices and perceptions of this model, and all these concepts are but a poetic metaphor for the spiritual structure of the universe and of creation, in order to inspire us.

Within Druidry outdoor temples are preferred. Ceremonies are performed in the open air, whether in woodland groves, in stone circles, on hilltops, by rivers, in fields ….. everywhere is sacred. Of course, not all those who follow Druidcraft will be able or willing to work outside. My Grove always works outside, whatever the weather, whatever the temperature. Though I have sometimes received early morning telephone calls on dark chill windy and wintry mornings asking if we are going to ‘postpone’ the rite! But it is also understood that for some working outdoors is not always practicable or possible. Many Druids work alone, and many work within the sacred space created in their own homes; though wherever Druids work they will create their own sacred space and honour the spirits of place and of the ancestors.

Yet by working outside whenever we can, we are brought into a deeper and more profound contact with the interconnectivity of life itself. As I have mentioned, Druids recognize that all life is interconnected, from the depths of the earth to the realms of the stars, through the web of existence, and that all we do vibrates through the web. Nothing we do is done in isolation. Everything we do affects the web.

Druidry has no creed, no sacred book except the book of Nature. And it is our relationship with nature, the spirits of nature, and the connection we find with nature, that defines us. And through that relationship and connection our understanding that we but part of creation, not some force outside of nature and our environment, deepens. So it is our need to care for that with we are entrusted becomes more important and through that caring comes the need to act in an environmentally sound way, campaigning for environmental issues through engaging all sides, through reasoned talks and discussion and, perhaps, through peaceful protest. Similarly those who follow the Craft are tireless in their search and campaigning for peace, for a world in which there is no peace, where conflicts reign, is a world perceived as out of balance and lacking in harmony, lacking knowing, and lacking understanding.

Grades today

Earlier in my talk, I referred to the definitions of the grades of ancient Druidry. And those grades are still acknowledged by many, if not all who practice Druidcraft as the three faces of modern Druidry. However, I would define them slightly differently today from their traditional meanings, and would perhaps consider them to be the three aspects of modern Druidcraft, complementing each other, and of equal validity, melding and moulding the individual according to each persons needs and talents, one grade being no ‘better’ than another, just different. These are the bard, the ovate and the druid. In my relationship within Druidcraft and through my learnings so far I would define those three aspects – Druids are very fond of three’s! – as:

The Bard is someone who works with the art of listening and expressing his talents through song, storytelling, writing or poetry, through the energies of the flow of words.

The Ovate works with the art of the seer, of divination, of seeing and of healing. The ovate may is the seer, the artist, or any craft that works with the flow of life.

The Druid learns the art of empathy and understanding, of how to walk in another’s shoes. He can be seen as teacher, as priest or guide, working through the understanding of and connection with the flow of creativity and inspiration.

So it can be seen that I would understand them in a more fluid way than of old, and it is how the flow of spirit, of connection and relationship, the flow of Awen, is felt and is used by each individual that defines them and their chosen face of Druidcraft more than scholarly learning.

You may recall earlier, when talking of the history of this spiritual path, I spoke of Druidry being an oral tradition. And I need to return to that concept now as we move through how the Craft is practiced today. Just as the concept of the three faces, the three grades has changed, so the fact that Druidry is an oral tradition has allowed that freedom, and change to take place. Druidry has always been able to change and respond to the changing world in which we find ourselves precisely because it is an oral tradition. This is one of its greatest strengths, giving it the ability to always reflect the moment, the now with beauty and clarity.

Summary

This then is my Druidcraft. It is no bookish scholarly path – though it began as such. But it has developed way beyond such ideas and restrictions.

So we have seen that Druidry can be considered the native spirituality of these Islands, and we can say that its roots are ancient, lost in the mists of time. And that the fact that it is an oral tradition has allowed to change, to adapt and relate to the changing world, making it as relevant now as it has ever been. We have said that Druidry honours Spirits of Place, the Spirits of our blood ancestors and the spirits of those trod this earth before us. And it honours the Three Worlds of Earth, Sea and Sky. We have said that it is a magical tradition, the magic of relationship, the magic of recognizing where we ned to learn and where we need courage to face the challenges of this world. And it is wholly animistic – recognizing spirit in everything, everywhere; even in our local petrol station or supermarket!

What else? We have seen that Druidcraft recognizes and honour’s the cycles of nature, that perpetual mud an blood struggle of nature to survive, and we recognize that those energies work within our own individual lives too, and that by working in harmony with them we can sense the flow of nature. We have seen that Druids honour the elements of Earth, Air, Fire and water, that they are always present, and are sources of knowledge and inspiration for us. And we have seen that, wherever possible Druidcraft ritual takes place outdoors – within groves of trees, atop windswept hills, by the sea – wherever we find the need to work. And we have seen that the quest to understand nature is part of the Druidic path, just as the quest to truly know who we are is part of the Druidic path.

But there is one last thing that I have yet to mention, that flows through all of Druidry, perhaps the most important thing within Druidry, the concept of which defines what our Druidry is more than any of my previous words – the quest of which is what for many Druidcraft is all about – the concept of Awen ….

Awen …

How do I explain Awen? How can I make sense of something that is everything, is everywhere, and yet is so often disregarded and ignored by modern society. And even when it isn’t ignored, can often go unrecognized as something ‘outside’ of who we are and what we are. Let me give a personal point of view:

Awen is life itself, it is the life-force that pervades all existence, and flows through all creation.

Awen is the force which, when experienced wholly, fully and cognitively, as an authentic and integrated person, leads us to understanding what it is that makes us whole, beautiful and inspired. It allows us to experience nature fully, to see that which can only be seen if we are prepared to accept that there is more, so much more, than we can recognize with our ‘normal’ senses, as we run through our busy days and busy lives.

Awen is to sit and feel the spirits of nature all around us, to honour them and treat them with respect, and to feel part of nature with them, to share, for a few brief moments, in their consciousness, to give love and respect to all around us. And Awen is knowing that respect is returned to you.

Awen is beauty and creativity. It is knowledge and understanding, it is connection and it is relationship. Sacred relationship. It is the inspiration of poetry, it is the inspiration of song and dance, and the inspiration of creativity. And when it is allowed to flow through us, connecting us to spirit and to true open, honest and loving relationship with everything around us, it is who we can be, who we truly are.

And to borrow from the words of Bobcat:

“It is the energy of divine inspiration, the flow of spirit, the essence of life in motion. It is the exquisite power of sacred relationship, the power that floods through the body and soul when spirit touches spirit, life is acknowledged, a moment’s experience shared, divine energy exchanged. Awen is the focus of the deep inner quest; it is what we all seek as we stumble through life, that which brings us wisdom, clarity, freedom, ecstasy, the joy of being alive, simply being, peaceful, presence. It is fire in the head, poetic frenzy, lust for breath, complete purpose in perfect serenity.”

Wow!!

Conclusion

I have but scratched the surface of Druidry in this brief talk, though I hope I have demonstrated that those images I began with, of the old white robed man are real misconceptions, are in many ways outmoded and inaccurate. I hope I have allowed you to see that Druidry is more than the intimate knowledge of the myths of old, of the tales of The Mabinogion, or that it can be ‘learnt’ from reading books. Druidry today is more, much more, than working through ‘grades’, to move along to the next level of ‘initiation’, even allowing for whatever the word initiation may mean to you. It is far more than reading exercises in a book, and writing to a tutor in some distant city, perhaps even on another continent. Druidry is more than reading books and articles. Druidry is more than all of this. Druidry is experiencing, Druidry is doing!

Druidry is many things to many people, and I once described a very dear and long standing friend of mine who follows this path as ‘wearing her Druidry more lightly than I’, and I was challenged by another as to what I meant. But the beauty of Druidry is that it is a path that can be followed gently, lightly touching our consciousness and giving a sense of shade between the light and dark that other religions – especially the monotheistic Judaeo-Christian religions we are familiar with -may try to impose upon us, holding us and guiding us. But it can also be a path that, at its sacred core, undiluted and fully expressed, can lead us to an awareness and understanding of all life; changing the way we perceive everything around us, touching our lives at the deepest, most fundamental points we can know of. Here the true lessons and mysteries of Druidcraft are revealed to those who wish to know them.

This is no easy path, no ‘fluffy bunny’ path. It is deep, soul deep; it is light and dark, and all shades between. It is earth and air, fire and water; it is Earth, Sea and Sky, the three worlds; it is creativity, honour, truth and courage. It is the joy of life itself, it is freedom and joy, it is clarity. It is all this and more!