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Introducing Druidry
©Gail Nyoka. This
article is not to be copied or reproduced without her written consent.
Gail Nyoka is co-founder of Raven's Claw Seed Group of OBOD.
Say the word Druid and the first images that come to mind, for most people, are the bearded man in a robe, and Stonehenge.
Stonehenge was, in fact, not built by the Druids, but predates the arrival of the Celts and Druids to Britain. It was, however, used by the Druids, along with other structures and pre-Celtic spiritual practices that remain part of Druidry today.
As for the fellow with the white beard, that imagery is largely a product of the reconstructionist vision of the 18th Century. This was a movement started at a time when the position of women had sunk to a level far below that enjoyed by women in Celtic times. It gave the impression that Druid culture was all male, but there is evidence that, in antiquity, women were part of Druidry.
Picture the modern Druid - maybe a man, with or without the beard, maybe a woman, located in countries that include Holland, Spain, France, Germany, Australia, USA and Canada. The contemporary Druid may have Celtic ancestry, perhaps intermixed generations ago, or perhaps this person has no Celtic ancestry, but is drawn to the Druidic form of Nature spirituality. The Gods and Goddesses of the Celts are honoured, but some Druids will recognize other deities alongside the Celtic pantheon.
Britain and parts of Europe are the spiritual home of Druidry, but there is a growing trend to adapt Druidic practices to other lands. What are these practices, and how do they play out in Canada?
It's a cool day - Alban Eiler, the vernal equinox, snow on the ground. Trees, bare of leaves, reach up to grey skies. There's a fire burning and around it stands a group of men and women. One of the men is singing in a rich baritone, bringing to life, once more, an old Irish song. Its melody fills the forest and soars up in the towering cathedral of trees; the listeners are mesmerized by the sound. This is Ontario, the land around is magical, undulating hills and valleys, crossed by streams. Those gathered in the grove connect to the power of the land where they stand, in the stillness of their surroundings.
Druidry, as practiced within the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids (OBOD) celebrates the Earth and Nature, the arts and the development of the spiritual, artistic and personal potential of the individual.
Druidry is known as a predominantly solar path, but the stars and the phases of the moon also play an important part of Druidic studies and practice. As well, emphasis is placed on the properties of the natural world - mineral, plant and animal. There's a shamanic element to the practice of Druidry, and with it, a respect for the art of healing and communication with non-human forces.
The famous staff carried by the Druids of old, and some contemporary Druids, is a symbol of our connection to the spirit of the tree, or the species of tree from which the staff comes. The oak has long been associated with Druidry, but all tree species are revered. In fact, you will find that tree planting, and the conservation of wild spaces and animal life, is an important part of modern Druidry. The Druid respects the land and the spirits of the land, wherever that land may be, even far from Stonehenge and the monoliths of England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales.
And the fellow with the beard - he still lives in our hearts and souls, as Merlin.
Druid Organizations
The Order of Bards Ovates and Druids (OBOD), based in England. Offers
a well-respected correspondence course. Web site: www.druidry.org
British Druid Order (BDO). Eclectic international Druid Order encourages individual study and expression. Publishes The Druid's Voice magazine. www.druidorder.demon.co.uk.
Ar_nDraiocht_Fein (ADF). North American based Druid organization. www.adf.org.
Books
Druid Mysteries, Ancient Wisdom of the 21st Century, Phillip Carr-Gomme
(Rider).
A Druid Directory - A Guide to Modern Druidry and Druid Oracles, Philip Shallcrass and Emma Restall Orr.
Principles of Druidry, Emma Restall Orr (Thorsons).
http://www.lysator.liu.se/religion/neopagan/druidism.html
http://wildideas.net/cathbad/