Towards the end of the twentieth century Druidism moved out of the shadows of obscurity, and began
to take its place amongst the ranks of seriously considered spiritual traditions. Until then it had
existed on the margins of acceptance because there was a lack of understanding of its history,
identity and potential value.
Critics argued that it was an invented tradition since an unbridgeable chasm of over a thousand
years separated ancient Druids from the Revival Druids of the seventeenth and later centuries. Iolo
Morganwg had fabricated most of the material used by the fraternal and cultural Druids, and those
who were trying to practice a Druidism that offered a path of spiritual development were in reality
simply combining the work of Iolo with material from a variety of world religions and esoteric
traditions. But from the 1960s Druids began turning to different sources of inspiration – in
particular Celtic studies and archetypal psychology. Some, especially in America, have rejected the
previous few centuries of Revivalism as aberrant and have tried to create a Druidism based solely
upon historical authenticity. Others, mostly in Britain, have attempted
to incorporate new material, while retaining elements of the Druid Revival that they feel are
effective, arguing that many spiritual traditions and varieties of religion are of recent origin,
and were introduced with ‘creation myths’ that were less than accurate historically.
(2)
By doing this, a process of reclaiming history has begun which is set to accelerate in the coming
years. As Revival Druidry is explored, rather than weakening its claim to be authentic, Druidism is
likely to develop an even stronger sense of tradition and pride in its heritage. This will
undoubtedly be helped by a major five-year study of the last three hundred years of Druidism, due
for completion in 2008, funded by the government’s Arts and Humanities Research Board, which
is being carried out by the history department of Bristol University.
This process of strengthening a sense of tradition is likely to continue in another area which has
attracted criticism in the past: the association between modern-day Druids and stone circles.
Although there is no historical evidence that the Druids built megalithic monuments, the fact is that
modern Druids love stone circles and like to perform ceremonies in them. For the last two hundred
years they have been creating them and celebrating in them. In Wales stone circles are often built
for the Eisteddfod celebrations, and one of the most well-known examples of a modern circle stands in
a field used each year for the Glastonbury music festival. Though some Druids (and their critics)
continue to deny the validity of this by-now traditional activity, most enjoy it.
It is also possible that the future may prove that their spiritual forebears did indeed build
circles, since some academics are now pointing to a new sense of continuity in the genetics and
culture of the British, with the rejection of the idea of a Celtic ‘invasion’ that
introduced Druidism a thousand years after the last circles had been built. This school of thought
makes it possible to see the Druids as the priests and priestesses of these ancient monuments, a
tendency reinforced by the increasing recognition of the importance of ritual astronomy in their
construction.
Recently, Professor Ronald Hutton has written: 'In building their case against modern Druidry,
[the archaeologists] Kendrick, Piggott, Atkinson and Daniel all made great play with the fact that
ancient Druids could no longer be definitely credited either with building the monument or with
officiating within it. They were, however, scrupulous enough to recognise two difficulties. The
first is that prehistorians have so far been unable to determine how far continuities of religious
tradition and practice did or did not exist through the periods between the Neolithic and the Iron
Age. The second is that there is some evidence for activity in and around Stonehenge during the Iron
Age itself. It may be that, whether or not modern Druids ever make a
significant reappearance at the monument, ancient Druids could yet be fated to do so.'
(3)
Research into the recent history of Druidry is likely to shed further light on many of the
outstanding figures in the Druid movement over the last three hundred years who have been political
radicals and non-conformists. As the environmental and economic challenges that face the world
becoming increasingly urgent, we need spiritual approaches that encourage a social conscience and
the audacity to think radically. With its history of thinkers who have championed social and
economic justice it is not surprising that Druidry today attracts environmental activists and social
reformers, and this trend is likely to continue. Author Brendan Myers
focuses on the value of Druidry in his Dangerous Religion – Environmental Spirituality and Its
Activist Dimension, John Michael Greer, Chief of The Ancient Order of Druids in America, has begun
to speak openly about the serious difficulties the world will face when the supply of oil runs out
(4), and anti-globalisation campaigners draw inspiration from a spiritual
tradition that has championed radical approaches to injustice – from the days when Druid
leaders supported the Chartists to modern times when Druids support environmental and road-protest
campaigns.
Druidry’s radical stance extends to the politics of the body and sexuality. For at least three generations significant Druid leaders in England have supported the
cause of Naturism – believing that nudism can bring one into closer contact with Nature
(5). More recently, in America, some Druids have
pointed to the ancient Celts’ acceptance of multiple sexual relationships to advocate the
practice of ‘polyamory’ (6). Not all Druids would accept that being
naked or non-monogamous is connected with Druidism, but a liberal and tolerant spirit characterises
the modern Druid, and it is unlikely that they would be upset by the practice of either activity
amongst consenting adults.
Despite the generally tolerant atmosphere in which most Druidry is conducted, there can be strong
differences of opinion – expressed either through internet message boards or in discussion.
Those who treat Druidry as a neo-pagan religion can find it hard to understand how anyone can follow
both Druidism and Christianity. Those who reject the contributions of Revival Druidism and strive
towards an approach which is called ‘Celtic Reconstructionism’ can be baffled as to why
someone might want to recite a prayer that was most likely fabricated in the 18th century. Those who
find no need to include concepts of deity or deities in their spiritual life can find it hard to
empathise with the approach of a Druid who performs devotionals to specific deities. Some Druids are
attracted to the idea of Druidism as a Universalist philosophy that sees the commonalities in all
faiths, while others find this alien, and seek instead to practice Druidry as a magical craft or
philosophy which is specific rather than universal.
Druids in Britain view with bemusement American attempts to construct a religion that bases itself
on a church model, complete with legal registration as a church, pages of byelaws and clergy
training programmes, since part of Druidry’s appeal for them lies in its dissimilarity to the
church, and its avoidance of regulations and distinctions between clergy and laity. Some Americans
in their turn find British Druidry oddly unstructured and laissez-faire.
For the most part each different approach to Druidry simply goes about its business without paying
too much attention to the other approaches. Fraternal and cultural druids exist in separate worlds,
and the Celtic Reconstructionist and American religious groups generally ignore the majority of
British publications and groups and vice versa, perhaps out of tacit disapproval of each
other’s approaches, perhaps because they are just busy enough as it is. An interesting project
for the future would be to bring together these different viewpoints to explore their commonalities
and differences.
There are strong precedents for such a project. Over the last fifteen years a number of dialogues
have been initiated to explore common ground and misconceptions. The widespread belief that Druidism
is patriarchal or suitable only for men has been substantially eroded thanks to women’s
involvement in Druidry. Women now lead groups, write books on feminine perspectives in the
tradition, and form over half the membership of most Druid groups. Until recently both Christians
and Wiccans often felt that Druidry was alien to them. But a number of Christians and Druids
conferences hosted by an Anglican and Catholic priest in the early 1990s, and a Christians, Wiccans
and Druids conference held in 1996 has helped to build bridges. A type
of practice, termed DruidCraft, that combines Druidry and Wicca (also known as ‘the
Craft’) has evolved, and Christians who also follow Druidism as a spiritual path have begun to
speak up – writing articles and creating webpages (7).
Druidry’s strength lies in its inclusivity and its tolerance of diversity. Just as Nature is
generous and bio-diversity is a sign of health, so in the worlds of culture and spirituality
differences of opinion create a healthy and exotic environment, with the potential for the
cross-fertilisation of ideas. Druidry is not simply Paganism, or religion or philosophy – it
can be each of these things and others besides.
Not everything in the world of Druidry is rosy, however. One can find a streak of racism in
certain minor and dwindling expressions of the tradition. These suggest that only
‘Celts’ can genuinely follow the way of the Druid, and in France have become associated
with nationalist movements and right-wing politics. Such approaches ignore the latest researches in
genetics and culture which show that Celticism is a cultural and not a racial definition, and ignore
too the fact that although Druidry originally emerged out of a tribal context in the lands we now
consider Celtic, its revival in the modern era has allowed it to spread and flower in a way that
makes it accessible to all people regardless of their cultural or ethnic origins. Unlike Native
American or Australian aboriginal traditions which are practiced by indigenous cultures, Druidry has
evolved as a spiritual project of the western European imagination that bases itself on Celtic
mythology and lore, but it is not a tribal practice that has been handed down through the
generations. What it loses in romantic appeal because of this, it gains in its universal appeal and
relevance to the contemporary situation. It is simply misguided and selfish to attempt to confine
its practice to one type of person.
Another unattractive side of Druidism can be found in some truly awful books that have been
published in the last few years. These range from a misogynistic fantasy that pretends to convey
ancient knowledge, to a titillating manual on group ‘sex magic’ written by someone who
claims descent from a lineage of Welsh druids.
Bad books and racists are thankfully in the minority. In the last fifteen years the quantity of
publications on Druidry has soared. Prior to 1990 the problem was finding a single book or article
on the subject. Now the problem lies in choosing which one to read. There are in-house journals of
Druid groups in English, Dutch and French and ‘The Druid’s Voice’ magazine,
published by the British Druid Order, has a broad public readership.
The rapid growth of Druidism in the last few decades is likely to continue as the environmental
crisis deepens, as church attendances decline, and as alternative approaches to spirituality receive
more attention. Most Druidry is conveyed through the structure of ‘orders’ – groups
that see themselves as Mystery Schools or teaching organisations. This type of structure has
benefited thousands of spiritual seekers over the years, but it has also limited Druidry’s
appeal. Many people want to practice a Nature spirituality without the restrictions they feel such a
structure implies. An ‘order’ seems to them old-fashioned, with religious overtones.
Even though many orders are far from being old-fashioned and instead encourage non-conformity and
eccentricity, by their very nature they require a commitment and a desire to join a group that many
people do not have. Just as orders have their place in a number of traditions – including the
Christian, Buddhist and Sufi – so they will undoubtedly continue to exist in Druidism. But
Druidry’s greatest challenge in the future will be to find ways of expression that offer an
alternative to this traditional structure. Attempts to create this have already begun: the Druid
Network was launched in 2003 to provide a new way of presenting and uniting Druids, relying solely
on the internet.
It may well be the next generation that evolves other forms that speak to the needs of an
ever-widening circle of spiritual seekers. Certainly the next generation will see the first
substantial amount of people in modern times attaining adulthood who have been raised with Druid
values, beliefs and practices. They will have inherited a spiritual path ideally suited to the era
they will be living in: an environmental spirituality that cherishes all life on Earth, and that
seeks to preserve and protect it for the benefit of all beings.
Footnotes:
- From an internet article at
http://www.aoda.org/articles/Druidry.htm (Return)
- Examples of movements whose origin myths have been proved historically
inaccurate, and whose practices and teachings have been created within the last two hundred years
include Mormonism, Theosophy, Rosicrucianism, and Wicca. (Return)
- from the journal British Archaeology, Summer 2005.
(Return)
- see Druidry and the Future - An Open Letter to the Druid Community by
John Michael Greer on www.aoda.org (Return)
- See the essay Clothed with the Sky - A Spiritual Form of Naturism
within Druidry -
OBOD website page (Return)
- Ellison, Robert. The Solitary Druid, Citadel Press, 2005.
(Return)
- See the section entitled ‘Christians & Druids’ under
‘The Druid Tradition’ at
www.druidry.org (Return)
