by John Michael Greer
Published by Red Wheel/Weiser (2006)
Review by Vixen
What always continues to astound me about Druidry is how wonderfully beautifully diverse it
is.And whilst this book offers the sub-title of “spiritual practice rooted in the living earth” it somehow feels so highly structured, lacking in spontaneity and that sense of connection and
beauty that it sometimes felt as if I was reading about a very different path.
Please, don't get me wrong! This is a book packed with information and guidance, and offers the reader a number of different ways to read the book and tackle the content. Yet throughout it there was that deep sense of implicit structure and ‘conformity’.
The book begins with a Foreword by Philip Carr-Gomm, and is arranged in three parts:
Part I is titled A Quest for Ancient Springs: The Druid Tradition in the Modern World and covers the ancient origins of Druidry, the revivalist traditions and modern and Pagan
Druidry.
Part II is Wisdom of the Stone Circle: Three Triads of Druid Philosophy. This
section offers words on Druid symbolism, the wheel of the year and aspects such as Ogham as well as covering such important figures from myth as Taliesin, Arthur and Merlin.
Part II is called Ways of the Sacred Grove: Initiation into the Druid Tradition, and talks of the paths of the Earth (nature awareness, practical Druidry etc)the Sun (ritual, ‘Holy Days’ etc), and the Moon (Meditation).
Perhaps the book reflects the differences between the way many in North America see and practice their Druidry when compared with those I have experienced in my own path in Britain – perhaps this book reflects that cultural emphasis. It does feel a bit like an instruction book for religious studies, and if you are seeking something along those lines then this is perfect. However, if you are seeking something that allows you to express your Druidry with freedom and spontaneity then there may be other more appropriate books out there or you.
Available from Amazon.co.uk
Return to book reviews
