Caer Feddwyd - Articles - Druidry, A Personal Approach

Druidry - A Personal Approach

1. What is Druidry?

The Druids were the intelligensia of ancient Celtic societies. They fulfilled many roles, such as priest, scientist, astrologer, advisor, doctor and lawyer. In some cases, Druids themselves were tribal leaders.

For the ancient Celtic peoples, religion was not something apart from their everyday lives. It is hard to comprehend this, in our world where we have knowledge of many different faiths, and move increasingly towards a secular society. For the ancient Celts, religion encompassed philosophy, societal structure and worldview. Therefore one cannot divorce the Druids from the rest of Celtic culture. It is impossible to attempt to lift them out of that context and be left with something meaningful. Every part of Celtic culture informs and invigorates the other parts. We have to understand Celtic societies as a whole before we can begin to truly understand what Druidry is.

Many modern Druids will proclaim: 'We know nothing of ancient Druidry, therefore you cannot tell me that my practices are wrong. Leaving aside the issues of courtesy and respect, which mean it is unlikely that I would tell someone they were 'wrong', I do think that , for someone to say 'we know nothing of the ancient Druids' shows that they have not even begun to look at the wealth of information that we have, knowledge that increases year on year, as archaeologists make more sense from the ancient sites that they explore and as linguists continue translating the wealth of written lore that survives. Not to mention the insights to be gained from reading the myths, hearing the music and exploring the classical accounts of the ancient Celts and their priesthood.

We owe the eighteenth century antiquarians a great debt. It was they who took the first steps along the road to valuing, preserving and investigating ancient Celtic cultures. They made many mistakes and often did much to muddy the waters, but without them, much would already have been lost. While I find writers such as Iolo Morganwg frustrating, I also appreciate their genius and am grateful for the interest in Celtic heritage that they inspired. Without them, it is likely that much more would have been lost. It was these antiquarians who reinvented Druidry as a worthy activity for middle class Christian men.

It is also these people and their spiritual descendents who are the image of Druids to the general public. In the UK at least, this relegates Druids to the level of social derision accorded to Morris dancers and Screaming Lord Sutch. In many ways, this has its advantages - Druids have never been subject to the same mistrust that has been shown to those using the word 'Witch'. Because this image of the white robed men at Stonehenge at the summer solstice is so persistent in the UK, people automatically make this association when I say 'I practice Druidry'.

Because I seek to distance myself from these rather Masonic traditions, I have taken to defining myself as a 'Brythonic Polytheist'. Admittedly, this is gibberish to most people, including many pagans and I have often been accused of being elitist, snobbish, pedantic… (the list could go on for a fair while). I like the phrase because it accurately describes my faith, without using any words which have assumptions connected with them. It is not a phrase which has an implied social standing or hierarchy associated with it. Many people do not understand it, but that matters not. If they are interested, they can ask what is meant by the phrase. If they are not interested, then so be it - at least they do not leave me with incorrect assumptions and prejudice.

When asked 'What is Druidry?', many people, including some of the major Druid orders will reply that it is not a religion but a philosophy. Therefore, they apply the tenets of Druidry to religions such as Christianity, Wicca and even Buddhism. While I accept that view is valid for some, that way is not for me. The religion of the ancient Britons had no name, there being nothing from which it needed distinguishing. There would have been regional and tribal variations, but even when encountering non-Celtic speaking peoples, the ancient Celts would have found people honouring their Gods in surprisingly similar ways. Confusion arises in these times because Druidry became divorced from the Celtic cultures by the 18th century revivalists. It was then that it became a philosophy, a native wisdom that could be reconciled with Christianity. So now we have the curious situation where 'Celtic Paganism' is perceived as something different to 'Druidry'. I think it helpful to think that the Druids are, in part, to Celtic paganism as Vicars are to Christianity. (Taking the word 'Druid' to mean a priest, this means that modern Druidry has a big imbalance. All Vicars and no laity.)

I feel that the term 'Druidry' has almost become meaningless. It is applied to many different beliefs and philosophies, ranging from Celtic Reconstructionism to Revivalist Druidry, through to a very generic neo-paganism which often bears no relation to Celtic culture in any way at all. To my mind, Druidry must be related to the Celts, or else all meaning in the practice is lost. That doesn't mean that I think we should all be striving to recreate Iron Age Britain. That might be the way for some. For others, the link with the Celts might be simply that they feel inspired by some of the stories, or poetry, or that they connect strongly with a God who was honoured in ancient Gaul. Though I accept that the word is open for use by anyone, I do feel disenfranchised, and look forward to the day when I feel that I can reclaim the word for myself. I also accept that on that day, it is more likely that my own views will have changed. I can only see the word 'Druid' being used in increasing contexts, rather than regaining the more narrow definition that I choose to place upon it

2. The Gods

Three things about the Gods: Firstly, there will always be something of them which remains mysterious. Secondly, they appear to us as they choose. (Though it seems that, just as we have favourite items of clothing, they favour certain forms.) Thirdly, our own experiences colour how we experience the Gods. We are likely to see what - or whom - we expect to see.

The purpose of that statement was to make clear my position. The experiences I have had with them has led me to hold certain opinions. However, it is not for me, nor anyone else, to say that someone else's experience of Gods and spirits is wrong.

My experiences have led me to define myself as a polytheist. That means that I see the Gods are individuals. They are not omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent nor omnibenevolent. They do not exist as Jungian archetypes or aspects of a greater God. They have their own lives and their own agenda. The ancient Celtic peoples were also polytheist, though they may not have conceived of the Gods quite as polytheists do today. Sometimes the boundaries between Gods are blurred. One God may have more than one name; some Gods may choose to appear in various forms, each having their own title. Some Gods may disguise themselves as other Gods for reasons only known to them. There are no hard and fast rules here and I am not claiming to have all the answers. I feel that if in doubt, it is more respectful to treat all beings as individuals. It may be that some of them are not, in which case, the worst that happens is that they get a laugh at my expense. I feel that this is far preferable to the other possibility, that individual beings are insulted by the assumption that they are merely externalised parts of myself or facets of something greater. I for one, feel insulted when someone gets my name wrong, or confuses me with someone else. I would not offer the same discourtesy to the Gods.

3. Living in the 21st century

The challenge for me is how to follow a religious practice which is, as far as possible, inspired directly by the ancient Celtic peoples. This is not without its difficulties, and questions can rightly be asked about how I define 'authentic' and about the necessarily selective approach that I must take. For example, I have no doubt that our ancestors practiced human sacrifice, but that does not mean that I see it as my spiritual duty to perform the same now. Here we see the problem of context, of attempting to blend the values of tribal cultures with the modern laws and ethics of the 21st century. So rather than offering human life to the gods, I can adapt the practice, making what I consider to be more legal and appropriate offerings.

I spend quite a lot of time reading. Not so much from the 'mind body and spirit' section of the bookshop. Instead, I read on mythology, folklore, archaeology, cultural history, linguistics and anthropology. Many modern Druids see this as completely irrelevant, commenting that 'Druidry is about what you feel, about connecting to the earth, not about studying books'. I am not denying that direct spiritual experience is important. However, it is important to remember that the Druids were the intellectuals of Celtic societies. They underwent a rigorous training which might be compared to the gaining of a Masters Degree or a PhD. They were priests yes, but they were also scientists. In addition, upon their shoulders rested the burden of memory. They literally carried the memories of their people, the learning of which is almost unimaginable to me. People these days might criticise me for being 'too academic', but as far as I am concerned, I have hardly begun to do justice to the variety and extent of the knowledge that was held by the ancient Druids.

As Western society no longer relies on memory, we have no need to carry such vast and complex information within our heads. Yet, I do feel that the act of memorising is still important. I find it satisfying to able to pluck a poem or song from memory when the moment calls for it. I also enjoy the freedom of entertaining with my harp, being able to adjust the programme according to the wishes of the listeners, from the store of songs within my head. I also think that it is a valuable discipline, strengthening the mind in a way which can be very useful in other aspects of life.

To me, studying the ancient cultures of the Celtic peoples is a labour of love, an act of religious devotion, every bit as meaningful as performing ritual or prayer. To my mind, I would be dishonouring the ancestors of my blood and spirit if I misrepresented them, either knowingly or through ignorance. Of course, I cannot know everything and am bound to make mistakes or change my mind as my knowledge develops. But that aside, I see it as a duty to speak truly to the best of my ability.

I also see the learning of a Celtic language to be very important. There are certain concepts locked up within a language that just cannot be translated. The whole world-view of a people is contained within the way words are used. There is a pattern, a rhythm to language that inspires, that unlocks a deeper understanding. While I would still count myself a beginner in the modern Welsh language, it is already something that has become invaluable, both for ritual purposes and in improving my understanding of Brythonic writings. When you translate a poem, you have a choice. Either preserve the metre and lose some of the meaning, or give a literal translation and lose the rhythm and rhyme. It is a joy to be able to read poems in the original languages. Though I do not yet grasp the complexities of meaning, simply to appreciate the feel of the poem, the sounds of the words, is something wonderful.

Some people ask if belief in the Gods is necessary for a modern Druid. I can answer only for myself and say that my relationship with the Gods is the cornerstone of my faith and practice. Indeed, 'relationship' itself is the important bit. Relationships with Gods, with my ancestors, with the spirits who live around me. Sometimes these beings are hard to define. Some of my Gods are also ancestors, some land-spirits could be considered Gods. The important thing is that all beings are treated with respect. This emphasis on relationship extends into both the seen and unseen worlds. I like the Heathen word 'wight', which is often used to mean an unseen being, but also implies all living things. So that when I enter a grove of trees with the intention to perform a ceremony, I must first ask the permission of all the wights in that place. The trees, the Little Folk there, and also the birds, insects and other creatures who make their homes there. In this way, we can forge bonds, strengthen communities. Join the Great Song in harmony, rather than trying to sing our own little tune.

(This idea of a Great Song was only introduced to me recently. But being involved very much with the Bardic arts, it appeals greatly to me. Previously, I would have conceived of this as the weaving of a tapestry, in which all forms of life make their own patterns, which are part of a greater pattern. In this way, our lives are seen to be interconnected, though we remain individuals. The concept of a Great Song is a wonderful thing, each being singing their own part of a greater melody. Some voices harmonic, others discordant. Dischord itself can be good, driving the Song to new places, stimulating new fugues. Too much dischord however, and the Song is disrupted, voices waver and become lost.)

And so, perhaps the keyword for my Druidry is community. And I can also see this when I look back to ancient times. There is no point being a Druid on your own. The Druid serves the community, speaks to the Gods on their behalf, remembers the tales of heroes, remembers the names of the ancestors. The Druid cannot exist alone, she would have no purpose. In the 21st century, few of us live in tribal units, though I was lucky to have a relatively tribal upbringing in extended family. So our concept of what community is must now be different. Our community is our family and friends, though we might now be scattered across the globe. Our community is our online fraternity. It may be 'virtual' in one sense, but the bonds we make, the wisdom we share is very real.

And then there is the physical community in the places we live. As pagans, we live as a community within a community. Few share our faiths and some do not share our ethics. Yet even here we should be involved, making a difference, no matter how insignificant we imagine this will be. We can become involved with recycling schemes, litter picking, neighbourhood watch. I take responsibility seriously, I take my word seriously. I do not speak without thought, I do not make promises lightly. In this way, I hope to lead by example. It is important to know that we can all make a difference. In this way, the Druid can still serve the community, albeit in a different way to that of ancient times.