According to some druids today, modern Druidism is a contemporary interpretation of ancient Celtic religions. Though often thought of as an exclusively priestly class in Celtic society, Caesar described the ancient Druids as teachers of the people who emphasized respect for nature, the earth, and the “power and majesty of the immortal gods.” according to the book, “Celtic Myths and Legends,” by T.W. Rolleston. The title “Druid” itself reflects this reverence for nature. According to editor and author Diana Wells, the word may originate from “darach”, the Gaelic word for “oak tree." Trees and groves, especially those of oak, are the traditional sacred places of worship for the Druidic faith.
Contemporary Druidism sprang from the British Romanticist movement of the 18th and 19th Centuries. Welsh nationalist and Romantic Edward Williams, who changed his name to Iolo Morganwg, may be credited with holding the first openly Druidic ceremony since the Christianization of Britain. He kickstarted the revival of religious Druidism in 1792 with the establishment of the Gorsedd of the Bards in a Summer Solstice ceremony at Primrose Hill, London. Most of the Druidic societies that followed rose out of fraternal Masonic style organizations, rather than a desire to revive the old ways. Nevertheless these societies kept an archeological and romantic interest in Druidism alive, and by the early 20th Century several Druidic societies of a decidedly religious bent had been founded in Britain. Following suit, many more Druid groups grew up in North America.
Druidism holds no formal universal dogma, as there are independent, monotheist, animistic, polytheist, eclectic and reconstructionist Druids. The single most common thread found in the religion is a reverence for nature, and humanity’s inherent rights and responsibilities that come with it. To the Druid nature is holy, not to be exploited but to be respected and loved. The Druidic styles of meditation, as described on www.druidry.org, often include animals, trees and plants as spiritual symbols and oracles. Nature is a source of inspiration, and a powerful spiritual manifestation of divinity, if not divinity itself. Unlike Wicca, with its emphasis on the feminine aspect of nature personified in the Maiden, Mother and Crone, Druidism places equal emphasis on the male and female aspects of nature. For instance, the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids identifies the Druidic spiritual path as anthropomorphized in the Singer, the Shaman, and the Sage.
Druids today are very active in their communities promoting environmental awareness, activism, and protection programs such as Trees for Life, Campaign for Ecological Responsibility, and The Woodland Trust. Druidism can be walked as a solitary path, but for those who wish to commune with and learn directly from others, there are many groves throughout the world affiliated with formal Druid orders. Some of the most prominent are the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, Ár nDraíocht Féin, Church of the Universal Bond, the Druid Network, and The Druid Order, as well as the humorous Reformed Druids of North America.There is an easily accessible map for discovering local groves of multiple affiliations available on www.Danaan.net for anyone interested in finding local groups.
Druidism
Matt Kramer
30