AN ACCURATE AND GENUINE HISTORY , TRADITION AND PRACTICE OF THE CELTIC DRUIDS
THE DRUIDS AND DRUIDISM
First, for some of the more wide spread misconceptions about Druidism. By far the largest misconception is the taking what little factual, accurate and genuine information is found in books that were all written by non-Celtic authors and mostly conceived by opposing groups like the Romans and the early Christians, and using this information as what many new age Pagans base their creed upon. While some of these authors may not have an opposing view and perhaps even taken up more of a favorable stand point, anything they perceived of the Druids was that of an outsider's and another culture's point of view. They therefore, lacked for the most part the information necessary to discern noteworthy acts from those, which were more mundane, or even which practices were symbolic and which were not. A person observing a Druid, wearing white robes, and performing any act could very easily believe that this was a ritual and standard occurrence, when in fact it may have held merit only for that particular Druid.
Another all too common fallacy is that male Druids were slightly superior to Druidic women, and that women and men Druids should always work apart. The Bronze Age, Wessex culture and even late stone age people that formed in Celtic history and pre-dated the Iron Age Druids held women in the same regard as men in terms of knowledge and magickal prowess and that ideal was carried on well into the times post-dating the Druids. In Druidic orders, men and women were considered equals. They would ascend within the order solely based on each individual’s abilities, skills and gifts. The Druids believed as the cultures before them, that they were able to achieve the greatest balance by men and women working together. Thus, as their ancestors before them have been proven to believe through modern science and archeology, the greatest power in their ceremonies, magick and life itself were ideally to be achieved through balance in all things both living and non-living. It wasn't until much later when the Celtic peoples had begun to change due to outside cultural influences that men and women split in the Druidic orders. So while this split did exist, it was not viewed as a favorable change. Most felt that the rituals and magick lost much of its power due to imbalance.
Most people are of the belief and even the most scholarly insist that the Druids were completely erased by Roman carnage and the Christian conversions. Although not many survived, some did, in fact live to pass on their knowledge in secret, usually through their families and often using the oral traditions of their peoples so there would be no physical documentation of their continued existence. Many families across Europe did this in order to avert persecution. Some of these families lore was lost forever; others were eventually discovered, then killed or converted due to fear, misunderstanding or just plain intolerance. Some of the enduring families merged by means of wedding. Hence, a small number continue to exist to pass down their traditions and lore. However, this knowledge was sometimes kept at a great cost. Some families became mistrustful and extremely leery of any unfamiliar person(s); Having an aversion to or even fearing all outside of their particular family circle, and causing a loss in part of the great love and pride that was the Celtic Druidic life. Majority of these families for the most part are very uninclined to share any of the knowledge they preserved, even when times have changed so that persecution is unlikely. Much of the lore was lost even in these families, and more changed due to the natural flow of time. I am living proof that some information remained and stayed fresh in the minds of my family’s lore, traditions and practices, which may have very well been altered in some ways but never the less was passed on to me orally and otherwise (texts that were in fact written by my family) down through the centuries. Druidic knowledge did not diminish but rather, evolved along with the passing ages of the world, and since Druids generally embrace change due to the ever-expanding pool of wisdom to be learned and an insatiable thirst for knowledge, even those surviving families have knowledge that is different from the Gaulish Celtic Druids.
Many people debate whether or not Druids were the priests of the Celtic peoples. In fact, they were not priests in the traditional sense of the term. They did not guide the faith of the people, as faith was viewed as an individual matter. They taught their people the divine aspects of their gods and goddesses, lore, and magick within nature. They presided over rituals and aided their clans to find the balance within themselves through magick and otherwise. The Greek’s termed the Celts as being, "natural philosophers"—a fitting idiom, as the Druids spent much of their time exploring the mysteries of nature and the universe.
Druidic History and Structure
The Early beliefs and philosophies of Shamanistic Stone and Bronze Age people are directly linked to the practices, lore and traditions of the people who later merged to form the Celts and Ancient Druidism. It was these shamanic principles that gave them a system deeply rooted in the ways of Nature. The Druids formed a belief structure that revolved around the concept of balance in all aspects of life and even death. Some believe the word Druid comes from the ancient Celtic word "Druii", meaning, "Wise" (and closely linked to the word meaning "Oak”) and id, which means "One", so Druid literally means “Wise One”. Another common belief is the the Gaelic word "Draoi" meaning "Magician" is the derivitive of the term Druid given the Druids close relation with magick this would also seem to make sense and hence the Gaelic term "Draiocht" which means literally "what Druids do".
The earliest beginnings of the Druids almost certainly began as small, select groups that worked collectively to help smooth the progress of their individual tribes. While this was proven effective when and where there were few tribes, the Druids soon came to the realization that they also needed to be aware of the other tribes in order to keep their own tribe in balance. This led to the Druid groups working in conjunction, as one. As the population grew, tribes expanded and more tribes formed, the Druids began to gradually work closer together. Efforts were made to jointly combine their knowledge and to understand their world more clearly. By the time the Scythians fused with the Celts, the Druid groups had become a united front, devoted to keeping all the tribes in balance with Nature and the Otherworld. Acknowledging and appreciating that the Druids were amongst the wisest and most intelligent, the Celtic people granted the Druids the authority to originate the 1st laws of Celtic society.
Around this time, certain Druids began to make a distinction from the rest of the group and specialize in particular aspects of Druidism. Possessing a vast memory and a fondness of music, these Druids were very passionate-natured. They enjoyed orally passing down the histories and tales of the Celts. They became known as Bards and were eventually given their own place in Celtic society. They became the keepers of the laws the Druids produced, as well as the historians, poets, and musicians of the tribes. Another subdivision of Druidism was the Ovate. The Ovates were the healers and shamans; the philosophies of herbs, tree lore and animal lore were their mandates. Ovates were charged with the learning and teaching of life, nature, death and rebirth, magick and divination. The awareness of time itself or the cyclical and seasonal nature of life was also the Ovate’s domain, including moon and sun lore. To actually attain the title of Druid, one had to first be a Bard or Ovate. Ovates had to be able to recite word for word and be able to demonstrate mastery of the aforementioned subjects: all tree, herb and animal lore, healing all magick learned, divination and a full understanding of cyclical time and it’s function to progress. Bards had to recite word for word and play note for note from memory all 350 songs, prose, poems, stories and laws written by the Druids all through the Bardic training. It was when they had displayed mastery over all of these things and only then that the Druid initiate was allowed to progress and learn the ways of the Druid. Druids presided over disputes and all legal matters, ruled over and led the ceremonial and non-ceremonial rituals alike, they taught the Bards and Ovates. Druids were always consulted in matters regarding state, war, progress, nature, science, spirituality and the divine. The Druids were often both Bard and Ovate learning all the lessons of each.
After merging, the Celtic tribes emigrated westward and finally settled in Gaul and Iberia, or modern day France and Spain. They later expanded to the areas of Albion, Eire and the surrounding isles (now the British Isles). They found new plants, creatures, and terrains in their travels. They attained new knowledge and wisdom through these new discoveries, and integrated them into their society and beliefs. When they arrived in Gaul they discovered a rich, fertile land, suited to a wide variety of crops. The Gaulish Celts established a flourishing culture and became one of the most advanced cultures of that era by means of necessity and invention.
Druidic Frame of mind
The Druids were renowned for their inquisitiveness and enthusiasm to find the answer to any and all questions posed to them and otherwise. They were extremely dedicated to their people and Nature. Druids were very unbiased in their beliefs regarding learning new things, frequently apt to accept any view or new concept as a possibility until it was established to be inaccurate or false. Druids understood that there were various paths to enlightenment and truth, and that no single path was superior to any other. All paths were valid.
Training
A Druid began their training around the age of five, or soon after any person was deemed gifted by the divine, nature or otherwise. This training lasted for at least fifteen years and sometimes as long as twenty. The training was harsh on the body and the mind, for some key factors were survival and the ability to influence and control Nature’s raw energy. A person had to possess extreme endurance for Druidic training. Usually the students were taught by all the Druids of a community, and would amalgamate their knowledge. Students were called upon to occasionally teach lessons they had learned to newer pupils, and it is in this manner that initiates could then advance as expeditious as their natural abilities permitted.
The Ovates’ and Bards’ initial training began in much the similar method. They both were educated on the histories of their people and the principles the tribe abided, and both learned the basic creed of the other's classes. Thus an Ovate had basic Bard craft, and a Bard knew the first lessons of the Ovate. This was to ensure that the two classes had a firm understanding of each other because they often closely worked together and to attain the title of Druid, an initiate must hold mastery over one if not both sub-divisions.
A person who studies Druidism learns as much as possible from many various fields. They access information, take it in, revere and appreciate it, no matter if even it seems trivial at that particular moment. A Druid is for all intents and purposes a "walking magickal, mystical encyclopedia". The lore gathered by the Druids is used to further their understandings of the intricacies of the complex universe and worlds around them—both the seen and unseen.
Druidic Rankings
Advancement in Druidic society is threefold. First, the student must demonstrate a strong and solid understanding of the knowledge and lore they have absorbed, often in an oral presentation, reciting the lore and skills they have learned. Second, A Druid must do more than reiterate; they must be able to personally interpret the lore they learn. Third, the student receives a sign from Nature or the Divine that they are ready to advance.
The positions attained within Druidic society are derived from the structural makeup of a tree.
The Druids and Magick
Magick is the potential for creation and the ability to affect change within and outside of the body and ones surroundings. This potential resides in everything. Magick is the energy that exists in everything—living and nonliving, spiritual and physical. This energy connects all, binding it together. Druids use the energy that derives from within themselves and the energy of the things around them to perform magick. This energy is never forcibly taken from others, but always politely requested. Thanks and offerings to beings that assist the Druid are common (and recommended). A Druid uses this energy to aid others. Arrogance has no place in Druidic magick. If anything, a Druid is profoundly respectful for they acknowledge the existence of many beings and creatures of far greater power than the Druid. They are aware of how little they truly know, and how much there is still to learn.
Druids Within the Celtic Tribe
Druids chose many different abodes and styles of life. Some lived in houses or huts like their tribe. Others lived in caves. Still others had no specific home, but lived outside in the Nature that they served. Druids usually preferred simple dress, most often a robe. There was no specific color for the robe. The robe was whatever color the wearer preferred but most often was white or off-white symbolizing purity of the spirit and powerful light magicks. The exception was that Leaves and Branches usually wore grey (symbolizing formlessness or potential). Only in specific rituals would a Druid wear a pre-determined color, and even then it was not mandatory. Others in the tribe usually gave Druids any material things they requested (food, water, clothing, shelter if asked).
Druidic Ceremonial Sacrifice
Many are horrified when they discover that sacrifice was a very real and widely practiced part of ritual Druidism. At one point or another, sacrifice was also a part of virtually every culture in the world. Both animal and human sacrifices performed by the Druids followed a few very specific rules. First, the sacrifice must be willing, Celtic peoples as well as various many other cultures viewed death very differently then modern man. Death was merely the beginning, a doorway into the Otherworld of the Divine, spirits and ancestors, and the ideal of life, death, and rebirth was ever present so it was not a bad thing to die and to die in ritual sacrifice was said and thought to be very mystical and revered. Second—the willing sacrifice must feel absolutely NO PAIN. These were the two unbreakable rules of sacrifice, and to break these rules rendered the sacrifice unfit. Druids performed sacrifices as appeals for aid to the Otherworld and as pleas to Nature to sway the forces to a particular act. An unwilling sacrifice would not carry a petition to the spirits or the forces of Nature. Likewise, a sacrifice in pain would be in poor condition to relate an appeal to the Otherworld or Nature in understandable terms. Sacrifice in this manner is no longer necessary in Druidism.
The Solitary Druid
It is difficult to practice solitary Druidism because the original structure was that of a group working together. A Druid aids anyone in need, and a solitary without others for support is often weighed down by the pressure of all they need to do. Those who wish to be solitary Druids would find it easiest to assist people in specific areas rather than trying to solve every problem they encounter. In addition, since a solitary has no one to test and gauge their progress, they must have a strong connection to Nature, as Nature will be the primary teacher. Regardless, a solitary must gather large amounts of knowledge. Without a group to share this task, the solitary is solely responsible in searching for lore. However, a Druid working alone will amass great inner strength and power from treading the solitary path. Often a solitary's connection with Nature is much stronger than a Druid’s connection that is in a grove. The information in these pages can be adapted for solitary practice while still retaining its validity, essence, and power.
