Who Are the Druids?
Many cultures or groups of people are often misunderstood because we do not take the time to get to know them or understand their beliefs. One of my goals for my blog is to give a voice to all cultures and groups so that we can all understand and know each other. After all, we are all one.
Today we are going to take a look at the culture of the Druids.
I had not heard the term Druids that often while growing up in the United States. It was never something mentioned or taught about. I believe this would be the case for the majority of American citizens. As you get older and you start hearing, reading or seeing the term Druid, you are left wondering “What is a Druid ''. Then you set off to find out what it is and you are left with descriptions that fit the narrative of political and religious organizations. Terms such as mystical, magic. demonic, evil, and barbaric are a few, not all, of the words used to bring the narrative to program you that a Druid is evil and not something you want to be associated with. All of which is totally false, misguided and misrepresented. So you came here to this blog for a reason. Let's set the record straight for you.
Druids were seen as spiritual people that had great understanding and wisdom who had many different roles. They have a deep connection to the powers offered by the natural world and throughout the years possesed diplomatic skills that often averted warfare in ancient civilizations.
Dating as far back as the 3rd century BC (that we have record of), Ancient Druids were spiritual leaders who acted as teachers, legal authority, medical professionals, and philosophers.
The word Druid is believed to originate from a Celtic word that means “knower of the Oak tree”. Trees, especially the oak, have always been considered sacred to Druids.
Druidism is the pagan spiritual practice that was found in the Celtic and Gaulish Kingdoms. It is most associated with Ireland and Scotlabd, but there were also Welsh and English Druids.
The origins of Druidism are linked to Wales, one of the Celtic kingdoms, before the time of written histories. They were the priests of early Celtic religion.
We are only able to know just a little bit about the Druids. Why? Because they did not keep any written records of their own. They only passed along information verbally to each other and their descendants. So we must again rely on information provided by other cultures who supposedly observed ancient Druids.
Druids believe in the immortality of the soul and reincarnation. They believe at the time of death the soul passes on from the dead person to another newborn child.
Many young men were educated by Druids and attended schools in the British Isles that were run by Druids. Training in druidic ways could take at least twenty years. Their complex knowledge and histories were learned by heart and were not committed to writing. As mentioned before, it was all passed along verbally.
The Druids had a sophisticated and structured hierarchy class that was distinguishable by different color robes. There were three main types of Druids, the Bards, the Ovates, and the Druids.
The Bards wore blue robes and were singers and poets. They knew various songs and legendary stories, and they would recite them daily as they were the keepers of their sacred traditions.
The Ovates wore red robes and they were philosophers, healers, and interpreters of sacrifices. They would use sacrifices to make predictions about the future and understand the mysteries of death and rebirth.
The Druids wore gold robes and were the philosophers, teachers and judges. They were valued counselors to Celtic Kings.
Druid women, known as Druidesses, were considered equal to the male Druids in many respects. They were ambassadors, judges, lawyers, and skilled military leaders.
The Druids practiced a Shamanic religion called Druidism. They would worship both male and female Celtic gods. They would spend most of their lives training in nature, philosophy, astronomy , Ancient verse, and the lore of the Gods. They would follow nature's lunar, solar, and seasonal cycles. Solstices were important times for Druids, and sunrise was considered A spiritual time. They believed that everything in the world is connected. They would choose quiet, secluded areas for their worship and rituals. Forest circles, sacred groves, and stone circles are the most common ancient places of Druidic worship.
Druidism started to decline and was diminished as Christianity moved in. They were eventually replaced by Roman catholic priests such as St. Patrick in Ireland. But many of their practices would survive the Christian takeover.
Druidism is still alive and practiced today. Druidic spiritual traditions, rituals, and ceremonies still exist today. There is an additional focus on educating others about this mystical Celtic religion and way of life.
My writings on this topic is based on some research that I have completed on the topic. The accuracy is open to debate as the Druids did not write down their history and the interpretation is from outside sources. Until this past month, I have never had contact with anyone who professed to be a Druid. I would love to learn more about Druidism from someone who actually practices. I share many, if not most, of their beliefs and practices that I have read and written about. I only want to learn and practice more of those beliefs.
What is a Druid? Someone totally different than what you have been taught. They are surrounded in mystery, but that is done for a reason. I am sure there is at least one thing in your life that you practice or observe that is similar to Druidic practices. In essence, you are not much different than them.
Blessed Be!
By Michael Walters
The Ancestors Fire
Writing the voices of the unheard
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