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There are few figures as enigmatic as the druid. The image recalls both culture and mystery; a mystagogue who moves all but silently on the shadowy edges of recorded history, while inspiring a new and distant generation to reconnect with a unique current of cultural identity and spirituality.
The ancient druid looms over the modern manifestations of Celtic spiritually inspired by their venerable order and yet, there always seems to be a question mark regarding the authenticity of the practices and beliefs of modern druidism.
The revival of druidism over the past two hundred years has not been born of a single and official established institution, rather it has been a swirling maelstrom of theories, speculations and cultural paradigms. Rather than a monolithic indoctrination, modern druidism has offered a kaleidoscope from which glimpses of inspiration have burst upon us in unexpected hues. Like a dense forest of variable concepts, it leads each one of its proponents down an individual pathway of wonder and revelation.
The truth is that even in the literary darkness of the prehistoric centuries, given the curse of schisms which affect all religious institutions, historical druidism was probably not monolithic in its manifestations either. It must have had its sects and disunity as it wove its way through the tapestry of Celtic cultures, evolving to meet the circumstances of tribal life and international relations. To that end, the modern approaches of druidism also seek to be relevant to the culture in which they exist, and that to my mind at least, is a natural approach to the druid experience.
The new seeker, attempting to make druidry a part of their spiritual life is confronted with a confusing array of potential organizations and philosophies. From beneficial societies like the Ancient Order of Druids (AOD) and the United Ancient Order of Druids (UAOD), to pagan and spiritual orders such as the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD), the British Druid Order (BDO) and, in America, Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF) and Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA). There are also innumerable independent orders, groups and individuals who identify equally as druidic or influenced by druidism.
How then does the seeker find that authentic experience of druidism? Authenticity is so central to exploring the innate response that a spirituality evokes within our inner core, answering to our deepest spiritual needs. A philosophy is only authentic when it resonates with the audience and creates the love of wisdom, which as a practice it seeks to celebrate. When it loses its authenticity it become sophistry, a dialectic composed of verbose smoke and mirrors, which attempt to subjugate the listener to a pre-established point of view.
The nature of authenticity is in fact a subjective experience, no matter the external criterion we impose on it. We can find authenticity in an emotional attachment to an idea or concept, in an historical perspective or from a multitude of other stimuli. Every person walks their own spiritual road, even when they commit to established traditions, their experience of that system is uniquely their own. The only person who can define authenticity is the seeker themselves, all other influences are environmental and depend on resonance within the seeker to be relevant.
We can never judge druidism to be authentic if we are attempting to impose authenticity upon it. It speaks its own language, it prods and challenges us or inspires us, only in as much as we individually listen to its lilting speech. Variation and differences in druidic philosophy and practice should be perceived as a celebration of the quest, a shared dream in which every druid, bard or ovate takes their part in its co-imagining. Ultimately any spirituality, no less druidism, is an ever-present personal intimacy and an expression of the way we approach life in general.
Sadly, druidism is most often judged by what it is not, and seldom honoured for what it is. Academic critiques which focus on comparing ancient druidism with its modern proponents to negate any true connection, offer little in establishing legitimacy. While academia in general provides a sense of authority, in this regard it errs in its fundamental methodology. Even had druidism survived intact over the last two millennia it would have evolved along with the language and culture from which it emerged. Simply put, it would be as different to its historical origins as the modern adaptations seem to appear, and would remain as relevant as modern druidism has proven to be.
Celebrating the validity and diversity of modern druidism is not only a practical and ethical necessity, but also quintessentially druidic.
By embracing all the forms and contradictions as true manifestations of the druidic ideal, we endorse multiple streams of natural philosophy and cultural speculations about spirituality which can only embolden our own personal approaches, and that of the greater druidic ideal.
I am a druid. My practices and philosophy have been informed by my experience of Border and Gallovidian culture, through which druidism has emerged in many variations and throughout every era. Today, these things still hold relevance and authenticity to me; they are a vehicle of sincere tradition which aid me in seeking answers to those eternal spiritual queries which drive me. Some may say that I’m too traditionalist, others will deny that any contemporary version of druidism can be factual. These external speculations are in effect irrelevant – druidism lives, it breathes, it sings and mourns with those who have it in their heart. It is as much an integral part of me as it is an intellectual study. In my opinion that’s what it means for druidism to exist, to be a real and authentic living spirituality.