Druidry (modern)
Druidry, sometimes termed Druidism, is a modern movement of spirituality or religion that promotes the cultivation of honorable relationships with the physical landscapes, flora, fauna, and diverse peoples of the world, as well as with nature deities, and spirits of nature and place. Theological beliefs among modern Druids are diverse; however, all modern Druids venerate the divine essence of nature. While there are significant variations in the expression and practice of modern Druidry, a core set of spiritual and devotional practices may be observed, including: meditation; prayer/conversation with deities and spirits; the use of extra-sensory methods of seeking wisdom and guidance; the use of nature-based spiritual frameworks to structure devotional practices and rituals; and a regular practice of nature connection and environmental stewardship work.
Neo-Druidry emerged in 18th-century Britain as part of the Romantic movement, which idealized the perceived spiritual wisdom and natural harmony of ancient Celtic societies. Early neo-Druids sought to emulate the Iron Age priestly class known as the druids, despite the limited and often speculative historical knowledge available at the time. As such, modern Druidic traditions are not directly descended from ancient practices, but rather are modern reconstructions or reinterpretations inspired by Romantic ideals and later scholarly and folkloric sources.
In the late 18th century, modern Druids developed fraternal organizations modeled on Freemasonry that employed the romantic figure of the British Druids and Bards as symbols of the indigenous spirituality of Prehistoric Britain. Some of these groups were purely fraternal and cultural, such as the oldest one that remains, the Ancient Order of Druids, founded in 1781, which created traditions from the national imagination of Britain. Others, in the early 20th century, merged with contemporary movements such as the physical culture movement and naturism. Since the 1980s, some modern druid groups have adopted methodologies similar to those of Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism to create a more historically accurate practice. However, there is still controversy over how closely modern Druidism resembles the Iron Age Druids.
By 2020, modern Druidry had spread to 34 nations across six continents and had taken root in 17 diverse biomes. The importance that modern Druids attributed to Celtic language and culture, circa 2020, varied depending on the physical and cultural environments in which individual Druids lived. By 2020, roughly 92% of world Druids were residing outside the British Isles. While modern Druidry has spread rapidly across the globe, Druids do not proselytize, and 74% of world Druids actively work to keep their spiritual practices private.
Definition
Modern Druidry derives its name from the Celtic magico-religious specialists of Iron Age Western Europe, known as Druids. There is no real historical continuity between the Druids of Iron Age Europe and modern Druids. However, some Druids nevertheless regard modern Druidry as a genuine continuation of the practices of the Iron Age Druids.The 18th-century figure Iolo Morganwg fabricated what he claimed were early Welsh literary sources and traditions that supposedly dated to the prehistoric Druids. Gorsedd, one of the 18th-century traditions that Morganwg founded, became part of the National Eisteddfod of Wales festival. The concerns of modern Druidry, which include healing the planet and seeking connections with the natural world, are likely very different from those of the Iron Age societies in which the original Druids lived. Another 18th-century fabrication is the Fragments of Ancient Poetry, which was published by James Macpherson between 1760 and 1763. The poems were hugely popular; they were read by many of the notable figures of the period, including Voltaire, Napoleon, and Thomas Jefferson, and the quality of the poetry inspired contemporary comparisons with Homer. Although attributed to the ancient, semi-legendary poet Ossian, the works are believed to have been composed by a wistful Macpherson seeking to recreate Scotland's oral traditions.
Everything presently known about the Iron Age Druids derives from archaeological evidence and Greco-Roman textual sources, rather than material produced by these Druids themselves. Due to the scarcity of knowledge about the Iron Age Druids, their belief system cannot be accurately reconstructed. Some Druids incorporate everything that is known about Iron Age Druids into their practices. However, as noted by Irish contemporary paganism scholar Jenny Butler, the historical realities of Iron Age religion are often overlooked by Druids in favour of "a highly romanticised version".
Many Druids believe that the practices of the Iron Age Druids should be revived and modified to meet current needs. In Ireland, some Druids have claimed that because the island was never conquered by the Roman Empire, the Iron Age Druids survived there and their teachings were passed down hereditarily until modern times, allowing modern Druids to reclaim them. Some Druids claim that they can channel information about the Iron Age Druids.
Druidry has been described as a religion, a new religious movement, a "spiritual movement", and as a nature religion. It has been described as a form of contemporary Paganism, and on the contemporary Pagan spectrum between reconstructionism and eclecticism, Druidry sits on the latter end. Various Druidic groups also display influences from New Age movements and neo-shamanism.
The Druidic community has been characterised as a neo-tribe, for it is disembedded and its membership is elective.
Druidry has been described as a form of Celtic spirituality, or "Celtic-Based Spirituality". Scholar of religion Marion Bowman described Druidry as the "Celtic spirituality" par excellence. Some practitioners regard Druidry as a form of "native spirituality", and it displays an affinity with folk religions.
In defining Druidry as a "native spirituality", some Druids seek to draw elements from other native religions, such as the belief systems of Australian Aboriginal and Native American communities. Practitioners differ in the levels of formality and seriousness that they bring to their adherence. Some groups use the word Druid for both male and female practitioners, eschewing the term Druidess for female followers.
Following terms devised by the Druid Philip Carr-Gomm, a distinction has been drawn between "cultural" Druids, who adopt the term as part of their Welsh and Cornish cultural activities, and "esoteric" Druids who pursue the movement as a religion. The scholar of religion Marion Bowman suggested "believing" as an alternative term to "esoteric". There are also individuals who cross these two categories, involving themselves in cultural Druidic events while also holding to modern Pagan beliefs. Some cultural Druids nevertheless go to efforts to disassociate themselves from their esoteric and Pagan counterpart; the Cornish Gorsedd, for example, has publicly disassociated any links to Paganism.
Some Druids identify as Pagan, others as Christian. Some practitioners merge Pagan and Christian elements in their own personal practice, in at least one case identifying as a "Christodruid". Other practitioners adopt additional elements; for instance there are self-described "Zen Druids" and "Hasidic Druids". The Berengaria Order of Druids drew upon elements from science fiction television shows like Star Trek and Babylon 5.
The earliest modern Druids aligned themselves with Christianity. The writer William Stukeley regarded the Iron Age druids as monotheist proto-Christians who worshipped the Christian god. In a similar vein, some modern Druids believe that ancient Druidic wisdom was preserved through a distinct Celtic Christianity. Over the course of the twentieth century, and particularly since the early 1960s, Druidry increasingly came to be associated with the modern pagan movement.
Beliefs
Druidic beliefs vary widely, and there is no set dogma or belief system followed by all adherents.Druid perceptions of the divine tend to be complex and subject to change as the individual Druid learns and grows. Most Druids identify with more than one theological category: 64% of Druids identify as animists; 49% of Druids identify as soft polytheists, 37% of Druids identify as pantheists, 15% of Druids identify as hard polytheists, 7% of Druids identify as monotheists; 7% are agnostic; and 2% identify as atheists.
Druidry is the sole religious or spiritual path for 54% of world Druids; the other 46% practice Druidry concurrently with one or more other religions traditions. The most common, concurrently practiced religious traditions reported among Druids were Buddhism, Christianity, shamanistic traditions, witchcraft/Wicca, northern traditions, Hinduism, Native American religions, and Unitarian Universalism. Roughly 63% of world Druids identify as either Pagan or Heathen in addition to identifying as Druids; 37% of Druids reject both of these labels.
Some Druids draw upon the legends surrounding King Arthur. One of the clearest links between Arthuriana and Druidry is through the Loyal Arthurian Warband, a Druidic group in Britain that employs Arthurian symbolism as part of its environmental campaigns.File:GorseddDigorHanvec1.jpg|thumb|upright=1.35| Grand Druid of Brittany Gwenc'hlan Le Scouëzec stands at the centre, surrounded by the Archdruid of Wales and the Grand Bard of Cornwall, at the celebration of the hundredth anniversary of the Goursez Vreizh in Hanvec in 1999.
Nature-centered spirituality
Neo-Druidry has been described as a nature-venerating movement. Neo-druids conceive of the natural world as being imbued with spirit, and thus regard it as being alive and dynamic. Some 89% of world Druids practice nature-connection, along with some form of environmental stewardship work. Nature-connection involves spending time alone in nature, while maintaining a full sensory and spiritual awareness of whatever or whoever may be nearby. Environmental stewardship work extends this connection through acts of reciprocity.Druids regularly participate in activities such as restoring native ecosystems, creating wildlife habitats, growing organic food crops, composting, installing solar or wind power systems, and changing personal consumption habits to protect the natural environment from damage. Many Druids are also involved in environmental activism, acting to protect areas of the natural landscape that are under threat from development or pollution.
Druids are generally critical of mainstream society, regarding it as being "governed by consumerism, environmental exploitation, and the supremacy of technology". In contrast to this, Druids seek to establish a way of living that they regard as being more "natural". Through seeking a connection with nature, neo-Druids pursue a sense of "cosmic belonging".