Is there a place on the web that can tell more about this religion/way
of life. And is there any formal group(s) that I could join to learn
more and live about Druidism? Sorry if all this seems lame, but I am
new to this web thing. Hope to hear from you soon.
DA
--
___________________________________________________
Darrell & Stella Anderson
30-150 South Family Housing
Flagstaff, Arizona 86001
(520) 523-7950
CLAN_A...@prodigy.net
___________________________________________________
There are many modern Druidic groups: Keltria (the one that I've joined),
ADF, OBOD and AOD, to name only a few. Most of these have a correspondence
course, though I am not in a position to recommend one over another. What I
do recommend is that you read books on the Druids by the following authors:
Peter Berresford Ellis, Nigel Pennick, Jean Louis Brunaux. There are also
books by leaders of modern Druidic orders such as _Real Magic_ by Isaac
Bonewits and _The Druid Way_ by Philip Carr-Gomm. Don't read anything by
Douglas Monroe about Druids as anything other than fiction. The Book on
Druids by Jean Markale is probably ok (haven't read it) and the books by
Ward Rutherford are also useful. To actually learn what Druids did
requires a lengthy study of the Celtic traditional tales, an up close and
keenly observant relationship with all aspects of Nature and human nature,
as well as a spiritual quest into personal truth, states of reality, and an
awareness of deity.
--
Searles O'Dubhain
http://www.summerlands.com
"Athert an Daogdae, 'An cumang arba/gaid-si/, doge/n-sou ule am a/onur.' "
"Then said the Dagda, 'All these powers that you have said that you will
command, I will myself command.'"
Darrell Anderson <clan_a...@prodigy.net> wrote in article
<3701DA2B...@prodigy.net>...
> To Anyone,
>
> Is there a place on the web that can tell more about this religion/way
> of life. And is there any formal group(s) that I could join to learn
> more and live about Druidism? <snip>
>Is there a place on the web that can tell more about this religion/way
>of life.
you might try these links:
Ancient Druid Order - An Druidh Uileach Braithreachas - The British Circle of
the Universal Bond
http://www.gates.demon.co.uk/druid.htm
Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship
http://www.adf.org/
Bandarach College of Druids
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Delphi/1743/index.html
Dandalf's Celtic Heritage- Animal Symbolism- Enya- Druids-Horned God- Wales -
Welsh - Ireland- Irish- Keltoi-
http://home.mem.net/~dandalf/Celt.html
Druidism Guide
http://www.uoguelph.ca/~bmyers/druid.html
Henge of Keltria
http://www.magusbooks.com/Keltria/index.html
OBOD: The Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids: The Druid Grove
http://druidry.org/
Reformed Druids of North America Home Page
http://www.student.carleton.edu/orgs/druids/
There are others, but this should give you a starting point. Some of these
links I have not followed recently so I cannot speak to how current and correct
they are.
Good Hunting
Yours,
Under The Oak
Michael
>There are many modern Druidic groups: Keltria (the one that I've joined),
>ADF, OBOD and AOD, to name only a few.
Could you post some information about Keltria for me please? Either here or
personally.
I am a (lapsed) member of OBOD and DCA, but haven't come across Keltria
before, I don't think.........
TIA
BB
Kiz
Here are some quotations from the bylaws of The Henge of Keltria website
(http://www.magusbooks.com/Keltria):
18.1. Keltrian Druidism is an Initiatory Mystery Tradition. Prior to
initiation a person must study and prepare for initiation. The uninitiated
may go through three phases on the way to initiation.
19.1. A pantheon is a family of Gods and Goddesses from a single cultural
tradition. Our Groves are free to use any of the Celtic pantheons in their
rituals (Irish, Welsh, Scottish, Briton, Gaulish, Cornish, and Manx).
Groves must work with a single Celtic pantheon rather than mixing two or
more within ritual. We feel that it is easier for students to learn a
single set of myths. Pantheons reflect the whole of the ancient culture.
When we leave out Gods or Goddesses or mix pantheons, we risk losing
certain religious aspects of that culture.
19.9.3. The initiation should be a profound experience for the new Druid.
It signifies a death of old ways and a rebirth into spiritual awareness. In
fact, most initiations work with a motif of symbolic death and rebirth.
Often, during the event, the answers to some of the "Great Mysteries" will
be revealed to the candidate. The vehicle for this revelation can be either
the Gods or the Initiating Druid of the group. Some traditions may also use
this time to reveal the "secrets," hidden knowledge held exclusively by the
group or the tradition. Frequently the candidate will be put to a test.
This could be a test of knowledge, courage, trust, or endurance. Any oaths
that are required by the tradition will be taken at this time.
19.9.8. Being an initiatory path does not intone that we have an unbroken
tradition dating back to pre-historic times. Few, if any, of the Neopagan
traditions can truly make such a claim. Our initiation signifies that a
person has been accepted into the mystery path, and has gained sufficient
knowledge and skills to be called a Keltrian Druid.
*******
There's much more to the bylaws than that. I've only quoted a small
sampling. They have a grove system and a training course as well as a
generalized ritual format that can be tailored to the needs of the
individual groves. In addition to that, they also have some basic teachings
about Drai/ocht (*again, from the website):
What are the other beliefs of Keltrian Druidism?
The following set of statements encompass the major points of our values
and worldview:
標e believe in Divinity as it is manifest in the Pantheon. There are
several valid theistic perceptions of this Pantheon.
標e believe that nature is the embodiment of the Gods.
標e believe that all life is sacred and should neither be harmed nor taken
without deliberation or regard.
標e believe in the immortality of the spirit.
標e believe that our purpose is to gain wisdom through experience.
標e believe that learning is an ongoing process and should be fostered at
all ages.
標e believe that morality should be a matter of personal conviction based
upon self respect and respect for others.
標e believe that individuals have the right to pursue enlightenment through
his or her chosen path.
標e believe in a living religion able to adapt to a changing environment.
We recognize that our beliefs may undergo change as our tradition grows.
*******
I recommend The Henge of Keltria as a place where Druids can gather, learn,
grow, practice and work together to become a force in the life of the
worlds.
--
Searles O'Dubhain
http://www.summerlands.com
"Athert an Daogdae, 'An cumang arba/gaid-si/, doge/n-sou ule am a/onur.' "
"Then said the Dagda, 'All these powers that you have said that you will
command, I will myself command.'"
karenjessop <karen...@breathemail.net> wrote in article
<37087...@news1.vip.uk.com>...
Searles O'Dubhain wrote in message <01be7f72$5c0e6880$9d97cdcf@searles>...
•We believe in Divinity as it is manifest in the Pantheon. There are
several valid theistic perceptions of this Pantheon.
•We believe that nature is the embodiment of the Gods.
•We believe that all life is sacred and should neither be harmed nor taken
without deliberation or regard.
•We believe in the immortality of the spirit.
•We believe that our purpose is to gain wisdom through experience.
•We believe that learning is an ongoing process and should be fostered at
all ages.
•We believe that morality should be a matter of personal conviction based
upon self respect and respect for others.
•We believe that individuals have the right to pursue enlightenment through
his or her chosen path.
•We believe in a living religion able to adapt to a changing environment.
--
DreamChaser <11252...@CompuServe.COM> wrote in message ...
>What about Norse Druids? Do we not count?
-------------------------------------
You don't even exist.
--
Every journey starts
with an argument about directions
-red dwarf
Well of course you do. I'll bite, if no one else will, though...what,
exactly, is a "Norse Druid"? The Celts were the only people with
Druids. Rather like a Chinese Rabbi...
Caim...@webtv.net wrote in message <4851-371...@newsd-271.iap.bryant.webtv.net>...
You mean to say you haven't heard of the Chang bar Hillels of southern
China? :-)
Kevin
Umhmm...correct...
" - Norse worships Norse Gods and Goddesses"
Correct again. I'm still with you...
" - show me where the Celts were the only people that were Druids -"
Um...are you trying to be funny?
Show, cite or relate *anything* that would lead *anyone* to believe
*Druids* existed in any culture other than Celtic.
"and if so, why are there so many Norse Groves like mine??"
Because you have an improper grasp of history, or you're into personal
syncretism? Just a thought, seeing as the "Norse Druid" concept you're
toting is a wholecloth invention...
ADF is working to combine in-depth scholarship with the inspiration of
artistry and spiritual practice to create a powerful modern Paganism. We're
researching and interpreting sound modern scholarship (rather than romantic
fantasies) about the ancient Indo-European Pagans - the Celts, Norse, Slavs,
Balts, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Vedics, and others. Upon these cultural
foundations we are working to build a religion that these ancient people
would appreciate and understand yet one which has depth and power for modern
people. We're working to develop genuine skills in composition and
presentation in the musical, dramatic, graphic, textile and other arts.
We're bringing together people trained in ritual, psychic skills and applied
mythology to bring the remnants of the old ways to life. We're creating a
nonsexist, non-racist, organic, flexible and publicly available religion to
practice as a way of life and to hand on to future generations.
Ok, got it...
Now...how did this lead you to believe there were Norse Druids, exactly?
Simply because ADF draws from all sorts of sources doesn't revise
history. The simple fact of the matter is that Druids were specific to
Celtic cuture, only Celtic cuture, no other culture. The Norse had their
own spiritual practices and titles, as did the Slavs, the Romans, etc.
etc. ad nauseum.
Perhaps the term you're looking for is "Syncretic Pan-Indo-European"?
PJS wrote in message <924457555.3840.0...@news.demon.co.uk>...
Ok, got it...
Now...how did this lead you to believe there were Norse Druids, exactly?
You know what - someone has to stop this right now - I don't live in Ireland
1000 years ago. I live in America in 1999. This is my grove, this is what
I believe, this is what feels right. OK, if this will make you feel better,
here goes. There is no such thing as a Norse Druid, only the Celts were
Druids. I am wrong and you are right. Happy? Now drop it.
"You know what - someone has to stop this right now"
Right!
"I don't live in Ireland 1000 years ago. I live in America in 1999."
Noted.
"This is my grove, this is what I believe, this is what feels right."
Yeah, well...if it makes you happy, that's wonderful. My point is simply
that your yearning for the reality of a fantasy creation doesn't make
said fantasy creation true.
"OK, if this will make you feel better, here goes. There is no such
thing as a Norse Druid, only the Celts were Druids."
Great! You picked up a single valid history book, or listened to some
genuine folklore! That's all it took!
Oh. Wait...you're being sarcastic, ain'tcha? Damn.
"I am wrong and you are right."
Correct.
Well, to be fair...you and your grove are a bit wrong, and me and
scholars and history and lore and tradition just happen to disagree with
it, that's all.
"Happy? Now drop it."
Yessir. Right away, sir.
<runs off to tell the rest of usenet that reality has taken a vacation
because DreamChaser the Norse Druid <<nudgenudgewinkwink>> said so>
...
In all seriousness, there's no need to get snippy. I was just responding
in the uncivil manner you presented. You *can* believe whatever you
want; hell, some people believe they're aliens waiting for the
mothership to come get them. That's fine and great. But belief like that
has very little retrograde effect on history.
Norse Druids did not, in any way, shape or form, ever exist.
If you and your fellow grovemates or whatever wish to combine two or
more traditions and make a new one, at least be honest about it. Gerald
Gardner did it, and look at how successful he was...
>
>Caim...@webtv.net wrote in message
><6666-37...@newsd-273.iap.bryant.webtv.net>...
><ADF propagnda snipped>
>
>Ok, got it...
>
>Now...how did this lead you to believe there were Norse Druids, exactly?
>
>
>You know what - someone has to stop this right now - I don't live in Ireland
>1000 years ago. I live in America in 1999. This is my grove, this is what
>I believe, this is what feels right. OK, if this will make you feel better,
>here goes. There is no such thing as a Norse Druid, only the Celts were
>Druids. I am wrong and you are right. Happy? Now drop it.
>
Druidry died in 504AD. Lol. The oral tradition never
happened...you're not *really* a druid...blah, blah, blah.
Druidry is a *religeon*. A system of coming to terms with the world
around us. It's the ideas that count, not the bloodlines. I live by
the rules that were taught to me as druidry...
Norse, Chinese, Brazilian, I don;t care. I'm a human
person--redundancy intentional--and that's all, until you consider my
beliefs. Then, I'm an individual. A human person who lives on the
Earth and believes thus and so. Everything else is extraneous. If I
happen to be negroid, what difference does it make?
In short, absorb what druidry *is*, don't worry about what it *was*.
<accepts $0.98 change...>
--
Oddjob®
Could someone do me a favour and repost pls....
ashley
A person can be a Druid and live in a Norse country or area. A person can
follow a Norse tradition and embrace the values and teachings of Druids.
In terms of there being Norse Druids, I'm not familiar with them in terms
of tradition and practice. Could you tell me more about how Norse Druids
came to be and what being a Druid means to you personally?
--
Searles O'Dubhain
http://www.summerlands.com
"Athert an Daogdae, 'An cumang arba/gaid-si/, doge/n-sou ule am a/onur.' "
"Then said the Dagda, 'All these powers that you have said that you will
command, I will myself command.'"
DreamChaser <11252...@CompuServe.COM> wrote in article
<eknPrm$h#GA....@nih2naaf.prod2.compuserve.com>...
In article <7ff2ev$2hno$1...@newssvr03-int.news.prodigy.com>,
"Dreamchaser" <glass...@bigfoot.com> wrote:
> Now...how did this lead you to believe there were Norse Druids, exactly?
>
> You know what - someone has to stop this right now -
Oh Dreamer I beseach you to NOT drop it!! Bring your enlightenment over to
alt.religion.asatru and we will welcome the new prey - er, food for thought...
Bring a BIG sickle! (gold may not be a good metal of choice...)
- DeepStream
-----------== Posted via Deja News, The Discussion Network ==----------
http://www.dejanews.com/ Search, Read, Discuss, or Start Your Own
Oh. Shit. Is that what he meant? I thought he meant "Druids" communing
with Thor and Odin or some such...
Damn. I feel pretty stupid (moreso than usual)...
Not to mention that there may have been some mixing of Norse (and
definitely of Germanic) mythology and Celtic mythology at various points.
Irish records have abbots writing about having to stamp out paganism
amongst the Irish long after Patrick, and there is a possibility that it
would have survived at least until the Land Leapers arrived. Mythologic
combinations aren't _that_ rare in human history....
--
*****
Nexx Many-Scars
aka Mark Hall
*
Three hateful things in speech: stiffness, obscurity, a bad delivery.
*
http://www-personal.interkan.net/~nexx/mainpage.html
-Last Update: 18-4-99
Nexx wrote in message <7fi8t7$j7o$1...@news.chatlink.com>...
>Oh Dreamer I beseach you to NOT drop it!! Bring your enlightenment over to
>alt.religion.asatru and we will welcome the new prey - er, food for
thought...
>
Well, since you beseached :), I fully expect persecution in the rest of the
world but not at alt.religion.druid. So, opening Pandora's box once again,
I will expound a little on my Grove and what I believe. Celts traditionally
were NOT as open to allowing women to be in power as the Norse and the
Greeks. Being a woman, and powerful Goddess rather, I do not want ANYONE
telling me what I can and cannot do. Also, the Norse follow a handful of
Gods and Goddesses whereas the Celts have like hundreds. My memory is not
that good. But, bottom line, I went to the Grove, not knowing the
difference between Celt, Norse, Germanic, Slav, etc. and felt the power in
the circle and really liked the other members. I felt "at home" so that is
where I stayed.
To me, being a Druid means feeling and using the power of the elements and
the earth without casting spells, etc. like my Wiccan friends. (Of course I
mean NO offense to Wicca, it's just not for me) Also, the term Druid itself
grabbed me in it's meaning (seeker of truth). Ever since I was a small
child, I hugged trees and they hugged me back, despite what people said
(chuckle). If you would like to look at my Grove and it's beliefs further,
here is the link: http://www.txcii3.com/tgale/goth/
I like being able to go to the beach and hear "voices" in the wind or feel
"fingers" touch me back when I touch things in the woods. Granted, one does
NOT have to be Druid to have this happen, however, I find, FOR ME, it sure
does help.
OK - light up the flame throwers -
Dreamchaser wrote in message
<7fkd0f$21t4$1...@newssvr01-int.news.prodigy.com>...
>deeps...@my-dejanews.com wrote in message
><7fi217$ld5$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>...
>>Dearest DreamChaser,
>>
>
>>Oh Dreamer I beseach you to NOT drop it!! Bring your enlightenment over to
>>alt.religion.asatru and we will welcome the new prey - er, food for
>thought...
>>
>Well, since you beseached :), I fully expect persecution in the rest of
the
>world but not at alt.religion.druid. So, opening Pandora's box once again,
>I will expound a little on my Grove and what I believe. Celts
traditionally
>were NOT as open to allowing women to be in power as the Norse and the
>Greeks
---------------------------------------
The GREEKS?! Whaaat?! In classical times women in Greece were literally
hardly allowed out of the house!
Dreamchaser wrote in message
<7fkd0f$21t4$1...@newssvr01-int.news.prodigy.com>...
(snip, snippety, snip)
>OK - light up the flame throwers -
>
--------------------------
You've got long fur very long ears. Beware of car headlights.
Where do you get the idea that the Celts were not as open to giving power to
women as the Norse or Greeks. As a Celtic women trust me, we don't need
anyone to give us power, we claim it. I rejected Greek and Nordic 'cos
compared to the Celts their women had no rights and very little power.
I'm hoping that claiming you're a Goddess is a typo and you mean you wanted
to honour a powerful Goddess.
BB
Afalwyn
On the contrary, have a look at the historical characters of Boudicca and
Cartimandua. Again, have a look at the response of the wife of Argentocoxus to the
wife of Septimius Severus - it's a response that no Roman or Greek woman would come
up with. Look at the comments of the romans of women fighting in armies. Again, have
a look at the mythological character of Medbh of Cruachan.
I don't know about Norse women, but Celtic women had a rather better status than
Mediterranean women
Kevin
>In short, absorb what druidry *is*, don't worry about what it *was*.
Then what you follow is not 'druidry' in the historical sense, which is what
people are ususally referring to. Instead it is some proto-religion based on
strictly your ideas and would not be seen as true 'druidism' (even if such a
thing were possible nowadays).
Jerry
the Morrigan (aka Washer at the Ford), Ceridwen, Arianrhod, the Badb.
In addition to Medb there is also Scathach, the Alban amazon who trained
Cuchulain and Ferdia in arms.
It's always been my impression that Norse mythology viewed women in a more
familial context than Celtic; eg Fricka seems to be a great advocate of
family stability and seems to have a lot in common with Hera.
Regards
Tom
Dreamchaser wrote in message
<7fkd0f$21t4$1...@newssvr01-int.news.prodigy.com>...
>deeps...@my-dejanews.com wrote in message
><7fi217$ld5$1...@nnrp1.dejanews.com>...
>>Dearest DreamChaser,
>>
>
>>Oh Dreamer I beseach you to NOT drop it!! Bring your enlightenment over to
>>alt.religion.asatru and we will welcome the new prey - er, food for
>thought...
>>
>Well, since you beseached :), I fully expect persecution in the rest of
the
>world but not at alt.religion.druid. So, opening Pandora's box once again,
>I will expound a little on my Grove and what I believe. Celts
traditionally
>were NOT as open to allowing women to be in power as the Norse and the
>Greeks. Being a woman, and powerful Goddess rather, I do not want ANYONE
>telling me what I can and cannot do. Also, the Norse follow a handful of
>Gods and Goddesses whereas the Celts have like hundreds. My memory is not
>that good. But, bottom line, I went to the Grove, not knowing the
>difference between Celt, Norse, Germanic, Slav, etc. and felt the power in
>the circle and really liked the other members. I felt "at home" so that is
>where I stayed.
>
>To me, being a Druid means feeling and using the power of the elements and
>the earth without casting spells, etc. like my Wiccan friends. (Of course
I
>mean NO offense to Wicca, it's just not for me) Also, the term Druid
itself
>grabbed me in it's meaning (seeker of truth). Ever since I was a small
>child, I hugged trees and they hugged me back, despite what people said
>(chuckle). If you would like to look at my Grove and it's beliefs further,
>here is the link: http://www.txcii3.com/tgale/goth/
>
>I like being able to go to the beach and hear "voices" in the wind or feel
>"fingers" touch me back when I touch things in the woods. Granted, one
does
>NOT have to be Druid to have this happen, however, I find, FOR ME, it sure
>does help.
>
Gwydion and Woden are both supposed to be based on the same character -
both helpers of mankind, both trapped for some time in the underworld as a
price of their knowledge.
Regards
Tom
Nexx wrote in message <7fi8t7$j7o$1...@news.chatlink.com>...
BB
Afalwyn
Tom Byrne wrote in message <7fn75v$s9r$1...@inet-prime.comshare.com>...
Regards
Tom
Afalwyn wrote in message <7fnppg$eho$1...@lure.pipex.net>...
>I must've blinked and missed a bit, when did Gwydion get trapped in the
>Underworld?
>that was Pwyll surely?
>
>BB
>Afalwyn
.
BB
Afalwyn
Tom Byrne wrote in message <7fo116$rtn$1...@news7.svr.pol.co.uk>...
Well, I know in the Viking period it was certainly possible for a woman to
inherit land... and neither society, that we know of, gave the head of the
family carte blanche to kill any member of the household he chose (which
was legal in Rome... not common, perhaps, but legal).
<majority of original post snipped by jjib>
>
>Oddjob® wrote in message <371c49b7...@news1.newscene.com>...
Of course it's not druidry "in the historical sense", any more than
modern christianity is christianity in the historical sense. The
world is an ever-changing place, and our practices and beliefs must
adapt to the changes. In a little over twenty months we will enter
the 21st century; it strikes me as ludicrous to pretend it's still the
6th (or earlier).
--
Oddjob®
Robert Graves devotes a significant chunk of "The White Goddess" to its
analysis.
Regards
Tom
Afalwyn wrote in message <7fo6ql$30h$1...@lure.pipex.net>...
BB
Afalwyn
Tom Byrne wrote in message <7fpsl9$baa$1...@news4.svr.pol.co.uk>...
Regards
Tom
Afalwyn wrote in message <7fqd6j$oel$6...@lure.pipex.net>...
wolffe wrote in message <92594394...@news.remarQ.com>...