[Updated 22 April 2021]
This page attempts to respond to some perennial questions with perspectives, resources and suggestions. Its direct inspiration comes both from discussions on Druid social media sites, and from your comments and search terms here at A Druid Way.
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If you bear in mind the popular saying “Ask three Druids and you’ll get ten answers”, you should be in good shape. This short FAQ arises out of one person’s experience, study and reflection. As with most things, a second – and third – opinion will be very useful and give you a broader and more informed perspective.
What is Druidry?
Druid author J. M. Greer gives an answer that’s held up well over time: Druidry “means following a spiritual path rooted in the green Earth … It means embracing an experiential approach to religious questions, one that abandons rigid belief systems in favor of inner development and individual contact with the realms of nature and spirit”. While beliefs matter, more important is what Druids do each day. An openness to experiences and encounters in nature forms a large part of the Druid perspective.
Do Druids believe ____ ?
Whatever goes in the blank, some Druids probably do. Many may not. No single creed or statement of faith unites all Druids, because Druidry is an individual spiritual practice or way of life, rather than a fixed set of beliefs. In this way, the question is more like asking “What do carpenters believe?” As you can see, this sets it apart from many Western monotheistic faiths, and also makes it possible to be a Christian and a Druid, an agnostic and a Druid, etc.
However, it is possible to talk about what Druids believe using general statements with “most” and “many”. Here’s a trio of tentative assertions that probably characterize a large number of Druids:
First, most Druids are united by a love and respect for nature, and show an attentive attitude towards its rhythms and cycles that they may express in seasonal observances like the solstices and equinoxes.
Second, many Druids also perceive a spiritual dimension to life, though that may or may not mean belief in a god or gods.
Third, many Druids also express their perspectives and experiences creatively, through craft or art, carrying on in modern forms the traditions of the ancient Bards.
Do you have to have Celtic ancestry to be a Druid?
No. The ancient Celts were a culture, or set of related cultures and languages, rather than a single genetic bloodline. Given that the Celtic peoples apparently ranged across much of Europe, from Ireland and Portugal to Germany and Italy, and possibly further east, settling and intermarrying with other peoples, this shouldn’t be too surprising. It’s true there are a few and mostly small Druid groups who require their members to demonstrate a specific ancestry — often Irish or Scottish. But our ability to love and respect and live lightly on the earth certainly doesn’t need or benefit from genetic gate-keeping. Anyone anywhere on the planet can practice Druidry starting right now.
How can I practice Druidry when I don’t live in a Celtic region – or in Europe at all — and the trees, animals, stars, herbs, weather, seasons, etc. are all different here?
Welcome to some of the challenges facing many Druids! Part of the beauty of Druidry is its variety – your Land will teach you its ways if you pay attention, just as it did the ancestors of the Celts when they first arrived in what became their homeland. Finding your own individual connections both to universal Druid symbols, images and stories, and also to local wisdom and traditions, can help you in crafting a local Druidry that feels authentic and satisfying, and works to help sustain you and your land and loved ones. Respecting the gifts each season brings where you live opens many doors.
For example, I live in New England. For inhabitants in my region, Imbolc is not the start of spring, but it is near the start of maple sugaring, as the days grow longer and the sweet sap begins to rise. For some it is also near the start of lambing season. Such associations can grow into rich Imbolc traditions in your home area.
Another dynamic to work with: seasons and festivals mirroring each other across hemispheres. Lunasa in the north is a counter-part of Imbolc in the south, and vice versa, just as spring and fall equinoxes are, and winter and summer solstice. What animals, trees, birds, fruit and flowers signal the changing seasons where you are? Bring them and their symbols and influences into your rituals, prayers, practices, meditations, art, etc.
Where do the teachings of modern Druidry come from?
A range of sources. Many traditional stories in surviving Celtic literature like the Welsh Mabinogion point to Druid practices and understandings. In several cases, they also provide teaching stories and initiatory insights which several Druid groups use in their training. While a few individuals and groups claim to preserve ancient or hereditary Druid practices and beliefs, in most cases these are the common folk wisdom of most pre-modern cultures around the world: a knowledge of herbs and natural cycles, animal and plant and star-lore. More important than how old any teachings may be is the answer to the question: “Do they work today?”
The Renaissance recovery of Classical sources, the influences of Neo-Platonism, Arabic learning in astronomy and medicine, mathematics and alchemy and astrological lore, and the British Druid Revival beginning in the 1600s, all play their part in helping to deepen Druidry. Practices of meditation and visualization also derive from a variety of sources. Most Druid teachings emphasize learning from our own locale. The trees, plants, animals and landscape, previous inhabitants and climate all have many things to teach.
How do I become a Druid?
For anyone alive today, the path to Druidry has been made smoother and broader by books and the internet. Many Druids are great readers. Books can give you a sense of the range and depth of Druid practice, and inspire you to adapt relevant portions of it to your own life and circumstances. (See Books and Links.) The internet can connect you to active and established Druid groups, who offer events and resources for members and non-members alike. But while these sources can be helpful and inspirational, a walk around one’s home area is an excellent prime starting point. What can I learn about — and from — the trees and animals and plants in my region? Who lived here before me, and what did they know? What local geographical features like mountains or lakes or the ocean influence the weather? How do I “fit” where I live?
If you’d like some starting tips, read my Druiding without (an) Order.
Can I be a Druid without joining a Druid organization?
Absolutely. Even those Druids affiliated with an organization are often “solitary” Druids for 350 days out of each year. Curiosity, reverence for the earth and its creatures, and a willingness to keep growing and learning are the marks of a Druid, not membership in any group. As for some ideas on HOW to be a Druid, see my post Druiding without An Order.
What do we know about ancient Druids?
Direct evidence is comparatively modest. We have archaeological discoveries and the accounts of Classical authors contemporary with ancient Druids. We can make intelligent guesses from some of these sources, but much remains unknown. The single best book on the subject is Prof. Ronald Hutton’s Blood and Mistletoe: The History of the Druids in Britain.
How can anyone claim to be a Druid today, if we know so little about the ancient Druids or their practices?
Most Druids are too busy actually doing Druidry to worry about “claiming to be Druids”. But since you insist …
Philip Carr-Gomm, former Chief of OBOD, the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, addresses this directly:
“Contemporary Druidry draws on a heritage of thousands of years, and yet many of its ideas and practices have only been formed over the last few hundred years. Unlike most of the established religions, which are based on doctrine formulated in the distant past, Druidry is developing its philosophy and practices in response to the spirit of the times. It is being shaped now rather than being preserved or simply passed on, and paradoxically, although it is inspired and informed by an ancient heritage, it is surprisingly free of the weight of the past. This leaves modern Druidry open to the criticism that it has been invented; but it also makes it a thoroughly contemporary spirituality that speaks directly to the needs of today” (What Do Druids Believe?, pgs. 2-3).
I love Druidry but I don’t like ____ . Can I still be a Druid?
In a word, yes.
If you already know you love Druidry, nothing more needs to be said. You’re in excellent company — the wider “Druid world” requires very few things from a Druid except that love and respect for nature. You can begin practicing Druidry today, and no one will ask for your Druidry ID card.
(For some people, “magic” or “ritual” are words they might put in the blank above. Stick with Druidry, and you may well find out more of what they’re all about. But again, absolutely neither is any kind of requirement.)
We can apply/adapt the words of Jesus here (as in many cases): “People aren’t made for Druidry; Druidry is made for people”. Go with what truly works for you, and you’re walking a path with heart.
Are there initiations in Druidry?
Because you can be a Druid by yourself, no initiations are necessary. With that said, some Druid groups offer study materials that include self-initiations — opportunities to deepen and hallow your experiences and understanding. And some groups make initiations a prerequisite for advancing within the group.
Beyond that, life presents us with a few initiations of its own that all of us experience at some point. Practice Druidry over time, and you’ll pass through the initiations of death, sickness, loss, change, love and birth. Your Druidry can help you navigate those experiences with greater understanding, resilience, growth, and compassion for yourself and others.
I like what I’ve read about Druidry, but I don’t believe in _____ .
If you love and respect the natural world, you’re ready to practice Druidry. If you’ve read the other parts of this FAQ, you know you don’t need to believe to be a Druid — you need to practice. Many of your beliefs will come from those experiences. More encounters and reflection may help you get a clearer picture of Druidry and what it means for you. Books, experiences with groups, study, and time spent in nature can all help you clarify your next steps.
Which Druid order has the best ____ ?
The inside word on that is ___ .
What about people who say Druidry is ____ ?
You may have noticed that we live in an era where almost everything now has both ardent fans and unrelenting critics. The best way to respond (or ignore) is to practice Druidry yourself over at least a few years — then you’ll know what it is for you. The second best way is to attend some Druid events with practicing Druids, observe thoughtfully, and ask questions. The third best way is reading widely. As Druid leader, Her Majesty’s coroner (anatomical pathologist), actor, author, drag queen and popular speaker Kristoffer Hughes likes to say, “What other people think of you is none of your business” (unless you’re planning on running for office).
If you’d like an objective tool to assess any group, you’ll find Isaac Bonewits’ Cult Danger Evaluation Frame most helpful.
Can I be your student? / Will you teach me?
If you’re reading this blog, I’m already teaching. This site and its subpages offer enough material and links to other sources for you to begin the practice of Druidry, and to find diverse answers to your questions and guides for beginning or expanding your practice. Materials that were formerly the closely-guarded secrets of small and often hidden groups are now free for downloading. There’s more good material online today (to say nothing of reams of junk) than even the most dedicated Druid could make full use of in a long life.
What do you wish to learn? Druidry, like most things in life, rewards initiative. Make a start today with what you know and discern, and you’ll soon have good questions to ask you hadn’t thought of before.
Ultimately, your best teacher is the Land you live on. An afternoon hike, an encounter with the living planet and some of its non-human Others, and you’re on your way to your own Druidry, which is the name, after all, of one of the major contemporary Druid Orders today: Ár nDraíocht Féin — “Our Own Druidry”.
If you nevertheless feel a need for ongoing training beyond what you can glean from books and online, many Druid groups welcome visitors and students to their events. And the Druid Orders I discuss and link to elsewhere on this site offer excellent lessons and training programs that cost less than what many of us spend on beer and cigarettes each year.
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For full citations of the book titles and links to active and wise Druid teaching orders referenced above, see my page Books & Links on Druidry. For more information about any people named above, see my page Voices of Modern Druidry. Beyond that, the Internet awaits.
A Druid Way 