Druidry and Druidism for Beginners

[noinden]

www.adf.org/about/basics/druidism-wicca.html) as it says it much
better than I can in the space available, assuming we are not talking about Wiccans with Drudiry in their practice. Druids are not Wiccans, Wiccans are Not Druids.


ADF Ritual:
I will only speak of ADF Reconstructionist Druidism and ritual as that is what I have the experience in.

First thing to note, is ADF is not just strictly about Celtic spirituality, but rather Pan Indo-European. Most Groves are some form of Celtic Hearth (Culture) in their focus, but Isaac and the other founders made the choice to broaden the spirituality that could be picked on. So while the term “Druid” is used, one could also call them selves Magi, Flamen, etc if they are focusing on the appropriate culture.
Here is the basic layout of Ritual:

Core Order of ADF Ritual for High Days
1. Initiating the Rite - May include:
o Musical Signal
o Opening Prayer
o Processional
o Establishing the Group Mind
2. Purification - This must take place prior to Opening the Gates
3. Honoring the Earth Mother
4. Statement of Purpose
5. (Re)Creating the Cosmos
o Sacred Center must be established in a triadic Cosmos
o The Three Worlds or Realms must be acknowledged
o The Fire must be included
o Sacred Center is most commonly represented as Fire, Well and Tree
6. Opening the Gate(s) - Must include a Gatekeeper
7. Inviting the Three Kindreds
8. Key Offerings - This will commonly include:
o Invitation of Beings of the Occasion
o Seasonal customs as appropriate
o Praise Offerings
9. Prayer of Sacrifice
10. Omen
11. Calling (asking) for the Blessings
12. Hallowing the Blessing
13. Affirmation of the Blessing
14. Workings (if any)
15. Thanking the Beings
16. Closing the Gate(s)
17. Thanking the Earth Mother
18. Closing the Rite

Items that ADF Rituals Do Not Include
1. Elemental Cross Symbolism (the 4 Elements)
2. Casting Circles in public ritual
3. Calling Watchtowers or Elemental Guardians
4. Calling the dualtheistic Lord and Lady
5. Acknowledgement of one divine being with power over all
6. Blood Sacrifices
7. Non-Indo-European mythic and deity motifs

What is not emphasized by the above information is generally Druidic rituals are open to the public (ie you have to be a real douche to be excluded!).

That’s a start. Questions?

Gareth

[thalassa]

Re: A perspective on Druidry and Druidism.

originally from the pre-crash cache:


What is Druid(ry/ism)?


If I were to try to explain Druid(ry/ism) in a nutshell (or in a one sentence statement)....this about sums it up:

Quote
Many people don't realize that there is a wide variety of groups that call themselves Druids that have different ways of “doing Druidry” and then are puzzled by conflicting information about what Druids “do” or “don’t do.”

from http://www.nachtanz.org/SReed/mod_druids1.html

But...for the most part...

Defining Druidry is a bit like trying to define Paganism---ask 10 people, get 20 answers...and all of them, though different, will all be right...and despite being right, some of them will also be incorrect (though not necessairly wrong).

For a decent working definition, Druidry is a spiritual tradition (and not necessairly a religion) that emphasizes the divinity in Nature that is inspired by Celtic mythology and inspired by ideas of the Ancient Druids and/or the later Druid Revival.

By and large, the ancient Druids are no longer in existance (if you are looking for ye olde Druids of yore, ya-ain't gonna find 'em ). As the AODA puts it, regarding ancient Druids:

Who were the ancient Druids?
The most honest answer to this question is "nobody really knows." According to the very sparse surviving sources, they were a sacred caste among the Celtic tribes of Britain, Ireland, and Gaul (modern France) in ancient times. Some sources call them philosophers, others call them wizards; nobody actually calls them priests, though this is the most popular interpretation among scholars nowadays. They had traditions, passed on by oral transmission, that dealt with theology, astronomy, divination, and other matters, but essentially all of this was lost with the coming of Christianity. Plenty of books have been written about what the ancient Druids were or were not, but they're pretty much speculation based on a few fragmentary references in Greek, Latin, and medieval Irish writings.

from the AODA FAQ page @ http://www.aoda.org/faq.htm (good site, if you are interested)

In all probability, they more than likely (at least outwardly) converted to Christianity and, over time, much of their teachings were probably lost, or perhaps absorbed into their (new) religious or cultural practices. Druidic teachings and tradition were entirely (that I know of) oral, and required years of study...unfortunately most of what we know of the Druids is based on second, third and fourth-hand accounts of the Romans (who had little incentive/desire to be unbiased and accurate in their writings)...and increasingly, upon archaeological studies. (For a quick history, I recommend A Brief History of the Druids by Peter Beresford Ellis)

During the 16/17/1800s, when secret societies and such were popular throughout Europe, there was also a Druidic Movement of sorts, often called the Druid Revival. "Druid" based texts were found and entire societies and organizations were based on these ideas...many of these members were Christians (as are a decent percentage of members of some modern Druid groups, which are often multi-faith). (for an explanation of the Revival, try http://www.aoda.org/articles/history.htm) Later it was found that most (more likely all) of these texts were entirely created by their authors...and like most movements, the Druid revival declined after a time. (I recommend Ronald Hutton's Druids: A History for a discussion of this).

[quote]
To the world of conventional scholarship, modern Druidry is an oxymoron, for Druids are a thing of the past--the extinct priesthood of a barbarian culture relevant only to specialists. To the mainstream religions and philosophies of the West, modern Druidry is an absurd anachronism--a cult that turns its back on progress and the modern world to embrace an archaic reverence for trees and stones.

John Michael Greer (Archdruid of the AODA) in The Druidry Handbook[quote]

Modern Druidry (or is it Druidism? ) is an amalgamation of all of these sources, and more...

I would estimate that the modern paths are generally based on several things, some of which include what little we know of ancient Druids, some of the teachings and such from the Druid revival groups, a good deal of Celtic beliefs and mythology in general, and a wee dose of tree hugging (mostly in the metaphorical sense, occasionally in the literal). Modern Druids tend to be very nature oriented and (IMO) much modern Druidry is based on the (assumed?) ideals of an ancient order and can be considered a philosophy as much as a religious path (much like Buddhism, you can be one or the other or both). What groups or individuals choose to focus on, depends on them...like all Pagan traditions, Druidry is extremely diverse and highly dependent on individual study and development.

Modern Druidry is not strictly a recon path (that would be Celtic Reconstructionism (CR)), but some Druid groups still attempt to be as historically accurate in a modern context as historical and archaeological information allow them to be (ADF has a strong reconstructionist bent, but its not as strict, IMO, as CR). Even so, most modern Druids could probably agree that the content of a spiritual tradition, rather than its history, determines its validity (thought not necessairly its authenticity).


Something to think about:

What Is Druidry? What Is Druidism?

There are no simple definitions about what modern druidry or druidism is. Each group conceives of druidry/druidism in its own way and we will be looking at how six groups interpret druidry for themselves. You will often see the terms “druidry” and “druidism” and may have wondered if there was any difference between them. Until recently, I had thought that the two words were pretty much interchangeable, but I recently encountered this explanation by John Michael Greer, who has done much research into the development of Revival Druidry (another term I will discuss later):

The term “Druidry” was a creation of Ross Nichols, one of the major luminaries in the English Druid community in the mid-twentieth century. He wanted to stress that the Druid path was not an “ism,” an ideology or set of beliefs, but a craft, a set of practices and traditions sharing common principles. The English language gives the suffix “-ry” to any number of crafts, such as pottery and forestry; the example of Freemasonry was probably also in Nichols’ mind (nobody talks about “Masonism”). More recently the two words have become convenient labels for the two main approaches in the Druid community, with “Druidism” used most often by recent Celtic Reconstructionist groups [and certain Neo-pagan Druid groups] who base their versions of the Druid way on modern scholarship, while “Druidry” is used most often by older groups who work with the heritage of the Druid Revival.

Druid groups that have evolved from Revival Druidry tend to prefer “druidry” and perceive its meaning much as is described by John Michael Greer above. Druid groups that were created in the latter half of the 20th century and that define themselves as “religions” more often tend to use “druidism.”

Of the six groups we will be exploring today, AODA, an offshoot of revival Druidry, uses “druidry” exclusively. OBOD, also an offshoot of Revival Druidry that is evolving into a religious path, uses “druidry” more often, but considers “druidry” and “druidism” to be interchangeable. ADF and the Henge of Keltria define their paths as religions. ADF uses both terms, but uses “druidism” more often and the Henge of Keltria uses “druidism” almost exclusively.

The British Druid Order seems to define itself more as a religion, but follows the British traditional usage of “druidry.”

also from http://www.nachtanz.org/SReed/mod_druids1.html (hey, its a good essay)

Today, the style of Druidry practiced (and what is emphasized) seems to be connected to the organization that it is practiced in…

Some Druid Organizations :

OBOD—Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids

http://www.druidry.org/

http://www.adf.org/core/

ADF was founded by Issac Bonewits (who had been a member of the RDNA) 25 years ago, and is currently led by Skip Ellison. It is the largest Druid religious group, and one of the largest American Druid groups. Is their own words, their purpose is that of “attempting to revive the best aspects of the Paleopagan faiths of our ancestors within a modern scientific, artistic, ecological, and wholistic context”. ADF considers itself a polytheistic Nature based tradition within the Neopagan movement, and a distinct religious path. Their beliefs are largely polytheistic. The ADF self-study course is not a requirement to be a member of ADF, but is available for interested parties.
*an essay on the differences between OBOD and ADF

Henge of Keltria

http://www.keltria.org/

The Henge of Keltria was founded in 1987 and its current leader is TopazOwl, it is an off-shoot of ADF. They describe themselves as “a spiritual path dedicated to revering the Nature Spirits, honoring the Ancestors, and worshipping the Deities of our ancient Irish ancestors. The Henge of Keltria is a nonprofit religious corporation dedicated to providing information, training, and networking to those who practice or who are interested in Keltrian Druidism, Druidism in general, and the evolution of mind, body, and spirit through a Celtic Irish context.” Whereas other groups do not necessarily emphasize any particular theistic belief, or any singular pantheon, the Henge of Keltria seems to emphasize Celtic mythology and symbolism in general, with a focus on what we know of the Irish Celts.
Unfortunately this really is not a group I know much about…although I do know *of* them because they have laid the groundwork for attempting to get a Druid symbol of faith available for Veteran headstones (they cannot petition the VA to add the symbol until a veteran that wishes to have that symbol actually dies).

Reformed Druids of North America (RDNA)

http://www.geocities.com/mikerdna/

The simplest way to explain the RDNA is as a Druid *dis*organization...think Church of the FSM of Druidry . They originated in 1963 at Carleton College in Northfield, MN after students that objected to a mandatory attendance of religious services protested by making forming their own group, resulting in the withdrawal of the requirement…and a continuation of the group. The RDNA has no central and unified authority, no central and unified theology or belief system and no central and unified initiatory or membership structure---the closest they come to a consensus in belief is their tenet that religious truth can be found in nature.

The Druid Network

http://druidnetwork.org/

The Druid Network is not an initiatory tradition or religious order, but rather a networking and informational group for Druids of all types. They emphasize that Nature is an expression/manifestation of Deity, for which reverence can be expressed by way of thanksgiving, celebration, wonder and praise. One of their founders and leaders is Druid author, Emma Restall-Orr.

Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA)

http://www.aoda.org/

The AODA is a Druid Revival offshoot descended from another group founded in 1874 by Robert Wentworth Little that maintained close ties with the Masons. Today, the AODA “encourages its members to pursue their own spiritual directions within a broad common framework, and its approach to spirituality is personal and experiential rather than dogmatic.” They offer members a 3-degree self-study program with three levels of initiation. They observe the solstices and equinoxes, and, like the OBOD, they do not define divinity, leaving theistic belief to be up to the individual. The head of their organization is John Michael Greer.
Quote
Druidry is a living path, not a rigid ideology. The Druid Revival is an ongoing quest, shaped by the challenges and needs of each age.
--John Michael Greer.

British Druid Order

http://www.druidry.co.uk/

According to their website:
Quote
The British Druid Order teaches and practices a creative, celebratory, elemental, shamanic Druidry, drawing inspiration from the past, yet deeply relevant to the needs of the present: caring for the earth, empowering the spirit, promoting peace and understanding. Inspired by the rich heritage of the British Isles, we see Druidry as a path without boundaries, open to all.
BDO Druidry is animistic, recognising all things as imbued with spirit. It is polytheistic, acknowledging many gods and goddesses. It is shamanic, knowing the reality of spirit worlds and their inhabitants. We honour our ancestors of blood and of spirit, i.e. those who have walked similar paths before us.
Teaching is offered through our distance learning course, our other publications, and through workshops, meditational retreats, weekend gatherings and longer camps, and in local Groves.
Our Gorseddau (gatherings of Bards) offer open, multi-faith celebrations of seasonal festivals at sacred sites in Britain and elsewhere. Local Groves offer deeper ritual, teaching, companionship and support.”

(Like the Henge of Keltria, this is a group I don’t know much about on a first hand (or even second hand) basis)

References:
What do Druid's Believe by Phillip Carr Gomm
Druid Mysteries by Phillip Carr Gomm
Thorsons Principles of Druidry, Emma Restall-Orr
The Druid Tradition, Phillip Carr-Gomm
Ritual: A Guide to Life, Love & Inspiration, Emma Restall-Orr (AWESOME BOOK, even if your aren't a Druid)
The Druidry Handbook, John Michael Greer
Bonewits's Essential Guide to Druidism, Isaac Bonewits (I will say that I am not a fan of the man overall...but that this book is decent)

(both Phillip Carr-Gomm and Emma Restall-Orr have a TON of books on the subject...and are good authors)


some basic info on Druidry:

http://www.whatisdruidry.org/

http://www.wildideas.net/cathbad/pagan/dr-guide1.html#2

http://druidnetwork.org/beliefs/articles/herne

http://altreligion.about.com/library/faqs/bl_druid.htm

http://druidnetwork.org/beliefs/articles/definitionandpractice

http://www.religioustolerance.org/druid.htm

[Azvanna]

Re: A perspective on Druidry and Druidism.

http://www.druidcircle.org/druid/index.php/en/home/about-nod

Just wanted to add this here as I didn't see it in the helpful list of online Druid groups. New Order of Druids provides a free training course on Druidry for online members. They don't seem to be particular about who joins the course or who accesses information.

It's a very accepting, small community that maintains polite and insightful conversations.

[laoch briste]

[thalassa]

Re: Question about 'Druidry'

Out of pure curiosity, what branch of the military were/are you in? I'm doing an informal, anecdotal poll on people's experiences in the military as a Pagan. Both my spouse and myself were openly Pagan and active duty Navy--to be honest, we had more difficulties amongst Pagans (for being in the military) than we ever had being Pagan in the Navy.

Regarding the terminology question...the short answer: So, yes--Druids were the "priesthood" (although I don't really think that is an accurate term) of the ancient Celts. Sometime around the 5-7th centuries, that came to an end. Then, in the 16th century, interest in the Druids (and other ancient eosteric type things) resurged...and (what is now called) "Revival" Druidry was born, in the same sort of way as the Freemasons, etc. These groups continuted on, and a decent number of Druid groups are based mostly in this Revival Druidry. Later (like, in the last 50 years), as contemporary Pagans have started reconstructing ancient religions, there are Druid groups that base their practice and beliefs on more of a reconstructionist approach. Still others combine the two (I'm married to someone who practices this sort of Druidry), and (at least) one has outsourced a bit--ADF bases their beliefs and practices in taking a syncretic look at what we know of proto-Indo-European paganisms and giving them a modern context. (Historian Ronald Hutton has a decent book that details this history)

As for the Druidry vs. Druidism issue, I like this answer:

There are no simple definitions about what modern druidry or druidism is. Each group conceives of druidry/druidism in its own way and we will be looking at how six groups interpret druidry for themselves. You will often see the terms “druidry” and “druidism” and may have wondered if there was any difference between them. Until recently, I had thought that the two words were pretty much interchangeable, but I recently encountered this explanation by John Michael Greer, who has done much research into the development of Revival Druidry (another term I will discuss later):
Quote
The term “Druidry” was a creation of Ross Nichols, one of the major luminaries in the English Druid community in the mid-twentieth century. He wanted to stress that the Druid path was not an “ism,” an ideology or set of beliefs, but a craft, a set of practices and traditions sharing common principles. The English language gives the suffix “-ry” to any number of crafts, such as pottery and forestry; the example of Freemasonry was probably also in Nichols’ mind (nobody talks about “Masonism”). More recently the two words have become convenient labels for the two main approaches in the Druid community, with “Druidism” used most often by recent Celtic Reconstructionist groups [and certain Neo-pagan Druid groups] who base their versions of the Druid way on modern scholarship, while “Druidry” is used most often by older groups who work with the heritage of the Druid Revival. (1)

Druid groups that have evolved from Revival Druidry tend to prefer “druidry” and perceive its meaning much as is described by John Michael Greer above. Druid groups that were created in the latter half of the 20th century and that define themselves as “religions” more often tend to use “druidism.”

Of the six groups we will be exploring today, AODA, an offshoot of revival Druidry, uses “druidry” exclusively. OBOD, also an offshoot of Revival Druidry that is evolving into a religious path, uses “druidry” more often, but considers “druidry” and “druidism” to be interchangeable. ADF and the Henge of Keltria define their paths as religions. ADF uses both terms, but uses “druidism” more often and the Henge of Keltria uses “druidism” almost exclusively.

The British Druid Order seems to define itself more as a religion, but follows the British traditional usage of “druidry.”

also from http://www.nachtanz.org/SReed/mod_druids1.html (hey, its a good essay)

[laoch briste]

Re: Question about 'Druidry'

Interesting. Our tradition has been passed down for ages. We rely heavily on oral tradition, but also are encouraged to keep personal notes and research findings. The research we've done to date puts us outside the reconstructionists. In our roles of ancestors we go back much further. It gets fuzzy near the 5th century. Really fuzzy, but reasonably clear after that. I see similarities in some ideas. The reconstructions certainly did some homework, but there are differences.
The idea that we vanished in thin air is off putting, but most of the tribes went underground to avoid the ol Catholic sharp stick in the eye.

I was a SSgt in the Air Force. Was put to pasture after a decade due to injury in OEF.

[thalassa]

Re: A perspective on Druidry and Druidism.

Some useful/interesting Druid blogs and blog posts:

Problems with using the word Druid
Blog posts about one Druid's experience with ADF's Dedicant Path
The blog of John Michael Greer, Archdruid of AODA

(and here's where the formatting has begun to fail...)

http://www.paganmusic.co.uk/blog/ (Dahm the Bard's blog)

https://druidlife.wordpress.com/2015/07/08/seeking-inspiration/

http://www.philipcarr-gomm.com/blog/ (Blog of Philip Carr-Gomm)

http://druidjournal.net/2015/04/02/things-fall-apart-why-we-think-everythings-getting-worse/

http://alisonleighlilly.com/blog/2015/how-to-make-environmentally-sustainable-offerings/

http://alisonleighlilly.com/blog/2015/qa-what-will-druidry-look-like-on-mars/

https://druidlife.wordpress.com/2013/02/06/without-a-script/

[IsisSekhemetRa]

Re: A perspective on Druidry and Druidism.

A lot of really good information. I'm currently with the New Order of Druids which is totally free. I've done one assignment in the Student handbook and have to wait five days before I can do the next. Once again, good information.

[Tiger Phoenix]

Re: Druidry and Druidism for Beginners

There is a great article on Witches Vox but it seems that I am not aloud to post links at this time. I will share it with you at a latter date. The only difference between "y" and "ism" is the difference between philosophy and religion. Usually "ism" defines a religion and "y" a philosoph"y" of life. Some people are turned off by religion and the ceremonial aspects of it. I believe in Druidry but it is a philosophy of life and not a religion.

Definition: An "ism" word usually denotes acceptance of some belief whereas a word formed with a "y" ending usually refers to a more generalized study of something.

---

[Azvanna]

Re: Druidry and Druidism for Beginners

There is a great article on Witches Vox but it seems that I am not aloud to post links at this time. I will share it with you at a latter date. The only difference between "y" and "ism" is the difference between philosophy and religion. Usually "ism" defines a religion and "y" a philosoph"y" of life. Some people are turned off by religion and the ceremonial aspects of it. I believe in Druidry but it is a philosophy of life and not a religion.

Definition: An "ism" word usually denotes acceptance of some belief whereas a word formed with a "y" ending usually refers to a more generalized study of something.

---

How about 'philanthropy' then?

The discussion over using the word 'Druidry' or 'Druidism' could be an entire thread on its own. I once looked up a list of suffixes and their meanings but couldn't really decipher a meaningful difference.

[thalassa]

Re: Druidry and Druidism for Beginners

There is a great article on Witches Vox but it seems that I am not aloud to post links at this time. I will share it with you at a latter date. The only difference between "y" and "ism" is the difference between philosophy and religion. Usually "ism" defines a religion and "y" a philosoph"y" of life. Some people are turned off by religion and the ceremonial aspects of it. I believe in Druidry but it is a philosophy of life and not a religion.

Definition: An "ism" word usually denotes acceptance of some belief whereas a word formed with a "y" ending usually refers to a more generalized study of something.

Moderation note: As an FYI, we ask that members don't use colored font except as a way of accenting something within a post. I went ahead and edited this back to default. If you are copy and pasting, and the color (or other formatting) happens automatically there should be a button in the upper left corner of the reply box that gets rid of formatting. There are two reasons for this (in no particular order)--1) staff use colored text (green from mods, red from admin, etc) for staff messages; there are also some other threads where color is used (Medusa's Question du Jour thread) to differentiate things a bit and if everyone used their own color, it would drown out the few instances where it is being used to get attention and 2) there are multiple themes and on some themes, the color overrides the font color for the theme and it becomes hard to read and tedious to try to read.


With that being said; in regard to the comment itself--John Michael Greer says the following on the matter:

The term “Druidry” was a creation of Ross Nichols, one of the major luminaries in the English Druid community in the mid-twentieth century. He wanted to stress that the Druid path was not an “ism,” an ideology or set of beliefs, but a craft, a set of practices and traditions sharing common principles. The English language gives the suffix “-ry” to any number of crafts, such as pottery and forestry; the example of Freemasonry was probably also in Nichols’ mind (nobody talks about “Masonism”). More recently the two words have become convenient labels for the two main approaches in the Druid community, with “Druidism” used most often by recent Celtic Reconstructionist groups [and certain Neo-pagan Druid groups] who base their versions of the Druid way on modern scholarship, while “Druidry” is used most often by older groups who work with the heritage of the Druid Revival.

[Tiger Phoenix]

Re: Druidry and Druidism for Beginners

That was exactly what I was trying to say. Great quote from John Michael Greer.

The term “Druidry” was a creation of Ross Nichols, one of the major luminaries in the English Druid community in the mid-twentieth century. He wanted to stress that the Druid path was not an “ism,” an ideology or set of beliefs, but a craft, a set of practices and traditions sharing common principles. The English language gives the suffix “-ry” to any number of crafts, such as pottery and forestry.

I refered to it as a philosophy of life but I agree "ry" would represent more a craft like archery or forestry.

Thank you for sharing Thalassa.

[WrachDrui]

Re: Druidry and Druidism for Beginners

Very interesting thread, thank you to all who have contributed.

[thalassa]

Re: Druidry and Druidism for Beginners

The Law of the Returning Tide says that whatever you cast into the sea of life returns to you – often changed, often in an unrecognizable form, but nevertheless what comes to you in your life is usually the direct result of what you have given out into the world. Most people are only vaguely aware of this law, or don’t fully accept it, but magicians use it all the time. They deliberately and consciously project positive ideas, energies, images, feelings, thoughts, prayers, chants and spells into the world, knowing fully that they will reap the benefits of these – sometimes quickly but sometimes not for years or even lifetimes…

…how we experience the world is made up of how we think, feel and act, and the result of those thoughts, feelings and actions as they play out in our lives. But if you believe that is all there is to reality, then you are accusing most of the people in the world of being responsible for their own suffering – all the adults and children dying of illness or starvation, all the people caught up in genocide and armed conflict, anyone who is suffering in whatever way. The fact is that not only do we create our own reality, but we create other peoples’ reality too.

Our experience, our lives, are made up of a mixture of influences and events that we have created, and influences and events that others have created as well. It is just too simple to say ‘we create our own reality’. We are social and active beings, and we have an effect on the world and the people around us, just as they have an effect on us. So the people in a famine, for example, however much they may be busy creating positive thoughts and feelings, are caught up in a current that is bigger than their own – they are in a group reality caused by the weather, and economic and political conditions.

We live in a sea of consciousness and experience, and we often have a great deal of influence over our immediate environment – the patch of sea around us – but sometimes deep ocean currents can sweep us away or change our lives forever…

…Once you understand that we create our own reality and are part of a collective reality too, that we each contribute to other people’s realities as well as our own, then you can understand the Law of the Returning Tide.

It is a law that is played out for us in the world of Nature around us all the time: we reap what we sow, and the harvest from the seeds we have sown is not just ours. This law has been expressed by different spiritual teachers for thousands of years. In the Egyptian Book of the Dead, the god Thoth says, “Truth is the harvest scythe. What is sown – love or anger or bitterness – that shall be your bread. The corn is no better than its seed, then let what you plant be good.” Thousands of years later, Jesus said, “As ye sow, so shall ye reap.” The Eastern idea of karma conveys the same idea: that, to a great extent, our present experience is the consequence of our past thoughts, feelings and actions…

…Once you realize that you help to create other peoples’ reality, you become socially and environmentally responsible – and you do magic not only for yourself, but also for others and the world…

…Remember a time someone touched you and you could feel the love and warmth in their hands or their embrace? It felt like an energy was coming into you, didn’t it? Magic says it is an energy and that you can consciously direct it! And in radiating this energy, somehow you don’t lose energy yourself. Instead, it comes to you in even greater quantities – the more you give the more you receive. This is the Law of the Returning Tide…

~~Excerpts from Druidcraft by Philip Carr-Gomm on the subject of “The Law of the Returning Tide.”. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Wicca and Druidry both (its a book that works on reconciling the two into a cohesive synchronism, which isn't hard) or with experience in one and interest in the other…the quotes are part of a larger, quite excellent section of the book. But I just had to share it, as I find this take on the Law of Return extremely well expressed.

[B. de Corbin]

Re: Druidry and Druidism for Beginners

I like that. On my door at work I have aquote from Buddha:

With your thoughts you make the world.

One of the truths that's been scattered in the wind and then lost.