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    Druidry vs Celtic Recon?

    Simply put: is there any difference between Druidry and Celtic Reconstructionism? If so, what are they? I've tried my best to find out, and I can't find any answers.

    Branching from that, could one identify as a Celtic polytheist, without the labels of "Reconstructionist" or even "NeoPagan"?

    #2
    Re: Druidry vs Celtic Recon?

    Yes, to both your questions.

    Druidry can incorporate CR (look at the group ADF--not entirely Celtic in their recon, but still highly inclusive of recon), but it doesn't have to (look at the OBOD and AODA). This has some good info too.

    For the 2nd question, look into devotional polytheism.
    Wonderful Life: The Burgess Shale and the Nature of HistoryPagan Devotionals, because the wind and the rain is our Bible
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      #3
      Re: Druidry vs Celtic Recon?

      Originally posted by GardenOfShadows View Post
      Simply put: is there any difference between Druidry and Celtic Reconstructionism? If so, what are they? I've tried my best to find out, and I can't find any answers.

      Branching from that, could one identify as a Celtic polytheist, without the labels of "Reconstructionist" or even "NeoPagan"?
      Yes. I think it's fair to say that the main difference between Druidry and CR is whether or not Neopagan practices and beliefs are embraced. Druidry does, CR doesn't (like many other recons, a lot of CRs only identify as Neopagan in the sense that it's a modern Pagan religion. The label is otherwise seen to be unrepresentative of CR as a whole, and rather problematic). Reconstructionists look to historical sources, myths, archaeology, academic sources, and folklore/customs etc to inform practice and belief, from within the particular Celtic culture they're focusing on. Some Druid organisations might also incorporate that kind of approach to one degree or another, but they also tend to incorporate Neopagan practice and belief and are somewhat eclectic in that respect. A lot CRs also tend to think that Druid is a title that's earned, not taken, and it's only those who serve a community who might be called a druid. Realistically, there are few who qualify for this.

      CR rejects eclecticism in favour of a practice that's framed within a specific cultural context so some people feel it's pretty limiting in that respect. In contrast, Druids might include the worship of a number of deities from different cultures (different Celtic cultures, or different cultures in general), as well as a blend of practices and festivals from different cultures. ADF, for example, is one of the Druid organisations that emphasise scholarship and a scholarly approach (in reaction to older druid orders rooted in Revivalist Druidry), but their ritual formats are heavily rooted in Neopagan practice and they allow for different "hearth cultures" where groves might focus on deities from Roman, Greek, Norse, Germanic cultures, and so on. So you effectively end up with "Roman Druids" and the like. This isn't compatible with a reconstructionist approach, so ADF itself isn't reconstructionist, but some CRs are still involved in ADF for the fellowship and in-person community - something that's often lacking for CRs.

      As for labels, yes, you can be a Celtic Polytheist without being recon or Neopagan. People are increasingly adopting the "Polytheist" label to distance themselves from Neopaganism especially, and it tends to encompass people who are either reconstructionist, or lean more towards it than not.

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        #4
        Re: Druidry vs Celtic Recon?

        Thanks for the replies.

        Originally posted by Seren View Post
        Yes. I think it's fair to say that the main difference between Druidry and CR is whether or not Neopagan practices and beliefs are embraced. Druidry does, CR doesn't (like many other recons, a lot of CRs only identify as Neopagan in the sense that it's a modern Pagan religion. The label is otherwise seen to be unrepresentative of CR as a whole, and rather problematic). Reconstructionists look to historical sources, myths, archaeology, academic sources, and folklore/customs etc to inform practice and belief, from within the particular Celtic culture they're focusing on. Some Druid organisations might also incorporate that kind of approach to one degree or another, but they also tend to incorporate Neopagan practice and belief and are somewhat eclectic in that respect. A lot CRs also tend to think that Druid is a title that's earned, not taken, and it's only those who serve a community who might be called a druid. Realistically, there are few who qualify for this.

        CR rejects eclecticism in favour of a practice that's framed within a specific cultural context so some people feel it's pretty limiting in that respect. In contrast, Druids might include the worship of a number of deities from different cultures (different Celtic cultures, or different cultures in general), as well as a blend of practices and festivals from different cultures. ADF, for example, is one of the Druid organisations that emphasise scholarship and a scholarly approach (in reaction to older druid orders rooted in Revivalist Druidry), but their ritual formats are heavily rooted in Neopagan practice and they allow for different "hearth cultures" where groves might focus on deities from Roman, Greek, Norse, Germanic cultures, and so on. So you effectively end up with "Roman Druids" and the like. This isn't compatible with a reconstructionist approach, so ADF itself isn't reconstructionist, but some CRs are still involved in ADF for the fellowship and in-person community - something that's often lacking for CRs.

        As for labels, yes, you can be a Celtic Polytheist without being recon or Neopagan. People are increasingly adopting the "Polytheist" label to distance themselves from Neopaganism especially, and it tends to encompass people who are either reconstructionist, or lean more towards it than not.
        I find this interesting. So Celtic Reconstructionists don't consider themselves "pagan"? And Druids inherently are, becasue of added ritual and beliefs which may be due to lack of sufficient knowledge of what the ancient Druids practiced?

        Also, I read this in the sticky for the Celtic Traditions, that Druidry is different from Druidism; with the former being more of a spiritual philosophy, while the latter is more of a recon religion. What would you say separates Druidry itself from Druidism? And Druidism from Celtic Recon?

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          #5
          Re: Druidry vs Celtic Recon?

          For CR, this FAQ might be helpful.

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            #6
            Re: Druidry vs Celtic Recon?

            So, I've contacted both the ADF and the OBOD. They both seem like great organizations and are being of great help on my path.

            The one I'm most surprised by is the ADF. Almost everyone told me that they were hard line Celtic polytheists (border-lining recon), but based on my conversations with them, they seem to be very open. While they do revere the Celtic Gods, they also revere other Indo-European Gods as well (Vedic, Norse, Slavic, etc.). There are a few Pantheistic or non-Theistic members as well.

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              #7
              Re: Druidry vs Celtic Recon?

              Originally posted by GardenOfShadows View Post
              So, I've contacted both the ADF and the OBOD. They both seem like great organizations and are being of great help on my path.

              The one I'm most surprised by is the ADF. Almost everyone told me that they were hard line Celtic polytheists (border-lining recon), but based on my conversations with them, they seem to be very open. While they do revere the Celtic Gods, they also revere other Indo-European Gods as well (Vedic, Norse, Slavic, etc.). There are a few Pantheistic or non-Theistic members as well.
              I'm going through the OBOD Bardic course at the moment and I really do love it. OBOD's course is more experiential than ADF. That was one of the reason's ADF didn't really interest me. I don't really have a desire to do book reports (I'm a student to begin with, I don't have an interest in doing that sort of work on top of my actual school work). And while I'm sure that there are members who are Pantheistic and non-Theistic, I just thought that OBOD meshed better with my borderline Agnostic views. To be perfectly honest OBOD is more of a spirituality or life philosophy than a religion. There are people who identify as several different religions (Wiccan, Buddhist, and even Christian) within OBOD.

              There's actually no reason you can't be a member of both ADF and OBOD.

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