Encyclopedia
Neo-druidism or
neo-druidry is an attempt to construct a modern spirituality based on the ancient
religion of the
Celts, as presided over by the priestly caste of
druids. A fundamental difference between ancient druidism and modern, or neo-druidism, is that present-day druids do not hold the prominent place in society that was enjoyed by druids in pre-Roman times.
In general, Neo-druids promote the peace, preservation and harmony of nature.
Neo-druidry in Britain
In the eighteenth century secret societies in Britain included a number that had a particularly "druidic" flavour, such as the Ancient Order of Druids and the Order of the Universal Bond, later known as the Ancient Druid Order. These organisations often drew upon Iolo Morganwg for their philosophy and symbolism, including the use of the Druid's Prayer. Many of his teachings however have since been shown to have had no historical basis; later druidic sects have accepted this but nonetheless adopted his ideas as visionary, as opposed to scholarly insights. The ADO survived to modern times. In 1964 when Robert MacGregor Reid, Chief of the Ancient Order of Druids, died, a dispute between a group of senior druids broke out over the election of Dr Thomas Maughan as the new chief. Consequently the order split into two factions and it was decided to form a reconstituted order with Ross Nichols as its Chief, and with the three grades of Bard, Ovate and Druid fully taught and recognised in a way that had not previously been done in the Order's modern cycle. Hence The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids was formed. Recent decades have seen an explosion of druidic orders and groups in Britain, including the British Druid Order, the Secular Order of Druids, the Glastonbury Order of Druids and so on. In February 2003, The Druid Network was launched; its aim is to be a source of information and inspiration about the modern druid tradition, its practice and its history.
Other European druid organisations
In January 2003, the New Order of Druids was opened by David Dom in
Belgium. It is an online organisation, offering a free alternative for people to learn through the means of the
Internet, with three main goals:
to learn, to grow, to exchange. The New Order of Druids opened the first of its local groves, the Mother Grove called Nervii Nemeton, on September 2 2005 in
Antwerp,
Belgium. It may possibly be the first
Dutch druid organisation of modern Belgium.
Another Belgian druid organisation is the Druidic Seat Glastoratin, founded on November 30, 2003, and the Albidatla Druidion Arduina or Assemblée Universelle des Druides d'Arduina, a
French druid organisation in Belgium founded by Raphaël Zander in 1998.
On November 1 1980, Gwenc’hlan Le Scouëzec became the Grand Druid of
Brittany In
France, of the "Fraternité des druides, bardes et ovates de Bretagne" . Gwenc'hlan is sometimes also considered the Grand Druid of France.
Other European druid organisations are:
- Le Cercle de l'Ambre
- The Kengerzhouriezh Drouizel an Dreist-Hanternoz founded in 1982
- The Kredenn Geltiek Hollvedel or Kevanvod Tud Donn , founded in 1936 by Raffig Tullou
- The Order of Clochsliaph - Nemeton Clochsliaph in Berlin, Germany, founded by Uwe Eckert in 2002.
Neo-druidism in America
The Mother Grove of the RDNA
The founding of the first congregation of the
Reformed Druids of North America, or RDNA, at
Carleton College,
Northfield, Minnesota, in 1963 marked the start of at least one branch of neo-druidism. This congregation is called, in terms of the organizational structure, the Carleton Grove, and in terms of RDNA tradition, the Mother Grove.
Carleton's requirement that each student participate regularly in religious services was the most focused of the factors occasioning the promulgation of "the Reform". Nevertheless,
Celtic mythology, spiritual
eclecticism, more general counter-cultural agitation, and easy-going
self-irony were also important themes by the time the religious requirement was rescinded in mid-1964, and the loss of the specific protest motivation did not obviously weaken the organization. Oversight effort in 1967 from priests no longer regularly present in Northfield probably has served as precedent for ensuring continuity of leadership at later times of ebb in local momentum.
The early antagonism between the Carleton Grove and the administration of the college has subsided if not disappeared; for instance, a campfire ring known as the Druid Circle is maintained by the college, and Carleton Grove activities are announced in college-published literature. The 40th anniversary year of the RDNA saw two reunion gatherings of the Mother Grove, one at the anniversary of the first service and one coinciding with the Carleton College Reunion. These ceremonies gave evidence of continuity of the early years' themes described above. For instance, besides the service continuing the free-wheeling balance of reverence and irreverence, a Qur'anic reading echoed a substantial study of the
Qur'an by at least one of the early Arch-Druids of Carleton.
The Berkeley History
Robert Larson, a priest ordained in the Carleton Grove in 1963 or 1964, relocated to
Berkeley, California about 1966, and eventually encountered Isaac Bonewits there. Together they founded a small congregation with affinities to various
Wicca groups and to various practitioners of ceremonial magic . Since then it has had several periods of greater or lesser activity. Currently the most visible offshoot of the RDNA is Ár nDraíocht Féin . They are centered on the East Coast of the
United States, in
New York and
New Jersey, but with branches scattered throughout the rest of the world as well.
Neo-druidic liturgy
The original ceremonies of the neo-druids involved gathering in a wooded place
periodically , for
- the ritual consumption of "spirits" called "the water of life" ,
- the singing of religious songs,
- the performance of ceremonial chanting, and,
- occasionally, a sermon.
The written calls for
- a "sacrifice of life", reflecting the core of the Reform, namely plant rather than animal sacrifices, and
- an outdoor vigil.
Specifically in the Mother Grove, the use of Scotch rather than Irish whiskey has been an ironic tradition dating from the first ceremony, at which a partial bottle of Scotch whisky had been at hand, left unfinished at the end of a party the previous night.
The major holy days are the quarter days and the solar festivals . These are celebrated with parties with a religious theme, much singing of religious songs, dancing in circles, etc. Various individuals will also have their own private ceremonies. Often, small groups will break off, and perform their own separated ceremonies before rejoining the general group - these groups are often split along initiatory lines as those of higher degree work their own ceremonies.
Individual choice is a major theme. So is
ecology, though more in the sense of being sensitive to it and living lightly on the land than in the sense of a study of the interrelationship of lives at various scales.
The major gods are, in , the Earth-Mother , seen as the personification of all material reality, Béal, the personification of nonmaterial essence, and Dalon Ap Landu, the Lord of Groves. The first two are sometimes referred to as the
Earth and the
Sun . Some individuals prefer to devote most of their praise, however, to other gods, like Health or Music . And "A Druid Fellowship" has various scholastic posts and honors, though usually in the arts as devoted to religious praise rather than as formal studies.
ADF's liturgy is considerably more complex than that of the RDNA, though its roots in the older group are obvious, based on Bonewits's theories of a common pattern to Indo-European worship.
Neo-druidism is considered a neo-pagan religion.
Popular neo-druidic organizations
Since the RDNA's creation, several other neo-druidic organizations have been founded, including the Ovates, Modern occultists, Ár nDraíocht Féin , the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids , and Keltria. They all have similar, but distinct beliefs and practices. OBOD is based in the UK, while ADF and Keltria are based in the US, though all three have international reach. ADF is something of a descendant of the RDNA since its founder, Isaac Bonewits was a member of the RDNA before founding ADF. Keltria came about as the result of disagreements between several ADF members and Mr. Bonewits on the focus of druidry.
According to the neo-druidic Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, the druid teaching is traditionally split into the following three "grades", with acceptance into each grade requiring an
initiation by those of equal or higher grade:
- Bard - who was taught how to read and write, but more importantly was taught the poetry and lore of the time. Bards were the keepers of lore and were expected to know by memory all the myths, legends, history and even bloodlines of the land.
- Ovates - one who was taught herb-lore and the "deeper secrets"
- Druid - one who has learned much lore and begun to use it to teach others, counsel and function as a judge in the affairs of others.
Ár nDraíocht Féin , however, holds that druidic practice is a less-structured Indo-European spiritual practice and thus leans more toward contemporary neopagan practices, though it does attempt to integrate them with research on Indo-European cultures . Instead of "grades", new ADF members study basic druidry as "Dedicants" and then move on to the ADF Study Program by joining various Guilds to specialize. Advancement within the Guilds and Special Interest Groups is awarded through passing various "circles" of study culminating in the equivalent of a Master status in a particular pursuit. ADF also has a clergy training program for those who aspire to priesthood in particular, though completion of the Dedicant level is a prerequisite for both Guild and priest work. ADF differs from other neo-druidic groups in that it aims to provide structure and services more similar to major organized religion than most neo-pagan organizations.
Keltrian Druidism is a Celtic neopagan tradition dedicated to honoring its ancestors, revering the spirits of nature, and worshipping the gods and goddesses of its members' Gaelic heritage. Focus is placed on personal growth through the development of mind, body, and spirit. The group is an initiatory tradition who place special emphasis on the development of spiritual relationships through study and practice of the Druidic Arts or "Draíocht." Their national organization,
The Henge of Keltria, publishes various resources and acts as a registry for members.
There are also a great number of other druid groups in Britain, Europe and America, with varying claims to the historical traditions.
References
- see essay
The New Druidry.
- contains chapters on modern druidry.
See also
External links
