What does it mean to be a Druid today? A lot of the time, when asked, people seem to think of Druids as long bearded men in white robes cutting mistletoe with sickles under the full moon. I’ve never had this image of a Druid. The only Druids I knew about when I was growing up were the ones in my Forgotten Realms and Dungeons & Dragons fantasy books. They didn’t fit the old, beardy image – these were the folk who felt a rapport with the natural world, that cared for it and respected it and worked with it to make the realms a better place. As far as I’m concerned, this was a pretty good introduction to Druidry.
Though these Druids had some pretty supernatural powers, able to call lightning and smite down their foes, or turn themselves into eagles or wolves or other animals, still it was that sense of wanting to leave the so called “civilised world” behind in favour of communing with nature – that sense of ease found in the forest and not in the cities. I empathised with these Druids who hated going within city walls, longing for the woods and the green. It wasn’t their powers that impressed me, it was their very sense of self – a sense of attunement and belonging to the natural world.
Though many modern-day Druids do live in cities, as I once did (not out of choice) it is in this rapport with nature that is the underlying factor in our religion, our spirituality or our philosophy. Our hearts are freer – they soar while standing on a cliff’s edge, or at the shoreline, or deep within a great wood. We hear the song of life around us, that beckons the soul to true expression – to simply be.
The Druid takes inspiration from the natural world around her – she takes delight in a cold winter’s morning as she watches the foxes scamper and chase each other across a field newly covered with snow. She feels the heat and passion as she hears or sees the rutting deer in the cold autumn months. She finds pure joy in the flight of the butterfly searching for nectar in the warm summer sunshine. She finds the thrill of the hunt as she watches a cat stalking its prey. She takes wing with the hawk as it soars across a cloudy sky, finding thermals in ever increasing spirals that reflect the spirals of life.
This may all sound wonderful, and true – but also a bit airy-fairy to some. Being a Druid is also about taking on responsibility for one’s actions, as well as for one’s environment. No longer can one be ignorant about either – it is waking up and making a commitment to understand to the best of our abilities in everything that we do and say. It is learning behavioural patterns in our own selves as well as in those animals that share our environment. It is learning from the cycles of nature, the seasons, the tides and times of life. Knowing when to break free, when to retreat, when to shout aloud and when to keep quiet.
Being a Druid is about making life choices in everything – from vigilant recycling to knowing where our tap water comes from. It is about making a relationship with everything, from the food we eat to the badgers that have been de-homed for the new housing complex. It is a huge sacrifice – giving up ignorance and opening our eyes to the world, and seeing what we can do to make it a better place.
We may wear robes, we may wear wellies – but we are still Druids. We may not smite our foes with lightning, but we fight to protect those of the natural world that humans would harm. We live and we learn through awen, through inspiration from nature. We may not achieve the same status as a 20th level D&D Druid, but we gain something much more important – a real magic in our lives that we can live with and honour each and every day.
Lovely article joanna and so relevant to my life too. ANd in a couple of weeks I finally get to move into my dream cottage and be a whole lot more integrated into our beautiful earth 🙂
That’s brilliant – well done! I hope you really enjoy your new place – sounds lovely. x
A lovely article Joanna and so relevant to my lifestyle too. ANd in a couple of weeks I finally get to move into my dream cottage in a rural setting and be even more integrated with our beautiful earth 🙂
I always thought of Druids as beardy-weirdy blokes, which is funny, because most of the Druid blogs I read are written by women – how I hope you don’t have a Rowan Williams style beard yourself! But seriously, although I wouldn’t call myself a Druid, I’m the sort of person who needs a daily fix of being outdoors – I’m pretty much tuned-in to the seasonal cycles. But what I really sympathise with, is the concept of the genii loci – just a couple of times I’ve experienced such a visceral response to a specific place, but didn’t know how to explain it – the more I learn, the more natural all this feels – a bit like coming home. I feel a lot less airy-fairy since I realised I wasn’t alone (or completely daft).
I too find that establishing a good, strong relationship with the spirits of place. on hearth and home and land on which I live, is such an important part of my life and my practice. Having lived all over the world, it can make any home truly feel like home, which for me is very important! Many people share this feeling of a more natural integration – a feeling of coming home. Welcome home! And blessings of winter to you. x
So true – and I can relate as a role player!
Indeed – I LARP and also do a Pathfinder game now – it’s a lot of fun!
Joanna, you have hit the nail on the head. This is real, modern Druidry. I don’t mind the D&D Druids either, though. 🙂
Many blessings,
Victoria
🙂 Maybe one day the twain shall meet…
Finding your posts utterly inspiring.
Thanks hun! Big love. x
Joanna, A really lovely and inspiring piece, thank you.
Thank you, Michael, for your kind words.
Very well put. I’m delighted to have found your excellent blog. Always good to read the thoughts of a fellow druid.
Thank you very much!
May the peace of the deep forest fill your senses and your mind my friend……
Thank you – blessings of deep winter to you!