Customer Reviews

The Druidry Handbook: Spiritual Practice Rooted in the Living Earth

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As someone who is extremely intriqued by the Druids and considering the Path for myself, this book has been immensely helpful. It's straight-forward, informative, and sometimes even humorous. John Michael Greer explains everything very clearly. Other books on Druidry have put me to sleep, but this one I pick up in the middle of the night because my mind keeps going back to it and I have to keep reading. I just finished it tonight, and I'm already looking forward to reading it all over again.

As noted by Mr. Greer, there is little we can know for certain about the original Druids of the Celtic world, outside of the anecdotes preserved about them by their Roman adversaries. However, as many continue to seek links with the past and with nature across time and space, the romance of what people imagine about the Druids continues to inspire and resonate with many seeking a spiritual path based on nature and the ancient past. Thus, the birth of modern Druidry.

Mr. Greer's book is divided into three parts, (1) "The Druid Tradition in the Modern World" (the Druid Revival which began in the 1700s and its various descendants), (2) "The Three Triads of Druid Philosophy" (which includes such subjects as the three rays of light, circles of manifestation, the elements of nature (three in druid tradition, as opposed to the 4 or 5 of alchemical or neopagan traditions), solar and telluric currents. stations of the year, ogham, and the place of Taliesin, Arthur and Merlin in Druidry, and (3) "Initiation into the Druid Tradition", which includes three paths of practice which connects one to nature (both contemplation and action), to ritual and the annual cycle, and to one's self through various practices of meditation.

This book also serves as a manual for the first stage of the study of Druidry according to the approach of the AODA (Ancient Order of Druids in America), which Mr. Greer heads as Grand Archdruid (http:www.aoda.org). Mr. Greer is to be commended on an honest, pragmatic and very readable approach to an earth-oriented spirituality to which many find themselves drawn.

Written by a student of occult traditions and nature spirituality of 25 years' experience, The Druidry Handbook: Spiritual Practice Rooted In The Living Earth is a straightforward manual of traditional British Druid practice. Chapters discuss druid traditions in the contemporary world, the three triads of druid philosophy, and the different paths of initiation into druid followings: the earth path, the sun path, and the moon path. From a practical outline to planting trees, to lists of druidic symbols with their pronunciations and definitions, to step-by-step instructions in druidic ceremonies, The Druidry Handbook is a solid reference for anyone seeking to practice or simply learn about this ancient spiritual tradition.

This book serves as an overview and introduction to the history and beliefs of modern Druids and provides a year's worth of work - including meditations, festival rites and a an incredible amount of information on green living - to take the first steps down the path of Druidry.

Frankly, I adored this book. From the succint, easy to read beginning chapters on the history of druidry, right to the Afterword, I couldn't put it down. I was up to 1.30am devouring this book.

The thing that stood out most for me is the passion that John has for the environment and caring for our mother Earth. His passion was inspiring and his advice on green living was useful and also useable. It's the sort of advice I could go out and put into practice tomorrow. This section of the book was definitely my favourite.

I did find his chapter on mediation a little preachy in retrospect but not so much that it became distracting from the concepts being explained. The chapter also helped me figure out what kind of meditation I'm most procifient at and it was nice seeing a walking meditation explored.

I really enjoyed the chapter explaining the elements in a more traditionally Cetic sense (three realms actually being taked about, yay!). I also rally appreicated his talk on different energies such as nywfre and awen. Most Druidry books cover awen but very few also look at nywfre. I'd almost call the book worth it just for that chapter.

I suppose the best thing about this book, for me, was the overall inspiring sense of "I can do this," it instilled in me. He never said being a Druid (as opposed to calling yourself one without actually doing a thing about it) be easy - he actually said the opposite - but you're never made to feel it's an insurmountable challenge. You're made to feel it's a challenge worth meeting.

The only fault I could find was that people not as gung-ho about the environment and learning to do certain things "properly" may find it preachy. Passionate people do tend to sund preachy at times. :)

Overall, this is an excellent book and my favourite out of all the Pagan boks I've read so far this year.

I honestly can't say enough good things about this book. First off, it is written in such a way that you can be virtually any religion and still take some knowledge and advice away from it. Second, it is extremely well-organized and is a massive amount of information to absorb and use. It gives priceless advice on meditation as well. One thing I was surprised to find was a little section on how to plant trees! That was a pleasant surprise to come across, and ties in cohesively with the section on the Earth Path. If you want to learn about modern Druidry, or know about it already and want to add to your library, I highly recommend reading this book!

Nature spirituality is rooted in Celtic life but has reached into the contemporary world to offer a focus on green earth connections - and THE DRUIDRY HANDBOOK: SPIRITUAL PRACTICE ROOTED IN THE LIVING EARTH provides a fine survey of the challenges of traditional British Druid practice. From seasonal celebrations and meditation efforts to living in harmony with nature, DRUIDRY HANDBOOK covers everything from initiation and legends to differences between modern and ancient druidry beliefs and rituals.

This book is being used as the handbook for beginning curriculum of the Ancient Order of American Druids (AODA) organization. It describes the three paths for practicing your faith through nature. No buildings or congregations required.

The book goes into detail about the rituals and the background behind them. Studying the paths leads to more about the origins of the concepts behind Druidry. You are free to choose your own religious being(s) to worship.

The book is well written and an easy read. To get the most out of it you will be reading it again and again, section by section. This book also provides a good list of additional reading on the various topics.

After reading this book I joined the AODA and am on my own journery.

This book was quite useful into explaining, what it means to be a modern 'Druid'.Ross Nichols wrote the book,'The Book of Druidry',some thirty plus years ago.Eventhough Nichols' Druid book was interesting reading,Greer's book is one of the best modern intrepretations of Druidry around today.Greer's book is the best facilitative druid handbook for daily ritual and spiritual practices.In this age of fatalistic attitudes,this book is empowering and enriching for one's soul.When one accepts one's connection to Mother-Nature,then one can live a positive life rather than a self-destructive morose one.This is not a persiflage prattle on Druidism.It's a fresh serious introduction on what a real modern Druid believes,observes,connects and practices during the turning of the Earth's seasons.An excellent start for everyone earnest about being a modern Druid,honoring and sharing the surrounding all-powerful Mother-Nature.

I found this book to be an excellent resource for those starting out on the Druidic path, or just interested in learning about it. The break down of the various practices, sample material, and exercises included are wonderful and will definately help those interested into starting on thier path into the woods. For those who are all ready on the path it can put some things into perspective and open your eyes about other aspects.
Though presented in the A.O.D.A. format this does lend itself well to other organizations and works well with the O.B.O.D. teachings.

This is a very easy read, not too simplistic that it loses your interest, but also not written so that you have to be an expert in the field to understand the writers thoughts and ideas. This book is a must read for anyone looking for information on the history of Druids and/or researching Druidry as a possible religion choice. Subjectively written and informative in multiple ways...