Customer Reviews

Mysteries of Druidry

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Well, as a Druid myself I have looked at the texts out there on Druidism and been sorely disappointed. At one end of the spectrum are the excellent works by such people as Isaac Bonewits, Philip Carr-Gomm and other such noted Druids. They are packed full of information, dense with it, and as a result of that, they tend to lose the audience since most of they write about is beyond the average reader.

At the other end of the spectrum are the popular books on Druidism which are good for use in paper-mache; works like 21 Lessons of Merlin and other such landfill fodder.

There has not been a book to successfully bridge the two ends, making a good book that has lots of information which has the potential to become popular because of how that information is presented to the reader. That is, until now.

Make no mistake, I have known Cathbad from a list we were on together and I have spent many hours reading his articles on that list and off. He is an extremely knowledgable man and I consider him one of the contemporary masters of Druidism. In this book, he brings his formidible knowledge to those who wish to know what he knows.

What emerges in this book is a snapshot of what the Druids could be now, and might have been in the distant past. He uses myth and story to construct possible rituals that the Druids could have performed. He shows how the myths fit together and what principles the Druids and Celts could have lived their lives by. He uses all this and then he admits that he is constructing from what he has been able to assemble in years of study, not that this is the only way or that this is THE way. He is very clear in saying that this is only an extrapolation based on what we do know.

But, oh boy, what an extrapolation. I found myself amazed with the contents of this book. Everything I had discovered through my studies with one group and on my own, things that I had thought were unverified personal gnosis (UPG's) and guesses, were upheld and expanded upon. It was really an exciting revelation for me.

But I was also able to learn a lot. I have studied the myths of the Druids of Ireland, and I thought I understood them, but Cathbad was able to reinterpret those same myths and give me a different understanding of what was happening and what the story meant. He took me on a mythic tour of the seasons and explained those holidays with a sensitivity one would find only in someone who lived with the Land day in and day out as our ancestors did when they struggled to grow food for themselves. Reading this I began to wonder where his time machine was.

The ONLY quibble I have with this book is the text and typesetting itself. The publisher saw fit to break each page into two columns of text, like a newspaper. The problem here is that the size of the book doesn't justify doing this. It's a standard "trade paperback" size, approximately 9 1/2 inches by 6 1/2 inches. That gives a reading area of about 8 3/4 inches by 5 3/4 inches, and given that size, it is not a strain to read across the entire page at one time. This is why this technique is normally reserved for large volumes, more than 15 inches tall and 9 or more inches wide.

In fact, breaking this into columns made it harder to pick out the quotes Cathbad uses in his text. Normally a quote is indented in the text about 5 characters. Given that this layout mandated less than half a page of room per column, the quotes would be indented maybe 2 characters. This is not enough of a visual difference for most people to notice that indentation, making the qoute look like part of the regular text. I expected that the publisher would itallicize the quotes to set them off, but they don't. And when a picture is dropped into the text, they plunked it down right in the middle of the columns. This shoves the flow of the words to tiny little one inch space on either side of that picture, making it very hard to read.

New Page would have done better to leave the text flowing across the page.

But, for this work as a whole, I must give it 4 1/2 stars out of 5. There is nothing like it on the market that I have seen. There is finally a work on the market that takes a serious look at Druidism for the 21st centruy and teaches the old way in a manner that new Druids can understand and participate in.

This book IMMEDIATELY goes on my "recommended reading" list.

Dr. Myers has written an excellent basic introduction to Druidry. This text covers the history of the ancient Druids, the modern revival of Druidry, and Celtic mythology and lore. It also presents an introduction to the philosophy of modern Druids and distinguishes among the different sects of Druidry without picking a side. Myers remains objective as he discusses the difference between Neo-Druids and Traditionalists.
Also included are several suggestions for Druid ritual practice that draw on the history of the Celtic people to add depth and dimension.
There could have perhaps been a little more discussion about the different types of Druidry and more information on distinguishing between sincere practitioners and the many hucksters out there who are attempting to market our religion and philosophy for profit, but all-in-all Dr. Myers has written an excellent guidebook for those investigating Druidry as a possible spiritual path.

Another title of this book may well be The Chalice of Druid Wisdom for such is the achievement of the author that it far surpasses any other book written on the subject of what it is to be a Druid and is well illustrated with drawings and photographs.

The research is that of a learned person in truth for it is a well crafted document, that skilfully carries the reader's eye and interest from the very first page to the end.

This is a book that I highly recommend to those interested in the practise of Druids in particular for both the apprentice druid to use as a study and for the professed druid to gain further insights of their chosen path.

Melvyn Lloyd Ard Draoi of The Owl Grove & Founder of the Hibernian Order Of Druids.

For those who are interested, curious, or well-versed in Celtic spirituality, Brendan Myers' second book, "The Mysteries of Druidry", will provide food for thought and different perspectives. Beginning with the Call of the Morrigan, Myers challenges the reader to consider how they have chosen to live their lives - are we wielding our power over our own lives? He suggests that life is far simpler and far more complex than many people recognize.

It is this sort of philosophical discussion which sets "Mysteries" apart from many other Pagan and natural spirituality books available. Myers does not shy away from asking difficult questions of the reader, and one comes away with the sense that one has grown a bit after reading this book - not only in knowledge, but also in the development of a different perspective about what is involved in Druidry and Celtic spirituality.

He leads the reader through the history of Druidry and then weaves it into a modern way of practicing this ancient spirituality. He encourages the reader not to just go through the motions, but to really learn about the world and invest time in the contemplation of it. He provides a unique perspective on ogham, incorporating biological information on the trees into his interpretation of the meanings. This deepens the understanding of their interaction with the natural environment and how that may have influenced their meanings and use in divination.

Myers' book provides accessible philosophical discussion and guidance for those who are on the Celtic spiritual path. He proposes ideas that will excite, will engage and will cause the reader to pause and reflect on their life. It is a truly worthwhile book, and I recommend it highly.

Brendan Cathbad Myers, Ph.D.'s THE MYSTERIES OF DRUIDRY adds to literature in the new age Celtic area, and is one of the few to blend spirituality with intellectual and psychological analysis. Celtic history, myth and folklore enter into his discussions of the early Druids, and their role in the ancient world. Of special focus is their mystical romanticism and how it translates into modern-day Druidary: descriptions of meditations, ceremonies, and Celtic spiritual paths are detailed and allow for modern followers.

If you are interested in Druidry, celts, or mysticism this is a fantastic read. Mr Myers provides excellent information and his views of much of the information provided in the book. A must have book for any library.

This book is a wonder to read, very philosophical in outlook. It's different from other general Druidry books, yet grounded in the basics. It poses many wonderful questions for the reader to think about and to allow them to better define themselves. Overall, it was beautiful to read, and I recommend it for beginners and sages alike.

After reading all the good reviews i downloaded the kindle version of this book and wasted $10. They did a terrible job publishing it for kindle and it repeats paragraphs and also apparently skips whole sections so that the book does not make sense. I am going to order this book and will post a review of the content later, but don't waste your money on the kindle version like I did.

Ever wondered what it means to be a druid? Is it wearing a long robe and carrying a staff? Is it reciting poetry in a powerful voice while meeting in secret in the darkest places of the forest? What comes to mind when you think of a druid? Merlin, the great sorcerer and advisor to King Arthur? Or better yet, the wizard Gandalf from Lord of the Rings?

Well, I myself have wondered what it really takes to become a druid. Unfortunately most books I've read on the subject seem to just want to paint a pretty (and fluffy) picture of what being a true druid really is.

Then I received a copy of Brendan Cathbad Myers' book "The Mysteries of Druidry." I have to be honest here and say that one of the first things that drew me to this book was the forward written by Isaac Bonewits, who I know has a reputation for getting to the facts and avoiding the "fluff."

But as I started reading the book I found that I didn't want to put it down.

Myers covers everything in this book concerning druidry that I can think of, and much more. He talks about the celts and their history along with their mythology, holidays, the nine druidic mysteries, the Ogham, the Great Marriage, ceremonies and rituals and offers an excellent commentary on the importance of forging communities in our world today.

This book is filled with Myers' personal experiences, exercises and suggestions for creating rituals that complement the celtic mythologies. The book itself is laced with beautiful pictures (some actual photographs of sacred places in the celtic world) and poetry.

Becoming a practicing druid is much more than flowing robes and mistletoe. Unfortunately there is not much historical data that gives us details of the life of an ancient druid other than what was written by Julius Caesar (who wanted to portray druids as blood sacrificing pagans). But Myers offers historical and scholarly data and doesn't try to paint the druids in a perfect light. He has just as much to say about the shadowy aspects of druidry as he does the more romanticized theories that are so well known to us today. He also offers a very impressive bibliography for those interested in seeing where he came up with his own views on the subject.

The Mysteries of Druidry is a very enjoyable and educational read. It is well written, easy to read and understand, and I would highly recommend it to both the beginning and advanced students of this ancient art.

I was disappointed in this book. The promo material I received from the publisher has the lead line of `An ancient spirituality; a mystical order - crucial to healing the earth?,' so I was expecting something along the same lines as Mr. Myers' previous book. It just wasn't so. Still, I suppose that's the oversight of the promotions department at the publisher and not the author's doing.

I found the author to be well versed and knowledgeable on his subject matter. The book is a well-done, scholarly accounting of Druidry, both historical and present day. The text is well annotated with footnotes to back up the author's assertions and to help a reader place the many quotes from other scholars that frequent the pages. There are also many black and white photographs of places and architecture mentioned in the pages of the book.

There are many ritual enactments throughout the pages, allowing those who wish to delve into Druidic worship to jump right in. There are also retelling of classic Druid mythologies with thorough explanations of the whole cast of characters. If you ever wanted to know who's who and what they did this is a good book to read.

Overall, as a relative neophyte when it comes to Druidry, (I have attended several workshop presented by Isaac Bonewits, who wrote the forward for this book) I found the book to be hard going and somewhat difficult to follow in places. I do not have any problems with the facts as presented, given the amount of research and experience the author has accumulated over the years spent in Ireland studying the Druidic culture and history, however the prose themselves are for the most part very dry reading. I feel a serious seeker of Druidic ways and knowledge will get a lot out of this book, but for someone like myself, with only a passing familiarity of Druidry, the book's knowledge wasn't as accessible as I would have liked.

Reviewed by W. Lyon Martin - Author/illustrator of "An Ordinary Girl, A Magical Child."