The Solitary Druid: A Practitioner's Guide [Paperback]

Robert Ellison (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Citadel (October 1, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0806526750
• ISBN-13: 978-0806526751
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #872,432 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #81 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Earth-Based Religions > Druidism

More About the Author

Rev. Skip Ellison started in the NeoPagan movement when he was initiated into a Celtic Traditional Wiccan coven in 1982. In the fall of 1990, he had the opportunity to attend a workshop presented by Isaac Bonewits (founder) on Ar nDraiocht Fein, A Druid Fellowship (ADF).

Isaac's workshop interested him about ADF enough that he joined the organization soon after in 1990. He was mainly impressed by Isaac's vision of a religion that would be open to everyone, public and that, some day in the future, would have groves and temples in every city. Since then, he has served on its Mother Grove beginning in 1992. He has held several positions and is currently ADF's Archdruid.

He is a retired Industrial Electrician and now works at tending his land and gardens, learning more about history and traveling around the US, Canada and Europe visiting ADF Groves and talking about ADF and other subjects at festivals.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

113 of 119 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Basics In One Place, September 27, 2005

By 

S. parker "Ian Corrigan" (Madison, Ohio United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Solitary Druid: A Practitioner's Guide (Paperback)

I don't know what book the first reviewer read, but he doesn't seem to have even vaguely grasped what The Solitary Druid is about.

Ellison lays out the basics of Celtic Paganism in a scholarly yet accessible way. He supports each of his assertions about Druidic beliefs and practices with citations from ancient sources and from archeology, and lays it all out in an outline that allows students to get started immediately with a Druidic spirituality.

Far from being duotheistic, the book gives advice for constructing your Druidic pantheon of worship based on the realities of the local land, and the spirits proper to each individual worshipper.

From there, he presents a full system of Druidic ritual, as used in Ar nDraiocht Fein - about as far from a Wiccan form as one could get. It involves offering to the Gods & Spirits, divining their blessing, and then receiving that blessing. Ellison gives solitary rituals for each of the Celtic holy days (and for the solstices and equinoxes), as well as ideas for Druidic funderal and wedding rites.
There is a section on spells and practical magic as well, and the book ends with a listing of every Druidic group and order of any size at all.

This is a valuable resource - one of the very first books on Druidry drawn from a non-wiccan, scholarly perspective, adapted to practical use. Highly recommended.

67 of 72 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Indespensible for the Druid without a grove, September 28, 2005

By 

Siobhan Olaoghaire Sannes "Art Does Not Apolo... (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Solitary Druid: A Practitioner's Guide (Paperback)

Let's face it. Thanks to the pagan revival of the last decades, most of us Druids now live in areas where there is at least a small pagan community. However, if you are like me, your pagan community features many Wiccans and eclectics, but no Druids other than yourself. Robert Ellison has given us an indespensible guide to the Druidic mysteries as he has experienced them and through scholarship providing us with a guidebook of rituals, book suggestions and networking ideas. My copy was dog-eared within a week and I don't think I could live without it.

31 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Valid, schollarly, completly readable. A must have book., October 8, 2005

By 

Jonathan M. Bollin "just Jon" (Elgin, AZ USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Solitary Druid: A Practitioner's Guide (Paperback)

I just finished this book! I have been a practicing "Grovie" i.e. actively involved in a public grove since 1999. I am transitioning to solitary due to family health issues. I can tell you that the rituals in Skip's book are powerful and effective. The history is well research and accuratly cited. The chapter on divination is great too. What I would say is underemphasized is the importance of mental dicipline and meditation, take that as a suggestion for further study!
All in all, this should be manditory reading for all Druids, not just solitarys.