The Druid Renaissance, edited by Philip Carr-Gomm, is a collection of writings by the likes of such well-known persons as Isaac Bonewits, Louise Larkins Bradford, Robert Mills, and Dr. Gordon Strachan.
From these writings we are given some idea of what it means to be a Druid in the modern world. Quoting from the text: "To be a Druid today means following a path which reverences Nature, and which honors an inheritance of lore and tradition which includes the observation of eight seasonal festivals, and working with gods and goddesses, sacred trees and animals. In ancient times, Druids were sages, philosophers, judges and advisors to Kings and Queens. Today, when someone calls themselves a Druid, it can mean either that they feel in sympathy with the ideals of the ancient Druids, and celebrate the eight seasonal festivals, or that they are a member of a Druid Order, whose origins may go back to 1717 AD, or which may have been formed more recently." (p.71 Bonewits)
I find however that there is more to modern Druidry than an affinity for the ideals of the ancient Druids and celebrating the eight seasonal festivals. The path of Druidry is also to master those things that are unseen and forgotten by the common man. It is said of the Tuatha De Danann, that they were in the northern islands of the world, studying occult lore, secret knowledge, sorcery and diabolic arts, witchcraft and magical skills, until they surpassed the sages of the pagan arts. These things and more are on the path of Druidry in the modern day.
It is important however that as we study the arcane arts that we keep in mind that the Druids were a social class of intellectuals and artists. They had counterparts in other cultures (such as the Brahmans of India), yet it was only in the Celtic Culture that they were called Druids. "They were of both genders and had several sub-classes, such as Bards, sacrificers, healers, diviners, and judges. They were polytheists, not monotheists, and it is probably true that they did offer human sacrifices from time to time. However, they did not build Stonehenge or the pyramids, did not all have long white beards, did not come from Atlantis, and probably few of them had golden sickles. These Druids functioned primarily as the transmitters of knowledge and culture from one generation to the next, and as performers and supervisors of the ceremonies they believed necessary to keep the forces of chaos at bay." (p.75 Bonewits)
To delude ourselves into believing the myths created students of pagan arts in the past 50 or 60 years is to stray far from the path of Druidry, as it was in the past or as it should be today. Druidry and the modern practice of Wicca are not the same thing and should never be mixed. Even Gerald Gardner, one of the founders of Wicca, in his book "The Meaning of Witchcraft" (1959) stated that Druidry and Wicca are separate practices. They simply do not have a common root.
What then is it that the modern Druid studies, that has been forgotten by the common man? In ancient times the Druids had a close connection with nature, a deep knowledge of the plants and animals. "In ancient Ireland, in the days of the mythological Tuatha De Danann, there once sprouted a crop of magical herbs... each a cure for any illness... When the gods withdrew, the knowledge of herbal lore did not vanish entirely, but passed into the hands of wise men, the Druids." (p. 148 Bradford)
It is this type of secret that must be sought by the modern Druid, the secrets of nature. The Druids' skill with herbs and healing plants is found in the writings of Pliny the Elder in his "Natural History" where he wrote of the herbs of the Druids of Gaul during the first century.
Druidry has its ceremonies, the eight seasonal festivals, seen in the wheel of the year. It is interesting to read in The Druid Renaissance how the Druid festivals may be related to the Chinese book of wisdom and oracles, The I Ching. The legendary Chinese emperor Fu His, who is credited with the original construction of the trigrams in pre-Confucian times, provides the modern Druid a system that is "most cogent and symmetrical, offering great rewards when overlaid with the Druidic festivals" (p. 179 Mills)
We also see Druidry connected to Christianity at the time of Christ. The question is asked: "Did Jesus come to Glastonbury and Cornwall with Joseph if Arimathea? If so, was it only to accompany his uncle when tin trading or were there Druidic and Megalithic connections? (p. 237 Strachan). The Christian Bible does not record the history of Jesus' life during the quite years. We read of his birth and of his death, but the years in between and unclear. "It cannot be proved that the young Jesus came to Britain in the flesh... But equally, it cannot be proved that he did not come." (p. 255 Strachan) The likelihood of Jesus traveling to Britain is quite high, as is the likelihood that the "lost tribes of Israel migrated to what is now Europe. This is perhaps a mystery for the modern day Druid.
The Druid Renaissance is a very interesting book, inspiring thought and reflection on the words of its several authors. One may not agree with all that it written, and there may even be disagreement between the authors within the book, but it certainly is a book to make one think and seek additional knowledge. After all... knowledge and wisdom are the lanterns that light the path of Druidry.
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