When you are new to Druidry and, especially if you have come from a background of organised religion, it can all seem very muddly and confusing. Part of the charm, at least for me, in Druidry is its freedom, but that can also be scary.
Druidry has many facets or branches as I prefer. If you can imagine a huge knarled Oak tree, its strong branches reaching upwards and outwards. It houses a myriad of wildlife from birds and animals to tiny insects.
Imagine that the trunk represents the main similarities and tenents of Druidry as a whole and the branches are the endless ways, ideas and paths within Druidry. These varied paths will reveal themselves to you as you travel your individual path and you will make exciting discoveries along the way.
The central trunk can be said to refer to overarching tennents that most Druids would agree on - however, do not make the mistake of thinking that every Druid believes this. Druidry is fluid like a river meandering past sun spangled woodland and golden fields of corn. Rippling over rocks and pebbles and tumbling down little drops carved in the landscape like tiny waterfalls. Suddenly gathering speed as it careers towards a cliff edge and cascades in a sheet of white power down to a pool at the bottom where it whirls and circles and drops again to a pool further down. White foam spraying and thundering as it flows endlessly down and out again as the river takes up its journey cutting through field and forrest, hill and dell until it reaches the open sea.
Here are some ideas that may be held in the trunk of that Ancient Oak:
Justice - not the moralistic, manmade justice but an inner justice that incorporates everything. It is not something that is linked to right and wrong in a religious or dogmatic way. My sense of justice may be different from yours but as it evolves and throws away old teachings from culture and religions, you will find it shines clearly within you - aspects that hold true to you, values that are your own and linked to a deeper justice from the earth herself. An example would be:
When I started this journey myself, shedding some of the religious, moralistic indoctination of my religion and culture, often painfully and slowly to begin with, I found that new ideas of justice would float to the surface from somewhere deep within myself.
Previous to my Druidry, I was quite anti any eco friendly nonsense as I saw it then. In my, then very capitalist view of the world, I thought this was a notion brought about by the same eccentric people that spouted ridulous ideas like recycling, world peace and tree hugging. They often boasted strange hairstyles and clothes and wore jesus creepers. These same oddities of the margins walked alot whilst eating miniscule amounts of food utterly unsuitable for red blooded carnivores like me!
After my journey through the Forest began, there were subtle changes in my attitude, barely noticeable at first, like some inner force was opening my mind to feel more about the impact I had on the rest of the world. Totally unlike preaching or the incessant visual and verbal advertising of disturbing images that charities, governments and religious organisations employ to manipulate the masses. This was a gentle flow of ideas or feelings that promoted awareness within myself. These things came from inside as opposed to outside.
Over time I developed a strong sense of injustice about what was happening to the earth and for me, the land of my ancestors - our sacred isles. Old beliefs began to loosen and detach and there were times when I felt I was out in the middle of the vast ocean in a tiny boat, spinning and tossing perilously, at the mercy of her great power. (I use she because that is what is real for me, you may feel the power as male or simply as power with no need for gender). This was because I was cut astray from all I had held dear for most of my life and these things no longer rang true for me. This can be deeply alarming, even petrifying at times but you find that you begin to take root again, in new and often beautiful ways that support not just you but all things. The earth pulls you in and holds you safe again. I discovered within myself that all things are sacred. The impact of this was huge for me. An example of this would be:
Seeing someone deliberately and senselessly kicking and maiming a tree actually hurt me. It brought a rush of anger and outrage that made me want to rescue the tree from this onslaught.
Truth - again this is not the truths sold to us via religion, cultural upbringing and moralistic views. These are internal truths, ancient and profound truths that come as a result of the internal changes within as you move into Druidry. They are sometimes difficult to express and are often felt as knowings or wisdom that wells up from an unfathomable source. These you will discover for yourself as you journey.
Peace - again this happens gradually and may manifest differently in each Druid. It may be an internal peace that develops. This is often felt by others who may be drawn to their calmness. Sometimes it is created within from an inner contentment and a feeling that you have arrived 'home' from your endless searching and disquiet. It may manifest as a quest to enable peace or call for peace actively in the world.
Grounded on the earth - Druidry is not the path of the spiritual guru who seeks ever higher the spiritual realms accompanied by a resolve to remove the self from earthly confines and basic needs. Neither is it a belief in a here after/heaven or navana, with life on earth as something to be endured. Druidry by contrast is living and celebrating life right now. Seeing the beauty in all living things, the smoothness of a pebble, the glistening water, the song of the black bird, the graceful flight of the raven, the crashing waves that thunder onto the beach. Not, and I stress, not because you have made yourself do this by an act of will. No! Within, you will feel a pull to life and as you journey deeper into the forest, that pull will fill you with exhilaration at times. Druidry is living life in your journey now, with all its ebb and flow, ups and downs. There is also a deeply spiritual side which you will discover, which adds to living more fully, bringing a richness to your life that is beyond words.
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