Modern Day Druidism
Modern Druidism is by and large an eclectic lifestyle loosely based on the ancient Druids of Western Europe. Practitioners gather in large or small groups to attend ceremonies based on the ancient Druid wheel of the year calendar in various places around the world. Stonehenge is the most famous these days and the famous Bealtaine festival is held in Scotland every year.
I, myself, used to perform Druid holiday rituals derived from other groups who would post their rituals online and I adapted them to suit my environment of the time. My friends and I would gather in my ritual space in the little patch of woods behind my then house and try to find that spiritual place within ourselves and pray to our ancestors and elder Gods of the Gaels, the Tuatha Dé Danaan.
The rituals on the holidays were great ways to commune with close friends and enjoy each other’s company for a time before, during, and afterward.
During the between times, we maintain our peaceful lifestyle by being good stewards of the lands around us as much as possible. Doing our best to keep the green and growing things alive and well. This also includes the wildlife and our own four-legged companions. We try very hard not to take another life unless it is needed to sustain our own lives and then we ask permission of the spirits and bless the deceased in the summer lands. We are always thankful to the earth Mother for the gifts of food and other life-sustaining things she gives us, like plants to make things with, tree wood to make our tables and chairs, and other items.
This doesn’t mean we won’t protect ourselves as needed. If we have to kill someone in the process of defending ourselves, the same rituals apply. We say we’re sorry and bless them onto the Summer Lands if we have the time.
I have chatted with other Druid celebrants over the internet a time or two over the years and we tend to be a somewhat solitary group other than during the holidays. When gatherings are not close enough to be practical to attend, we celebrate our holidays on our own or with like-minded close friends and kin. In places beyond Ireland, Scotland and Wales, it can be somewhat dangerous to openly celebrate the great Gaelic holidays on the wheel of the year, like Imbolc, Bealtaine, Lughnasadh, Samhain, and the minor ones due to prejudices from other religions such as Christianity and Islam.
In the United States, it hasn’t been much of an issue for now but that may change in the next few years if the White Christian Nationalists take over the country. They may outlaw other religious practices when they make protestant Christianity the religion of the land. Much like having a national bird and flower and other things. If that happens, other religious practitioners will likely leave the country or go underground and practice in secret. Imagine if all the Muslims, Buddhists, and other religions were outlawed from practicing their faith? Would they stage demonstrations? If they did, the new government will likely come down hard as the freedoms that Americans took for granted from the constitution and Bill of Rights and other amendments will be gone.
Despite prejudice and fear, Druids are still peaceful folk. We only want to take care of the Earth Mother and practice our faith in peace. We are tree huggers, gardeners, and caretakers of the land. We don’t practice magic or witchcraft as the fictional stories would have you believe. All we want is the freedom to live off the land and only use what is needed to sustain ourselves and give back as much as possible when we can.
Most of us you would pass on the streets without ever knowing that we are a little different in how we live our lives. We still buy things at Wal-Mart and our local grocery stores as needed just like anyone else. We make our things as much as possible, depending on where we live.
I, after leaving my house in the woods some years ago to be closer to my children and grandchildren, now live in suburban areas, and celebrating my rituals outside on holidays would likely garner a call from the local authorities. I do miss that freedom but I can still manage quietly as a solitary practitioner. I still talk to my friends who still live in the place I used to live and reminisce about the old days.
For now, I am content to do the best I can and take care of my little piece of mother earth in my suburban neighborhood and promote turning back the tide of climate damage before it is too late. I don’t know if I will have much of an impact but I can rest in knowing that I am trying.
Maybe in time, enough other people will take notice and be able to vote leaders into office that will become better stewards of the land and world we live in. Maybe not in my lifetime but maybe in my grandchildren’s. One can only hope and keep trying.
