Meet the Druid

Spirituality runs deep in all cultures and subcultures. Even among metaphysical circles you’ll find that what one person believes may be similar to or radically different from the person sitting next to them. I love studying different systems of belief and their origins. I meditate long and deep on this arterial vein of our humanity. Everyone believes something, even those who profess not to. Belief of any sort is ingrained in who we are as people, whether we are unfortunately ignorant and fear other beliefs or we embrace the difference in every person. Ignorant or open-minded, people can often identify the basic concepts of each belief around them.

We vaguely know what each system of belief does to practice what they put their faith in. We can guess at the rituals and traditions and, if we’ve been around long enough, we know the rough origins of different beliefs.

Even with historical documentation, there is one group that is often misconstrued or carries contradicting information on what they do and believe: The druids.

Historical accounts vary on their view of druids. You may hear that they were well-spoken aristocrats who moved through social ranks and taught men to become wise leaders. You may also hear that druids were barbaric recluses who retreated from the company of man for the savage life of hiding in the woods. Even in our modern era, books and video games can’t quite agree on what druids actually do. Fantasy novels tell us druids are mystic bearded men akin to wizards. Video games tell us druids are animalistic shapeshifters.

With so many differing opinions on what a druid does, there is one commonality. Druids are more than who they appear to be. If a druid guides a man to become a leader or they’re discovered hiding away in nature, you can be sure he is not “just” either of those things. In any tale, a druid represents the invitation to a spiritual journey. These wise sages hold wisdom that we need to learn, whatever form that wisdom takes. For those of us who identify with druids, they provide this one clear truth: They represent our connection and oneness with the earth. Hidden away in groves, performing rituals in honor of the earth, combining herbs to make powerful potions, everything about the druid in modern and historical aspects shows us a person with a connection to nature. We need that connection and it is not by accident that you feel pulled toward the druid’s path.

For a druid, however, desiring a connection with the earth is not something that they do for an hour everyday. It is core to their belief. Their spirituality consists of becoming one with nature and respecting the earth beneath their feet, the trees surrounding them and the mountains above them. As with any other belief, nature is not just something that they study and revere, it is their way of life. It is the journey in life that they are dedicated to.

This is just the beginning of a druid’s path. Over the next couple of days we will delve into what makes druids different from other nature-based beliefs, why druids follow this path and other insights on druidry.