What is Druidry

Brendan Myers, in his Mysteries of Druidry, defines a Druid as 'one who parts the Mists of Manannan, who drinks deeply of the Well of Wisdom, and who speaks the Sacred Truth." A Druid parts the mists by engaging their spirituality through meditation and ritual to recognize the oneness and unity of all life, to perceive the hidden meaning and logic of nature mysticism. A Druid immerses their self in study and learning to acquire knowledge and the application of that knowledge through wisdom to make positive changes in their life and the world.

The Druids were the intellectual class of the ancient Celts. They were the judges, poets, bards, historians, healers, and star gazers. They served as the priests of their people. Because of their power and influence, they were decimated by the Romans as Roman power spread across Western Europe. Later, in the edges of their culture, in the corners of the British islands, Wales, Scotland, and Ireland, their remaining influences were slowly curtailed by the early Celtic Christian church. By the 6th century, even the bardic class were losing their power and becoming mere troubadours and singers at royal courts. Similar to the Eastern philosophies, the Druids kept no written records of their beliefs and practices. A druid would spend decades perfecting memory skills, passing along their knowledge to each new generation.

Modern druidry was born in the romantic movements of the modern era with the first Druidic orders appearing in the late 18th century. (An article on neo-Druidry is available from Wikipedia for background.) Despite any claims, modern Druidry can only claim romantic influences from the ancient Druids. In addition, the terms druid and druidry are used by numerous religious and philosophic groups whose practices may vary greatly. One might easily claim that modern druidry resembles the tree of life, its trunk rooted in the romantic earth of the 18th century with new branches growing upward toward the skies in all directions.

The World Order of Druids is not a religion, but a universal spiritual philosophy of life. Rather than focus on those personal beliefs that separate us, we turn to those that we share. A Druid is anyone that shares our tenets of life and that tries to live in accordance with our Covenant. We do not ask that anyone give up their personal faith. We ask only that you abide by our philosophies. We require that you release any strict dogmas. To live with respect and integrity, we must unlearn that which is false and accept our innate desire for the common good.

Our goals are simple, our practices are varied. Anyone that agrees to our tenets and covenant are welcome to join us. Members may network though our People of the WOOD group and share and discuss ways to live a fuller life.

Affiliated Druid Orders and Groups

Dragon and Oak - the zen Druid Warrior blending Druidry with martial arts, qi gong meditation and Buddhist, Taoist & Eastern philosophies

Druid Order of the Three Realms - a new Druid Order in the revival and reviving of Druid earth centered traditions, open to solitaries and new groves