For me, being a Druid does not entail an abundance of white robes, a practice of creeping around beneath the pines and finding ways into and out of gorse bushes where only the deer and I tread.
I don’t howl at the seashore in the rain, or bellow in the heart of the forest when the moon is full. Besides the badgers and mosquitoes, this kind of living just wouldn’t suit me.
A Connection to Your Surroundings
I have a day job, I live in the city, I occasionally play great games at an online casino New Zealand offers, but I believe I practice Druidry every day.
I honour my surroundings, am aware of the impact I make on not only my immediate environment, but the world as a whole, and am a firm believer in the gifts of the spirit, whatever form these may take.
Druidry for me is not about what I have, it is about what I do. I am totally mindful of both personal and global consumerism, buy second-hand as and when I can, and make a lot of what I need.
But I am typing this article on a laptop, sitting in my local coffee-house, which although it serves ethically-sourced food and beverages, is by no means a stone circle!
For me, Druidry revolves around the sacrifice of the bliss of ignorance, and a significant investment of time in re-evaluating my honour, my value-system, and my ethics.
It’s Not About Your Ego
Druidry is not about attaining certain levels of ordination within learning, either, although a case may be made for learning for the sake of it, and in order to live more mindfully and be more present, as well as more responsible.
Courses and instruction are good as guides, and may open our minds to new ideas as well as dismantle preconceived notions, but they are not food for the ever-hungry ego, ways to bestow rank, or invite comparisons of better- or worse-than.
Modern Day Druidry
The Druidry of the past is by no means the Druidry of today. A small time-frame in years gone by from a very specific group of people in a particular region has no bearing on the way we live nowadays.
Its ways and wisdoms may well guide us, but it can only be seen as one window in a mansion with many.
A large part of the attraction for modern-day Druidry is the fact that it is not a one-size-fits-all set of beliefs, but a composition of core tenets that can be adapted to suit each one of us individually.
You may choose to live off the grid, grow and make your own food and clothing, and spend time in meditation and public service, for example.
Or you could work in the big city, with a 9–5 job that doesn’t particularly move you but that you strive to imbue with meaning, and which allows you to save up the money you need to make the pilgrimages which feed your spirit.
Modern-day Druidry is an individual process aimed at a more mindful existence, and can take many shapes. It is not set in stone, nor should it be.
