Celtic Druidism
An Overview

 

You must learn to see not only with your eyes, but with your
spirit as well, for this is my way........the way of the Druids!

Merlyn

 

To tackle the study of Druidism is to find oneself caught in a crossfire of conflicting stories from human sacrifice on altars of stone to uplifting tales of ancient wisdom and healing.

The reason for this lack of consistency is that knowledge was traditionally passed down by word of mouth.

Nothing was recorded by the Druid priests, although occasional written observations were noted by the Romans who invaded them.

The Druids appeared to vanish with the Roman Conquest and onslaught of Christianity.

The Celts themselves, were a vast nation of people who dominated nearly half the known world at one point. The term "Celtic" actually refers to their culture, not a specific country or nationality. The Druids were the Priests of their religion. So ... all Druids were Celts but very few Celts were Druids.

Each Celtic tribe or clan had well-marked boundaries within which they farmed, hunted and worshipped their gods.

The Roman Polybus, in his historical writings, describes the Celts as possessing "great stature and bearing, with blue-eyed fairness. Their womenfolk are prolific and good mothers. Their men are war-like, passionate, but generous and unsuspicious. They show themselves eager for culture and establish centres for education in their towns. They are natural horsemen, brave, loyal and strong. Their houses are large and constructed of arched timbers, with walls of wicker-work and clay. They possess a stern, personal discipline and obedience in all realms of religion and magic."

Their priests, the Druids, lived separately from the people. They inhabited secret places in far-off forests, performing rituals in the open, mostly in sacred groves of oak. They were known as the Wise Men of the Oak, although the name "Druid" means the "far-seeing ones" or "the very knowing ones."

The Druids also practiced their ceremonies at the sources of water, believing these places to be entrances to Other Worlds. The infant King Arthur allegedly arrived across water, discovered by Merlin at the base of the cliffs at Tintagel. At his death, King Arthur was ferried across the glassy waters surrounding Glastonbury Tor to return to the Immortal Other World.

The swan is greatly revered in Celtic lore. With its majestic grace and eerie, silent gliding movement, it is believed to have arrived into the Mortal World across water through one of these divine portals to the Other World.

A medieval work on the Druids called the Book of Pheryllt and the Welsh Arthurian Chronicles claim that Druidic knowledge was brought to shore by the survivors of the lost continent of Atlantis.

Britain occupies a unique geographic location on earth, where many ley-lines of powerful magnetic currents pass underneath and meet, making the land itself an easy access point into the Other World.

The Druid priests were aware of the intense energy created by the "Dragon Lines" which network below the surface of Britain's countryside.

Stonehenge and every stone circle and standing stone is linked directly into these ley-lines.

Although the Druids would certainly have used the pre-existing stone circles for magical ritual, their actual worship would have been confined to isolated forests in keeping with their doctrine of only worshipping in places of wild beauty, untouched by human hands.

The Book of Pheryllt describes numerous occasions of Druids single-handedly averting war by simply walking in silence between the opposing armies, arms lout-held.

In Britain today, ancient Celtic customs are maintained without most participants realizing their origin.

Superstitions such as throwing salt over the shoulder, kissing under the mistletoe and Halloween are just a few rooted in Celtic folk lore, as are all their festivals.

The Maypole erected on English village greens is a descendant of the Sun God Festival with its selection of Queen of the May, traditionally the prettiest and most virtuous girl in the village, originally chosen to be a mate for the deity and hence a sacrificial victim.

Current alternative practices of herbal medicine, home births and dowsing with divining rods are also sourced from Celtic tradition.

The Druidic system of Childhood Education consisted of equal attention to both the "seen" and the "unseen" worlds.

Every time a pupil successfully completed a lesson, he was awarded a glass bead which was added to a leather cord and worn in secret.
This custom is not unlike that of the American Indians who would mount earned feathers upon a headdress.

The current practice of schoolteachers awarding gold and silver stars to students derives from the Druid priests awarding stars to star pupils as a mark of excellence.

The priests also wore stars upon the soles of their feet to leave a trail of blessings wherever they went.

Secrecy was a principal issue for a student of Druidism, just as it was for all Mystery Schools.

"To know, to dare, to keep silent" was one of the keys to Druidic mastery.

There were many keys to Mastery. Another was, "Be aware of all things, endure all things and be removed from all things."

Signs of cruelty were to "needlessly frighten an animal, needlessly tear out plants and trees and to needlessly ask favours."

People deserving of admiration were "Those who look with love on the beauty of earth, on little children and on a great work of Art."

Signs of compassion were "to understand a child's complaint, to not disturb an animal that is lying down and to be cordial to strangers."

The Druidic Calender of months differs from that used by the modern world.

The names of the months in "Newtime", based on ancient Druidic designations:

BIRCH (Dec. 24 to Jan. 20)
ROWAN (Jan.21 to Feb. 17)
ASH (Feb. 18 to Mar. 17)
ALDER (Mar. 18 to Apr. 14)
WILLOW (Apr. 15 to May 12)
HAWTHORN (May 13 to Jun. 9)
OAK (Jun. 10 to Jul. 7)
HOLLY (Jul. 8 to Aug. 4)
APPLE (Aug. 5 to Sep. 1)
VINE (Sep. 2 to Sep. 29)
IVY (Sep. 30 to Oct. 27)
REED (Oct. 28 to Nov. 24)
MYRTLE (Nov. 25 to Dec. 21) + 2 days
NEW YEAR (Dec. 24)

We at Crystalwell Sanctuary believe to be a truley well-rounded "Mage" both Witchcraft and Druidism need to be studied.Please take the time to read and practice "The 21 Lessons of Merlyn","The Lost Books Of Merlyn". Both by Douglas Monroe, and "The Druid Tradition" by Philip Carr-Gomm.

 

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BIBLIOGRAPHY: "The 21 Lessons from Merlyn" By Douglas Monroe.
:"The Druids, Magicians of the West" by Ward Rutherford.