For the love of druidry

I came to druidry by a long, winding path. I was one of those kids who talked to trees, looked after stray animals, and played long hours in the woods. As a teenager, I parted ways with Christianity and started being pulled toward witchcraft and divination. Don’t get me wrong, I love witchcraft. Being a witch is one of my favorite things in the world, but there was still a spiritual path piece missing. 

A few years ago, I was searching the internet for witchy content and thought “Hey, I wonder if there’s a school or classes on witchcraft I could take.” So, I did some searching and found this amazing school (shout out Bearbridge Academy) which offered classes on psychic development, shamanism, and a WIDE range of witchcraft and spiritual courses that you don’t usually get. I started taking any and every topic that piqued my interest. That’s a life philosophy I have, if I’m curious about it, then I try it. I never regret it. 

One term, Bearbridge offered a class called Druid Mysticism and I was so down. I signed up and the first day of class I felt “home”. I don’t like restrictive spiritual practices because spirituality is not a one size fits all situation. Druid offered flexibility and fluidity. 

So let’s talk about some things about druidry that I love. And if you find something that resonates with you, then may you be inspired to explore druidry further.

Spirit is everywhere

Druidry is an animistic belief system, meaning we believe everything has spirit. That life force is  called nwfyre (pronounced noo-ivruh). Because of this belief, everywhere I go I’m connected to the energy of the place. Mundane things feel magical when you believe everything has spirit.

Your walk around the block becomes so much more dynamic when you’re paying attention to all the life around you. The flowers along the sidewalk of my neighbor’s house become friendly faces to greet in the morning. The tree roots breaking up the sidewalk path become a soft plea for attention.

Since becoming a druid, I have befriended wild hares, who now nest in my backyard. The squirrel, constantly trying to dig into my screened porch, I’ve named Theodore. She and I may argue but I take great joy when I see her take shelter in my carport during storms or gathering the nuts from one of the trees in my yard. Theodore got a really good haul this year in nuts and acorns.

I’m convinced druidry made a comeback (and new age paganism, in general) as a result of severe disconnection from the land. We know in our core that when we are removed from nature a huge piece of us is missing. Our instincts are dulled. We become depressed, anxious, ever-searching. You feel something missing, don’t you?

We aren’t separate from the planet that gave us life but industrialization, technology, and capitalism have pushed the narrative that we are so those systems can strip the land of all its resources. But we aren’t separate, and that’s why we all have a deep longing that we just can’t quite identify. 

Indigenous cultures around the world knew the importance of the symbiotic relationship we have with nature. This is innate wisdom our ancestors had which has been suppressed. Let’s drudge that connection to earth back up. When we care for her, she cares for us.

Druidic practice is personal

I mentioned how I like flexibility already. Here’s what this means in a practical sense as it relates to druidism. 

Druidry doesn’t tell you what to do. There’s no leader saying “you must obey this commandment” or “you can only eat fish on Fridays” or whatever. Instead, druidry asks questions to lead you to your truth. Truth is the main devotion.

Spirituality is often treated like there’s a right and wrong way. As if all people need to adhere to the same set of beliefs and structures but I have always felt the spiritual path is deeply personal. And if it’s personal, then why would one way of doing things for one person be as impactful or meaningful to another person? We each have our own feelings, lived experiences, and interests. Spirit speaks to us in different ways. Druidry accommodates that and encourages your personal journey. 

By focusing on philosophy and engaging the individual to dig deep within themselves, the path becomes tailored to the person. 

Consider that druids taught by oral storytelling. Why? Well, they believed that writing their stories dulled the potency of their magic. The other reason though, is because two people can hear the same story and get two different meanings from it. And both meanings are appropriate because it relates to what the individuals need from the story. 

I was going through some course work from the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids and there was one thing that really shifted my perspective on how effective storytelling is as a teaching device, specifically a spiritual teaching mechanism. The lesson said to consider a story as if it were a dream. That really struck me because dreams are tools for our subconscious mind to heal, work through stress or problems, or even receive messages from spirit. When we analyze dreams, it’s mostly subjective to the person having the dream. Dream dictionaries are fun but a rabbit’s meaning to me may be different to my neighbor’s view of a rabbit. That’s a simple example but you get the point. The message is tailored to the person having the experience. 

People are so often looking outside for guidance on what to believe but we already have the wisdom in us. We just need to exercise it. I think this concept scares a lot of people and that’s why they find comfort in spiritual practices that will just tell them what they should do or believe. So many are feeling lost and looking for an authority to give them what they need. 

Society has taught us not to trust ourselves which is why many will not be comfortable in this practice. That’s okay too because remember it’s your journey. Do it how you want. I do encourage you to learn to trust yourself though. The reason society has emphasized trust in authority over trust in self is to keep us under control. It’s not because they know much better. Just keep that in mind. 

Awen.