Druidism Course

Druidism – An Ancient Religion?

In the strict sense, Druidism is not so much a religion as a philosophy. Where most modern religions might say that God, or Allah or Buddha made a rock or a tree, A Druid would say that the energy of a creative force is in that same rock or tree. Druids were people of nature. Their society was founded by their observations of the natural world. These observations eventually led to the spiritual and ritual base of the Druids. But whether Druidism is considered a religion or a philosophy of life, the Druids themselves were as devoted to their beliefs as any peoples from other faiths or religions.

Today, what we know of the Druids we have learned from other cultures and societies. The Druids themselves had no written history, or at least none that has so far been discovered. Some of our better insights into Druidic culture come from the accounts of Julius Caesar. Druidic caste systems, their rites and ceremonies, their daily activities, all are shrouded in mystic legends. Their society flourished for hundreds of years under wise leadership. We do know that Druids were musicians and songwriters’ craftsmen, and builders.

Many people believe that the Druids constructed ritual sites like Stonehenge and Woodhenge to perform their ceremonies and sacrifices. Astronomer Carl Sagan believes that “Somewhere, something incredible is waiting to be known” Carl Sagan Historians and scholars now agree that although Druids may have contributed to the final formation of these sites, they did not actually construct them. It is believed that Stonehenge was first built around 3100 B, C, which predates Druidic society as we have come to understand it. Stonehenge and other ritualistic pagan sites were used by many cultures. “The term pagan has become almost synonymous with devil worship, a gross misconception. The word roots actually reach back to the Latin paganus meaning country dwellers. Pagans were literally unindoctrinated country folk who clung to the old rural religions of nature worship”. Dan Brown, The DaVinci Code. Unfortunately, there is no historical proof that Druids were or were not associated with these sites.

The ancient Druid religion or philosophy was created within Celtic society around 900 B.C. To 700 A.D. The Druidic society reached its peak around 300 B.C. During this time, there were hundreds of Celtic tribes throughout ancient Gaul and Briton. The Druids were deeply traditional and conservative with regard to their culture and lore. The term Druid itself is believed to have indo-European roots and may be derived from the Celtic word for oak tree, ‘Doire’, in Irish Gaelic, meaning ‘wisdom’. A truly fitting name for a society based on the natural world.

Rev Dale Johnson

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