Druidry

Ross Nichols, one of the founding fathers of modern Druidry, in his “The Book of Druidry” describes it as:

“Druidry is the western form of an ancient universal philosophy, culture, or religion, dating back from the days of early man where the three were one. It is of the stone circle culture, the groves of scared trees, the circular dance.”

I trained as a Bard within the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD). The Bards are the keepers of tradition, of the memory of the ‘tribe’ – custodians of the sacredness of the Word; the knowledge and language of the trees; the bridge between humans and animals, between humans and nature spirits/Elementals, between this world and The Otherworlds.

It is commonly accepted that the most likely derivation for ‘Druid’ is from the word for oak, combined with the Indo-European root wid – to know, giving their translation of the word Druid as ‘One with knowledge of the oak’ or ‘Wise person of the oak’. Those who possessed knowledge of the oak, possessed knowledge of all the trees. The Druid is one with knowledge of the trees, a Forest Sage, a Shaman.

I would regard myself more as a Shaman or Hedge Druid; that is, someone who walks the Druid path, for the most part, alone. The term ‘Hedge Druid’ means someone who “rides the Hedge”, who travels between this world and The Otherworlds. The Otherworlds have important significance in Druidry, at certain times of the year, the veil between this world and these Otherworlds is at it’s thinnest, and the Druid can cross over.

“Druid Blessing” by Stephen G. Rae

May the warmth of the sun, nurture you;
The cool waters, cleanse you;
Nature’s bounty, replenish you;
The song of the trees, comfort you;
The knowledge of the bees, guide you

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