From: shrdlu@willow.sdd.trw.com (Lynda L. True)
Subject: Re: Searching for a Path
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 92 21:54:01 GMT

corun@access.digex.com (Corun MacAnndra) writes:
> Well, nobody *really* knows what the Druidic tradition was, since it
> was passed down orally, and not written. There are, however, several
> books on what the given authors believe might have been the
> tradition. I haven't read any of them, so I can't vouch for their
> integrity. Logic would seem to indicate that choosing authors/books
> from Ireland/England/Wales/Scotland would tend to be the most
> accurate. But this is only a guess.

Just an added note: Morgan Llewyllyn (sp) has recently published a
book (fiction) names "Druids" which tells the tale of Vercingetorix
and his chief druid from child hood until Vercingetorix' death at
Julius Caesar's hands. Most of her research is from Gaius Julius'
notes, and from other visiting romans of the time. There is certainly
a great deal of poetic liscense taken, but the book itself is
remarkable, and deals with such things as rituals and beliefs of the
druids in a very respectable and believable manner. (Yes, Corun, she
is indeed Welsh - or is it Irish?)

From: erynn@milton.u.washington.edu (Erynn)
Date: Sat, 17 Oct 1992 18:03:27 GMT

Hi.  I've not posted here previously, but I have a few thoughts about
Druidism that I would like to offer.  There are several Druidic groups
running about, of various levels of authenticity (in terms of Celtic
background, rather than regarding the usefulness of their spiritual
and ritual practices).

If you want to explore a Druidic path, I would suggest that you read
books on the Celts, beginning with things like "Celtic Heritage" by
Alwyn & Brinley Rees and "Pagan Celtic Britain" by Anne Ross.  I can
provide a much longer list of books if you like, but I have been
reading on and studying the Celts for several years now and have
collected a big library on the subject. 
[For further book recommendations, see /pub/religion/pagan/Books. --Ceci]

The Druids were the clergy of the Celtic establishment, rather than
practicing the religion of the people.  It would be the difference
between working with the chaplain at the White House and your corner
preacher in feel.

Druidry, Filiocht (poetic magick and prophecy) and the arts of the
Brehon or lawgiver are all intertwined.  Druids had to study an
average of 12 to 20 years before they qualified for their profession,
in much the same way that a doctor or lawyer now must study.

Poetic construction and the use of poetry in magick, hundreds of
tales, over 100 forms of the Ogham alphabet, the lineages of the local
nobles, and a history of laws and legal precedents were all necessary
studies for the prospective Druid.

The Celtic worldview is/was very different than that used by modern
Paganism.  Cosmology seemed to fit into a complex of triads -- triadic
deity (like the Triple Bridghidh), triadic realms (land/sea/sky) and
wisdom arranged in triads was common.  Directions were used, but not
in the same ways as in CM or in modern neoPaganism.  Motion is implied
in direction, as the Celtic languages do not have a concept of
"absolute" direction, and one must "come from" or "go to" a direction
in order to discuss it.

Direction is also five-fold in Ireland and Wales.  The South-west is
important as the direction where the ancestors go when they die.
North is the direction where power originates.

I could go on for a while, but I'm new at this posting stuff.  Any
specific questions?