Alec, who has studied with OBOD (Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids) has contributed this quote, which I think sums up Druidry beautifully. He has also kindly answered my call for people to contribute something of their own journey. You can contact Alec on alec@northdevonpagans.co.uk
“At the heart of Druidry is the quest for inspiration. We seek it in the beauty of the natural world, in relationships, in music, poetry and song, in dreams and visions, in active ritual or quiet contemplation and in the wisdom of our ancestors. Once our personal sources of inspiration have been found, we learn to work with them to awaken and sustain creativity, expressed through the arts and through how we live our lives and conduct our relationships. Inspiration manifests itself in healing on many levels and in increased awareness and understanding. Ultimately, it moves through creativity and knowledge and penetrates to the soul, where it transforms into magic and mystery. Personal growth is part of the process, but Druidry also works with and for communities, the wider world, and other worlds beyond.
Druidry offers reconnection and healing to all aspects of being. We reconnect with the natural world, the cycles of time, and the processes of change, birth, death and renewal by celebrating the seasons of the sun and the phases of the moon and by honouring and working with both the substance and the spirit of the mineral, plant and animal worlds. We reconnect with our families and friends by gathering together to celebrate festivals and the rites of passage that mark our personal growth and our changing relationships with those around us and with the world. We reconnect with our heritage by honouring our ancestors, their lives, teachings and beliefs; and with the land through meditation or through rituals at sacred places, whether they be trees, streams or the stone circles of our ancestors. Through reawakening these links, we become aware of who we are and our role in the great dance of creation.
Druidry offers an holistic approach to life, honouring and celebrating the physical as well as the spiritual. It is a green philosophy, a philosophy that affirms life, seeing all creation as sacred. It is an attitude of mind that fosters respect, understanding and love.”
From ‘The Piatkus Guide to Druidry’ by Philip Shallcrass,
Joint Chief of the British Druid Order
Alec’s journey: My name is Alec and I’m a 61yr old professional man who would like to share this spiritual journey with you as part of this growing website, in the hope that it will encourage others to do the same; this in turn may inspire and help others who are just setting out on the path in a way that books cannot.
From my late teens/early twenties I have been a spiritual seeker. I remember feeling that I would not get too involved in teenage excess as I had an inexplicable belief that I should look after myself as I had a special purpose in my life.