The Elements of Druidism

[Kaylara]

-- Posted by Twig on 7:00 pm on Dec. 31, 1969
[All moderator opinions and comment shall be bracketed for clarity]

The elements or beliefs of the druids can be complex but refreshing in its' outlook. Well over 100 Gods and Goddesses have been attributed to the celtic pantheon. There are dieties that ruled over the plants,animals,water,war,mountains,etc...the list goes on and on.

But it all comes down to one basic tenent. That the Earth and everything in and around it is ALIVE! Each thing has it's own spirit and as such,deserves attention and acknowledgement for what it is,blessed in its own right.

Did the Druids worship trees? This cannot be proven. The trees were seen as the connection between Mother Earth and the Sky with their roots in the earth and their crowns in the air so,it makes sense in a way.[I see them as individuals with a spirit of their own] The trees were the things that stoked the fires,built the houses and made the shields and spears men carried. With what the trees provided to man at the time,one can see how they might have been worshiped.

The Druids today mainly pray to[or use] the 4 elements-earth,air,fire and water remembering,that each is a part of the Whole or the One. We pray to the Spirits that are in the things such as the trees,animals and such for guidence. By doing this we can gain a new insight to this world and become closer to it again[As with all earth based religions].

To be Continued...

-- Posted by Mairwen on 7:00 pm on Dec. 31, 1969
Okay, i know we're in the process of moving the board, but i have to get my two cents in here. heh.

Now, this may hold true to your particular "tradition" or particular path or particular system, but it doesn't hold true for all druids. What about the ones who use the three-element system? The Sky, The Earth, The Sea? (these would be the more purely Celtic Druids)

[Twig]

Ah,but you get ahead of me. Patience!
Peace,
Twig

[Twig]

My eternal Thanks to FatherOak for permission to borrow from his site: http://www.fatheroak.com/

Druidism, even though being almost undateable has existed into the far reaches of antiquity. Extending far beyond that of written history and the Druids themselves not using a rhetorical system for documeanting their history, it is very difficult to say what their ritual, political, and clerical practices were exactly. Most of the literature we have today is or could be prejudicially written. By taking written history into account, and not looking specifically at religion, we can learn alot about the Celts and the Druids.
The ancient Druids were the the most learned of all men of their time. Druids were the physicians, astronomers, mathematicians, musicians, poets, philosophers, legislators, judges, and teachers of religion and education. The Druids were held in such high regard that Kings and hierarchy would send their children to them to be taight in the ways of Druidism. It is said that the Druids could walk between two armies waged in war and dispell the hostilities causing them to discontinue the fight. In the matters of learning, religion, and government their word was absolute. The Druids served as the spiritual link between the Celts and the Gods. The Druids taught their philosophy to the Celts who did not have any organized religion. Their were many pantheons of Gods worshipped by the Celts. These ranged from tribal, cultural, and geographical. What the Druids did was give order to the many different structures to instill morals, virtues, and ethics. The term "Druidism" is a philosophy and way of life taught by memory from generation to generation. If Druidism was a religion then the Celts as a whole would have been Druids. There are many different concepts of how the Druids worshipped. Whether or not they were Mono, dual, or polytheistic. The Druid organizations of today practice all three with respect given to a Higher God, or creator being (mono); the reverence of the Earth Mother being a (dual); and with regard given to the lesser Gods who have specific duties in the other world, this being a (poly). In all actuality Druidism is a pantheistic philosophy taught and practiced in many different ways.