Maggie
June 4th, 2005, 12:28 PM
Okay, I've been considering this for a few days. Decided that "Work" and "Integration" are better together.
What I was looking for was a discussion of how the "academic" plays out in real life.
Thing is--here in America (and in several other Western nations) we live in essentially a secular society. Yes, the majority of the population is at least nominally Christian but the government does not recognize any single religion nor do communities practice only one set of festivals, holy days, whatever. It is possible to function just fine as an atheist, in fact.
So, how does a druid, celtic pagan, whatever, practice their beliefs on a daily basis? How does it play out in daily activities?
Personal behaviour? Truthfulness, honor, kindness...personal qualities and behaviour that are not unique to druidry but would be considered part of it. Involvement within the community would be also. The local community was the "universe" for most people and it's one quality whose loss that is often mourned in modern society. One way, then, to practice would be to volunteer at something within your community.
Religious practices? This goes back to the question of groups that I've asked previously. Personal practice can be done on a daily basis in the home, but a desire for community usually appears when the major festivals come around. How does one find a compatible group and what do you look for?
Adornment, for lack of a better word? I have always preferred the music and arts of Scotland, my father and I used to listen to pipe music together, drove my mother nuts. I have always preferred interlaces in artwork, because to me they symbolize the interconnectness of life on this planet.
Nature? I'm a bit ambivalent about this being considered a specific element of druidry--at least in the classical sense. All ancient peoples--as well as most of the global population--lived or still lives in direct contact with the natural world on a daily basis. Living otherwise isn't an option. Even those in techno societies are still subject to the weather, the cycle of the seasons and the vagaries of farming, to name just a few. IMO, the function of a druid in this respect is to function as an intermediary, perhaps. Which would mean some knowledge and awareness of surroundings should be cultivated--and then perhaps communicated to others.
And personal practices...this gets into deities and ritual. If there's any interest perhaps we can include this as a topic--as long as everyone keeps in mind that practices today vary widely.
This particular topic is actually an attempt to collect some ideas to answer the perennial question of "But what does a druid do?"
:D
Maggie
What I was looking for was a discussion of how the "academic" plays out in real life.
Thing is--here in America (and in several other Western nations) we live in essentially a secular society. Yes, the majority of the population is at least nominally Christian but the government does not recognize any single religion nor do communities practice only one set of festivals, holy days, whatever. It is possible to function just fine as an atheist, in fact.
So, how does a druid, celtic pagan, whatever, practice their beliefs on a daily basis? How does it play out in daily activities?
Personal behaviour? Truthfulness, honor, kindness...personal qualities and behaviour that are not unique to druidry but would be considered part of it. Involvement within the community would be also. The local community was the "universe" for most people and it's one quality whose loss that is often mourned in modern society. One way, then, to practice would be to volunteer at something within your community.
Religious practices? This goes back to the question of groups that I've asked previously. Personal practice can be done on a daily basis in the home, but a desire for community usually appears when the major festivals come around. How does one find a compatible group and what do you look for?
Adornment, for lack of a better word? I have always preferred the music and arts of Scotland, my father and I used to listen to pipe music together, drove my mother nuts. I have always preferred interlaces in artwork, because to me they symbolize the interconnectness of life on this planet.
Nature? I'm a bit ambivalent about this being considered a specific element of druidry--at least in the classical sense. All ancient peoples--as well as most of the global population--lived or still lives in direct contact with the natural world on a daily basis. Living otherwise isn't an option. Even those in techno societies are still subject to the weather, the cycle of the seasons and the vagaries of farming, to name just a few. IMO, the function of a druid in this respect is to function as an intermediary, perhaps. Which would mean some knowledge and awareness of surroundings should be cultivated--and then perhaps communicated to others.
And personal practices...this gets into deities and ritual. If there's any interest perhaps we can include this as a topic--as long as everyone keeps in mind that practices today vary widely.
This particular topic is actually an attempt to collect some ideas to answer the perennial question of "But what does a druid do?"
:D
Maggie