#neodruidry

[autisticdelinquent]

I get so bothered by the discourse I see over ancient/generally non-christian religious revival or new religions created based on them. Do you think that Christianity the way it is practiced now is anything like what it was when it was created? It is human nature to create explanations for life the way it exists while adapting as you find more practical ways of living and more scientifically accurate understandings of the world around us. There is not a single religion in recorded history that was practiced homogeneously across its geographical span and time period. It is imperative to specify between when we are talking about historically based cultural beliefs and practices or not but we cannot pretend that it is possible to practice a structured religion in a way that it was practiced hundreds to thousands of years ago in a time and setting wildly different than our own. Religion and spirituality often is based on the dependency of the world around you, it is expected that those things will vary depending on where and when you live. Paganism and Polytheism are not black and white. It is not complete historical accuracy or completely fabricated new age belief. Human cultures always have to start at some foundation, they didn’t just exist as they do now in their current state from primordial times. Just be better at discerning cultural appropriation from genuine adaptation and give up your spiritual superiority complex. We are all a living being experiencing the same phenomena as the plants, animals, and stars around us.

[unseeliej]

A Fruitful Lughnasa

Today marks Lughnasa, the celebration of the first harvest. This usually focuses on summer fruits and grains, so there’s lots of blueberries/bilberries, baked goods, apples, and pears. In another sense, it’s about coming together to share. Traditionally, it happened during a time of year when the earliest crops were spent, and the next round wasn’t ready for harvest yet. Lugh is also credited…

[thecelticpagandruid]

Druid??

I search the Druid tag here on Tumblr and find nothing but posts about Dungeons and Dragons... 😑

[sonofcernmagic]

On Gods and Spirits: My Own Celtic Animistic Pantheon + some random ramblings and thoughts

Edit Note 8/25/2019: This is an old post which may not totally reflect what I still think today but it’s still fairly close to my ideas and I think it still can be an interesting read nonetheless. I may or may not make a more updated post here in a few days. Note that I use the term “the Fey” as if to refer to all nature spirits. I personally would not do this anymore and would instead keep the term to refer specifically to the ideas of the fairies and the Irish and Scottish Sidhe of folklore instead as it should be. Other then this it should still stand up as a decent post nevertheless.

My overall relationship and theological position on the gods is a very complicated and ever-changing one, but it generally revolves around the idea that most if not all gods came from one of the following origins:

1) Once an ancestral spirit, whose importance rose to that of divinity and thus their true origin was, overtime, forgotten about. 2) A spirit of nature, personified by humanity and worshiped in a more personal, human form. 3) Neither of the above, but instead totally and completely formed out of the sheer belief of many people who became convinced of their existence, thus creating a “thought-form” that became its own deified, independent spirit.

This perspective leads to many natural assumptions and conclusions. For example, many people could worship the “same god” but if their beliefs and notions are significantly different from each other, then different versions of that god may begin to manifest. Moreover, by worshiping the “spirit” of a natural phenomenon in the form of a personified deity, different “aspects” of that spirit may form. This leads to some interesting questions, like did the collective “spirit” of thunder storms decide to make gods like Thor, Perun, Taranis, and Zeus, or did humanity make them up and thus spawn them into existence?

At any rate, the importance of the gods on the psychological level seems to be that of fulfilling the need for archetypal role models and guidance. To this end I have come to the conclusion that, at least for me, it does not matter what or how you worship, so long as you’re feeling that inner need for a spiritual connection being fulfilled. 

I myself am an animist, in that I believe nature is filled with spirits, all of which are to some extent connected with one another. As a result my belief centers around the worship of three main classifications of spirits, known in the ADF and other Druidic circles as the Three Kindred's.

These are: The Ancestors The “Fey” (Spirits of Nature)* The Gods

*Edit Note: This isn’t really what the ADF calls the Three Kindreds. To the ADF, they are: the Shining One’s (gods) the Mighty Ones (ancestors) and the Noble Ones (basically spirits of nature, which would include, among others, the Fey)

This post will focus on what I’ve come to view as the main “gods” of this world, who are all based on concepts and forces of nature, almost all of which I’ve chosen to view in their “Celtic” forms, as for one reason or another they always appeal to me the most. This may not be remotely a complete list but it should be a good overview and hopefully get all of the main “archetypes.”

*Just to clarify, even though I call these gods by “Celtic” names and use their Celtic personifications and imagery, I’m not really thinking of it as worshiping Celtic gods per-say, rather I’m worshiping the personified form of spirits of nature using their Celtic name.

The Gods and Goddesses

“The Creator” -”The Creator,” “Ba’al,” the Universal Spirit / Soul, etc, basically the spirit of the whole universe

The Two Divine Masculines and Feminines: Note: Think of these not as adversaries, but more like allies with opposing approaches who need each other to preserve the natural balance; don’t think Jedi vs Sith, think Yin and Yang.

The Lord and Lady of Order: -Bel, or Belenus - God of the Sun and Purification -Danu - The Earth Mother, and goddess of “pure” love

The Lord and Lady of Chaos: -Cernunnos - Horned God of the Hunt, the wild and untamed forests, animals, the Otherworld / Underworld, and liberation -Arianrhod, or Ariana - Goddess of the Moon, of emotions, wild and unrestrained love and sexuality, and divination The Gods and Goddesses of both Nature and Civilization: -Taranis - God of thunder, storms, and rain -Manannan Mac Lir - God of the Sea -Arawn (roughly pronounced “Are-on” I think) - God of the Underworld, possibly a more specialized aspect of Cernunnos -Sucellus or Sucellos - God of agriculture, alcohol, and revelry -Epona - Goddess of horses and travel -Brigid - Goddess of hearth and home, poetry, creativity, (controlled) fire, love and healing -Sirona - Goddess of spiritual healing and rebirth -Maponos - God of youth -Lugh or Lugus - God of many skills, and of justice, fairness, sportsmanship, and honor -Ogma or Ogmios - God of knowledge, language, persuasion, and wisdom -Andraste - Goddess of wrathful vengeance and revolution -Morrigan - Raven Goddess of war, fate, and death -Caturix - Boar God of warriors and brute strength and endurance -Artio - Mother Bear Goddess of guardianship The “Gatekeeper” For many in druidry there is a “gatekeeper” who “opens the gates” between the Otherworld and this one, thus facilitating our connection with the gods. For me this role is fulfilled by~ -Nemetona - Goddess of sacred groves, purification, peace, and serenity To me this goddess not only serves as an invaluable liaison between me and the divine, but also as a protector of me and my sacred space from any malicious spirits.

Conclusion

So that is the basic rundown of “my” pantheon. It may not be totally complete but it should cover all of the main bases. Anyway that’s about all for now. Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings, and I hope you enjoyed it all. If you have any thoughts or questions on this feel free to comment or message me privately if you’d rather and I’ll try to get back to you as soon as I can. Again, thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it!

Further Reading

If you’re interested in reading more about druidry, I’d recommend starting with the official websites of some of the biggest neodruidic organisations, such as: ADF (A Druid Fellowship): https://www.adf.org/ OBOD (Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids):  http://www.druidry.org/

And for one of the least dogmatic and chillest religious groups ever, I’d suggest the RDNA (Reformed Druids of North America), however their site is outdated and seemingly abandoned, so instead I would recommend the YouTube channel of “John the Verbose”: https://www.youtube.com/user/brojoghost Or you can find him here on Tumblr @minnesotadruids

Unfortunately I do not live anywhere near Minnesota but if I did you’d better believe I’d be joining their grove, cause they is kewl. There are several other RDNA groves across North America however it’s just sadly none are within a reasonable travelling distance to me, so if you’re interested definitely check them out. Who knows, maybe you live near one of those many groves of theirs. 

Oh, and here’s a good side by side comparison of the aforementioned groups: https://www.danaan.net/druid-cat/druid-group-comparison/

[wtvlolawants]

I’ve just started reading on paganism and stuff and i was wondering if somebody could please help me understand what are the differences between neo-paganism, wicca (neo-wicca), druidism (neo-druidism)?

[xartus]

So I've been moving away from Serith's PIE recon stuff for 2 reasons:

1. It's too connected to modern neopaganism/neodruidry

2. He takes a lot of info from Duzemeil who is a known fascist

At some point in my life I'm gonna order the Oxford PIE encyclopedia that has a lot of work by Mallory and hopefully, gods willing, further my research with academic sources and then use those to build my subjective spiritual experiences

[mamascauldron]

The search for relatively reliable information about the Celtic pantheon & Celtic paganism continues...

I do read from various perspectives so I can cast a broad net (hehehe cast) for information...but I think it's time to narrow it down. Like, I've read John Beckett's Path to Paganism book (I honestly think it will be a timeless staple in my library; more on this at a later date), Scott Cunningham's Wicca (for the Solitary Practitioner) and quite a few witchcraft books written by Ellan Dugan (I want all of them; I love the ideas etc). & a random assortment of other books that caught my interest, same for blogs.

I do find the beliefs and philosophies of Wicca interesting, same for NeoDruidry (OBOD, for example). Wicca definately isn't for me, though I may borrow some of the ideas for my Craft (if not religion). NeoDruidry...well, I don't know quite enough for commentary yet. I have a few books on my wishlist to read more.

One such book is another Beckett book, which takes a deeper look at Paganism and Druidry. Another is a recommended translation of the Mabinogi. I do also have a website bookmarked with a bunch of Celtic texts but don't know how...'good' they are. I wish I had taken a history/anthropology course related to all of this in university. 🤦🏻‍��️

Anyway, the more I think about it, the more likely it is that I'll focus on witchcraft with casual ties to Celtic paganism (by this, I mean how I imagine people in Ye Very Olde Days went about their daily lives: mostly mundane things with some celebrations and dedicated moments in between).

Welcome to my confusing-as-hell spiritual journey, y'all.

[wild-magick-child]

Working With Primal Forces

Being a Fayerii Sorcerer, for me at least, means returning to a more primal practice of consulting & working with the wild forces of Nature Herself. Storms, the Elements themselves, trees, minerals, plants, animals, etc. But I also work with more "taboo" things such as dead things, blood, & sex. Working with the Primal as opposed to more "modern" things such as candles, incense, & complicated rituals is IMO much more powerful & fulfilling! Since I was 5 years old I have always had an affinity with the Weather. I studied meteorology in depth in high school & also looked into Atmokinesis. I have also always had an affinity with Faeries, pixies, sprites, elves, Incubi/Succubi, & other woodland spirits, as well as Elementals. Luckily for me, Merlinean Druidry studies & works with all these things! I have been working with the Primal my entire life just about. In recent years I got into Wicca & Neodruidry which ruined that pure primal magickal essence I once had as a teenager. Me & Ritual do NOT go together! So, I am returning to my roots & reconnecting to the Primal energies of Nature's raw powers. The 4 most primal things I have ever worked with are Atavism, Storm, Blood, & Sex. Nothing is more primal or more sorcerously powerful than these four things.

[nameless-shrine]

gaelic polytheism roundtable: recalling my beginnings

*taps mic*

am i doing this right? @gaelicroundtable

this is a side blog but i don’t feel like sharing my main. i like being a different person here than anyone else. my faith isn’t this overt in other spaces in my life (i spent the last week and a half procrastinating on offerings, and got nudged hard for my pains), but here i can just focus on what i hold sacred and that can be all there is for me in the world at the moment. 

i’m an irish polytheist who learns about cultural contexts but has fuck-all ability for academic research. most of my practice is built on a foundation of upg, “gut feelings,” and local cultus, which sometimes feel like dirty words in recon circles, so that anxiety and my more solitary nature as a non-neurotypical person have made me wary of seeking religious community. rather than joining an organization to further my faith with others, i try to take hospitality, justice, and sovereignty out into the world whenever i can. and though there are more values on this path than those three, they figure most prominently into my life. 

as for what got me here…

brigid was involved early on, and i remember reading the tuatha dé danann wikipedia page and getting chills, but other than that it’s a bit foggier. i’ve got a few theories for what sparked that interest (listed from least to most intriguing). none of them are certain, so take all of it with a grain of salt. 

i needed to develop relationships with gods i didn’t already know about, to avoid making judgments as i got to interacting with them. worldwide folklore and mythology was a special interest of mine in elementary school, and i devoured greek, roman, egyptian and norse mythology as much as i could. the lack of concrete detail in irish mythology has allowed me to build my own practice, rather than asking someone else what to do. from the beginning, my offerings were guesswork. 

the roots have been there for a long time. i was fascinated with the Good Neighbors in elementary school and onward, which led to a fascination with celtic cultures and folklore. it hung out dormant for a while, but when i started doing witchy stuff everything bubbled up to the surface. see also: a love of the ocean; a love of nature; talking to crows growing up; rekindling my interests in cooking and writing (both of which which i associate with brigid) after a looong spell of depression. 

is it all in the family? i found out a few months ago that i have a lot more irish blood than i thought- my dad’s whole family. this is coming together at a time i realize my mother’s siblngs are toxic to my continued well-being/safety, maybe it was time to find myself and my gods came knocking???

my love of nature led me to explore neodruidry when i first got into witchcraft (domino effect with friends, including my now-partner). there’s a huge amount of misconceptions about the irish gods in such communities, from what i’ve seen. i’ve wondered if this piqued the gods’ interest somehow? 

my favorite but perhaps least likely theory is that i got Someone’s attention in a roundabout way, through offering my time. i remember my first imbolc, learning about the wheel of the year and feeling sad/disappointed that people celebrated holidays like imbolc or lughnasadh without necessarily acknowledging brigid or lugh. i said that i was going to practice witchcraft and work within the calendar i knew, i wanted to honor gods like that who have been forgotten a bit. and sure enough, they came knocking. 

it’s probably a combination of all of the above that have led me to irish polytheism, but regardless of the story i choose to tell, i know i’m in the right place now, and i look forward to more growth over this next year. 

[unseeliej]

Beltane with Frederick CUUPs

This past Saturday, my Handsome Assistant and I went to celebrate the first of the fire festivals with the Congregation of Unitarian Universalist Pagans. It was a bit rainy, so outdoor bonfires were out, but they managed to make even an indoor-only Beltane a ton of fun! There was lots of food, drumming, dancing, and a maypole. When we arrived, we were asked to write a message on two pieces of…

[unseeliej]

An Imbolc Hike (and Tree Divination) at Patuxent Research Refuge

One of the nice things about having other Pagans around is that it makes the High Days a lot more fun. On my own, Imbolc is mostly divination and spring cleaning (or, in this year’s case, divination, deep cleaning, and rearranging my entire house). Traditionally, it’d involve pilgrimages to sacred wells, asking for healing, and leaving offerings and clooties. This past Saturday, my Handsome…

[unseeliej]

Happy Spring Equinox!

Hello! It’s Tuesday. It’s also the Equinox, Alban Eilir, or, in some traditions, Ostara. (Unless you’re in the southern hemisphere, in which case: Happy Mabon!) This is essentially the second part of the celebrations of spring: Imbolc, the Equinox, and Beltane. If Imbolc is when spring wakes up, the Equinox is when it really gets going, and Beltane is the height of its strength. Since it’s…

[unseeliej]

Holly Folklore and Magical Properties

I’m lucky to live not too far from an arboretum, which means that I have the ability to observe all kinds of incredible trees. A Druid group that I’m part of regularly visits it, too, in order to learn more about native trees and the traditional trees of the ogham. This season, we’re focusing on holly. The US boasts multiple species of native holly. While these are all of the same genus as the…

[unseeliej]

Happy Samhain!

It’s New Year. Halloween. Samhain. Whatever you want to call it, it’s when the “veil is at its thinnest,” children ignore everything they’ve been told about not taking candy from strangers, and the leaves are at their peak here. This year, I’ll be celebrating Samhain with other Neodruids for the first time. That’s not all, though — after our ill-fated trip to the caverns, my Handsome Assistant…

[unseeliej]

Working with the elements (when everything's been paved).

They paved paradise, and put up a parking lot. Or office blocks, apartments, and retail space, as it were. A lot of, though certainly not all, magic involves working with all of the elements. Some people do this in absolutely every spell, some only invoke them in longer, more formalized rituals. Some keep representations of all of them on their altars, some have specific, strategically placed…

[unseeliej]

Mabon 2023 (Or, "And then we accidentally gatecrashed a youth group.")

I hope everyone had a good autumnal equinox, as rainy and chilly as it may have been! Friday saw my Handsome Assistant and I hurriedly packing — he’d had to work and wasn’t able to get time off, and I’d spent most of Thursday processing fruits and vegetables and baking things. So, we pretty much grabbed whatever seemed like it’d come in handy for camping, shoved it in the car, and zoomed off. A…