In a Nutshell...

[Daguerreo]

Hello,

I joined the forum in search to gain a better understanding in what exactly Druidry is. You see I have been looking for a religion that fits my ideals to a tee, however that does not seem to be so easy, considering a lot of my views are not christian based. So I have looked into all sorts, and most of my views are very strong in Jainism, Theravada Buddhism, but they also have some beliefs that go against mine.

I know this does sound narcissistic of me in some aspects, however I looked into Paganism under a different light, and have been exploring a bit into it, but I am still at a lost to exactly what druidry is, I keep getting a different answer, and the more I read into it, it seems to be a lifestyle rather then a religion. The main problem I had with Jainism is that it had a very strict lifestyle which I did not agree with.

Also how does Druidry differ to Shinto, and Heathenry? Can someone explain to me the rankign and organizations within in Druidry too please? thanks.

[treegod]

Oooooh, where to start...

I don't know where to start. [Edit: I eventually found where to start, after much toing and froing! lol]

A few decades ago it would have depended on which Druid group you asked, now it's even more complicated as it depends on which individual Druid you ask.

OBOD, being organised more in the style of a mystery school, leaves individual beliefs up to the individual. There are Pagans, Christians, Atheists and Buddhists, at the very least!

Also how does Druidry differ to Shinto, and Heathenry?

Some succesfully combine Druidry with these. Especially with OBOD. Although OBOD differs in that it doesn't seek to reconstruct ancient belief and has an initiatory structure based on the Western Mystery Tradition.

Other that attempt to reconstruct Druidry or Celtic religion as a native tradition of the British Ilses and/or Western Europe will differ in respect that these traditions represent geographically distinct traditions.

Can someone explain to me the rankign and organizations within in Druidry too please?

In OBOD there are roles, but not ranks as such. Each grade represents a person's progress through the OBOD course, not how important they are or their function in the Order. There is no priesthood or clergy here. There are roles like the Chosen Chief, Pendragon, Scribe and Modron, but they are more symbolic and spriritual roles of guardianship in the Order than figures of authority.

Main Druid groups I can think are:
TDN- The Druid Network
OBOD- Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids
ADF- Ár nDraíocht Féin
AODA- Ancient Order of Druids in America
BDO- British Druid Order
RDNA- Reformed Druids of North America

Each with a slightly or radically different take on Druidry. And there's plenty more, many are offshoots from these ones.

Here's an interesting article outlining the difference between OBOD and ADF: http://www.adf.org/about/basics/adf-and-obod.html

I've yet to read it thoroughly but it might give you an idea of the differences between many modern Druids and Druid groups. It's actually written by the Grand ArchDruid of AODA, John Michael Greer.

[treegod]

A few more thoughts...

I usually split Druidry into Modern and Ancient Druidry. Ancient is extinct, Modern is not.

Modern can also be split into other groups:

Fraternal - with some Freemasonic influence, though not necessarily "Druidic" in its philosophy or practices.

Cultural - following a long tradition of Celtic Eistedfodd, adopting the invented Gorsedd style of Iolo Morganwg and his works.

Spiritual - not just a fraternal organisation or an expression of cultural/national pride and art but also a spiritual path in its own right.

These three all have their origins in the Druid Revival from the 1700s, sometimes these Druids resemble the Ancient Druids in name only. The "spiritual" Druids have been adopting more Celtic myth and history.

Some of the more spiritual Druid groups aren't Revivalists but Reconstructionists (like ADF). Not only being classified as "spiritual Druids" but also becoming more "religious Druids" (whereas many "spiritual Druid" groups don't hold enough beliefs in common to be called a religion, like OBOD). Reconstructionists, instead of taking "fake" Druid traditions of the revival, they want to historically, scholastically and archeologically be thorough and faithfully reconstruct the Druid religion of old as much as they are able, and as much as is practical, for today's world.

Furthermore!

Isaac Bonewits (gods rest his soul) had his own names for these, based on archeological terms (paleo/meso/neolithic)

The extinct Ancient Druids he called PaleoDruids.

Revival Druids he called Mesodruids.

And Reconstructionists he called Neodruids (I think that's it, more or less)

But I tend to think of any modern Druid movement as "neoDruidry" or new Druidry. Even Reconstructionsts have been "riding the wave" of the Revival to a greater or lesser extent.

I think I'll leave the proto-Druids for another time...

[D'Arzhur]

Here's an interesting article outlining the difference between OBOD and ADF: http://www.adf.org/about/basics/adf-and-obod.html

I've yet to read it thoroughly but it might give you an idea of the differences between many modern Druids and Druid groups. It's actually written by the Grand ArchDruid of AODA, John Michael Greer.

Thanks for posting this Treegod, very interesting article

[DaRC]

Also how does Druidry differ to Shinto, and Heathenry?

Just looking at the differences between Druidry and Heathenry then if you look at the ADF vs OBOD article linked in treegod's post then at a simplistic level Heathenry is like ADF Druidry but from a Germanic perspective. It has developed in a similar way to ADF Druidry but focussing on Germanic lore which has a different emphasis than Celtic lore.

However, within Heathenry there are different groups ranging from extremist to moderate and within some of the moderate groupings there is room for an OBOD Druidic and Heathen blend.

[Frog]

Hi there Daguerreo!

I know this does sound narcissistic of me in some aspects, however I looked into Paganism under a different light, and have been exploring a bit into it, but I am still at a lost to exactly what druidry is, I keep getting a different answer, and the more I read into it, it seems to be a lifestyle rather then a religion. The main problem I had with Jainism is that it had a very strict lifestyle which I did not agree with.

One of the more interesting facts that I have taken from the OBOD is that whilst there is a broad structure to the belief system, much of it is a personal exploration to what works for you (and that has caused thread discussions in regard to this form of Drudiry!) You may find that other Druidic orders have more strict structures - to that end, yes I would say OBOD Druidry is more of a lifestyle than a belief system; however, it is also fair to say that if you properly immerse yourself in any belief system it should start to structure how you live your life.

Also how does Druidry differ to Shinto, and Heathenry?

Heathenry, as a pagan religion, fits under OBOD as well as any other pagan beliefs in my opinion. I understand thought that whilst Shinto is a nature-based system it is one that is almost exclusively followed by Japanese as it is difficult for a Western person to embrace Shintoism as the information is almost exclusively passed from generation to generation by word of mouth (Source: http://www.religioustolerance.org/shinto.htm)


I hope you are able to find your answers and the path you seek.
Blessings
Frog

[Corwen]

I tend to see Druidry as a cultural movement rather than a distinct entity. There are certainly those for who Druidry is a religion, and others for whom it is a philosophy, a way of working with nature in a spiritual way, a lifestyle, a social milieu, a community, a word describing their practice with Celtic myth or lots of other things. It has a history (both ancient and as a revival movement), and modern manifestations of Druidry emphasise novelty and continuity within that history in different ways. There are no simple answers!

If you wish to carve your own spiritual trail through nature, through myth, through Paganism or some other related path, or if you want to follow a laid out system of teaching designed for you, either way you can find a home in Druidry.