...of Names and Deeds...

[wolf560]

Hello All,

This topic is not intended to cause insult or problems in any way shape or form. I know that the Druids and the Witches got along before and I hope they are getting along now. I have a great many Pagan/ Heathen friends now that respect each other .

Have you had a negative reaction to revealing you are a Druid to other Pagans?

I am a Druid that once found himself amongst Wiccans.
I was the first Druid they had ever met in person.
They were the first Pagans I had ever met face to face.
I was told repeatedly "...since Druids have no 'Degrees', you must not know very much..."

Despite my accomplishments over the course of the next year, they continued to tell me I knew nothing. I was left with a feeling of abject failure and only discovered the depth of their ignorance when they finally began teaching me what they "knew".

My Pagan friends here, where I now reside, are quite a different thing entirely.
We openly discuss things and learn a great deal from one another.
I never felt superior, and I do not feel so now.
But for the first time in a very long time, I feel that I am part of a greater whole.

[Badger Bob]

I'm afraid that I have had similar experiences with Wiccans who refused to believe that Druidry was a valid path and insisted that it was just Christians playing Pagans. I have never had any trouble getting along with Heathens or trad Witches though despite not being exclusively pagan. I tend to think that open paths such as Druidry, Heathenry, Witchcraft and Eclecticism tend to create a more tolerant mindset in some people which goes against the exclusive ethos of more closed initiatory paths. Some Wiccans have been very nice but they tend to be the ones that have been through the degrees and been secure in their status for a long time.

[Frog]

I think it may be a "person" thing rather than a group issue. Having attended a few wiccan events, in the main everyone's great - but I still recall one person beign quite loud and obnoxious about whether one could be self-initiated or not.

"I've done this; I've done that" kind of conversation; it was clear that this was a 'my way is the only way' thinking person (and apparently, one that run a coven). I met a similar person who ran a local pagan moot too.

I just decided that I wasn't going to waste my time and breath... and moved on.

[wolf560]

... never had any trouble ... with Heathens or trad Witches...( but sometimes an attitude of having) been "through the degrees"...

I think it may be a "person" thing rather than a group issue... one person being... obnoxious..."I've done this; I've done that" kind of conversation...

Thank you both for your replies...!!!

The terms "Heathens" and "Trad Witches" has been cropping up a lot lately. I have never encountered either before, so this intrigues me.

I felt forced to "go thru the Degrees"; I also completed my Druidic training, so they began calling me a "Senior Druid" in recognition (thoughtful of them).
I became the leaders worst nightmare; a "Senior" Druid and a "3rd Degree" Witch .
In order to help my friends become handfasted, I became ordained as Clergy.

The leaderships open display of superiority turned into fear . The groups attitude had changed as well, they were all now coming to me for questions they had. Because my wife was a part of this group, I felt I couldn't leave. It was the beginning of the end, but I refused to believe it at the time.

The "I've done this and I've done that" happened all the time. It is in fact probably what tore the entire group apart in the end; everyone wanted to be "The ONE". It sickened me to see something so spiritual turn into something so political and I wanted no part of it.

In the end, the 300 (+) person group shattered and even after eight years has not come back together again. The area is a seething mass of conflict and gets a little worse everyday..... it's really just sad......

[Donata]

oh darn - I wrote a long brilliant post and it self pruned! Maybe I'll find time to write it again.

I'm sorry for the unfortunate experiences some have had with Wiccans. It's not typical of our beliefs. Please don't judge the majority of Wiccans by the extreme few you've met. Unfortunately these are the ones you are most likely to meet because they seek approval from the mainstream, want attention and power, etc., while others of us are happy practicing quietly and not being involved in 'politics' or judging other spiritual paths.

BB
Donata

[Ghostrider]

Well said Donata.

As with many beliefs or just groups of people, you'll always have some of them following the "my d*ck is bigger than yours"-routine.
It says more about them that it does about you.

I too have experienced somewhat of what you have experienced. But I've found many more people that are open-minded towards other beliefs, just as long as I show them the same respect, be they Wiccan, Heathen, Pagan or otherwise. It is all about that word.. RESPECT.

Personally, I don't think I will ever get past the Bardic grade... but that doesn't make me a lesser person. It also does not make me think of my Druid- and Ovate-grade friends as being superior. We're just moving in different directions ( I'm inclined to the Heathen path a bit more.. ).

It's rather sad for those 300+ ppl, but if it doesn't work out for / between them, then that's the way the cookie crumbles.

[wolf560]

... because they seek approval of the mainstream...

I have a good number of Wiccan friends, we meet now to share and learn from each other. From we have seen, the show-offs typically dont hang around long.

It says more about them that it does about you. It is all about that word.. RESPECT.

Yes Ghostrider I agree, I have a great deal of respect for Spiritual Paths (Wiccan, Heathen, Druid, etc.). This series of events just really caught us off guard...

We are doing a lot better now... but it has taken years to get over this.
We are among many well-organized Pagans of many paths all working together. Pagan Pride Day is just weeks away and we have been invited to a several large gatherings.

Life is very Good

[Lailoken]

I haven't experienced this in person, but on a pagan forum I visit I've had a few 'witches' tell me that Druids are failed witches. Basically, according to them, way back when, if one couldn't hack it as a witch one became a Druid (I can't really recall, but I'm assuming they are of the same opinion when it comes to Druids of today) . To anyone with a passing knowledge of Druids and witches this makes absolutely no sense and makes them look like morons, but I guess it makes them feel happy and superior, so who I am to argue (or why would I even waste my time)? These 'witches' were of the 'Llwellyn-esque, Wicca is whatever you want it to be' ilk...'nuff said.

[wolf560]

Hello,

"Failed Witches" Hilarious...!!!

I actually have a general theory.....

"Nobody wants to find out that their choices in life could have been better. We humans can be very proud of what we do. Many times we seek to be among others that feel the same way."

Some may want validation by converting others to their path.

[Ghostrider]

Some may want validation by converting others to their path.

Somehow... .. I don't see the Born Again Druid thing happening
Nor the Cuchulain's Witnesses....




Now.. as for Born Again R0wdies.... that's a whole different story!

[wolf560]

LOL...!!! "Born Again Druids"

[Ghostrider]

What...??

You haven't seen the car-stickers yet??? (they DO exist for Wiccans / Witches )

[wolf560]

Actually, now that you mention it, yes I have seen a "Born Again Pagan" Bumper sticker.

I've been in the Middle East for almost the past 8 years now. I just returned to the civilized world where a vest is just a vest and parked cars don't necessarily explode.

I have a lot of catching up to do.