So how druid do you need to be to be a Druid?

[White Star]

Couldn't agree more Corwen, but also I think as a species we need labels, names etc as we don't really have any other way of describing who we are, even to ourselves maybe.

Blessings

[Heddwen]

White Star, Yeah and add to that weekend witches and pseudo hierarchical titles. I just think its funny, it goes over my head. Ive only been to OBOD camps there are set rules, no alcohol is allowed and everyone is respectful of this.

Corwen you know what, it took me a long time to describe myself as a druid as I didn't really know what it meant, for me, eventually I became more comfortable with the concept of druid as a general term but I prefer not to label myself as anything really. I'm not really bothered how others see me, I don't feel that they can define me, 'know thyself' et al.

I understand druidry to hold roots in British indigenous beliefs and culture, but this is something that we can all access no matter where we live. We can all connect to Earth based spirituality systems. I'm all for the global village. Although I'm interested in the intellectual aspect, I wonder if you could expand on your concept of this?

[Arth Frown]

After seeing tons and tons of similar posts about this collective druidic idenity crisis, I have figured it out.
The only thing that defines you as a druid is obod-membership, the rest is imaginary and subjective, imho.

I don't think that "Am I a druid" is a really important question.
I'm actually more interested in why people give that question so much thought.
Is being you not enough? Do you need to be defined? Why?

you should read A history of doubt.

It says we should describe ourselves by what we do rather than a label.....or something like that.

[Arth Frown]

Since there is no central authority obviously there is no-one able to say anyone is or isn't a Druid. It is a label that is so meaningless it is almost worthless, in fact positively harmful on occasion as it encourages in some people a rampant spiritual materialism and self delusion. Yet still I persist in using it for some reason I cannot fathom, perhaps from respect for a British radical non-conformist, spiritual, intellectual and nature oriented cultural movement I feel part of. Ultimately I guess I am a Druid because other people say I am, and perhaps this is a better test than merely if you say you are yourself. I am increasingly at odds with the word though and can imagine a time when I no longer use it.

I can empathise with you there. I give up the Druid label and found it liberating.

[Argenta]

My first topic here was "I don't want to be a druid"
Still, here I am, six or eight months later, calling myself one.
Why? Because of all the names known to me for spiritually-minded persons, it resembles most the path I follow.
And I like many of the people who call themselves druid(s), too. I wouldn't mind being counted among them/you.
So I figured that's enough for me, for now.

[Aitrus]

I think it's a matter of perspective. I think that each person sets their own goals to define what "Druid" means for themselves, then strives to reach that goal. The question should probably be asked "How Druid do you feel you need to be to be comfortable with calling yourself a Druid?"

The answer, for me, is that I feel that I'm Druid enough that I put it on my dogtags.

[Huathe]

I think it's a matter of perspective. I think that each person sets their own goals to define what "Druid" means for themselves, then strives to reach that goal. The question should probably be asked "How Druid do you feel you need to be to be comfortable with calling yourself a Druid?"

The answer, for me, is that I feel that I'm Druid enough that I put it on my dogtags.

Thumbs up on this reply!!

[Explorer]

I think that each person sets their own goals to define what "Druid" means for themselves, then strives to reach that goal.

That is not how it works for me.
My goal is to connect to nature, to enjoy my life, to get some insights about life in general, stuff like that.
And I don't care at all what that is called.

The obod course helps with that, providing interesting seed thoughts and techniques. And because i'm an obod member in the druid grade, I logically must be a 'druid'.
But defining 'druid' and striving to match that defintion is not something I would like to do. Too restrictive.

[Attila]

Druids don’t eat meat or fly? No boar hunting nor belladonna

There wouldn’t be a problem if the earth were not so overpopulated.

If we didn’t eat meat wouldn’t we end up with livestock in zoos? [apart from dairy, that is if we don’t go all the way and be vegans] is it not just the circle of life [and protein etc].

I am not sure if the ancients were hippy vegetarians or anywhere near that, but as we don’t know I guess its ok to be that or anything else.

edit;

Speaking of the ethics, I saw on QI that our pets cast a larger carbon footprint that our cars, yet we feed them when human children are dying of starvation in the world, and some our food [peppers chocolate coffee etc] is grown in third world countries. Yet I have a dog and a 4X4.

I am not sure if our ethics on this are anything more than relative, sure we have to do what we can but it needs a global solution.

[DJ Droood]

Druids don’t eat meat or fly?

Well they do, but they aren't being very druidic at that moment. I think that a "druidic" principle is one that doesn't involve damaging the eco-system, so the only "druidic" modes of transportation would be walking, horseback or bicycle.

I think meat-eating isn't as cut and dried, ethically...another century or two of debate on that....although the modern meat "system" is definitely not druidic....so you could safely declare eating a KFC Double Down "undruidic",imo.

I have no problem accepting certain things as "druidic" or "undruidc"...I will accept that some of the things I do violate druidic principles and mediatate on how I can do better.

We can judge for ourselves if our overall lifestyle is, more or less, druidic, or not...I suppose we can judge others too..that is sometimes satisfying.

I think we can count the number of perfect druids on two fingers, however, and the rest of us are still striving.

[Corwen]

I agree with all of that DJ, except that judging others isn't pleasant or satisfying but probably an inevitable vice of all but the most enlightened (dissociated?) if we have standards we apply to ourselves in a world we care about.

Corwen you know what, it took me a long time to describe myself as a druid as I didn't really know what it meant, for me, eventually I became more comfortable with the concept of druid as a general term but I prefer not to label myself as anything really. I'm not really bothered how others see me, I don't feel that they can define me, 'know thyself' et al.

I understand druidry to hold roots in British indigenous beliefs and culture, but this is something that we can all access no matter where we live. We can all connect to Earth based spirituality systems. I'm all for the global village. Although I'm interested in the intellectual aspect, I wonder if you could expand on your concept of this?

It is the opposite process for me, I was fine calling myself a Druid 20 years ago, I had the robe and everything, but (don't take this personally) the more I see of contemporary Druidry the less I want to be one. I wish there was some other label for what I do which would let me find my community, but Druid is currently the nearest I have, since the widespread demise of 'Ecopaganism' and the small size and increasing professionalisation and academicisation (is that a word) of Deep Green thinking and Eco-psychology.

Regarding the intellectual aspect, there is a small tradition of interpreting Celtic (and other) myth to find out the symbolic meaning, psychological archetypes and historical and religious content, as well as facilitating the dreamlike and artistic exploration of these myths. These 'dreams of the land' are important and bringing all the faculties of the mind to bear on them, logical and emotional, is for me a part of my Druidry not found in the fields of Deep Green or (well perhaps slightly) Eco-Psychology. I guess thats why I am still a self describing Druid.

[Attila]

I think that a "druidic" principle is one that doesn't involve damaging the eco-system, so the only "druidic" modes of transportation would be walking, horseback or bicycle.

The ancient celts cut down masses of trees stripping entire islands in Scotland apparently, presumably druids would know this was happening. It seams like a modern notion to me and that druidic reverence of nature was spiritual rather than practical, as they wouldn’t have known about climate change etc. however having said that we know about it now and I think that an ancient drui supplanted in our times would feel as most of us do. Mostly not many if anyone actually lives by their own principles completely, there are things which make us do otherwise e.g. if you job includes flying they you fly ~ you loose your job and someone else does it. practicalities of modern life are key here i would think.

I think meat-eating isn't as cut and dried, ethically...another century or two of debate on that....although the modern meat "system" is definitely not druidic....so you could safely declare eating a KFC Double Down "undruidic",imo.

Yea I eat organic, but if we all only ate organic food humanity would need another continent the size of south america to feed itself.

I don’t even like the idea of a perfect druid, its most undruidic.

[DaRC]

If we didn’t eat meat wouldn’t we end up with livestock in zoos? [apart from dairy, that is if we don’t go all the way and be vegans] is it not just the circle of life [and protein etc].

There are whole eco-systems that rely on a controlled amount of livestock grazing, what we seem to be learning is that the industrialization of food production, by damaging eco-systems, becomes an exercise in gradually reducing yields.

Here the Wildlife trusts have realised that meat production, in a non-industrialized way, is beneficial to the land and, from a human perspective, allows land that is not suitable for crop production to be productive. From the Wildlife trusts perspective it also enables them to preserve rare breeds and profit from the meat. Althoguh Deep Green thinking is academized in the Wildlife Trusts I see that it's expanding out from Academia into practical solutions that attempt to influence governmental thinking - the Marine Reserves and Nature Corridors is IMHO an example of that.

Edit - now if we can just persuade the American public to prefer Buffalo to Beef....

[Attila]

There are whole eco-systems that rely on a controlled amount of livestock grazing

And eating meat is a less wasteful way of controlling i would think? OOI Grazing stops new trees n stuff growing so wouldn’t the planet be better of without grazers? Un-wooded areas seam so barren [I am visualising places like the highlands rather than lush meadows].

Interesting post, thanks!

[wolf560]

So - is recognising your decisions and taking responsibility for them druidic; or should you only consider yourself a Druid if you abandon those things you acknowledge to be "wrong" and live a pure life?

"I am a Druid" --- (LOL)
To "do the right thing" conversely means "not doing wrong things"...
I think they are one and the same....

For me there were essentially three challenges that were set before me;
1. To learn and grow from day to day and try to better myself through research and knowledge.
2. To establish and maintain an interactive discussion where I can learn from others
3. To establish and maintain a group of at least 30 people who abide by #1 and #2.

To help with the first step, I was given a list of books to read and to either write essays on or to talk to my mentors so as to gain and understanding of its impact. Weekly discussions with my individual mentor allowed me the opportunity to prove that understood each book.

To help with the second step, the weekly online discussions provided a forum to talk about different topics. An online discussion board allowed the students and teachers to interact (not quite as polished as the one we are on now of course).

The third step was up to me and took a very long to accomplish.
I had to form my own group of 30 or more and hold it together for at least a year.
Soon after I accomplished that task, our Chief Bard told me that I was finished.
That I should continue to learn and grow but that they had nothing more to .

Soon after that, I deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan and just returned not too long ago...

[wolf560]

The Promise starts - "On my honour, I promise to do my best..."

I Like That Phrase...!!!

[Aemilius]

"I think that what being a Druid really means to me...."

[treegod]

But do we remain isolated in our "blind", solipsistic perceptions of the elephant or do we learn to communicate to each other?

It's one thing having our "own view" of things, it's quite another to communicate our views, come to a consensus and, heaven forbid, actually be able to cooperate.

[DJ Droood]

But do we remain isolated in our "blind", solipsistic perceptions of the elephant or do we learn to communicate to each other?

It's one thing having our "own view" of things, it's quite another to communicate our views, come to a consensus and, heaven forbid, actually be able to cooperate.

Maybe after they feel-up the "elephant", they will all log in to the DHP and agree that there are multiple "elephants" (if you insist on using labels) in multiple universes, and we each get to create our own vision of the unicorn I was just touching...(I felt the horn, so I know it was a unicorn in my universe.)

[Aemilius]

DJ Droood “Maybe after they feel-up the "elephant", they will all log in to the DHP
and agree that there are multiple "elephants" (if you insist on using labels) in multiple
universes, and we each get to create our own vision of the unicorn I was just touching...
(I felt the horn, so I know it was a unicorn in my universe.)”