How do you bring Druidry into everyday life?

[MistyNightWind]

Thank you for the book reccommendations, I will make a note of them.

Yes it does seem that Druidry fits with any other religion, I have been lead to believe that Druidry itself is not a religion, more a way of life. But this way of life obviously is associated with certain ideas, but ideas is all they are, for instance a reverence for nature.

I guess it is this 'way of life' which I'm trying to establish a concrete idea of. However your post has been helpful, so thank you!

Love and Laughter
MistyNightWind

[Monk Seal]

When I was a child, I had a connection with the Nature. Although born and living in a city, I used to spend 5-6 months each year in our family house on the seaside, which was surrounded by mediterranean woods, plants, Adriatic Sea... My uncle, native there, was a fisherman and a hunter, a simple man with huge respect of the Nature, so wholeday walks through nature accompanied by his dogs (he never hunted while I was with him, I never wanted to join him in that though I do eat meat), simple food by the campfire made out of dry branches we have collected on the way, herbs and sea life were a substantial part of my life, and I did grow up with a beautiful sense of those simplest of things in life pretty much connected with the nature.

Throughout the years of growing up to a self-earning adult, I was losing that connection more and more, which culminated with me having 8 employees in a computer business full of the enormous amounts of stress, attached to a horrible foreign partner, surrounded and eternally buried in computers, servers, support tickets with subjects like 'Me your server doen, pls. feeks', hacked websites... Nature has dissapeared dreams away. So did a large part of me. I knew I needed to find the way and the strength to reconnect someday... Somehow. And attempt to retrieve the long lost inner peace on the way.

Few months ago, I suddenly went online to search for some information about druids. Ever since then, I haven't done a single thing to bring druidry into my life. It is bringing itself in, I am just letting go and opening up, and letting myself being driven along something that starts appearing as some sort of a path. So what happened, how has it started influencing my life? First I have started surfing the net late at night using my mobile phone, and spending most of that time reading about druidry. Then I have started talking about it with my lady, and at some point I have started getting more aware of the nature, some old memories of nature from my childhood have emerged back, the feeling of coming back home is stronger every day. Today, my lady asked me when am I going to apply for the Bardic course. I automatically replied 'whenever it takes me to it'. I have already received the introductory package and went through the materials in it once, but not enough as I have spent the last few days buried in endangered trees, groves, plants and their medical and nutritional use with such interest, joy and butterflies in belly I couldn't stop reading and often even smiling.

It is coming into my life by returning me to the ways of the Nature, and all I need to do is relax, open up and follow where I am being lead, impatiently wait for the book or two that I have ordered, and sit back and enjoy this change, this transformation (yet it feels like coming home) and the increasing presence of the oaks, meadows, leaves and stabs in my thoughts. And inner peace that is still far, but the path to it starts showing.

Thought it may be interesting to write about it, as it is how it is affecting me and getting into my life. And it feels... amazing. My juices are starting to flow back, I am silently vibrating and murmuring with life like trees in the early spring I like to lay my hands on or lean on them, feeling the life in them waking up from a deep winter sleep.

[MistyNightWind]

Thank you Monk Seal for such an indepth reply. And what a lovely story that is!
So do you think you will be taking up the Bardic course?

Love and Laughter
MistyNightWind

[Monk Seal]

Hi Misty,

thanks much, glad you liked the story.

As for Bardic course, I most definitely will, and very soon too

Boris

[MistyNightWind]

That's good to hear. I too have now sent for the intoduction pack, although I wont have time to begin the course till May next year, as I will have to be 100% focused on my degree, although time will be set aside for meditation and such.

I hope the course provides you with what you need.

Love and Laughter
MistyNightWind

[Nightfalls]

awww Misty, If only we could do the course together. Alas! i am starting mine this weekend

[MistyNightWind]

Aww that is a shame, I have the introduction pack now and I'm going to begin reading it this evening. You must be so excited about begining this weekend I know I'm really intrigued to begin reading the gwersi in the intro pack.

[Nightfalls]

i am making a special trip downtown to get a journal among other things (woooooooooooooooot duval crawl )
when i get back i am going to start my first intro lesson. Well not start but finish as i have already read it. i plan on doing 1 a week and reading/listening to it several times over the week and trying to find the deeper meanings in it. That will also give me time to practice any exercises over the weekend too. I may spend a few weeks learning proper meditation techniques and such. I have ADHD so it is very hard to calm and focus myself at times. I would also like to learn Tarot and Runes so i may spend a month or so learning that too

Overall i am in no hurry and want to soak up as much as i can during my time as a bard.

[merrymaiden]

I have also been wrestling with this question. I like others bring Druidry into my artwork which as an everyday activity and work for me. However, I have found it difficult to bring Druidry into other aspects of my life and have felf very stuck. Recently, I have realised that this is due to lack of experience / knowledge. I am studying the Bardic Grade with my husband but find it rigid at times. After attending Anderida Fest, we realised that we can go with the flow and that spending time with other like minded people we got so many ideas. (We are very isolated where we live and have come to the conclusion that we need to start something up ourselves.) If it is any help I also find that I an living my beliefs when I'm picking homegrown produce from our garden and cooking / creating with it. I feel close to nature and that I am nourishing myself and my family with Gaias fruits. I am also looking for ideas on how to balance Druidry with the wider family Christmas celebrations while still being true to myself.

[MistyNightWind]

Thankyou for your reply. I've noticed quite a few people have mentioned reading
Book recommendations are always good, although I've got quite a few to get through at the moment.
I seem to find myself reading more before Sabbats, I guess to understand the time of year more, I know it about more than reading, but it certainly helps and some information can only be acquired this way.

Love and Laughter
Misty

[Fox of the Oaks]

Before I begin, forgive me for rushing to the end of this thread and not reading all the responses thus far, I may go back to them later.

How do I bring Druidry into everyday life?

One large part for me is in relating to others, be they human, animal, plant or mineral, or even spirit (though I don't often meet many without a body).
It seems the challenging situations I am experiencing currently are all around learning to balance and develop my way of relating to others. So I base my Druidic practice upon a quest for Love, Wisdom and Creativity. I do my best to act through these virtues, and grow and develop myself and my relationships in this way.

Another way I live Druidry is by working in the backyard, growing herbs and vegetables, and doing other actions to bring myself into more balance with the Earth in terms of my livelihood.

And a third way would be the pursuit of learning and creative work. A lot of what I do (as an Art Therapy student) revolves around these, and I also spend a lot of time studying, reading and writing, drawing or creating for the fun of it. So I try to make these activities integrated with my self-development as a Druid.

Finally, working with the Gwersi I also consider part of my everyday life.

So that's basically what I do, amongst personal duties, social events, spending time in nature, and whatever else may occur in my life.


PineRaven

[Frog]

(woooooooooooooooot duval crawl )

LOL! I know where I want to be again!! Standing inside the Hog's breath.... I can taste it already...

Druidry into everyday life? Hmm - as has been said, after a while you do get to the point when you realise - what are you doing that ISN'T Druidry?

On a more "obvious" plane though; special recognition of the 8-fold festivals; appreciation of the world that surrounds me; reawakening of the creative spark through story writing, poetry and sketching; regular blogs and articles on nature... I guess sharing my spiritual peace with the world.

Blessings
Frog

[Heddwen]

I was a practising Pagan already before taking the OBOD course and I had always had an affinity for and relationship with, Nature. This was encouraged during my childhood and I was fortunate enough to be raised in a place that is near to mountains, sea, town, rugged paths and awesome valleys. It was a time of great adventure. We had no religion and I came to embrace the more philosophical and spiritual elements of Nature via Buddhism initially, then Paganism later on. So like others here, Nature has been part of my life from a very young age. Paganism and Druidry walk hand in hand with this lifestyle and have enhanced my experiences.
I honour the 8 festivals, life events and daily living through druidic principles and new discoveries as the course and life unfolds. There have been times when I have been diverted from the path due to illness, work, academic study etc I have always returned to touch base with Nature, preferring to commune with the Land by personal experience rather than spend too much time in study, although I understand that there is a place for this. I've started to embrace my long lost creative side through the bardic course and have found it to be a valuable cathartic experience. I also have spent time visiting sacred sites throughout the UK in bid to honour the ancestors.
Best wishes for the OBOD course and for your degree Misty Night Wind

[athelia143]

That is my exact question: How do you bring Druidry into your everyday life?
I know it is a belief and beliefs stay with us no matter what we do, but what do you do in your daily life if it weren't for Druidry?

Greetings,

I've never struggled with this one at all, which is odd, because I have other things that I struggle with!

For me, Druidry is my life and it is a part of everything that I say and do on a daily basis. It is a part of my work, a part of my art, a part of my interactions with others and a part of my thoughts. At the risk of sounding like some fanatic, I had very little meaning in my life before I found this path. I went to a Catholic school in my childhood and it did nothing for me. I just could not seem to integrate any of their beliefs into my life and it was like my spirit knew that something was not right with all of that. My parents were against organized religion but sent me to the school because the education quality was apparently better than public school. (That's what they were told when they immigrated to Canada from England)

Religion was not something that was in our home, which may be why integration of Druidry into my life was not an issue. I was not wrestling with familial beliefs or practices and therefore had no hangups about incorporating my own religious beliefs when I finally found my spiritual path (For me, Druidry is my religion, not just a philosophy - everyone has different takes on Druidry and its impact in their lives). My parents had books on many different religions in the house as well as lots of books on world mythology, so when I was seeking something, I was able to do so safely and at home. It was a girl at school who would unwittingly set me on my path because she was very in tune with her Scottish Heritage. I didn't feel I had a heritage because our family did not have a clan kilt, etc. British traditions were so ingrained that they didn't seem like much.

I asked my mother about our heritage and she told me about the Celts. She brought me books from the library and I started reading. The philosophies, beliefs, poetry, myths and even the everyday archaeological stuff tugged at my heart. There was a very strong "pull" and when I read about the Druids, I knew I wanted to be one. I just didn't know how. Where would people find Druids in Alberta, Canada of all places in the early 90's? Weren't they long gone into the mysts of time? It just didn't seem fair that my heart had such a strong yearning and pull toward being something that had been gone for centuries. When I found out that there were modern Druids and books about modern Druidry, I went out and got as many as I could! Twenty years later, I'm still on this path and I know I've answered my calling.

For me Druidry is about Service to the Universe, Service to the Community and Service to the Self; what I call "The Path of Service". It works with a religious and non religious approach to Druidry I call it "my magic formula for integrating Druidry into everyday life".

How do I do it? I break my daily tasks down into the three categories and integrate them thus:

Service to the Universe (or Gods for those who see Druidry as a religion):

• Prayer and/or meditation at the end of the day - Those who see Druidry as a philosophy might still pray if it is tied to another religious path. Those who are non-religious might just meditate on how they have affected the Universe (our world, natural law, etc.) through their actions. What did I do today? Who and what did I affect with my actions? How have I made the world a better place through my own small actions?
• In the morning, while driving to work, I dedicate my day to the Path of Service even if it's just a thought in my mind saying "I dedicate this day to the Path of Service"
• Meditating on the natural order of things. How does the universe work?
• Reading inspirational things such as certain myths and legends from Irish and Welsh lore, opinion pieces about topics that relate to Druidry
• Conducting Seasonal rituals and Rites of Passage
• Mentoring and teaching in my Grove and for other Druid organizations
• Delivering educational or inspirational presentations at Druid gatherings
• Helping to organize Druid get-togethers
• Serving in a leadership role for an organization – I serve as Regional Druid for Western Canada with ADF and as the Regional Coordinator for Western Canada for the Druid Network (Westview Region)
• Writing educational, opinion or inspirational essays on Druidic topics for newsletters, websites, blogs, magazines, etc.
• Providing palliative and pastoral care

Service to the Community – For me this one is easy because I work in a long term care facility as a Volunteer Coordinator. Not only am I providing service to the residents and staff, I am encouraging and helping other people (our volunteers) to serve their community. I also volunteer for a few agencies on my own: a victim services unit with the local police and I chair the board of directors of an autism society in my locale. In the past I have mentored youth of all walks of life and worked to get many of them off the streets, etc.

I’m also doing my part to help the environment by committing to reduce my environmental impact through recycling, using “green” cleaning and garden products, composting in the garden, using non-toxic and energy efficient LED lighting, reducing the amount of paper I use, etc.

Service to the community could also include:

• Volunteer work for an organization whose mission or services you are passionate about
• Donating services or money to a charity that you support
• Connecting people to services in your area, even if it’s just giving someone directions to the nearest medical clinic.
• Participating in causes or events that you are passionate about
• Teaching other people new skills – this could be teaching a class for kids or adults
• Doing a favour for a neighbour or friend.
• Visiting a sick family member or friend
• Prison or hospital ministry
• Working or volunteering for an animal rescue organization
• Counselling or mentoring youth
• Through your mundane job – look at what you do as a sacred act of service! (No one has to know about the Druidic focus and you will probably end up either appreciating your current work or looking into new possibilities to give meaning to your work)
• Making useful items or items that people can use for ritual, meditation, etc.
• Write a book or essay about a Druidic topic that interests you

Every act of kindness is an act of community service!

Service to Self – It’s easy to confuse this one with selfishness, but I look at it from the angle of taking care of oneself and expanding one’s knowledge. If you cannot take care of yourself, how can you look after others?

• Every time I have a shower or a bath, I imagine the water purifying my spirit or cleansing away the negative energy of the day. When the water drains, I imagine the troubles washing away.
• Meditating on various topics from a Druidic perspective
• Learning – I am always seeking to learn something new and expand my knowledge
• Eating and drinking in a healthy manner
• Practicing moderation in all things
• Striving to maintain some sort of balance in my life
• Being true to myself and my ethics and beliefs
• Knowing when to back off from something that might be detrimental to my well-being
• Journaling – I keep notes about certain insights and such that I have when meditating on certain topics or when I have a free moment to think.

There are so many other ways to connect, including getting out into a natural setting and appreciating the beauty of nature, living life in awe and respect of what is around me and just applying the philosophies of Druidry to the every day things that I do.

Everyone has their own ways of integrating and I have enjoyed reading the many ideas in this thread. Thank you for the insight!

Just some of my own thoughts on this very interesting topic.

Athelia /|\

[Fox of the Oaks]

Thanks athelia143 for providing many suggestions for ways to serve universe, world and self.

[LunarLiz]

I found your post interesting and informative, thank you for sharing it with us.

Many of the things you list already have a huge place in my life, and as I walk further along the Druid path, I hope to encompass even more of them.

[BlazeLeeDragon]

That is my exact question: How do you bring Druidry into your everyday life?

I know it is a belief and beliefs stay with us no matter what we do, but what do you do in your daily life if it weren't for Druidry?


Love and Laughter
MistyNightWind

I find my simple act of living is how Druidry is part of my life. I personally feel a spiritual path is not a sometimes thing, at least not for me. It's part of how I view life and interact with life. My actions and the things I create, the talks I have are all reflections of my path and honoring of my deities. Sure I'm human I make mistakes and do things I should from time to time, however I try to live life with my spirituality. All be it a blend that includes Druidry and not strictly Druidry

[Opal]

Everyday life... what other kind of life is there?

Eight years ago I joined a short yoga course for teenagers with chronic health conditions. During one of the sessions the teacher asked the group to recall memories about spending time in nature or the garden, and to talk about our relationships to nature (whether we had much of one or not it didn't matter, a neglected relationship is still a relationship of sorts). We sat in a circle and when it came to my turn I found myself talking about my childhood and how much I loved and was inspired by the outdoors: I wanted to be a botanist; my family used to call me Doctor Doolittle because of my way with animals; I couldn't imagine myself without this green leafy heart.

It hit me in the gut as I talked: when I became ill, I was unable to get out of bed let alone go outside anymore. I couldn't dress myself, and in the miasma of pain and fatigue... I forgot. Once remembering I couldn't believe how I'd forgot. To talk about nature was to remember who I was. I was still mostly housebound, but in the recollection an important healing began to take place. I bought plants to live in my room and set about consciously reclaiming the lost soul parts of myself.

Spirituality for me comes from the ground up rather than from dogma down. I try to involve myself in gardening as best as I can and let that lead the way (unfortunately my health problems are still significant), and to keep time with the seasons. Proper time keeping (a good relationship with the passage of life) is an important part of spiritual and mental health: every religious tradition has points in the year for its followers to enter into. They are cathedrals in time. No matter how small the action, I now always try to do something with someone at each of the eight seasonal events (a celebration is a social affair after all). I found a friend last Samhain to swap cards with, for example. Even special occasions (especially when you bump into these points of the year so regularly) take planning and creep into your daily thoughts (Pinterest is a great tool for visualisation by the way).

Speaking of time, being able to map the time and space around you is a deeply magical act. Learning the history and stories that make up your landscape (such as the buildings, the plants, the people, and ideas) reveals depths you wouldn't be able to appreciate otherwise.

P.S. From my earlier experiences, I would also say that it isn't (always) about what you do, but why you do certain things, and also how you do them.
For example, I used to hate housework while I considered it divorced from my spiritual and intellectual life. But when I began to use it as a sort of a meditation, and to see it as bringing order and cleanliness into my tiny corner of the universe, it started making more sense, and I can now use it to relax and/or tidy my thoughts as well.

I absolutely agree. Organising has taken on a spiritual dimension for me: to be well organised you have to know what you want in your life, what you want to work towards in your life, and to know what is important right now. You need to think about your priorities, goals, and habits.

There are things I aspire to that haven't yet crossed over from my imagination into my habits, such as regular meditation. I grew up as an atheist but Druidry (and learning about religious traditions in general) has given me an intrigue about prayer that I might dip my toe into.

When I look at my life in relation to paganism, I see that there are things that I do and have done that would be there anyway (I have always had a passion for folklore, and gardening is now essential to my life) and things that are there because paganism has prompted me to do them (I'd like to go on a pilgrimage, and go to an event with many others who are interested in these traditions). These things play off and give depths to each other. I have always been creative and liked to do things with my hands, but Druidry in particular places special emphasis on making sure that you make room for this practice in one's life.

What are the things in your day to day that come from your pagan personality, and what are the things that come from prompts from the pagan tradition itself? (I.e. things that you might not have tried otherwise).

[Azvanna]

That is my exact question: How do you bring Druidry into your everyday life?
I know it is a belief and beliefs stay with us no matter what we do, but what do you do in your daily life if it weren't for Druidry?

Greetings,

I've never struggled with this one at all, which is odd, because I have other things that I struggle with!

For me, Druidry is my life and it is a part of everything that I say and do on a daily basis. It is a part of my work, a part of my art, a part of my interactions with others and a part of my thoughts. At the risk of sounding like some fanatic, I had very little meaning in my life before I found this path. I went to a Catholic school in my childhood and it did nothing for me. I just could not seem to integrate any of their beliefs into my life and it was like my spirit knew that something was not right with all of that. My parents were against organized religion but sent me to the school because the education quality was apparently better than public school. (That's what they were told when they immigrated to Canada from England)

Religion was not something that was in our home, which may be why integration of Druidry into my life was not an issue. I was not wrestling with familial beliefs or practices and therefore had no hangups about incorporating my own religious beliefs when I finally found my spiritual path (For me, Druidry is my religion, not just a philosophy - everyone has different takes on Druidry and its impact in their lives). My parents had books on many different religions in the house as well as lots of books on world mythology, so when I was seeking something, I was able to do so safely and at home. It was a girl at school who would unwittingly set me on my path because she was very in tune with her Scottish Heritage. I didn't feel I had a heritage because our family did not have a clan kilt, etc. British traditions were so ingrained that they didn't seem like much.

I asked my mother about our heritage and she told me about the Celts. She brought me books from the library and I started reading. The philosophies, beliefs, poetry, myths and even the everyday archaeological stuff tugged at my heart. There was a very strong "pull" and when I read about the Druids, I knew I wanted to be one. I just didn't know how. Where would people find Druids in Alberta, Canada of all places in the early 90's? Weren't they long gone into the mysts of time? It just didn't seem fair that my heart had such a strong yearning and pull toward being something that had been gone for centuries. When I found out that there were modern Druids and books about modern Druidry, I went out and got as many as I could! Twenty years later, I'm still on this path and I know I've answered my calling.

For me Druidry is about Service to the Universe, Service to the Community and Service to the Self; what I call "The Path of Service". It works with a religious and non religious approach to Druidry I call it "my magic formula for integrating Druidry into everyday life".

How do I do it? I break my daily tasks down into the three categories and integrate them thus:

Service to the Universe (or Gods for those who see Druidry as a religion):

• Prayer and/or meditation at the end of the day - Those who see Druidry as a philosophy might still pray if it is tied to another religious path. Those who are non-religious might just meditate on how they have affected the Universe (our world, natural law, etc.) through their actions. What did I do today? Who and what did I affect with my actions? How have I made the world a better place through my own small actions?
• In the morning, while driving to work, I dedicate my day to the Path of Service even if it's just a thought in my mind saying "I dedicate this day to the Path of Service"
• Meditating on the natural order of things. How does the universe work?
• Reading inspirational things such as certain myths and legends from Irish and Welsh lore, opinion pieces about topics that relate to Druidry
• Conducting Seasonal rituals and Rites of Passage
• Mentoring and teaching in my Grove and for other Druid organizations
• Delivering educational or inspirational presentations at Druid gatherings
• Helping to organize Druid get-togethers
• Serving in a leadership role for an organization – I serve as Regional Druid for Western Canada with ADF and as the Regional Coordinator for Western Canada for the Druid Network (Westview Region)
• Writing educational, opinion or inspirational essays on Druidic topics for newsletters, websites, blogs, magazines, etc.
• Providing palliative and pastoral care

Service to the Community – For me this one is easy because I work in a long term care facility as a Volunteer Coordinator. Not only am I providing service to the residents and staff, I am encouraging and helping other people (our volunteers) to serve their community. I also volunteer for a few agencies on my own: a victim services unit with the local police and I chair the board of directors of an autism society in my locale. In the past I have mentored youth of all walks of life and worked to get many of them off the streets, etc.

I’m also doing my part to help the environment by committing to reduce my environmental impact through recycling, using “green” cleaning and garden products, composting in the garden, using non-toxic and energy efficient LED lighting, reducing the amount of paper I use, etc.

Service to the community could also include:

• Volunteer work for an organization whose mission or services you are passionate about
• Donating services or money to a charity that you support
• Connecting people to services in your area, even if it’s just giving someone directions to the nearest medical clinic.
• Participating in causes or events that you are passionate about
• Teaching other people new skills – this could be teaching a class for kids or adults
• Doing a favour for a neighbour or friend.
• Visiting a sick family member or friend
• Prison or hospital ministry
• Working or volunteering for an animal rescue organization
• Counselling or mentoring youth
• Through your mundane job – look at what you do as a sacred act of service! (No one has to know about the Druidic focus and you will probably end up either appreciating your current work or looking into new possibilities to give meaning to your work)
• Making useful items or items that people can use for ritual, meditation, etc.
• Write a book or essay about a Druidic topic that interests you

Every act of kindness is an act of community service!

Service to Self – It’s easy to confuse this one with selfishness, but I look at it from the angle of taking care of oneself and expanding one’s knowledge. If you cannot take care of yourself, how can you look after others?

• Every time I have a shower or a bath, I imagine the water purifying my spirit or cleansing away the negative energy of the day. When the water drains, I imagine the troubles washing away.
• Meditating on various topics from a Druidic perspective
• Learning – I am always seeking to learn something new and expand my knowledge
• Eating and drinking in a healthy manner
• Practicing moderation in all things
• Striving to maintain some sort of balance in my life
• Being true to myself and my ethics and beliefs
• Knowing when to back off from something that might be detrimental to my well-being
• Journaling – I keep notes about certain insights and such that I have when meditating on certain topics or when I have a free moment to think.

There are so many other ways to connect, including getting out into a natural setting and appreciating the beauty of nature, living life in awe and respect of what is around me and just applying the philosophies of Druidry to the every day things that I do.

Everyone has their own ways of integrating and I have enjoyed reading the many ideas in this thread. Thank you for the insight!

Just some of my own thoughts on this very interesting topic.

Athelia /|\

Awesome post. Practical suggestions. Bookmarking this one. Thanks!