treegod wrote: "neo-Druidry" was... "modern Druidry". The use of it above, in relation to paleo-, meso- and neo was something concocted by the late Isaac Bonewits.
I decided to look into at least these three, and found a rather interesting document from 2003 on the web. "The Druid Renaissance"
http://orgs.carleton.edu/Druids/ARDA2/doc/2part6-10.doc by Philip Carr-Gomm includes a chapter written by Isaac Bonewits.The following is an excerpt;
Today there are many of us who proudly call ourselves ‘Pagan’...
‘Paleopaganism’ refers to the original tribal faiths... when they were... practiced as intact belief systems. Hinduism, Taoism, and Shinto fall into this category.
‘Mesopaganism’ ... those religions founded as attempts to recreate, revive or continue what their founders thought of as the Paleopagan ways of their ancestors (or predecessors), but which were heavily influenced, either deliberately or involuntarily, by the monotheistic and dualistic world views of Judaism, Christianity and/or Islam. Examples ... include Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, Spiritualism, Druidism (...as practiced by the Masonic-influenced fraternal movements...) the many Afro-American faiths (such as Voudoun, Santeria, or Macumba), Sikhism, and several sects of Hinduism that have been influenced by Islam and Christianity.
‘Neopaganism’ refers to those religions creates since 1940 or so (though they had literary roots going back to the mid-1800s), that have attempted to blend what their founders perceived as the best aspects of different types of Paleopaganism with modern ‘Aquarian Age’ ideals, while consciously striving to eliminate as much as possible of all the traditional Western monotheism and dualism. The Church of All Worlds, most Wiccan traditions, ADF and Keltria, are all Neopagan.
I see a gap as well (sorry....) between the Meso and Neo pagan movements. It is the area sometimes known as "Reconstructionist" and the ideology that what once was can be recreated in modern times. the part (I think) that the Reconstructionists avoid is the "New Age" things that permeate so much of Paganism these days.
I might suggest that we use the term "Caprio-Paganism" for the Reconstructionists. 'Capire' essentially means 'to understand'. This was the closest prefix that I could find that codifies what I think the Reconstructionists attempt to do.
One thing I have noted over the years is that "Druids led the rituals" but there was never a mention of "Druidry as a religion". It is my understanding that the Druids led the rites of the tribe in question following tribal beliefs in their particular "Spirit of the Place". This might fly in the face of some who now consider Druidry as a viable religion.
I see Druidry as a compatible belief system that invites and supports a greater understanding of what surrounds and influences me naturally.Perhaps the labeling of these types of Paganism simply sets boundaries that other people will then have to fight over. Everyone wants to believe that their choices are "right", and this leads to the irritating conclusion that others have to be "wrong". This concept has led to the escalation of conflict and the death of more than one human in the course of history. I feel that anyone can have a thought and it can be "Right" without having the necessity of proving someone else "Wrong".
<OK, off my soapbox now....
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