The Truth Against The World

[DJ Droood]

Whilst google searching for the origins of the phrase "The Truth Against the World", I came across a book called Ancient Bards of Britain By D. Delta Evans, written in 1906. I only read a few pages of one chapter, but I thought it almost perfectly summed up my feelings about druid spirituality, and what I've always felt the druids of old were all about, and a good guide for the Skeptical Druid of today.

British Bardism was essentially founded in the verified Truth of experience. It considered nothing as settled until it had been sifted, tried and tested; until its truth had been established beyond all doubt, by patient research and exhaustive investigation. An old Greek sage has defined philosophy as the art of doubting well. So the Bards taught their disciples to “doubt everything they did not know!”
And this may be said to be the basis of all inquiry. “If a man will begin with certainties,” says Francis Bacon, “he shall end in doubts, but if he will be content to begin with doubts, he shall end in certainties.” So also taught the Ancient Bards of Britain. Bardism certainly indulged in all manner of speculations: it dreamed, it imagined, it wondered, it worshipped. But it dogmatized upon nothing but Truth. And this the Bards rigorously and at all costs held up “against the world” until the last vestige of their ancient institution has been temporarily crushed out of the land by powers and interests with which Truth is not compatible.

(italics mine)

http://books.google.ca/books?id=yXQ1FqJ ... &q&f=false

I have no idea of the veracity of Mr. Evans research, but it "feels" right to me, and I still see "powers and interests with which Truth is not compatible" everywhere, including in modern druidry.

[wolf560]

Awesome find DJ..!!

Thank you, I was looking myself for that and "Fir Flathemon" (The Truth of Sovereignty).
Good to see people all on the same track sometimes.....

[DJ Droood]

Awesome find DJ..!!

Thank you, I was looking myself for that and "Fir Flathemon" (The Truth of Sovereignty).
Good to see people all on the same track sometimes.....

all hail google!..it makes a scholar out of all of us.

My favourite line is " it dreamed, it imagined, it wondered, it worshipped"...so you can have your cake and eat it too!

[wolf560]

I was reading something and think it might relate to this...

It is a short dissertation culling from 5-6 works (Ellis, Meyer, and O'Grady among them).

The ancient Celts had a different sense of ethics than modern Pagans. Celtic Reconstructionists can take many concepts from the older Celtic cultures, like honor, truth, loyalty, fostering and hospitality. In "Cormac's Cup" for instance, the object of the tale was a cup which would shatter when three lies were told and mend again when three truths were uttered. If we choose to ignore these facts and indulge in fantasy, we do so at our own risk.

http://www.seanet.com/~inisglas/ethics.html

All in all, the work was well balanced and I thought an easy read.
As with all things, it sparks more questions than it answers and that after all is why I got into this path back in the 1980's..... more questions led to more discoveries..!!!