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

[Huathe]

This is why we 'humans' form orders and groups.

At the end of the day we should be able to freely express and associate with others as a Druid.

In reality, so many people decide that they don't like you and your interpretation, and they seek to invalidate you.

Tell me about it.

Regardless of what group I belong to, and what their definitions are, I am a druid so long as I call myself one.

That is non-negotiable, simply because it is exactly the wat the Druid Revival happened. People declaring themselves to be druids.

Reverence of the natural world is central to one being a druid. So if one proclaims themself a druid and he does not uphold nature is he a druid? I would say, No!!

I have also read on a number of sites that all proper neo-druids follow the " wheel of the year ", in ritual. If they exclude this practice are they still a druid?

They should be common practices that define druidry and those practicing it, regardless whether they incorporate a religion into it or make druidry a religion in itself or practicing it from a purely philosophical standpoint. There should be some set of values that define modern druidry. If those are not set and/or not followed anyone can call themselves a druid and the name would really mean nothing.

Flexibility is a good thing ( Incorporating various religious views, or lack of, for example. ) but still " Druidry " should carry some weight and some common set definitions ( Rules ) that make it's participants " Druids ". Otherwise it is really nothing.

[cursuswalker]

This is why we 'humans' form orders and groups.

At the end of the day we should be able to freely express and associate with others as a Druid.

In reality, so many people decide that they don't like you and your interpretation, and they seek to invalidate you.

Tell me about it.

Regardless of what group I belong to, and what their definitions are, I am a druid so long as I call myself one.

That is non-negotiable, simply because it is exactly the wat the Druid Revival happened. People declaring themselves to be druids.

Reverence of the natural world is central to one being a druid. So if one proclaims themself a druid and he does not uphold nature is he a druid? I would say, No!!

And that would be an understandable opinion.

I have also read on a number of sites that all proper neo-druids follow the " wheel of the year ", in ritual. If they exclude this practice are they still a druid?

I would say it is usual, but certainly not a requirement.

They should be common practices that define druidry and those practicing it, regardless whether they incorporate a religion into it or make druidry a religion in itself or practicing it from a purely philosophical standpoint. There should be some set of values that define modern druidry. If those are not set and/or not followed anyone can call themselves a druid and the name would really mean nothing.

I would say that Druidry has a broad praxis and a set of shared, but loose, values.

Flexibility is a good thing ( Incorporating various religious views, or lack of, for example. ) but still " Druidry " should carry some weight and some common set definitions ( Rules ) that make it's participants " Druids ". Otherwise it is really nothing.

This is the heart of the issue: how tied down does that definition have to be. some want it very narrow. Others wider. I am inevitably in the latter camp.

[Huathe]

This is the " Philosophers' Roundhouse "!

[Davin Raincloud]

Regardless of what group I belong to, and what their definitions are, I am a druid so long as I call myself one.

That is non-negotiable, simply because it is exactly the wat the Druid Revival happened. People declaring themselves to be druids.

Including my great-grandfather, which makes it my family religion and me a hereditary druid...

If I have a son or daughter and make him/her a Druid, or he/she self delcares...... do I then become a Hereditary druid? :P

[DJ Droood]

If I have a son or daughter and make him/her a Druid, or he/she self delcares...... do I then become a Hereditary druid? :P

No, you become the Ancestral Druid, or the O.D. (original druid). You shall be worshipped as a god.

[Aemilius]

Hello Frog, and all!

Just discovered this thread, all good points. I was also a cub scout! I wonder if a poll is in order here to see just how many cub scouts become druids, Frog. Perhaps we could start a Boys and Girls Druid Scouts! Not sure what the uniform would look like though.

Hawthorne_Ent
"Reverence of the natural world is central to one being a druid. So if one proclaims themself a druid and he does not uphold nature is he a druid? I would say, No!!

To me it is, but the thread "Friendly Skies?" has also amply demonstrated to me that every Druid who says they are doing the best they can (though I may not agree) still qualifes as being a Druid, if that is what they want to be.


Hawthorne_Ent
"Flexibility is a good thing ( Incorporating various religious views, or lack of, for example. ) but still " Druidry " should carry some weight and some common set definitions ( Rules ) that make it's participants " Druids ". Otherwise it is really nothing."

Agreed, though I would not say that it is nothing, maybe just not as much as it could be.

Hawthorne_Ent
"They should be common practices that define druidry and those practicing it, regardless whether they incorporate a religion into it or make druidry a religion in itself or practicing it from a purely philosophical standpoint. There should be some set of values that define modern druidry. If those are not set and/or not followed anyone can call themselves a druid and the name would really mean nothing. "

Again, though I may personally agree with your assessment, I also now recognize at the same time the impossibility of everyone seeing, or applying, even the central tenet of Druidry the same way, which, though it leaves me a bit bewildered as to what exactly binds Druids together as a group, I do see that somehow it is working. A mystery!

Strength to you all, Emile

[Huathe]

On druid scouts maybe the field uniform could be some form of camo, with the " Class A's " being a green cloak! I have always felt a " treeish " look would be more fitting than the traditional white.

Hey, it's just an idea....

[Explorer]

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?

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?

[Dendrias]

The only thing that defines you as a druid is obod-membership, the rest is imaginary and subjective, imho.

Would You say that to members of AOD, ADF, BDO, MfG, Keltria, Comardiia Druuidiacta, RDNA, Le Cercle de l'Ambre, La Taverne du Sidh, Kengerzhouriezh Drouizel an Dreist-Hanternoz and the others, as well?

[Huathe]

And the Hedge-Druids. The solitary ones?

[Explorer]

The only thing that defines you as a druid is obod-membership, the rest is imaginary and subjective, imho.

Would You say that to members of AOD, ADF, BDO, MfG, Keltria, Comardiia Druuidiacta, RDNA, Le Cercle de l'Ambre, La Taverne du Sidh, Kengerzhouriezh Drouizel an Dreist-Hanternoz and the others, as well?

And the Hedge-Druids. The solitary ones?

You are both missing the point, which is in fact my point.

What DEFINES us (obodies) as druids is the obod membership.
But the MEANING of our personal druidry is in the CONTENT. And that is so diverse that it cannot be grasped in definions.

So why do you keep trying to focus on definitions?
Because that is what you both do if you respond to that particular part of my post.
Why do you not respond to the other part of that post instead?

[Frog]

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?

Hi Nico!
In some ways I think you are right - the phrase "do I know myself" should be the important question, and for that I feel I am reasonably comfortable to answer "about 80%!"

But I ask the question to check my understanding of OBOD druidry and that within my understanding I still "fit" within the membership. It's a bit like joining a motorcycle owners club when really I like cars and the only connection is that they both have engines. I'm sure that the motorcycle club would be happy in continuing with me as a member, but if I realised that it really was a direction that didn't fit my needs I could be responsible with my choice.
I was prompted from the other thread because I made an observation which some made comment which led me to question my membership validity.

the other interesting things - I'm sure it is to do with a collective "mission" to better understand ourselves - is that we will question things, possibly more than we need to (or is healthy for us!). This is just one of those things.

[DJ Droood]

But I ask the question to check my understanding of OBOD druidry and that within my understanding I still "fit" within the membership. It's a bit like joining a motorcycle owners club when really I like cars and the only connection is that they both have engines..

With the OBOD, it is more like "If it feels right for you to have an engine, then do so. Engine ownership is not required, although a reading list on engines is provided at the end of this page. OBOD welcomes those with engines, those without engines, engine-non-enginists, non-engine-enginists, differently engined, and aenginists. Please download our PDF pamplet "Engine, or No Engine? Does it Really Matter?"

[Merlyn]

Be an anchor of light.. something like that.. last this came up

[White Star]

Well...."If you want to be a Druid...I think you need to be as Druid as you need to be, to be a Druid really..." Nods wisely, and I do not say this to be flippant because our individual "Druidness" is just that, our own unique journey. I do not need to peep at my neighbours essay to copy for their journey is theirs and my journey is mine, although we may share the same road.
Given a building site with identical basic materials some may wish to build a hotel, and some may settle for a quiet little bungalow....if you see what I mean.
(Returns from shamanic trance bearing gibberish from the Gods know which realm... )

Blessings

[DJ Droood]

Well...."If you want to be a Druid...I think you need to be as Druid as you need to be, to be a Druid really..." Nods wisely, and I do not say this to be flippant because our individual "Druidness" is just that, our own unique journey.

In an ideal world, and if you are secure in yourself...there are always those, and I've encountered them online and IRL, who like to tell you why you can't/aren't/never will be a druid...the reasons are as varied as the snarkers....not environmental enough, not following the right gods, not following any gods, following far too many gods, not Celtic enough, don't belong to the right group, only been studying for 18 instead of 21 years (like they have, even though they are only 24, they have been studying since they were 3...family trad), not as self-important and humourless as the snaker, you don't have the right imaginary pedigree...the list goes on and on....basically, if you are not them, you can't be a druid...(if they are really hardcore, they tell you why *even they* can't be a druid, hard as it is to believe, because they are so ultra druidy..but of course *nobody* can be a druid)

[Heddwen]

I think the key there is "if you are secure in yourself", if you have strength in yourself and in your own path then the opinions of snarkers will not matter. Druidry is in some ways a quest for the Truth and to be true to ourselves we have to honour our own path.

[Dendrias]

The only thing that defines you as a druid is obod-membership, the rest is imaginary and subjective, imho.

Would You say that to members of [...] as well?

And the Hedge-Druids. The solitary ones?

You are both missing the point, which is in fact my point.

What DEFINES us (obodies) as druids is the obod membership.
But the MEANING of our personal druidry is in the CONTENT. And that is so diverse that it cannot be grasped in definions.

So why do you keep trying to focus on definitions?
Because that is what you both do if you respond to that particular part of my post.
Why do you not respond to the other part of that post instead?

I didn't focus on definitions. I'm no OBODie, so MY druidry wouldn't be defined by OBOD-membership. In fact, what is defined by OBOD-membership is being an OBODie, nothing more, nothing less. Your sentence has been exclusive, somehow.
Now, I said "would", because, to me, content is more important than the definition. I'm here for the content, not to get a t-shirt that says "I'm sometimes in the DHP reading about what DJ Droood thinks about engines." That'd be useless.

I think, feeling to be a druid and selfdefine yourself as druid is similar to dialects. From the Netherlands to Poland, from Denmark to Italy German is spoken. (No hissing, please!) There used to be "one language" in multi-faceted forms of dialects that differred very little from the neighbouring dialect.
As soon as you could tell Netherland from Germany from Denmark, Bavaria from Hessia from Saxony and so on, differences grew. So that, what has been a fan of dialects, became segmented. A bavarian really never could understand a dutch very well, but they seperated themselves from each other by political borders, so that they now think that they are speaking different languages.

Lost my thread, sorry. As soon as there is a common understanding that a vegetarian pilot and a meat-eating forest-dweller do have a common understanding of being part of "one druidry", they are different parts of the same spectrum of "druidry". But if a vegetarian forest-dweller sees himself as christian ... you can't do nothing to tell him that he's in fact a druid. He won't be.
Of course, simply saying you're a druid because when playing command and conquer in level three your nickname is "drooid" ... well, there has to be a third party to perceive druids as druids, doesn't it?

[White Star]

Precisely, Heddwen. I have encountered people who are more Pagan/Wiccan or Druid than I am for whatever self inflated reason. At a CoA gathering two summers ago I encountered a middle aged man who was carrying a beautiful carved wooden stick, it looked like a walking stick. When a lady commented on its beauty and asked if she could examine it more closely he thunderously boomed for all to hear "STICK??????? THIS IS NOT A STICK MADAM, IT IS A WAND, MY WAND AND I DO NOT LET ANYONE EVER TOUCH MY WAND." This produced quite a few giggles from onlookers as he frothed away along the field in his Black cloak, White face make up and dyed Black Hair followed by his admirers. What was wrong with a polite quiet refusal ??
Some time ago a phrase "I am herditary...you know..of the blood" became over used by certain "Wiccans" wishing to set themselves apart from the mere mortals, well, get a life, Harry Potter or whatever loosely craft based novels they read are not real, and boy they don't like being told that or worse still, politely ask them to explain how and why they are "of the blood."
Some people just lose touch and become carried away, we are human beings trying to follow a spiritual path,stay as true to ourselves as possible and follow a Druidic way of life, no one can prove descendency from Merlin, Arthur, the original Druids of Angelsey, or whatever, as much as they would like to.
Equally annoying are the people who go to camps and gatherings just to get drunk and/or high and make a lot of noise,take no part in events at all, interfering with talks and workshops with their rowdyness, now I do have to ask what these folks do to be pagan or
Druid, as their aim seems to be to inhabit the beer tent 24 hrs at a time.

Blessings

[Corwen]

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.