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Author Topic: how do i become a druid?  (Read 4184 times)

blackwolf696

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how do i become a druid?
« on: November 20, 2012, 11:48:39 pm »
Hey i know i havn't posted in a while, but i am at job corps and am very busy. So in my spare time i have done alot of research, and finally know what i want to become. i wish to become a druid. i have my reasons, mind you they are good and understandable reasons.

i am purchasing books that talk on the subject, but i have gotten VERY good and in some cases life changing advice talking to some of the folks on here.

I wish to know everything i can about Druidism, the history of it, and particularly the druids that resided in ancient Ireland & the Isle of Man.

thank you again, you all have been a very big help in the past.
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Schuyler

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Re: how do i become a druid?
« Reply #1 on: November 21, 2012, 02:28:04 pm »
Quote from: blackwolf696;81837

I wish to know everything i can about Druidism, the history of it, and particularly the druids that resided in ancient Ireland & the Isle of Man.


Technically, one cannot become a druid; they have been gone for quite some time. Or were you referring to having the ultimate goal of leading others in ritual?

Either way, there are several Neo-druidry organizations with which you may study. The most popular one seems to be OBOD, but with their fat price tag it may not be an option (for me, it certainly is not). If you see Druidry as more of a religion than a spiritual movement, there is also ADF's Dedicant Path-- which I am strongly considering myself.

NOD is a free alternative. For starters, they offer a free Bardic course or Bardic "youth" course. The latter is the most beginner-friendly, and I quite like how they simply they managed to lay out the foundation in an easy-to-digest manner-- the gods, the three realms, four festivals, etc.

Quote from: blackwolf696;81837

I wish to know everything i can about Druidism, the history of it, and particularly the druids that resided in ancient Ireland & the Isle of Man.


If you are interested in recreating what those specific druids practiced, you may also want to consider Recon. In this case, you are certainly doing the right thing-- read everything you can about the subjects.

Of course, you can also just become a Druid through your actions; mind the seasons, revere life... the Greeks wrote that the druid maxim was "Honor the gods, do no evil, [and] be brave." I suppose one could even call him/herself a druid through adhering to said principles.

blackwolf696

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Re: how do i become a druid?
« Reply #2 on: November 21, 2012, 02:44:38 pm »
Quote from: Cedar;81909
Technically, one cannot become a druid; they have been gone for quite some time. Or were you referring to having the ultimate goal of leading others in ritual?

Either way, there are several Neo-druidry organizations with which you may study. The most popular one seems to be OBOD, but with their fat price tag it may not be an option (for me, it certainly is not). If you see Druidry as more of a religion than a spiritual movement, there is also ADF's Dedicant Path-- which I am strongly considering myself.

NOD is a free alternative. For starters, they offer a free Bardic course or Bardic "youth" course. The latter is the most beginner-friendly, and I quite like how they simply they managed to lay out the foundation in an easy-to-digest manner-- the gods, the three realms, four festivals, etc.



If you are interested in recreating what those specific druids practiced, you may also want to consider Recon. In this case, you are certainly doing the right thing-- read everything you can about the subjects.

Of course, you can also just become a Druid through your actions; mind the seasons, revere life... the Greeks wrote that the druid maxim was "Honor the gods, do no evil, [and] be brave." I suppose one could even call him/herself a druid through adhering to said principles.

 
i think ill check out the N.O.D., although i personally kinda call my spirituality my religion. I do want to study what the druids of the past had done, and if possible replicate it or if possible do a modernized version of what they had done.

in a sense i want to please the gods, as well as the one i follow by doing what some of his followers did before me. anyways thank you for the information, if you know of any books or more sites i should look up please let me know :)
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Schuyler

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Re: how do i become a druid?
« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2012, 03:00:42 pm »
Quote from: blackwolf696;81910
i think ill check out the N.O.D., although i personally kinda call my spirituality my religion. I do want to study what the druids of the past had done, and if possible replicate it or if possible do a modernized version of what they had done.

in a sense i want to please the gods, as well as the one i follow by doing what some of his followers did before me. anyways thank you for the information, if you know of any books or more sites i should look up please let me know :)

 
Woops, my quotes got all wonky in the previous post. Sorry about that.

Yes, I see my spirituality as my religion as well--but there are some Christian druids out there, whom OBOD and NOD's courses can accommodate.

Miranda Green has several good books on Druids and the Celts--just typing her name in a search engine or Amazon will bring up many results. "The Ancient Celts" by Barry Cunliffe is also high on my reading list. You may also wish to read up on Celtic folklore, which may be done online here.

I still have a lot to learn about all of this as well, so I wish you the best of luck :)

blackwolf696

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Re: how do i become a druid?
« Reply #4 on: November 21, 2012, 03:38:04 pm »
Quote from: Cedar;81911
Woops, my quotes got all wonky in the previous post. Sorry about that.

Yes, I see my spirituality as my religion as well--but there are some Christian druids out there, whom OBOD and NOD's courses can accommodate.

Miranda Green has several good books on Druids and the Celts--just typing her name in a search engine or Amazon will bring up many results. "The Ancient Celts" by Barry Cunliffe is also high on my reading list. You may also wish to read up on Celtic folklore, which may be done online here.

I still have a lot to learn about all of this as well, so I wish you the best of luck :)

 
i have the books now on my to buy list, thank you very much. these should help me greatly, now for something a little off topic.

i am also wanting to study the way they lived. just for curiosity sake. i have been trying to find everything i can on the way the ancient celts lived, fought in battles, and practiced their belief systems. i find them very interesting.
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Aster Breo

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Re: how do i become a druid?
« Reply #5 on: November 21, 2012, 04:25:18 pm »
Quote from: blackwolf696;81837

I wish to know everything i can about Druidism, the history of it, and particularly the druids that resided in ancient Ireland & the Isle of Man.


 
I'm not a druid, but my path is a Celtic one, so I've read a lot about druidry, both ancient and modern.

As Cedar mentioned, there are several neo-druidry organizations that have lots of good info on their websites.  (I'm using the word neo-druidry to distinguish modern druidry from what the ancient Celts practiced.  They are NOT the same thing.)  Be aware, though, that there are two general approaches to neo-druidry.

As I understand the history, the druids were a specific class of people in ancient Celtic regions.  Becoming a druid required extensive, lengthy, and extremely demanding training, which spanned something like 20 years.  The druids were the priests (spiritual leaders of the community), but they were also judges, negotiators, political advisers, poets, historians, teachers, healers, etc.  Often all of the above.  We really don't have an equivalent role in modern society.

Sometime in the 1800s, IIRC, there was a revival of interest in druids, primarily in Britain.  That led to some organizations being established by and for people who wanted to be druids.  However, these organizations were not based in solid research, and, therefore, did not portray druidry anywhere close to accurately.  In fact, much of the material they used was completely made up.  It was a very romantic and idealistic approach.  And it's still around.

More recently, a number of people who were interested in druidry but who were also interested in historical accuracy and scholarly research formed different organizations.  These (such as ADF) take a more reconstructionist approach, and base their materials much more solidly on the history.

Despite the existence of both kinds of neo-druidry, I personally believe that it is not possible, in our current culture, to be the same kind of druid that the ancient Celts were.  But that doesn't mean you can't study the same kinds of things and hold the same kinds of spiritual values.

Cedar has provided links to the major neo-druidry organizations, most or all of which have some kind of study program.  I'd strongly recommend that you read through all their sites before deciding if you want to study with any of them, so you know what kind of neo-druidry you're getting into.  Of course, you can also be involved with all of them simultaneously.  I know there are several regular TC posters who are active in more than one druidry organization.

Besides the organizations, the best thing you can do is READ READ READ.  There are tons of excellent books out there.  Some resources that I'd recommend:

*  TC's Neo-Druidry SIG, which has a several sticky posts with great resources and info, as well as the discussion threads.

*  The CR FAQ Reading List (I'm pretty sure I linked you to this list before).  Doesn't matter if you're not a recon.  This list is excellent for anyone who wants to read good, solid books on topics related to the ancient Celts, including a number of books about ancient druids.

*  ADF's reading lists -- check out ALL of the lists on this page.

*  OBOD's article library -- has some very good essays on neo-druidry.

*  Land, Sea & Sky -- free online book about the ancient Celts; this is a good place to start while waiting to buy hard copies of books.  It also has a great, if a bit dated now, reading list.

This should get you started.  There are literally hundreds of books, websites, and articles available on relevant topics.  You should have enough to keep you busy for years.  ;)

Good luck.

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"The status is not quo."  ~ Dr. Horrible

PerditaPickle

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Re: how do i become a druid?
« Reply #6 on: August 14, 2016, 12:15:15 pm »
Quote from: Schuyler;81909
NOD is a free alternative.


I just came across this myself, giving this thread a bump as I feel this could be of interest to other new members too.
“Radiate boundless love towards the entire world — above, below, and across — unhindered, without ill will, without enmity.” – The Buddha
(From the Metta Sutta)

My Portrait of Perpetual Perplexity blog

RecycledBenedict

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Re: how do i become a druid?
« Reply #7 on: August 14, 2016, 02:20:50 pm »
Quote from: Pickle;194999
I just came across this myself, giving this thread a bump as I feel this could be of interest to other new members too.


I hereby add something I often write in Druidry-related threads: For some, but not all, persons interested in Druidry, AODA might be an alternative to consider. It continues (one expression of) the Druid movement as it existed in the 1740-1970 time range.

http://aoda.org

There also exist about thirty or forty smaller Druid organisations besides the two giants, OBOD and ADF.

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