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Author Topic: Neo-Druid Book Reviews  (Read 39209 times)

darashand

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Re: Neo-Druid Book Reviews
« Reply #15 on: October 20, 2011, 11:29:48 am »
Quote from: Asch;578
Any takers?

Yep.  :)


What Do Druids Believe by Phillip Carr-Gomme(2006)

Why is this relevant to Neo-Druidry?

The author attempts to define what Druids believe based on his personal experiences and research

Overall Rating

2 out of 5

The book itself is a great concept, especially for those who wish to explore what Druidry teaches, however I had some major problems with how the information was presented.  First, the author makes no distinction between Ancient Druidry and Neo-Druidry and later on does not differentiate between Irish and Welsh ideas (author clearly has a Welsh worldview).  Second, he rarely sites his sources or provides notes for further research. This is a major "red-flag" as his claims have no support and does not allow the reader to explore his ideas.  Finally, the author feels that Druidry is a philosophy without dogma and is open to all faiths as a supplement of sorts.  He feels that Druidry fits well with Christianity and Buddhism (see Ch 5), even going on to introduce DruidCraft, which is a blend of Neo-Druidry and Wicca.

His portrayal of Druidry is mostly the Romantic Ideals of the past, influenced the philosophy of the (American) 60's-70's (peace and love, man), and later on Neo-paganism and  Wicca are added to fill in the gaps.  His information is generally not based on scholarship, nor does it include any contributions of the Celtic Reconstructionist movement.  


Overall, the book is geared for the modern practitioner, who enjoys a more romantic view of Druidry, rather than innovation of the ancient sources.  

For me personally, it was not helpful and a waste of money. :(
« Last Edit: October 20, 2011, 11:30:49 am by darashand »

SilverOak

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Re: Neo-Druid Book Reviews
« Reply #16 on: December 09, 2011, 02:00:27 pm »
Quote from: darashand;26605
Yep.  :)



What Do Druids Believe by Phillip Carr-Gomme(2006)

Why is this relevant to Neo-Druidry?

The author attempts to define what Druids believe based on his personal experiences and research

Overall Rating

2 out of 5

The book itself is a great concept, especially for those who wish to explore what Druidry teaches, however I had some major problems with how the information was presented.  First, the author makes no distinction between Ancient Druidry and Neo-Druidry and later on does not differentiate between Irish and Welsh ideas (author clearly has a Welsh worldview).  Second, he rarely sites his sources or provides notes for further research. This is a major "red-flag" as his claims have no support and does not allow the reader to explore his ideas.  Finally, the author feels that Druidry is a philosophy without dogma and is open to all faiths as a supplement of sorts.  He feels that Druidry fits well with Christianity and Buddhism (see Ch 5), even going on to introduce DruidCraft, which is a blend of Neo-Druidry and Wicca.

His portrayal of Druidry is mostly the Romantic Ideals of the past, influenced the philosophy of the (American) 60's-70's (peace and love, man), and later on Neo-paganism and  Wicca are added to fill in the gaps.  His information is generally not based on scholarship, nor does it include any contributions of the Celtic Reconstructionist movement.  


Overall, the book is geared for the modern practitioner, who enjoys a more romantic view of Druidry, rather than innovation of the ancient sources.  

For me personally, it was not helpful and a waste of money. :(

 
Thanks for this review. I do admit that I have had issues with him in the past, exactly because of what you said: combining Druidry with Buddhism and Wicca, just isn't going to work for me.
"The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated... I hold that, the more helpless a creature, the more entitled it is to protection by man from the cruelty of man." -- Mahatma Gandhi

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