On the Subject of Druids
Cormac Cás
The conversation comes up every so often about Druids (or the ethnic equivalent), how does one become a Druid? Can you honestly label yourself as such after years of study? Do those who forward themselves as such deserve recognition or are they taking liberties naming themselves after such an illustrious order? It is a contentious issue very often, I thought it might be worthwhile to write on the subject and raise some pertinent issues, with my own views for your consideration.
Many of us agree that we live in a singular time, we are coming arguably towards the end of the Dark Age, the age of ignorance, and are on the cusp of-or even within already- the great conflict that will usher in the coming Golden Age. It helps to view the previous couple of millenia correctly in order to understand what is coming.
In Europe, the first great assault upon our race was the spread of christianity, it directly led to the destruction of our most valuable societal pillar, our spiritual leadership. Across the continent holy men and women were brutalised and killed, if not forced to convert. Our intelligentsia, judiciary, medicine practitioners and moral guides were torn from us and in their place a sterile, stagnant mob of inferiors was placed. I believe that for us to progress into the next stage of the cycle by necessity we require the re-establishment of such a spiritual caste, that this war is a spiritual war and should be fought by a martial class of the spiritually adept.
And the Gods will manifest such among us, many of us are here because we feel, consciously or unconsciously, the call to engage, to learn, to grow in the spirit. What we are faced with upon delving deeper is quite the mess.
Not only is there still the great spiritual enemy of the abrahamic cults standing in our way, we must also contend with a host of subverted ‘pagan’ entities and personalities, designed as gatekeepers to subvert and hobble the growth we require. Wicca is a great example of this, of course, but there are others, self anointed Druids and holymen, not granted their title by anything tangible of note, just promoting themselves as such.
It is my view first of all that to simply read the books and learn the lingo is absolutely not grounds to grant yourself such a lofty title as Druid, such a thing in our time can only be granted by the Gods, as the old bloodlines are decimated, the old teachers are well gone and the information remaining to us is incomplete at best. We also do not live in the time of the Druids, we are in the post-abrahamic world. The beginning of a new age, I believe, would necessitate the beginning of a new initiative, similar to what was before but unique in it’s own right. Just as we are similar to our ancestors, but unique.
Of course it is absolutely important that we do learn as much as possible from the information that is left to us, incomplete as it is we can still take guidance and inspiration from it. But the reconstruction of incomplete data can and will only take us so far, and in any case book smarts are only part-and not the greater part- of the tradition in my view. I would submit that the holy orders of old were marked specifically by their direct connection to the Gods, by their living in balance with the world around them as a direct manifestation of their communion with our Ancestors, Gods and the spiritual energy that underpins all things. My belief is the original learning and gathering of mysteries was something granted by the Divine in order to foster a guiding order among the people. Just as we have people who are naturally great leaders, great warriors etc, within the blood their is manifest the great spiritual men and women who are blessed with communion from the higher powers. I believe this is manifesting now as we speak, in those of us who feel the inexorable call to learn and commune with the spirit, not purely through an academic method, but through the direct connection of meditation, shamanic experience etc.
In order to truly rebuild the practice we must go back to the source of the knowledge and present ourselves to the Gods for tuition.
This would mean not only learning as much as possible, but equally and perhaps even more so; spending time building discipline of will, meditating, fasting, denial of self gratification and comforts. Exposing ourselves to spiritual struggle so as to grow, and always seeking the Gods.
They desire that we should, I believe. The call is not simply for us to make it on our own but to come together with them and reconnect ourselves, and by extension our people, with them.
If you find you have little knowledge of ritual, does that mean you are locked out of practice? Not at all: until you have built a better knowledge of how to perform ritual, perhaps you should dedicate instead a set time to sitting in quiet meditation, seeking a personal connection of the spirit. The Gods are not expecting us to unlock the mysteries without them, I do not believe we did it without them in the first place, so why would that be different now? My feeling is they are simply calling us to make ourselves available to them, that we might learn directly and, working together, combine our knowledge to rebuild a new tradition.
This at least is my overriding instinct, the Gods have called and we should answer, not purely via texts and archaeological jigsaws, but through direct inquiry and submission.
Now to go back to the original questions.
“How does one become a Druid? Can you honestly label yourself as such after years of study?”
My answer is no, and I have laid out at least loosely how I believe we should be endevouring to work to such a title.
“Do those who forward themselves as such deserve recognition or are they taking liberties naming themselves after such an illustrious order?”
Again, no. I take it as a rude overreach for anyone to proclaim themselves as such, these titles can only be granted as I said by the Gods themselves, and furthermore it may be that the old titles will remain in the past and a new iteration is coming, with a new form that is tailored to our times and the transition we are experiencing. These answers are not ours to give and these titles are not ours to claim.
I would say that anyone doing likewise is part of the plethora of gatekeepers and snake oil salesmen placed specifically to throw us from the path. If you must interact with them at all I would advise only in so far as you can loot what useful knowledge they have, but false gurus are to be avoided otherwise.
Finally to add to my previous advice, and I can only offer humble advice: the other truly positive avenue you can take along with seeking the Gods themselves, is to work to manifest in yourself what a Druid was.
Among your peers do you contribute in a wholesome way? Do you set a moral example or seek to help them in their daily lives? Do you manifest in yourself the sort of confidence that bleeds into those around you?
It is not beyond any of us to bring a positive reinforcement to the lives of our people if only in how we carry ourselves, in how we seek service to those around us, in how we allay fears and provide confidence in the Will of the Gods. People require various types of leadership, and spiritual leadership is the soft leadership. If you manifest in yourself the kind of person people need to be to live a healthy, nourishing existence, one that bring the best out of them through your example. If you can provide a paternal or maternal guidance to those around you who may lack it, and give advice where it is pertinent and helpful. If through your own growth in the spirit you can augment the growth of others, then you will at least in part be providing some of the qualities the Druids of old did for their people in their time. And you will make yourself fertile soil for the Gods to fashion a new order, you begin to make yourself available for tutelage and further growth. It is all well and good talking and theorising, but manifesting is what is required now.