1: Why Druidry? – Cáer
Why Druidry? I have been asked this question countless times by friends and family, and now by an internet meme. I usually tell the story of how I left Presbyterianism with unanswered questions, wandered through Wicca with more unanswered questions (or questions that were answered with falsehoods) and ended up here, in druidry and ADF because of a university professor and an acquaintance.
But why have I chosen to stay? What is different here, that doesn’t leave me with unsettled questions?
My primary problem with the neo-Wicca that I was involved with was the lack of interaction with deity. When all gods and goddesses are treated as but one aspect of the divine, able to be “used” in a ritual for certain purposes, the lack of relationship makes it meaningless. Who were these beings we called out to, and why would they answer us? There was no answer when I asked this.
Perhaps that was because the group leader’s understanding of the divine was of archetypes and the Fortunian axiom that all gods are one god, et cetera. To me, the stories and the images were of real beings, real separate beings with their own personalities and needs. My best experiences came when I researched them and provided them with what they desired within their own cultural tradition.
In return, Oya with Her magnificence cut away the dead wood with Her machete. I felt and heard the gods in my dreams. Under the moonlight with a Yoruban Orisha, I began to find my way to druidry.
Here, I feel the love of the Earth Mother as I seek to understand her. I find the dwelling places of the gods in this land. I have felt Brighid’s mantle on my shoulders, been challenged by the Dark Lady, and shared meals with the Ancestors. I do all of this with a community that honours the Old Ways.
It is hard to explain why, because it is a feeling. I can talk at length about what I didn’t like and how I got here, to my appreciation for ADF’s Guilds and Kins, and my love of research and ritual. All of that is cerebral.
With druidry, I can reach out my hands and touch the vibrancy of the world. That is why.
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