Re: How Druids Created the World Beirdd Sun Sep 13 00:38:52 1998 The connections between Druidry and ancient Celtic traditions on the one hand and Catholic Christianity on the other is a topic that is near and dear to me. I know that this topic can send some in today’s pagan community into the battle paroxysms of CuChullain. I also know that there are many in the community who would enjoy taking part in, or following, this discussion, but have avoided it because they are intimidated by the thought of being labeled “Paganly Incorrect.” Since I heartily believe in the virtue of discussing this topic and care not a whit for any sort of P.C.-ness, I will count myself among the unintimidated. Therefore, I would like to respond to several portions of Searles’ post. I do so with the utmost respect for him, his character, scholarship and civility, as well as with gratitude for his presentation of this opening.*p*(Note: I have snipped a bit and am reponding only to the quoted sections. I haven't noted where every snip occcurs.)*p*Searles wrote,*br*: After the arrival of Christian *br*: ways among the Celts,(snipped)*p*I love the poetry and accuracy of this phrase, particularly as it pertains to the Celtic/Christian encounter. There are many who believe that conversion to Christianity always happened at the point of a sword. This is an historical fallacy. Where missionaries preached, conversions, if any, were usually quite peaceful. In these cases, if violence did erupt, it was usually against the missionary and his converts. Soldiers such as the Crusaders and Conquistadors sometimes used the strategy “convert or die” as a means of cowing opponents into surrender, forestalling battles and, yes, justifying massacres. These were almost always condemned by the Church, though not always in a timely manner. This strategy also never resulted in a lasting religious effect among those who opted to convert and live.*p*I have heard many pagans equate “Roman” with “Roman Catholic” or “Roman Church” when dealing with the subject of the Christianizing of the Celts. The sociopolitical conquest of the Celts, along with massacres and related crimes such as those at Mon, were done by the army of the Roman Empire. The actions of this Roman Army predated the arrival of so-called “Roman” missionaries, such as Padraig, by several hundred years. Caesar conquered Gaul in 50 B.C. (remember, the Celts had sacked Rome itself 340 years earlier!); Claudius invaded Britain in A.D. 43. By the time Christianity could come out of hiding and persecution by becoming the official church of the Empire in 313, and so send out missionaries, the Roman Army no longer existed as a threat to any place much removed from the Italian peninsula.*p*In any case, “the arrival of Christian ways among the Celts” seem to have been greeted by most with tolerance, if not outright enthusiasm, considering the rapidity and completeness of the majority’s conversion.*p*: Druids have been among the Celts for at *br*: least 3000 years now. They are among Celts even today.*p*There are also angels, Templars, Guardians, Atlanteans, aliens, Mayans, gods, Illuminati, loch monsters, snowmen and at least one Elvis among us. All of them have simply managed to avoid exposure all these years, an amazing feat when one considers that the secret is the most fleeting of human endeavors. ;-)*p*N.B. -- only the Anasazi are definitely not here.*p**br*: There was an overlapping period of about 300 years after *br*: Padraig that Druids and Christian priests vied for power in *br*: Ireland.*p*Padraig’s apostolate fell approximately between 432 and 461. Britain at this time was undergoing the beginnings of the Anglo-Saxon invasions, with London disappearing in the tide from 457 through 604. The migration of Britons to the western districts permitted the stripping away of much of Roman culture and a resurgence of a more purely Celtic way of life. Despite this return to the “old ways,” Christianity among the displaced also enjoyed its greatest expansion, particularly in Cornwall and Wales. This British Church was Celtic in character, though not so completely as that in Ireland, which is properly referred to as the Celtic Church. Both the flourishing British and Celtic Churches were to have quite an effect on the form of Christian ritual and practice throughout Europe in the centuries to come.*p*: There is a lot of evidence that many Druids *br*: converted to Christianity as priests.*p*The Celtic Church, a name given uniquely to the church in Ireland, had a purely Celtic foundation preserved by isolation and freedom from Roman invasion. This resulted in several practices that provoked controversy with church leadership in Britain and Rome. One of the most interesting, because in seems so cosmetic, was the controversy over the form of monastic tonsure among the Irish and adopted by some of the British.*p*Christian monastic communities used to adopt different styles of shaving the head as an expression of humility, obedience, the rejection of social fashion and commitment to otherworldly virtues. Some shaved the very top of the head (the “Roman” style) and others add a shaved band around the back of the head from ear to ear (the original “Mushroom Cut” called the “Benedictine” style). The Celtic monastics and clerics were accustomed to shaving the head from the hairline back to a line drawn ear to ear across the top, thereby creating the appearance of a huge forehead. Sound familiar? Although there is no real evidence that this was the practice of the Druids, it was nicknamed the “Druid’s Tonsure”, or the “tonsura magorum,” named for Simon Magus (Simon the Great), the biblical character from who we get the word “magic” and its derivatives. In fact, the Magi (Three Wise Men) in Matthew 2, are still called “druidhean” in the Scots Gaelic Bible. It is plausible that this tonsure style originated *br*upon the very heads of those who were coming out of the groves and into ecclesiastical positions, and who saw no reason to change custom. *p*Monasticism itself grew by leaps and bounds in Ireland. There were hermitages with thousands of monks and nuns. Unlike the rest of Europe, where the bishop’s urban seat was the center of local church authority, in Ireland the monastery, in its out of the way place, took precedence. The Celtic Church was a church of the wilderness and countryside. This conscious decision must have been made by a consensus of ecclesiastics who were comfortable with such a setting and confident that they had the authority to make it so.*p*: The students of *br*: Druids went on to become saints (ST. Columba comes to mind).*p*The possibility is that Columcille was, indeed, a druid -- recall the account, considered a part of Christian hagiography, of his difficulty in beginning building at Iona and his use of a “sacrificial volunteer” to solve the problem. I’m certain that someone here will be able to provide the tale. :-)*br* *br*: These priests are known to the people as *br*: "Crane Clerics."*p*This is the first I have heard of this term. I know that, in both England and Ireland, a group of priests is sometimes referred to as a “murder of crows.” I have the feeling that this refers to their clerical garb as well as to their frequent visits to the sick, dying and dead.*p*: There *br*: are no*br*: mountains that the human spirit cannot overcome. The *br*: Catholic Church is*br*: perhaps a mountain to be climbed by such a spirit.*p*A mountain, indeed. It is the oldest Christian church and one of the few religions that can boast an unbroken succession of leaders, two thousand years from its founder to the present pope. This, despite the foibles and flaws that plague all humans and stand out so blatantly in those in positions of religious authority.*p*Perhaps we can learn something from this mountain. In my experience, I have found that Catholics, lay, religious and clerical alike, are frequently more open to dialog on other beliefs and spiritualities than many other Christians and Pagans. Having a definite dogma permits them to be more confident and comfortable in participating in such dialogs. Though I believe it is a paradox and not a contradiction, I am surprised as well as not surprised that most pagans and other followers of esoteric wisdoms today are former Catholics. In any case, climbing a mountain may get you to the other side, but it’s nice to enjoy and learn from the sights on the way, too.*p*: There are many things that occur (and have occurred) within *br*: the Catholic*br*: Church that are not officially sanctioned. Some of these *br*: things eventually*br*: come out in the headlines in bad ways and some of these *br*: underground *br*: practices never get reported. Some of the bad things are *br*: pedophilia,*br*: murder, sexual harassment, money laundering, etc.*p*All of which, sadly, have their pagan perpetrators as well. Such things are hardly ever officially sanctioned anymore...*p*: Some of *br*: the not so bad*br*: things are condoning contraception, divorce, alternative *br*: spiritual*br*: practices, etc.. When I speak of "Crane Clerics" *br*: in the Irish Catholic*br*: Church, I am relaying information given to me by people that *br*: I trust who*br*: have encountered and have been served by such priests.*p*Would we also think that a pagan would be “served” by a druid who told him or her to use natural family planning exclusively, to endure an abusive spouse or to say the Rosary? Or would we call that druid “progressive” and “not bound by the dogmas perpetrated by far-removed authority figures?” It’s natural for people to settle into the faith that they hope will serve them the best, by making a decision to follow family tradition or going another way. But can we order Italian at a Chinese restaurant and really expect to be satisfied?*p**br*: To *br*: see an example*br*: of the ways in which Irish Catholic spiritual beliefs differ *br*: markedly from*br*: what is considered the norm by Rome, read _Anamchara_ by *br*: John O'Donohue*br*: (which is a moderate example IMO).*p*When it comes to spiritual writing and practice there is a long tradition of Catholic authors who seem to write in a way which avoids dogmatic language or even references to Christian persons or things. This is because even Catholics know that there is a difference between dogma and revelation, which Catholics believe is given through the scriptures and the Church, and spirituality, which is a unique experience for the individual. These writers write in a more ecumenical or universal language of spirituality, even giving a class to Buddhist monks one week, a workshop to a mixed bag of seekers a second week, and a retreat to Benedictine nuns the third. The tradition is old: look at the writings of the Desert Fathers, or John of the Cross. Fr. Henri Nouwen, one of this century’s most prolific spiritual writers wrote like this. John O’Donahue, in Anam Cara and his poems does this, also. I have attended a workshop given by Fr. O’Donahue at the Omega Institute, a non-denominational holistic and spiritual center in Rhinebeck, New York. At the workshop, he mentioned giving retreats to religious and lay Catholic groups.*p*It is important to remember that spiritual writing and dogmatic treatises are distinct genres, even within a single religion.*br* *p*: Being a Druid is not so much a matter of names or *br*: organizations as it is a*br*: matter of spirit. One either receives the gift of imbas or *br*: not after*br*: study, discipline and seeking. What is Rome's is given to *br*: Rome but that*br*: which belongs to Spirit and to the Land must return to Them *br*: as well.*p*Absolutely true. And Searles!! Paraphrasing the New Testament!! - “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, but to God what is God’s” ;-)*p*: In*br*: the early days of Christianity in Ireland, it was tolerated *br*: by the Pagan*br*: religions and people, as another deity among many. *br*: Christianity was the*br*: religion that had zero tolerance for other gods.*p*The high degree of tolerance was, no doubt, a product of the civility of the Irish. One would think that their isolation in the face of the long lived threat from across a narrow band of water would have made them more suspicious of the missionaries. In the end, I cannot help but suspect that something in the message struck a deep chord within the Irish heart, despite its monotheistic notes. The doctrine of the Communion of Saints and the practice of the Cult of Saints must have seemed like a sort of natural loophole. Celtic Christians were certainly in the forefront of the promotion of the saints, their hagiography and relics, that continued through the Middle Ages and beyond the Renaissance. I propose, however, that the Cult of the Saints did not offer a hideout for Celtic gods and goddesses as much as it provided a structure of heaven-dwelling divine and human beings that followed a social structure more like that of Irish Celtic society. It may have also appealed to their sensibilities regarding cooperation within the clan, as well as their understanding of the continued and immanent lives of their ancestors.*p*: Even*br*: today, in the United States there are underground religions *br*: and practices*br*: that are intolerable to many Christian groups, yet they *br*: survive. *p*The religious and spiritual history of the U.S. is unique. In general, and the various witch hunts are acknowledged, the spirit of American individualism has permitted the survival of “underground” religions, as has the rule of law. The failures are poignant, but the successes are much more numerous. After all, even the most vile, unsociable religion of one can survive today in America, despite a unanimity of disgust, so long as its practitioner stays within the law, enjoys his right to free speech and cares not for public opinion.*p* * * **p*The remainder of Searles’ post is a lovely and poetic description of the process by which Truth endures. Such words are rays of the bright light we would all do well to follow. Too often we express our inner isolation and the natural desire to recapture our souls by keeping our eyes focused on the darkness in humanity’s past rather than on the womb-darkness that brings us to light. It is true that we must learn from history so as not to repeat the errors of the peoples of the past. As Searles points out, we may also learn from their triumphs. We are at our worst when we make the tears of past victims our own -- unworthily, since we do so without their suffering -- and then lay burdens of guilt and shame upon brothers and sisters whom all of creation made to be here, now, not then, there.*p*As the Chinese proverb goes, “Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.” For the darkness that draws our curse, draws also our hearts; the single flame we light draws every heart home.*p*--Beirdd How Druids Created the World Searles 164 Sat Sep 5 15:05:13 1998