Re: Recognizing Druids
TopazOwl

Mon Oct 26 09:50:58 1998
1 X 2 Willows wrote,*p*: Once in a while I just get sick and tired of todays fad of *br*: calling oneself 'Druid', only because the person in question *br*: vaguely develops an interest in an 'Earth Religion' and *br*: aquires a couple of books and 'artifacts' on the way.*p*     First, I'm not so sure that the ancients held quite the same *kind* of reverence for the earth as the people in today's "earth religions" do...but that is another topic for another time. Let's just say it had a different flavor. :-)*p*: To me, it's like anybody with a cross on the wall, a bible *br*: in the drawer and some knowledge about baptizing- and *br*: wedding rituals would go and claim they're all Bishops...*p*     I agree with you, Dan. I get sick of it too. While I'm not an extremist like some who say you can never be a Druid if you don't live in a Celtic language speaking area, I do think you can't be a Druid without the knowledge base of all those Celts who came before us. And when I run into someone who doesn't know the first thing about the Celts and yet claims to be a Druid...well, that is one type I know is not. I mean, at the *very least* the Arthurian literature, which is still archetypal, is easy enough to find!*br*     If you don't have the knowledge base, if you aren't familiar with the symbols and archetypes of the Celtic cultures (if a Raven comes to you and you have no idea what she means in a *Celtic* context, for instance, but you do have a New Age definition, well, you might misinterpret the sign, eh?), then how could you build a Druidism that follows in the footsteps of our forebearers? And if it doesn't, well -- can it be considered Druidism?*p*     I have a problem with the "self-proclaimed" as well. As I said elsewhere and I'm sure you read it, your *community* has to honor you with the title before you can go telling people you're a Druid. And if one is not doing all those things for one's people that the ancients did, can one really think that one deserves to have that ancient title bestowed upon them? It is the epitome of arrogance to bestow that title upon oneself, IMO. Doesn't a person have to be accepted by his/her peers to be a Druid? I mean, you can call youself a Druid, but if no other respected Druid recognizes you as such, are you a Druid? *p*     I could learn all my life (and I will!) and still not know everything there is to know about being a Druid. It really irks me when some upstart gives himself on a whim an instant title that others of us have struggled and studied and worked for for years and years and *know* we still haven't even touched the tip of the iceburg. What then the value of the term?*p*Just some thoughts,*br*Leigh
Re: Recognizing Druids
1 X 2 Willows
233
Sun Oct 25 08:19:00 1998