Questions about Druids
Searles

Sat Jul 22 00:25:56 2000
Questions about Druids      *p*This is a string of questions that I was once asked about Druids on an email list:*p*"What are your opinions on Stuart Piggott's book 'The Druids'? It's supposed to be as concise a history as is available to the modern student of Druid history. "*p*I feel that Piggott is representative of the most prevalent academic approach to the subject of Druids.  His discipline is archaeology and he tends to emphasize the tangible over the intangible (a risky business when dealing with a group that dealt in both aspects of reality).  His work is grounded in fact, but so are his conclusions.  He tends to err on the side of safety, yet misses some import truths that are not there to be seen by those who do not take risks.*p*"What is Nature?"*p*Nature is the third element of the Du/ile.  In the Cosmos, this is life and its actions and reactions to the world around it. In a person, Nature is tied into the emotional variables of a person's body, mind and spirit. It is also connected to their sense of da/n or destiny.*p*"What is God?"*p*God is a word that is little understood and often misused.   Applying the most open definition and interpretation to this word changes it into Deity.  Deity is that which connects and manifests reality.  As such, we each contain aspects of Deity within ourselves. Deity also manifests as higher levels of beings that are called the Sidhe, angels, demons, spirits, and *others*.  At the highest level of this hierarchy are beings we call gods and goddesses.*p*"Is there an Afterlife?"*p*Of course there is an Afterlife.  By definition, if we have a Life, then when it ends there is an Afterlife.  The question should be," what are the characteristics of the Afterlife?"  In my experience, the Afterlife is much like this one, depending on the type of world into which we re-create ourselves.  If we choose not to re-create, then we can exist within an Afterlife where there is no such thing as time or space.*p*"What name do you give to the deity you worship / revere?"*p*I don't give my Deity a name that I could reveal or explain to you.  A good description of this deity might be An Dagda (meaning The God God), using Old Irish as a common ground for communicating ideas.*p*"What do you feel separates your beliefs from those of Witches?"*p*The fact that I am not a Witch separates me from Witches, though I certainly appreciate the attributes and nature of Witches.*p*"Do you feel that sacrifice is a necessary component of the religion?"*p*Sacrifice is a giving back of the gifts of existence to re-create that existence.  This is as true of farming and investment as it is of life and religion.*p*"If so, what type?"*p*Whatever type is required, whether that be physical, mental, moral, emotional, or spiritual.*br* *br*"How long have you been attempting to follow this path?"*p*I have been on this path for 48 years.*p*"Were you "called" or did you become interested in Druidism?"*p*I was *taken* and have spent a lifetime understanding what that means.*p*"Are you of Celtic origin? I.E. Irish, Scottish, Welsh etc. "*p*I am an American of Irish, Welsh, British and French descent.*p*"Do you believe in groups 'groves', covens, etc. ?"*p*Some of them I "believe in" and some of them I don't.  If you mean, "do such exist," then the answer is absolutely "Yes!"*p*"There aren't any right or wrong answers here. I'm just curious about other thoughts than my own."*p*An answer is the tone that is played by plucking the string that connects right to wrong.*p*Searles