daibhaid@summerlands.com
Re: Da' boy makes some sense
Searles

Wed Jul 26 08:32:42 2000
In former times, before the Industrial Revolution and when people lived closer to the earth, almost everyone had a stronger connection to Nature than many of us have today. It's only natural to expect that the learned in an agrarian society would have made the attempt to understand and observe the ways of Nature.  This seems particularly true when one observes that trees/wood lore were used as a basis for forming an alphabet (the Ogham) and concepts in language. This reverence for Nature also seems to be at the root of the idea of the sacred tree or bile which many Irish Celtic tribes embraced. *p*The idea of shapeshifting (or evolving) into animal and other natural forms (as mentioned in the traditional tales) also seems to imply a fundamental understanding of the basic rules underlying life and existence.  One cannot easily become a thing without knowing its essential nature.  In some of the tales, people are changed into animal or plant form to teach them lessons in philosophy and proper behavior (the Mabinogi for instance). It is from understanding that knowledge seems to be gained and so the reported expertise of Druids in fields of knowledge and wisdom like medicine, herbalism, astronomy and agricultural science implies that they understood the relationship of Nature to life and being.*p*The Druids were the learned of a society that lived closer to the land and with less of an apparent, ecological impact. This reduction in harm to the ecology might be due to smaller numbers of people being surrounded by greater natural resources.  I'm also certain that even the best of scientific and natural approaches can be overcome or abrogated by other human societal pressures like greed and politics. Even in Eden human nature was said to have ruined the landscape.:-) It can probably be shown that ancient humankind succumbed to the temptations of exploitation in the past even as it does in the present.  This doesn't mean that its intelligentsia supported or condoned such actions.*p*All in all, it is seemingly natural to consider that learned students of Nature who lived close to her minions and the effects of her vagaries would come to love her ways. This does not mean that we should accept every modern or newage fad that comes along if we wish to be Druids.  It does however suggest that if we wish to be like the Druids of old we should live closer to Nature and with a better understanding of her inner secrets.*p**br*Searles*p*daibh wrote,*br*<snip>*br*: Well granted that there are a lot of folk out there talking *br*: the talk, but few to walk the walk and there is a lot more *br*: to being a Druid that just being 'eco-friendly' but that's a *br*: good place to start. My hot button is all the fluffy bunnies *br*: that permeate various areas of the new. Yet they're *br*: everywhere and it's a job that we must work at in stamping *br*: out their ignorance. That in my fundamentalist belief is *br*: what we as Druids should hold as a tenet. Our goal should be *br*: first the great triad, they secondly work to educate *br*: ourselves and those around us that are spouting ignorance. *br*: Whether confirmed trolls like JLB or just some newbie who *br*: has come along with the idea that whatever the most current *br*: Llewellyn book says on the subject is right. Lasters, use *br*: this site, post, read, participate, don't be a wallflower, *br*: ... to sound anachronistic for a moment, be a doobee. There *br*: is a great deal more I could say, but for the moment I'll *br*: let the above sink in and see if it'll stir some keyboards. *br*: :^)*br*:*br*: Slan!*br*:*br*: Daibh*br*
Da' boy makes some sense
daibh
629
Wed Jul 26 07:22:39 2000