Re: A Question on Druidic Validity
Daven
daven@priest.com
Wed Feb 21 09:12:21 2001
And I would agree that it's a matter of perspective as to what definition*br*they are using.*p*Any religion mutates and changes as it ages.  It must do this or it stales*br*and dies.  Perfect example?  The Shakers.  Their way did not change with the*br*times, and now they are all dead.*p*Your teacher may be correct in saying that the way the Druids of the Celts*br*practiced is dead, just as Searles is correct in saying that the*br*Christianity of Christ is dead, but that does not make the practices of the*br*modern Druids any less valid or religious.*p*Your teacher may have also been attempting to say that we cannot reconstruct*br*the Druid's religion since there are few references for us to pull on.*br*While it is true that there is good and bad information out there, and that*br*the information we do have is scattered and well hidden, we do have some*br*information.  Enough to ensure that we will be able to mostly reconstruct*br*their spirituality.  Their rites and practices, the knowledge they had of*br*herbalism, of astronomy and astrology, we will have to recreate on our own*br*with what has been passed down to us now.*p*Plus remember that when we speak of Druid, we are talking about three*br*different priest classes of the Celts, not all of them simmilar.  The Druids*br*of the Guals, the Druids of the Irisih, and the Druids of the English*br*mainland Celts.  Each had different practices and different ways of doing*br*things.*p*Do we want to have a political structure as the Gallic Druids had?  I don't*br*think we can in this day and age.  One ArchDruid over all the other Druids,*br*with a decending order of knowledge from there, with ranks to match?  Sounds*br*like the Catholic Church to me, and most NeoPagans don't want something that*br*cumbersome over them.*p*So, your teacher is correct in saying that the Druids are dead.  As he may*br*be thinking about them, as a political power, as a ritualistic structure,*br*and in many other ways, their religion and the need for the Druids to be the*br*way they were, is well and truly dead.  But even the most banked fire can be*br*coaxed back to life, and many of us are doing that now, and trying our best*br*to contribute to the knowledge the old Druids had.*p*So, while the Old Ways of Druidry are dead, we are resurrecting and*br*reincarnating that "spirit" of Druidry that they represented.*p*Daven*p**p*Searles wrote,*br*: I'd question your teacher's intents and purposes in making *br*: such a remark. I could say the same things about almost any *br*: other religious, philosophical or spiritual group with an *br*: equal chance of being wrong and self-defining in my *br*: conclusions.*br*:*br*: "There are no real christians today since the followers *br*: of Christ all died a long time ago. Hence, they must be *br*: extinct. Anyone calling themselves a christian today must be *br*: using a different definition."  Sounds pretty *br*: self-fulfilling to me and equally lame.*br*:*br*: There are real Druids today (just as there are real *br*: Christians) and they are neither extinct nor historical.  *br*: Their intents and purposes are here and now. They are here *br*: and now.*br*:*br*: Searles*br*:*br*: Beirdd wrote,*br*: : A teacher of mine once told me that since "druid" *br*: : describes an historical priesthood that, to all intents and *br*: : purposes, is currently extinct, there can be no real druids *br*: : today.*br*: :*br*: : What would be the response to those on this board to the *br*: : above statement?*br*: :*br*: : Beirdd :-)*br*
Re: A Question on Druidic Validity
Searles
788
Tue Feb 20 23:47:10 2001