Frequently Asked Questions

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Aren't you just pretending to be Druids, because the real Druids died out over a thousand years ago?

Having decided to follow Druidry, or to become a Druid, you are almost certain to be challenged, at some time, by an idea which seems to cast serious doubt on the legitimacy and authenticity of the spiritual tradition you are attempting to follow. This challenge may come to you as you read about the Druids, or in conversation with someone, or perhaps in your own thinking. It is clearly expressed by Bob Stewart in his Merlin Tarot, when he says 'an indigestible mass of spurious nonsense has been written about the druids; unfounded pretentious claims from 'druid orders' derive entirely from nineteenth-century fabrication. None of these groupings may truly lay any claim to be druidic, separated as they are by at least a millennium from the last vestiges of practising druid religion.' Isn't he right? How can anyone legitimately call themselves a Druid when the last Druids died out over a thousand years ago? But Stewart, in common with many writers, sees Druidry as a human creation, with the gap in linear time between the demise of the Celtic Druids and the appearance of the Revival Druids, creating an unbridgeable chasm between 'real' Druids who lived thousands of years ago, and 'fake' Druids who have lived from the eighteenth century onwards. (Stewart's dating, incidentally, is wrong - the Revival groups began in the 18th, not 19th century). We believe Druidry emanates from a spiritual source, and is only secondarily a human creation in linear time. We sense it as existing in the spiritual or archetypal world as a source of inspiration, energies, images and ideas. Over linear time, a number of people have responded to this source of inspiration, including the proto-Druids who built the megalithic monuments, such as Stonehenge, the Celtic Druids, known to us from classical writings, the Bards whose formal schools continued to the eighteenth century, the romantic Druid Revivalists of the eighteenth century, and those who call themselves Druids today. Each group has helped to build the tradition that we now call Druidism or Druidry.

From this point of view we have as much right to call ourselves Druids today as others did in the past. And if the source of Druidry exists in the spiritual world, we don't have to fall into the trap of believing that the source lies in a distant past and is all but irretrievable. We can free ourselves from a concern that with every day that passes we are moving further away from the source of our tradition. And instead we can turn to the spiritual source, which transcends linear time, as opposed to the historical one - despite the fact that that is fascinating and worthy of study in its own right.

With virtually every aspect of Druid teaching and practice we, as a culture, have been led to believe that hardly any vestige remains. And yet, simply put to one side rather than buried deep, there are the myths and stories, the folk customs and sayings, the stone circles and sacred sites, the Bardic remains and historical references that, pieced together and united with commonsense and intuition, reveal a practice and a teaching that can be and is being revived - all over the world.

Where do the teachings of the Order come from?

Many people believe that the teachings of the Druids were lost with the coming of Christianity, and that we couldn’t possibly be teaching authentic Druid wisdom. We, however, believe that we are. The teachings given in the course (the new edition, published Feb 2001) are made up of five strands:

The first, and most important, comes – surprisingly to many – from very far back in time, and almost certainly to the teachings of the Druids before the coming of Christianity. We believe these teachings were entrusted to future generations by being encoded in certain ancient stories. Within these stories we can find embedded entire programmes of Druidic training, which form the core of the teachings that we present in the training of the Order. In addition to this material, we draw on the wisdom of the Druidic triads, which were recorded by Christian clerics but which reflect much of the wisdom of their pre-Christian ancestors.

The second strand has its source in the much later period of the Druid Revival, which began over three hundred years ago, at the end of the seventeenth century. Our Order traces its lineage to this period, and from this source of teachings we have inherited certain ritual forms and teachings. Some of these we have discarded as inappropriate to the modern age, but others have been kept, not only for their beauty and relevance, but because they too might well derive from earlier sources, or draw their inspiration from them.

The third strand comes from a more recent time, about forty years ago, when the previous Chief of the Order, Philip Ross Nichols, together with a group of fellow-druid members of the Ancient Druid Order, formed The Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids, still honouring its connections through the Ancient Druid Order back to its founding in the time of the Druid Revival, but taking the decision to incorporate more study of Celtic source material, and to include a celebration of the four Celtic fire festivals.

Ross Nichols was a friend of Gerald Gardner, the founder of the modern Wicca movement, and the evidence of the intellectual cross-fertilisation that occurred between them can now be seen in both Wiccan and Druid teachings. Nichols edited Gardner’s first book on Wicca, and contributed material to his second book.

The fourth strand comes from the contribution of the present Chief of the Order, Philip Carr-Gomm, to the teachings. Having trained with Ross Nichols, and having trained in psychology and psychotherapy, (in particular Jungian analytical therapy and Psychosynthesis) Philip was asked to lead the Order in 1988.

The fifth strand comes from the contributions of many contemporary scholars and specialists in Druidry and Celtic spirituality, who – over the last decade or more – have offered their insights and writings to the world, and in some cases specifically to the Order, to help build a body of teachings that are truly relevant and helpful to students of Druidry in the modern world. These include, amongst others, Professor Ronald Hutton, Dr Graham Harvey, John & Caitlin Matthews, Mara Freeman, Vera Chapman, Gordon Cooper, Erynn Laurie, Cairistiona Worthington, Philip Shallcrass, Emma Restall-Orr, Nicholas Mann, Maya Magee Sutton, Frank MacEowen, John O'Donoghue, Robin Williamson, and John Michell.

These five strands have contributed to creating a body of teaching that over the years has proved to be inspiring and helpful to very many people.

When was OBOD founded and by whom?

OBOD descends from the Ancient Druid Order, which was founded in 1717 CE in the Apple Tree Tavern, Covent Garden. In 1964 the old Chief, MacGregor-Reid died, and one group carried on the ADO under the leadership of Thomas Maughan, while another group started the OBOD under the leadership of Ross Nichols. With OBOD, the three grades were taught, and instead of just celebrating the two equinoxes and the Summer Solstice, all eight festivals were celebrated. In 1988, under the leadership of Philip Carr-Gomm, a distance-learning programme was created.

Who runs the Order? How is it structured?

While trying to have as little organisation as possible, we do need some structure otherwise nothing would ever get done.

A team of over fifty tutors around the world offer their support by mail and email to members, and this team is co-ordinated by the tutor co-ordinator, Susan Jones, who says: "As far as I know, OBOD's tutoring system is unique - a spiritual companion by post or email. Writing to a stranger can be daunting, but also quite magical. I've met some wonderful people and learnt a lot through my work as a tutor and now as co-ordinator. When I directed a professional development programme at the London Business School I introduced an email coaching system based on some of the ideas I'd learnt as an OBOD tutor." Druid Grade members who have demonstrated their ability to communicate well are invited to apprentice as tutors, and over the years we have developed our own unique coaching process to train them.

At the office in Sussex, Dave and Cerri send the monthly packages to members all over the world, and supply books and audios, and the answers to hundreds of queries a week by post, email, fax and phone. Often members call by to say hello or to consult the Order's archives - but please phone or write first to make sure it's convenient!

Penny Billington in Derby edits the monthly magazine Touchstone, and she would love to receive articles, letters, news cuttings and any details of events you may be organising. So would Carole Nielsen in Sydney who edit Serpentstar - the members' magazine for Australasia - and Mardoeke Boekraad in Belgium or Peter van den Berg in the Netherlands, who edit Dryade the Dutch & Belgian members' magazine.

Susan Henssler in London, who compiled The Bardic Companion, and Cairistiona Worthington in the Scottish Borders, both give talks and run workshops and retreats on Druidry and related subjects, and are training a team of facilitators, to run courses, workshops and retreats.

Libby Wasser in Illinois and Kernos in Missouri have designed and maintain the website, and moderate NOBOD. Kennan Elkman in Albany, Western Australia, coordinates the Healing Network and The Druid College of Healing. Clare Slaney in London coordinates the camps in Britain. Other members coordinate or facilitate projects such as the Assemblies, the Sacred Grove Programme, the Ecological Responsibility Campaign, Interfaith work, liaison with other Druid groups, liaison with English Heritage and the National Trust, and so on.

Every few years the Order appoints an Honorary Bard - honouring a writer, poet, musician or artist for their accomplishments. In the year 2000 Mara Freeman, poet and author of Kindling the Celtic Spirit was appointed. In 1998 it was songwriter and singer Robin Williamson, of The Incredible String Band. In previous years, we used the title Presider instead, and Past Presiders of the Order include the author Melita Denning; John Michell, writer on earth mysteries, ley lines and geomancy; Caitlin and John Matthews, writers and lecturers on the Western Mystery Tradition and the Arthurian and Celtic traditions; the poet Robert Armstrong, the author Charles Cammell, and Lewis Spence, writer on mythology, Druidry and the British Mysteries.

The Order also has a Patroness, who helps to raise funds for special projects. Dwina Murphy-Gibb, author of the druidic Cormac Trilogy and wife of modern-day bard Robin Gibb, is currently our Patroness.

There are four roles which focus on spiritual guardianship within the Order: The Chief, The Pendragon, The Scribe, and The Modron.

The Chief is currently Philip Carr-Gomm, author of The Elements of the Druid Tradition and The Druid Way, co-author of The Druid Animal Oracle and editor of The Druid Renaissance and The Book of Druidry.

Past Chiefs have included Ross Nichols, author of The Book of Druidry, and in the Ancient Druid Order, out of which OBOD evolved, George Watson MacGregor-Reid, author of The Natural Basis of Civilization, Gerald Massey, author of The Seven Souls of Man, Godfrey Higgins, author of The Celtic Druids, and others - including perhaps William Stukeley, the antiquarian and founding father of archaeology.

The Pendragon is currently Bill Worthington, an artist and craftsman who has illustrated The Druid Way and the cards for The Druid Animal Oracle. The previous Pendragon was Vera Chapman, founder of The Tolkien Society, and author of the Arthurian Trilogy: The Three Damosels, The Green Knight and King Arthur’s Daughter.

The Scribe is currently Stephanie Carr-Gomm, co-author of The Druid Animal Oracle.

The Modron is currently Cairistiona Worthington, author of Druids - A Beginner's Guide.

The Order is affiliated to The Council of British Druid Orders, and L'Ordre Druidique Mondiale, and has representatives who liaise with other Druid groups worldwide - particularly in the United States and France - and with The Pagan Federation in England. It also participates in inter-faith gatherings.

How is the Order run now?

Philip writes:

"When I was in the Order in the seventies with Ross Nichols, although we had a Constitution, the Order was really so small you could say that it was run almost wholly by him, with some assistance from the Pendragon and Scribe. The Order then was tiny, with under a dozen active members. In the first few years of the re-formation of the Order, say from 1988 to 1990, Stephanie and I really ran the Order (ie took all the decisions and did all the work!) But then as the work expanded, people volunteered to help, or we asked them, until now we have about 90 people involved in taking decisions about the work of the Order - and that includes tutors and group leaders.

From 1990 until 1995, we tried to run the Order in the way 'Societies' are supposed to be run - a rational, conventional, committee style of working, with the only unconventional aspect, in our case, being that some of the office holders had fancy titles (Pendragon, Scribe etc), and the committee was called The College of Caer Lud. In 1995 we came to accept that this way of working has never worked, and in fact the Order was never really run that way. So we had been trying to live up to a model that we have now accepted is unworkable. Why? Because the way the Order has evolved and the way it actually functions, is based on numerous small and large decisions and initiatives and tasks being taken and carried out by a growing number of people who do not often meet physically, and who communicate by phone, fax, email and letter. The number of decisions taken vary so hugely that the College was never able to make them, because they were being made all the time, and couldn't be saved up for the rare occasion when we could get all the members of the College to come together at one time. Even when we were able to meet, the reality was that often the person most knowledgeable about the issue wasn't a member of the College, so most of our time was spent filling in the College about what was happening and why. It was valuable as a think-tank and as a time of meeting with fellow Druids, but it never really was that mysterious body controlling the Order which many members thought it must be. So we've disbanded the College, or looked at another way, we've expanded it to include the whole membership.

Perhaps the best way to describe how the Order works is to see its structure like a five dimensional spider's web or network: - five dimensional because as well as existing in the three dimensions of space, and the fourth dimension of time, it also exists in the Inner World - the fifth dimension. That other dimension allows for the fact that much of the impulses, initiatives and perhaps even decisions are being made by members of the Order who don't even have bodies, let alone the ability to write voting slips.

Some members feel that members should have voting rights, and that they should be involved in decision-making for the Order. But the problem if we instituted this, would be that the work of the Order would grind to a halt. Every day I, Stephanie, Dave, Susan, the tutors, people running groups, take decisions - lots and lots of them - and the Order grows and flourishes. Nobody is referring to a Constitution, nobody is waiting for the next committee meeting, nobody is waiting for a vote. When there is voting, the atmosphere created by this way working becomes competitive and political, and to quote Philip Shallcrass of the British Druid Order: "it gives the illusion of representation whilst failing to deliver the reality." You could say that at least the voting committee style is clear and understandable - minutes and resolutions are recorded, votes are taken. But in my experience, this is at the level of appearances only. Why? Because although apparently egalitarian and democratic in structure, in reality there is never enough time to fully examine issues, the hidden agendas are hardly ever discussed, and often those voting are not in full possession of all the facts. And so what happens is that a few vocal and strong personalities with particular agendas railroad other, less articulate and weaker personalities into voting their way.

Let's look at the Order's work. Would it be appropriate, desirable or necessary for members to vote about any of the administrative decisions: which photocopier to buy, which paper to stock, whom to employ to fold or staple the Gwersu? Would any member want to? What about subtler decisions: whom to appoint as tutors? Would it really be appropriate to talk about individual members, their letter-writing abilities and perceived reliability and qualities (things which very few people would know) in front of an Assembly of members? Clearly not. What decisions should members make? Are there ones so important that we should save them up until an Assembly before we act? I can think of one candidate - the issue of access to Stonehenge, and the Order's policy on it. Some people in the Druid community feel that there should be free access to Stonehenge at all times for everyone. Others feel that English Heritage is now the guardian of this site, and that a working relationship can be developed with them, and that private ceremonies can and should be held there. In the Council of British Druid Orders this issue has been debated for six years. Things have even reached a stage where there was almost a physical fight in a meeting between holders of the two contrary views. Even after six years there is no consensus and the Council has been greatly weakened by this one area of contention. How could we, as members of OBOD, possibly do justice to such a complex issue? How, practically and logistically, could we all fully inform ourselves of all the facts, debate the issues, and then vote on the Order's policy? Even if some of us could do these things, what right would we have to impose it on the rest of the membership? And what value, practical or moral would that hold?

There is another way of working - it's harder to understand and harder to articulate, but I believe it's the way the Order has been working. It's more feminine, less logical and linear: the chains of command, of decision-making, and of communication, are more varied, but the potential they represent is far greater than any conventional, old-fashioned way of working.

So if you have an idea, or want to help, there are no committees to contact, no rules to follow. Just communicate your ideas to your tutor, to Touchstone, to the office, to me, to your grove or seed-group, or to NOBOD if you're in that cyberspace group. Anyone, any member at whatever grade is welcome to make proposals, offer their time or skills or energy in whatever way they wish. This is in fact the way it has always happened. And these proposals or offers don't have to come to me as Chief. Members often suggest things to fellow members in NOBOD, or in their grove, or to their tutor or tutor coordinator, or in the Open Forum. The idea of gay affinity groups is one such example. The idea was mooted in Touchstone's Open Forum and as a result two groups have sprung up already. The only time, so far, that members' suggestions have been turned down, have been the few times when some members have offered their services as tutors, and the Tutor Coordinators have declined their offers. Understandably they have been upset, but the job of tutoring is such a responsible one, it would be irresponsible of us to simply accept all comers. Potential tutors are selected from the Druid Grade, based on our experience of their letters over the previous three or more years. They are then invited to explore the idea of tutoring/mentoring, and if they feel they would like to try it, they are invited to try writing a series of sample replies to letters to see whether it is right for them. So the reality, I believe, is that we are participating in a growing, creative, living, dynamic structure that is allowing all sorts of creative things to happen in serendipitous and synchronistic ways precisely because there's some dark soil there - precisely because we don't quite understand it, precisely because all its processes can't be quantified and analysed. Jung, fascinated as he was by creativity, the spiritual life and synchronicity, when he was told that a C.G.Jung Institute was being organised in Los Angeles, said "Oh no! I hope it's as disorganised as possible." Romain Roland said "Organisation is the death of an idea". I think we have managed to balance the organisation needed to run the Order reasonably efficiently, with the disorganisation necessary to let it breathe and grow, but please let's not have more organisation! The proof of the pudding is in the eating, and it tastes pretty good to a lot of us I believe, and so to those few critics of the way the Order operates, I would suggest we apply the formula "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" I think we've found a formula which works, which is why it is flourishing. If we look at the network or web model, we can see that the dynamic working through it is one of communication, consultation, connection - and these things are happening all the time within it. The poet Jay Ramsay said to me the other day "OBOD is maintaining a frequency" and I think that's a good way of seeing what we're all doing. It's as if we are broadcasting ideas, energies, initiatives. It's as if we are a radio station, and it seems that a lot of people like to listen to it, and a lot of people like to help make programmes. If someone doesn't like listening to it, or doesn't agree with the way it works, then they just need to tune into another station, or if they have the time and energy, start their own.

To summarise we could say that the Order works in a way that resembles a network or spiders web that ultimately includes all the membership but which is upheld by about 90 active decision-makers who can be seen as nodes in this five-dimensional network. And what we must always remember is the impact that this network has beyond its own confines. The last thing we want to do is become obsessed with our own system. The Order has had, and is having a positive impact on many people's lives, and not just people who are in the Order. It is helping to articulate the ideas of Druidry, which reach a far bigger audience than the Order's membership, so it is important when we consider the Order and it's work that we see the wider picture - the world beyond the Order that it lives in and affects.
I'm sure there are plenty of things we could have done better, plenty of mistakes we've made, and I know as the African tribal saying goes "As a baboon cannot see his red bottom, so a man cannot see his shortcomings." But despite this, I think we can all be justifiably proud of the way the Order has grown and developed over the last twelve years, and this has been largely - I believe - the result of many exceptional people with exceptional skills coming together and working together, through their love of Druidry and the ideas and ideals it represents."

How many members are there?

About seven thousand people have joined since the distance learning programme was started in 1988. About four thousand people have completed, or are completing the Bardic grade. At any one time about 800 people across the world are studying the course. They come from all walks of life and many different countries, including Britain, Ireland, France, Germany, Belgium, Holland, Sweden, Finland, The United States, Japan, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Brazil, Israel and Poland.

What sort of people are members?

All kinds! About half are female, half male. We have teenagers and retired people following the course. Because it is experiential, it can be followed if you left school at 16 or if you have a doctorate. We have craftspeople, manual workers, semi-skilled people, doctors, lawyers, college professors, priests, Pagans, Wiccans, Christians and Buddhists enjoying the training programme.

What is the difference between a Seed-group and a Grove?

A Seed Group can be formed by any member at any point in their studies. Each group is different, but they are designed to be informal and relaxed - giving members the opportunity to meet and meditate together, and to discuss the course, their studies, and topics of mutual interest. Many groups celebrate the seasonal festivals together, and to attend a Seed-Group you do not necessarily need to be a member of the Order.

A Grove is a group which meets regularly and which is led by members who are in the Druid Grade. A fully functioning Grove will celebrate the eight festivals, give initiations, and will also hold Groves in each of the three grades.

Do I have to adopt any particular set of beliefs or practices when joining the Order?

No - all members are encouraged to believe and practice only those things which they feel are true and right for themselves. There is no dogma in Druidry. For this reason people with widely differing approaches are members - from Pagans and Wiccans to Christians and Buddhists, and to those with no particular ‘philosophy’ or ‘religion’.

BUT: !

"My initial answer to "Do you have to hold certain beliefs as a member of OBOD?" would be a resounding NO, but is that really true? Our diversity is great, but what is it we have in common that makes us Druids. I feel the answer, but have great difficulty articulating it." — from a recent NOBOD discussion

The question. "What do Druids' believe?" is better asked, "What does any particular Druid believe?"; or to put it another way, "What do I believe?" rather than "What do we believe?". Following are individual responses to these questions.

Returning to the Source, by Philip Carr-Gomm: Forward to The Druid Source Book, John Matthews, ed, 1996

What do Neopagan Druids believe by Issac Bonewits

OBOD member Kirk

OBOD member Charlotte

In the old days they say it took nineteen years to train a Druid, how can you do it in three years?

The world has changed a lot over the last few thousand years. In ancient times it took nineteen years to become a Druid, but this course of training included many of those subjects that we learn today at school. And nineteen years is also a symbolic length of time: it represents a Metonic cycle: a calculation of the time between two almost identical eclipses, and a calculation which also succeeded in uniting the solar and lunar calendars. And so nineteen years symbolises the time it might take for someone to unite the sun and moon, the Masculine and the Feminine, within their beings.

Today it still takes a long time to achieve this union in the depths of our souls, and the study of Druidry is a lifetime pursuit for many. But we no longer need to train for nineteen years before we can call ourselves a Druid. In fact the term Druid has now come to denote, for many, the type of spirituality they follow. And as for training, we have found that most members taking the course reach the Druid level of training in about three years, although it is possible to achieve this in just over two years.

I'm a Wiccan. Can I be a Druid too?

Many members are Wiccan, and find Druidry a powerful and valuable complement to their path.What is the difference between Wicca and Druidry?

An excerpt from 'The Druid Renaissance' edited by Philip Carr-Gomm and published by Thorsons (HarperCollins) July 1996:

The two main streams of 'British' Paganism are Wicca and Druidry. Although both traditions draw their inspiration from past ages, much of their contemporary practice has evolved very recently - from the eighteenth century for Druidry, from the 1940s onwards for Wicca. The eighteenth century saw the development of Druid ceremony, much of it articulated by Iolo Morganwg, and in the twentieth century the MacGregor-Reids and Ross Nichols gave further inspiration and form to Druid ceremony and thought, while Gerald Gardner proved the catalyst for the rebirth (or birth, depending on your opinion) of Wicca.

Since Wicca and Druidry share so much in common, it is natural to wonder whether they were originally one and the same, only developing later in different directions. Gerald Gardner, in The Meaning of Witchcraft (1959) wrote "The great question is, were the witches and the Druids members of the same cult?.....Personally, I think they were not; the witch cult was the religion of the soil, as it were, and the Druids were the more aristocratic religion..." At a Pagan Federation conference and then later in The Druid Way (1993) I asked Gardner's question again, and quoted various authors' views on the subject. Christina Oakley's article continues the debate, and her conclusion tallies with Gardner's: Wicca and Druidry have different histories. They certainly 'feel' different, as Christina Oakley mentions, and I think our Paganism is all the richer for these two vital, distinct and rich traditions growing side by side.

Many people, however, are now following both paths, combining them idiosyncratically to suit their own tastes and practises, in the time-honoured slightly anarchical way of modern Paganism. There is value in this, but also, I believe, a danger. The value lies in our being able to develop our own unique path. Paganism, Wicca, Druidry, Shamanism, the Earth Religions - all avoid the problems of the Revealed Religions, which so easily develop into personality cults and dogmatic systems. The eclecticism and anarchy of the former prevent this. And so a creative meeting of Wicca and Druidry is occurring, with some people feeling that the private focus of Wicca fulfils one need, while the more public focus of Druidry fulfils another.

Christina Oakley says "At the heart of Wicca is the image of the God and Goddess joined in love as one". Whilst variants of Wicca do not make the Great Rite central, she is speaking here of Traditional British Wicca, whose focus is on the act of union, just as Druidry's focus is on the results of that act: symbolised by the Divine Child, the Mabon, and expressed through the Arts and the Bardic tradition. Thus, the emphasis on the joining of male and female energy in Wicca seems perfectly balanced with the emphasis on the results of that joining in Druidry.

So we can see that it is quite possible to follow both Wicca and Druidry, since each fulfills a different need and helps to express a different facet of the self. To return to Gerald Gardner's suggestion, we could say that now we can embrace both traditions because socially we are no longer so constrained, and the person of the soil and the person of culture both need feeding within us. Having said this, it is important to realise the limitations of this argument, since many Wiccans and Druids will quite rightly point to the completeness of their own tradition, which belies any necessity for combination with a complementary path. Even so, the mixing is undoubtedly happening. If you were to visit a non-aligned Pagan ceremony at a festival time, you would almost certainly find yourself participating in a ritual which draws its inspiration and form partly from Wicca and partly from Druidry. Ask Wiccans if they are Druids too, and a good deal will say they are, and vice versa. The question is, are we enriching our traditions or diluting them?

While some contemporary Pagans eclectically blend Wiccan and Druid practice, research is revealing more of the connections that existed in the seminal years of modern Druidry's and Wicca's development - the 1940's and 50's. The influence of the related movements of Woodcraft Chivalry and Naturism of the 20's and 30's, which could be seen as effectively Pagan movements, is only now being explored (see Ronald Hutton's article in Enchante Autumn 1993 and Steve Wilson's article in Aisling 8 (1995)). Both Gerald Gardner and Ross Nichols, founder of the Order of Bards Ovates & Druids, were influenced by these, and we know that Gardner was a member of the Ancient Druid Order (The Druid Way p.57). It has also been suggested that George Watson MacGregor-Reid, Chief of the Ancient Druid Order, was also a member of the famous New Forest coven in 1939 (W.E.Liddell The Pickingill Papers, Capall Bann 1994 ).

From conversations with Ross Nichols, and from his writings, I believe that he was probably not an initiated Wiccan (although I cannot be certain of this), but I know that he was highly sympathetic to Wicca and had many Wiccan friends, including Justine Glass, author of Witchcraft, the Sixth Sense and Us (Neville Spearman 1965) and apparently Doreen Valiente. Gardner and Nichols were friends too, and as a result of their exchanges the eightfold Pagan festival cycle was born. (Or reborn, depending on your point of view. For a discussion of the history of this central feature of modern Pagan practice see Steve Wilson's article in Aisling 8 (1995) p.15 which is based partly on detailed research by Ronald Hutton for his forthcoming book on the history of modern paganism The Triumph of the Moon.) Following their discussions, Wiccans incorporated the Solstices and Equinoxes into their celebrations, and Druids incorporated the fire festivals into theirs. That is a tremendous example of cross-fertilisation between the two traditions, and in the last few years we have seen this happening in a wider, though less dramatic form.

I believe we can avoid a dilution or homogenisation by understanding Druidry and Wicca as two discrete, separate entities, which nevertheless have much to offer each other. Some will want to work in both traditions, feeling that they complement and enrich each other. Others will prefer to root themselves firmly in just one tradition, sensing that it is complete in itself.