From Touchstone, by Chris Turner, Summer 1998

There will be an eclipse of the Sun in the Southern Hemisphere at the Longitude of Stonehenge at midday on the 21st June 2001. This is an event of great magnitude and significance. This is a portent of no less that the rebirth of Druidry, no longer confined to a country or a culture, but as a great force for Light to shine amongst all peoples in all parts of the world. I believe that the outward form of Druidry will and must undergo great development and change in order to accommodate the new flowering and expansion of the spiritual forces that Druidry represents, and to realise the ethics, principles and objectives of this spirituality within the Apparent World.Before we can begin to understand and appreciate the future direction of Druidry, it is necessary to remind ourselves of its history and nature, both in the distant past and in more recent years.My own belief is that the Spirit of Druidry is an expression of the One Light that flows through and emanates from the physical fabric of Britain. It is part of the One Light and manifests itself of itself. It is independent of mankind and is not dependent on mankind for its existence.

The Spirit of Druidry existed long before the first men set foot on these islands. When at last they did come, the belief systems that they brought with them were changed and developed by their interaction with the Spirit in its manifestation as the Spirit of Britain. These early people were Druids although the term itself belongs to a much later period. We do not know what language they spoke, what they called themselves or what their beliefs were. What is certain is that they were all touched and inspired by the Spirit that is the Spirit of Britain. It is this recognition and acknowledgement of Spirit that I understand to be the heart and fundament of Druidry.From this it follows that Druidry is a function of the Spirit. It is not cultural and it is not racial. The several Celtic people of Britain were Druids (their own term), but Druidry is not Celtic. The English peoples also worshipped as Druids, although the name they used is lost to us, until the overt practice of Druidry was overshadowed by Roman Christianity. Even then, the ancient ways were quietly continued, not as some sort of stubborn underground tradition, but a constantly renewed and spontaneous response to the Spirit of Druidry that flows unceasingly from every stone and tree and river in these islands.Druidry has never been lost in Britain. This is not because dedicated and committed men and women have nurtured the flame in secret over the centuries. It is because the Spirit of Druidry flows through this land of itself, and there will always be those who hear and listen and respond to its call.

There have always been Druids in Britain. There has never been a time without Druids since men first stepped onto these shores. The public revival of Druidry in 1717 simply gave form and structure to a system of spiritual awareness that had renewed and sustained itself of itself throughout the long night of Christianity.That there is an irresistible renaissance of Druidry is beyond question, but it not yet upon us. The present worldwide upsurge of Druidic study and practice is only a preparation for the rebirth which is still to come. Despite some rationalisation, modern Druidry still looks back to its perceived ancient and cultural roots. The New Druidry will look forward into the future from a firm standpoint in the present. The emphasis of Druidry will, I believe, take a monumental change of direction and this change will be marked in the Apparent World by the eclipse of June 21st, 2001. What is required of us as Druids is to be aware of these forthcoming changes and to take advantage of the day for ourselves, for mankind and for our Mother Earth. We do not drive Druidry, Druidry drives us..I anticipate that the nature of these changes in Druidry will be from particularity to universality. This is a process that has already started and which has achieved great progress. However, this is still only a preparation for the changes which will follow the eclipse. In short, I believe Druidry will and must "go public".

There seems to be a twofold responsibility which I think we should address as Druids by opening the Teaching to a wider audience. The first is towards our Mother Earth. The wilful exploitation of the Earth can only be brought within acceptable limits by an overt change in the attitudes of the despoilers and the over-consumers. Druids cannot effect a change of this magnitude by covert Working alone. The attitudes and responsibilities of Druidry must be brought out into plain view.The second responsibility is towards the spiritual welfare of those who need help and guidance, but who are not able, for one reason or another, to take up formal membership of our Order. There is a need for spiritual involvement in the celebration of Creation and in the Rites of Passage that give us our identity within our society and within the wider family of Mankind. This is refused by many churches and movements to non-members while others have lost credibility or authority. Druidry can assist many people who need a spiritual direction in their lives and can bring peace and comfort to many who would otherwise be denied. Ultimately, of course, these two responsibilities are one, for one feeds the other.Here we are presented with a once-and-for-all opportunity to create a change that will have incalculable and far-reaching effects both within the Apparent World and in the Spiritual Planes. It seems that we have been presented with the ideal outward expression of this change in the event of the Eclipse. Uniquely, we have been given time to prepare in advance, rather than catch up in retrospect. Moreover,we will be able to announce the public creation of a new World and Social Spiritual Movement, that of Druidry-in-Public, that is to come into being at the time of the Millennium Eclipse: Midsummer Day 2001. The only question that remains is: do we have the vision and do we have the courage to follow the signs that are writ large across the heavens?