DRUIDRY
AND POLITICS
By Philip Carr-Gomm
At this critical
time in world history I believe it is important
to examine how we relate to the world of politics.
It is easy to say that it has nothing to do with
spirituality. But is this really so? In thinking
about what a Druid’s relationship to politics might
be, I looked back at the attitudes of previous
Chiefs, and discovered a remarkably consistent
thread of beliefs, that led them all to promote
liberal and socialist ideals that advocate freedom
and justice for the underprivileged. In the nineteenth
century Gerald Massey campaigned against slavery
in the US, and is now a hero of Afro-American scholars.
In the early twentieth century Robert MacGregor-Reid
championed the rights of working men, and stood
for election in the American Senate and the British
Parliament, as well as leading the Druid Order.
I know the most
about my predecessor, Ross Nichols, who continued
this tradition by championing monetary reform,
pacifism and socialism. Ross was a man of ideals
– which he not only articulated but which he practiced
throughout his life: he believed passionately in
the need for us to return to a closer relationship
with Nature, and for the need for us to retreat
often to the countryside, to living on the land
in as simple a way as possible. And he did this
by embracing the philosophy of Naturism and by
creating his own woodland sanctuary of utter simplicity.
He also devoted the latter years of his life to
articulating and practising Druidry - a spirituality
which has as its aim this return to a communion
with the natural world.
Ross showed his
love of nature in his poetry, in his writing of
much of the Order’s seasonal rituals, in his painting,
and in his frequent retreats to the woods. His
vegetarianism was another expression of his reverence
for life, as was his pacifism – he wanted nothing
killed deliberately, human or animal. And above
all, he didn’t want all this just for himself –
he had a political and social conscience that meant
his idealism was not unrealistic, selfish or elitist.
He wanted everyone to benefit from the ideals he
believed in – hence his commitment to socialism
and the Social Credit movement, which attempted
to completely re-vision the way we deal with money.
In other words his idealism was practical – it
was grounded in his actions and behaviour as well
as in his philosophy and in his heart.
Those same ideals
are alive today: the ‘back to nature’ philosophy
has taken on an urgency uncontemplated in Ross’
time, when the extent of environmental degradation
was not yet fully appreciated; the ideas of fairer
wealth distribution behind the Social Credit movement
drive the anti-capitalist and anti-globalisation
movements of today; and the reverence for life
that Ross showed in his vegetarianism and pacifism,
continue to inspire people around the world and
have broadened to include the advocacy of organic
(and compassionate) farming, and such related movements
as that of Permaculture and of resistance to genetic
modification.
Ross, like those
of his contemporaries who dared to challenge authority,
embraced ideals – and acted upon them – which have
created the cornerstones of contemporary Alternative
Culture. And now – to a great extent because of
the mess that ‘conventional wisdom’ has created
for us – the challenge for those of us who also
embrace these ideals is to build upon the work
of our spiritual and political ancestors, such
as Ross, so that one day these ideals are no longer
‘alternative’ and therefore marginalised. Excitingly,
the process has already begun
Until recently,
those of us in the Druid community have concentrated
on building a sense of community, creating structures
and ways of teaching that focus primarily on our
own spiritual and personal development – helping
ourselves take charge of our reality and develop
it in positive creative ways. Now, I believe it
is time to expand our focus to include more than
just ourselves. This means accepting that we have
an influence in the world, that we can change things
for the better, that we don’t have to be passive
consumers, and that being a spiritual being on
earth doesn’t involve simply working on our own
spiritual development. In short it means dipping
our toes into the wider sea, and engaging those
two contentious areas of politics and beliefs.
I used to groan
when I heard the word politics. I used to run a
mile when I smelt a whiff of politics in an organisation
or group. But over the years I discovered that
where two or more people are gathered together
there are politics, and I stopped running away,
because unless you become a hermit, there’s nowhere
to go! Any relationship, if it is to be more than
superficial, runs into politics – by virtue of
being human we have different views and opinions,
and we have to negotiate, compromise sometimes,
refuse to compromise at other times, give in, stand
firm and so on. Likewise in a group. It is simply
naïve to think that a group of people can run anything
without sometimes disagreeing or needing to negotiate.
Rather than pretending politics isn’t relevant
to spirituality, I think it’s time for us to recognise
that it is an integral part of it, since politics
is about being human. If you’re having difficulty
with this, change the word to community. World
Politics becomes the World Community and the difficulties and challenges it faces. We all know now that we are One
People on One Earth and if we’re not careful we
might just mess the whole thing up completely.
In the times
we live in, there is a powerful sense that we stand
at a crossroads – at a threshold in the story of
humanity. Suggesting that this is of no concern
to us, or that as spiritual seekers we shouldn’t
be concerned with politics seems very much like
denial to me at this point in our history.
But how on earth
do we engage this issue without it degenerating
into us all standing up and shouting out our different
political opinions?
My suggestion
is that we try to engage the issue at a different
level – there are plenty of forums for political
debate already. I think instead we can take two
words and use them as keys: one is Community, as
I’ve just mentioned. The other is Justice – expanded
so that we see it in its widest sense. Druidry
has always been concerned with Justice – in the
old days Druids were judges and law-makers. And
if we expand the concept to include Social Justice
and Economic Justice we can start to see what the
term implies.
Some people object
to the concept of the ‘Love of Justice’ in the
Druid’s Prayer, believing it allies Druidry with
the sometimes repressive forces of law and order
and the Establishment. But all you need to do is
look at the Amnesty International literature, or
to think of the terrible injustices inflicted on
so many people all over the world, to understand
what the prayer is really referring to, and how
for a Druid the love of Justice is fundamental.
Our world is
so full of social and economic injustices of every
kind, that it seems to me that a spirituality where
Justice is a key concept, and where its early practitioners
were actually responsible for administering justice,
can quite legitimately begin to engage the big
question of ‘How can we build a more just world?’
And this big
question immediately raises another one: ‘What
would our world look like if there was more justice?
How would we live?’ These questions move us towards
the exciting and creative area of envisioning the
future and of trying to create a better way of
living together – of community.
Of course when
we’re faced with tragic and sad news from so many
corners of the globe where war, suffering, poverty
and famine exist, it seems too big a task to even
begin. But we must begin – in however small a way.
Remember: ‘No snowflake ever feels it started the
avalanche’.
Earlier on I
mentioned that we need to dip our toes (minds and
hearts might be better parts of the anatomy really)
into two contentious areas. The first was politics,
and the second was beliefs.
The two are related,
because you can’t develop political ideals and
practical applications of them in the community
without beliefs. But again I can hear the groan
I used to let out at the word ‘belief’. I was attracted
to Druidism because it didn’t offer ‘beliefs’ or
a ‘belief-system’…and I had seen so much suffering
caused by people holding on (to the death sometimes)
to beliefs that ran counter to other peoples’.
Just as thinking about ‘how can we build better
communities?’ is more creative than thinking ‘what
are my political opinions?’ So the solution for
me regarding beliefs is to ask myself ‘What are
my values?’ rather than ‘What do I believe?’
Behind politics,
lie beliefs, behind beliefs lie core values. As
a first step in engaging these issues I think it
would be helpful for us as Druids – with all the
diversity that we represent – to define our core
values. As an Order we’ve recently done that with
the concept of Love. Now, spurred on by recent
world events, we’ve done the same thing for Peace,
and we’re working on clarifying our values in relation
to Justice and ‘Reverence for Nature’ – getting
to the ideas behind our Environmental Responsibility
Campaign and Sacred Grove Planting Programme.
These are, of
course, very small steps. But if you believe in
the magical concept that ideas are causal to physical
manifestation – then getting our ideas right is
the vital first step. As we see so tragically now,
certain ideas are causing great suffering and distress
around the world. But since as human beings we
can’t stop ourselves having ideas and ideals, the
very least we can do is try to have good ones –
ones which result in the creation of a better world.
The challenge
for us as Druids is to come out of the closet,
and to start envisioning the future we want with
clarity. That is, after all, one of the purposes
of magic. I believe it will be a sign of the maturing
of our movement if we start to do this – if we
start to engage the wider ocean that we find ourselves
in.
Peace to all
Beings,
Philip Carr-Gomm /|\
A prophecy of
peace proclaimed possibly 4,000 years ago, by the
Morrigan after the Battle of Moytura* in Eire.
It is a universal vision of peace that all peoples
in all times can relate to;
(*Battle of Mag Tuired between the Fomoire and
the Tuatha de Danan)
The Morrigan's
Prophecy
Peace to Heaven:
Heaven over Earth
Earth beneath heaven
Blessed be all.
To the brim full:
Fullness of honey
Honey-sweet blessings
Summer in Winter.
Spears backed
by shields:
Shields backed by forts
Forts ever ready.
Sod-thick wool,
Woods teem with antlers,
Finally, forever, destruction departed.
Nuts on the trees,
Tree branches drooping,
A drooping rich yield.
Wealth for a son
Yes, a son! (very
learned!)
A bull in yoke,
Like a bull famed in song.
Knots in the wood
Wood for a fire
A fire when you want it.
Bright new palisades!
Their victory? Salmon!
The Boyne their dwelling
A dwelling unending.
New growth after
spring!
Autumn? Horses increase.
The land held secure:
A land poets honor.
Blessed be the
eternal
Most excellent forests;
Peace reach to
Heaven, be nine times eternal.
Peace reach to Heaven, be nine times eternal.
Peace reach to Heaven, be nine times eternal.
Elen Everett Hopman
