Many people may wonder: in addition to its spiritual and magical teachings, does Druidry also offer social and ethical teachings? The answer is Yes. Druids in ancient times as well as today have a deep interest in the most important questions of moral and social philosophy. Yet Druidry teaches ethics in a gentle and open-minded way. In a traditional Celtic fashion, the Druid does not pronounce rules or commandments. Rather, he or she poses questions, such as: What does it mean to be a good person, or to live a good life? What values should guide our relationships, our communities, even our nations? What must we do to become responsible for ourselves and our world? The investigation of questions like these has always been a distinctly Druidic activity, even back in the ancient times.
Some ancient Roman and Greek writers who were in a position to observe Druids first-hand made notes about their social structures, their values, and their ethical teachings. In such notes it is clear that our predecessors fulfilled many important social functions for their people, not just the well known religious or ceremonial functions. Prominent among these functions was the role of the philosopher and the teacher of moral philosophy. For instance, here are the words of Strabo, a Roman historian:
The bards composed and sung odes; the Uatis [Ovates] attended to the sacrifices and studied nature; while the Druids studied nature and moral philosophy. So confident are the people in the justice of the Druids that they refer all private and public disputes to them; and these men on many occasions have made peace between armies actually drawn up for battle. (Strabo, Geographica, IV.4.198)
From this quotation it is clear that the Druids were the philosophers of their people, and that they had a deep interest in studying and teaching ethical values. Similarly, Julius Caesar wrote the following in his account of the war in Gaul:
The Druids officiate at the worship of the gods, regulate public and private sacrifices, and give rulings on all religious questions. Large numbers of young men flock to them for instruction, and they are held in great honour by the people. They act as judges in practically all disputes, whether between tribes or between individuals; when any crime is committed, or a murder takes place, or a dispute arises about an inheritance or a boundary, it is they who adjudicate the matter and appoint the compensation to be paid and received by the parties concerned. (Julius Caesar, The Conquest of Gaul, VI.13.1)
It is clear, therefore, that the Druids acted like magistrates or judges, resolving conflicts of various kinds among their people. Thus not only did the ancient Druids study ethics in a speculative way, they also put their studies into practice. Here is an observation from the Roman commentator Diogenes Laertius, who described part of the actual content of the Druidic moral teachings:
Druids make their pronouncements by means of riddles and dark sayings, teaching that the gods must be worshipped, and no evil done, and manly behaviour maintained. (Diogenes laertius, Vitae, I.5)
By ‘riddles and dark sayings’, it is probably intended that the Druids taught their ideas using a stock vocabulary of proverbs, symbols, metaphors, and the like, which they would have learned during their training, and which may have sounded obscure (ie dark) to outsiders like Diogenes. The triad that Diogenes mentions next suggests that the Druids valued piety, non-malfeasance, and honour, among their ethical teachings. Furthermore, these classical sources attest a Druidic belief in the immortal soul. Pomponius Mela wrote this about the beliefs of the Celtic Druids:
One of their dogmas has come to common knowledge, namely, that souls are eternal and that there is another life in the infernal regions, and this has been permitted manifestly because it makes the multitude readier for war. And it is for this reason too that they burn or bury, with their dead, things appropriate to them in life. (Pomponius Mela, Factorum et dictorum libri, II.6.10)
This belief in the immortal soul was also observed by Julius Caesar: “A lesson which they take particular pains to inculcate is that the soul does not perish, but after death passes from one body to another…” (Caesar, Conquest of Gaul, V.16.5) However, there is no evidence to support the idea that people were punished or rewarded in the afterlife for the way they lived their mortal lives. Instead, the classical writers made favourable comparisons to the Pythagorean belief in ‘Metempsychosis’, a form of reincarnation. It also appears, on the basis of other classical writings, that the Celts believed that the next life would be rather a lot like this one. Indeed Pomponius Mela observed that “in times past they even used to defer the completion of business and the payment of debts until their arrival in another world.”! (Mela, ibid.)
Some of the Irish wisdom texts are very specific about the ethical teachings of the Druids. There are several “wisdom texts”, or accounts of teachings imparted by Druids or other significant people in old Irish society. Sometimes these teachings were offered at the ceremony of inaugurating a new chieftain, to teach the candidate how to be a good chieftain. Sometimes the teachings were intended for the speaker’s own children or grandchildren, to teach them how to become mature adults. Here is an example of the latter:. Cormac mac Airt is asked by his grandson Carbre “what were your habits when you were a lad?” Cormac replies as follows:
I was a listener in woods,
I was a gazer at stars,
I was blind where secrets were concerned,
I was silent in a wilderness,
I was talkative among many,
I was mild in the mead-hall,
I was stern in battle,
I was ready to watch,
I was gentle in friendship,
I was a physician of the sick,
I was weak towards the strengthless,
I was strong toward the powerful,
I never was hard lest I be satirised,
I never was feeble lest I should have my hair stripped off,
I was not close lest I should be burdensome,
I was not arrogant though I was wise,
I was not given to promising though I was strong,
I was not venturesome, though I was swift,
I did not deride old people, though I was young,
I was not boastful though I was a good fighter,
I would not speak about anyone in his absence,
I would not reproach, but I would praise,
I would not ask, but I would give,
For it is through these habits that the young become old and kingly warriors. (Instructions of Cormac, § 7
Note that there is a certain emphasis here on respect and kindness to others, yet there is no indication that a person should be passively obedient to others. Nor is there any suggestion that he should sacrifice his dignity for the sake of others. Furthermore there may even be an implicit mysticism in this text, as the first two lines suggest that as a lad Cormac simply studied the woods and stars, and was ‘silent in a wilderness’, as if to learn from the elements themselves how best to live. Here is another example, also from the Instructions of Cormac. Cairbre asks his grandfather Cormac how he should behave “among the wise and the foolish, among friends and strangers, among the old and the young, among the innocent and the wicked” – or in other words, how he should act no matter what situation he is in. Cormac answers him as follows:
Be not too wise, be not too foolish,
be not too conceited, be not too diffident,
be not too haughty, be not too humble,
be not too talkative, be not too silent,
be not too harsh, be not too feeble.
If you be too wise, one will expect (too much) of you;
If you be too foolish, you will be deceived;
If you be too conceited, you will be thought vexatious;
If you be too humble, you will be without honour;
If you be too talkative, you will not be heeded;
If you be too silent, you will not be regarded;
If you be too harsh, you will be broken;
If you be too feeble, you will be crushed. (Instructions of Cormac, § 29)
Again, note that something resembling a path of ‘balance’ is advocated here. Cairbre is invited to act in such a way that he neither too hard nor too soft with each of his qualities of character.
It must be noted that the ancient Druids lived in a tribal warrior society, and some of their ethical values make the most sense only within such a society. But in the best philosophical spirit of their predecessors, contemporary Druids are making their own study of ethics and social values. They draw upon ancient sources such as the Greek, Roman, and Irish texts here mentioned, as well as on various more recent sources, and of course their own intellectual and emotional insights.
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The practice of Druidry used to be confined to those who could learn from a Druid in person. But now you can take an experience-based course wherever you live, and when you enrol on this course, you join the Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids, and begin an adventure that thousands of people all over the world have taken. It works with the ideas and practices of Druidry in a thoroughly practical, yet also deeply spiritual way.
The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids has its roots in the 18th and 19th century revival of Druidry. Its founders were strongly influenced by Neoplatonism, Freemasonry, some forms of liberal Christianity, and the like. Classical sources concerning ancient Druidry and Celtic culture were becoming available. Yet the founders of British Druidry were looking to find, as well as to create, an indigenous British spiritual literature. At the same time, a few serious studies of Britain’s Neolithic monuments were being published by eminent scholars, many of which attributed the design and construction of such monuments to Druids. As early as 1689, the antiquary John Aubrey published his thesis that the Druids were the architects of Stonehenge and Avebury, and he speculated that the Druids must therefore have been in possession of great mystical knowledge. Some of the writers from this time were keen to portray Druids as proto-Christians. On the basis of the remarks by classical writers concerning the Druidic teachings, the early revival druids came to believe that the ancient Druidic moral doctrines were essentially the same as those of Christianity. For instance, Godfrey Higgins, in the year 1829, translated the word Tara, the name of Ireland’s ancient capital, as “the Tora of the Hebrews” (cited in Matthews, ed. The Druid Source Book, pg. 167. By the way, the word Tara really means ‘wide view’ or ‘spectacle’). The revival of Druidry in Britain was also deeply tied into many public values. It attracted social reformers, activists for various causes, labour organizers, socialists and a host of other wonderful and strange people.
Contemporary Druids, of course, possess better-quality historical, linguistic, and archaeological information about Druids, and about the Neolithic monuments of Britain and Ireland. But they have inherited from this early revival a number of important spiritual ideas, especially including: the unity and one-ness of the world, the immortality of the soul, the presence of ‘Awen’ (magical or divine inspiration), the experience of the divine in trees and landforms and in nature generally, and the inherent goodness of human nature.
Finally, a number of twentieth and twenty-first century Druids have written extensively on Druidry and ethics. In his chapter on Ethics and Values, Philip Carr-Gomm noted that “most Druids have a highly developed sense of ethical behaviour, which is usually implicit in their actions, rather than explicitly stated.” (What do Druids Believe? p. 60) On the basis of his many years of observation, he identified four specific Druidic ethical concepts: responsibility, community, trust, and integrity. This final value, Integrity, is inherited from both heroic-age Celtic culture as well as from the British Revival of Druidry. It is quickly being recognised as one of the most important of all Druidic values.
In the year 2008, two comprehensive books on ethics and values from a Druidic perspective were published, both of which discussed Integrity, among other values. One of which is Living with Honour by Emma Restall Orr, head of The Druid Network. In her text, Honour, linked with integrity, is first explored through its traditional association with social standing and reputation in a tribal society. In her closest analysis, she understands Honour as that which emerges from human, ecological, and spiritual relationships. In her words:
Because Paganism is based upon reverence for nature, its religious practice is all about our each and every interaction. Pagans don’t reach for a supernatural deity, a god that exists outside of nature… the focus of their living is this planet, its environment, its ecologies and tribes. How we perceive and treat another – whether that other is a human being, a cat, a beetle, tree or stream – is the foundation of Pagan theology. It is in this crafting of relationship, as a spiritual act, that I place the word honour in order to find its essence. (Living with Honour, p. 128.)
Thereafter, Orr discusses Honour as the sum of three specific virtues: courage, generosity and loyalty. Each of these, in her view, are involved in various sacred relationships with other people, one’s tribe, and the Earth as a whole. Much of the rest of her text is then devoted to an examination of how these values can be applied to practical problems, such as medical issues, environmental protection, wealth and poverty, the importance of empathy, and especially the importance of human relationships.
Another significant book-length treatment of Druidic ethics is The Other Side of Virtue by Dr. Brendan Myers, a philosophy lecturer from Canada and one of the Order’s Mt. Haemus scholars. His book makes a comprehensive study of the mythology of the Celtic people, as well as the Norse and Scandinavians, the Germans, the Greeks, and other people of the ancient world. Through this study of mythology and history he discerned the world-view of Iron-age ‘Heroic’ societies and state-level ‘Classical’ societies. As he sees it, ethics and virtues emerged as responses to universal problems such as transience, fate, destiny, social and political conflict, and death. Then he makes a close philosophical examination of the results of that study. In his view, ethics is not a matter of obeying rules nor following laws. Rather, he says that ethics is a matter of becoming the sort of person from whom goodness and virtue flow naturally. The Druidic person seeks a good and worthwhile life, and develops in her character the qualities and virtues necessary for such a life. In pursuit of this principle, Myers developed an original philosophical system called ‘The Theory of the Immensity’. The argument has a threefold structure, as Myers describes it:
1. First and foremost, life involves inevitable encounters with events that seem, at least at first, to impose themselves upon you. Fortune, nature, other people, and death itself, are among them.
2. Second, these events also invite us to respond. The response generally involves the development of various human potentials and resources. Some of these are social, such as one’s family and friendship ties, and some are personal and internal, like courage and integrity.
3. And third, that if we respond to these imposing events with excellence, and if the excellent response becomes habitual, they can be transformed into sources of spiritual meaning and fulfillment. This transformation opens the way to a worthwhile and flourishing life. (Myers, The Other Side of Virtue, p. 7)
This article has looked at Druidry’s moral and ethical concepts in only the simplest, most introductory way. Among Druids today, there is no universally accepted formal doctrine. As noted by Philip Carr-Gomm, “most Druids are keen to avoid the problems caused by dictating a morality to others”. (Carr-Gomm, What do Druids Believe? p. 59) There is, however, an emerging consensus that Druidic values emerge from our dialogue with each other, with nature, with Deity, and with the flow of Awen in our lives. There is also an emerging agreement that Druidry’s ethical values are character values, and are not rules, dogmas, nor utilitarian calculations. Each major contributor, from ancient times to today, has produced his or her own ‘catalogue of the virtues’. But there are a number of values that tend to appear on most catalogues. Here are a few of them, as discussed by three prominent Druidic writers.
Relationships
In every group I have assembled to talk of Pagan ethics, after the main sources have been unravelled, the answer becomes clear. It is simple: relationship. Pagans find and craft their ethics through the experience of relationships. (Emma Restall Orr, Living with Honour)
Responsibility
The Druid will tend to see many of the world’s problems emerging from a refusal to take responsibility and to act for the greater good of the whole. By not taking responsibility for environmental degradation, for example, they see politicians and corporations acting simply for the short-term gains of power and profit… Druidism encourages the taking of individual responsibility – first in our own lives, then in concert with others for our community, and for wider issues that affect the community of all life. (Philip Carr-Gomm, What do Druids Believe?)
Self-knowledge
The call to Know Yourself permits no self-deception. It calls for an acknowledgement of both the fire of the divine within us, and also the earth of mortality upon us. (Myers, The Other Side of Virtue)
Trust
It is a common experience among people who are aware of the spiritual dimension to find that when they trust in life they find it easier to enter a ‘flow’ which carries their life along with a quality of lightness, joy, and effortlessness, that also keeps them aligned with their spiritual purpose. Of course trust will sometimes give way to its opposite – mistrust and fear – but by believing that life is fundamentally good, that there is meaning and purpose to existence, the spiritual seeker finds it increasingly easy to come back to the position of trust. The more we can trust in life, the more we can encourage this flow. (Carr-Gomm, What do Druids Believe?)
Integrity
Although the term integrity is often used to mean ‘the quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles and professional standards’, its deeper meaning is defined in the dictionary as ‘the state of being complete and undivided. The state of being sound or undamaged’… Used in this deeper sense, integrity becomes a value or quality sought by Druids, just as it is by all spiritual seekers. The spiritual journey begins for us when we sense that we are lacking something. We feel incomplete, and so we begin to strive towards Deity, enlightenment, wholeness. Further along the track we discover that these realities exist within us and that it is only our mind that believes we are separated from them. Slowly, through meditation and spiritual practice, we open to an awareness of our completeness, our wholeness. We find integrity. And from this place of integrity we can act with authenticity, not trying to be someone other than who we simply are. (Carr-Gomm, What do Druids Believe? Pp. 63-4)
Courage
In the old conundrum “Who is more courageous—the one who feels fear yet acts, or the one who feels no fear at all?” the answer is the one who feels the fear, and yet acts. Someone who doesn’t feel fear when about to undertake something dangerous may be someone who doesn’t fully understand what he is about to do, nor the risks involved to himself or others, nor the likelihood of success… A courageous person aims to benefit others, and benefit the society she lives in, and perhaps future generations too. And courage ultimately benefits its possessor, and not just because the courageous person has less fear. It is an affirmation of the world’s potential for goodness and beauty, and an active will to participate in the world. To be prepared to accept danger, suffering, hardship, and even death in the attempt to change the world is to be most fully courageous, and most sincerely loving. These qualities are, it seems to me, self-rewarding; a worthwhile and flourishing life cannot do without them. (Myers, The Other Side of Virtue)
Environmental Awareness
When I say that Pagan ethics are based upon relationship, it is with this perception of nature’s consciousness and energy as the essence that both underlies and connects all of life. As the rain is intrinsically connected to the stream and the sea, so is every human connected to the mud and the wheat, to the water they drink, to the dead and to the children yet to be born. And through every gust of wind into which my breath disappears, I breathe the breath that has been breathed by each fox and roe and mouse in the forest, air that has moved through the leaves of the trees, that spills out into the stillness of dusk in the song of the wren and the call of the buzzard who rides the thermals above us all. (Emma Restall Orr, Living with Honour)
Generosity
And if we are to find within us the willingness to give with generosity, we can look to the need for personal responsibility to guide us: as an integral part of nature, we must retain conscious responsibility for our every action and inaction, understanding the impact our living has upon
both humanity and the environment within which we live. We are responsible, in part, after all, for the honour of our race, our species, our nation: for the face of our tribe. (Emma Restall Orr, Living with Honour)
Friendship
Our friends make life valuable and meaningful, and that the things we do together with friends is our most important source of happiness… In a heroic society, by contrast, a person’s social relations are all-important: they help constitute his very identity. Friendship is more than a matter of survival expediency, although it does grant large survival advantages. In times of accident or calamity, one will need friends for help or rescue. One earns the right to call upon this help by being there for others in their time of need. It is in one’s interest, then, to be respectful and cooperative. But the spirit of heroic friendship is intrinsically valuable as well: it is the friendship of those who find in each other a second self. (Myers, The Other Side of Virtue)
Honour
To live with honour is to face each one of those connections, as awake to the relationship as we can possibly be, engaging with courage in honesty, with generosity and responsibility, with the respect that comes of loyalty. Doing so because we choose to, having questioned, and where necessary challenged, explored and found a path of integrity, in each action we represent our tribe – of family, community, humanity – and thus the moral identity of that tribe. To do so without shame or ignorance allows a deep and vital pride that comes from knowing that we have shared well, in truth and in freedom. (Emma Restall Orr, Living with Honour)
The Worthwhile Life
Everyone’s life is inevitably bound up with the lives of other people, the natural world, the accidents of fortune, and the transience of existence. All these things figure into of everyone’s life story irrevocably. A spirited person responds to all these things in a life-affirming way. And in that response, she may find within herself a revelation of self-knowledge, and purpose, and
happiness… The worthwhile life is an active life. It is characterised by the feeling that the world offers itself to you as a place where your purposes may be fulfilled. Or, perhaps, the world appears as a place which has its own purposes which are being fulfilled in you. For that is how we often experience it. A good dialogue with the Immensity tends to arouse the feeling of being alive, being whole, being most fully ourselves. Indeed, happiness itself is the feeling that life is beautiful and good. (Myers, The Other Side of Virtue)
In the end values or principles such as those stated here, with others that are related to them or flow from them can form the basis out of which ethical and moral decisions can be made. Rather than internalising a moral code developed perhaps centuries ago by the ruling religious or political elite, we can develop a strong individual sense of morality and ethics born out of our own inner connection to these values. Blaise Pascal succinctly summarised, in the following triad, the ingredients we need to develop this morality, when he said simply: “Heart, instinct, principles.”
As a spiritual tradition based on reverence for and connection with the powers of nature, more than anything else Druidry teaches us to honour life… Druid ethics are built upon the release of ignorance and the respectful creation of deep and sacred relationships.
Emma Restall Orr, Druidry and Ethical Choice
The classical author Strabo wrote that the Druids studied ‘moral philosophy’. The author Brendan Myers concludes that the first moral principle of the ancient Druids was a devotion to truth. In the Testament of Morann, a document traced to the period between the 7th and 9th centuries CE, but which seems to emerge out of the pre-Christian Druidic period, advice is given on how a prince should rule:
Let him magnify Truth, it will magnify him.
Let him strenghen Truth, it will strengthen him.
….Through the ruler’s Truth massive mortalities are averted from men.
…Through the ruler’s Truth all the land is fruitful and childbirth worthy.
Through the ruler’s Truth there is abundance of tall corn.
St Patrick was said to have asked Oisin, the son of Fionn MacCumhall, what sustained his people before the advent of Christianity, to which he replied: “the truth that was in our hearts, and strength in our arms, and fulfilment in our tongues.” Myers concludes: ‘It is interesting that he should cite truth first, as though truth had an overriding place in the culture. This evidence leads me to believe that the first moral principle of Druidism is this: in a situation where a moral decision must be made, we should always choose truth, in the expansion and enrichment of human knowledge, in ourselves and others, and at all levels of our being.’
In the final analysis, though, Myers suggests that the Druids may not have adhered to specific rules and authorities to determine proper ethical conduct. Instead he sees them striving to become a certain kind of person, out of whom ethical behaviour naturally arises.
Athelia Nihtscada also turns to Irish source material to explore Druid ethics. The old Brehon laws, which were recorded by Christian clerics in the 5th century CE, pre-dated Christianity and offer a fascinating insight into early Irish society. By studying these laws and seeing how they might be applicable to modern living, Nihtscada has articulated eleven principles or codes of conduct for the contemporary Druid:
1. Every action has a consequence that must be observed and you must be prepared to compensate for your actions if required.
2. All life is sacred and all are responsible for seeing that this standard is upheld.
3. You do still live in society and are bound by its rules.
4. Work with high standards.
5. Make an honest living.
6. Be a good host as well as a good guest.
7. Take care of yourself. (Health was held in high esteem amongst the Celts, so much that a person could be fined for being grossly overweight due to lack of care.)
8. Serve your community.
9. Maintain a healthy balance of the spiritual and mundane.
(Nihtscad writes: ‘Ethical and self respecting Druids did nothing without being properly schooled or aware of the consequences ahead of time. They knew when it was appropriate to visit the Otherworld and immerse themselves in the spiritual as well as when it was appropriate to be fully in this world.’)
10. Uphold the Truth, starting with yourself.
11. Be sure in your convictions, particularly when judging or accusing someone, but also when debating. Ask yourself: are you really sure? Do you really know that this the case?
Apart from the work of Myers and Nihtscad, little has been written about ethics in contemporary Druidism since most Druids are keen to avoid the problems caused by dictating a morality to others. So much suffering has resulted throughout history because one group of people have decided that it is good to do one thing and bad to do another. Just as most Druids have avoided dictating which type of theology someone should adopt, so too have they avoided telling each other, or the world, how to behave.
Nevertheless, most Druids have a highly developed sense of ethical behaviour, which is usually implicit in their actions, rather than being explicitly stated by them. A person can only act ethically if they hold to certain values, and by talking about these values we can avoid the pitfall of suggesting ethical guidelines which can then so easily turn into a dogma which condemns those who do not follow it. Instead of imposing a code of conduct upon people, we can return to Myers’ suggestion to practice a Druidry that helps us become a certain kind of person, out of whom ethical behaviour naturally arises.
Druidry asks us, above all, to open ourselves to the inspiration and beauty of Nature and Art, through its love of creativity. By nourishing ourselves with contact with the natural world and with art of every kind, and by holding to the core beliefs of Druidism, the following qualities emerge naturally as values that can form the basis of ethical decisions and behaviour.
Taking Responsibility and Feeling Empowered
It is easy to see yourself as a victim in life – as a tiny cog in a vast and impersonal machine driven by others for economic and political ends. But by holding to the belief that everything is connected, that another reality exists beyond the everyday physical world, and that everything we think, feel or do has an effect, the Druid is able to assume an attitude of responsibility, and to feel empowered to be of value in the world. Like everyone else, they will sometimes feel the victim of others or of circumstances. While that feeling may come and go, the predominant belief will be that each of us is a causal being who exists in a web of life that unites every living creature. This means that each of us can choose to act as a force for good in the world.
The Druid will tend to see much of the world’s problems emerging from a refusal to take responsibility and to act for the greater good of the whole. By not taking responsibility for environmental degradation, for example, they see politicians and corporations acting not for the greater good, but simply for the short-term gains of power and profit. Many political systems and most corporations do not to encourage the taking of individual responsibility or the value of personal empowerment. Instead they need consumption and compliance. Druidism encourages the taking of individual responsibility – firstly in our own lives, then in concert with others for our community, and for the wider issues that affect the community of all life.
Taking responsibility for our thoughts, feelings and actions leads to acting responsibly towards others, and the world needs responsible people now more than ever.
The Circle of All Beings
Increasing urbanisation, growing populations, the commercialisation of culture, the development of consumerism and globalisation, have all tended to undermine our sense of living in a community – close to our fellow human beings, close to animals and the land. Many people are drawn to Druidry because they find it helps them get back in touch with ‘the circle of all Beings.’ By its reverential attitude to Nature, by its belief in the sacredness of all creatures, and by its belief in the holistic relationship between all things, Druidry fosters the value of community – of relationship with others.
There will be times when we need solitude, and like all spiritual paths Druidry recognises the need for retreats, when we let go of our concerns for others and focus instead on our personal quest or upon Deity. But Druidry is not a path that advocates a permanent detachment from others or the world. Instead it urges a pro-active and enthusiastic, Awen-filled engagement with others and the world, seeing life on earth as meaningful and purposeful – as an adventure to be undertaken rather than as a prison from which we should escape, or as a bridge we should simply cross.
There will be times when a Druid feels alone, isolated or alienated from others. While that feeling may come and go, holding to the value of community will enable them to return to a bedrock of feeling and belief in which they are part of one family – the web of life, the circle of all beings.
The Power of Trust
Coming to place a value in community and in being in relationship with the circle of all Beings comes from the simple observation of Nature, and the way in which everything is connected.
In a similar way, contemplating the flow of a river brings us to the value of trust. It is a common experience amongst people who are aware of the spiritual dimension to find that when they trust in life they find it easier to enter a ‘flow’ which carries their life along with a quality of lightness, joy and effortlessness, that also keeps them aligned with their spiritual purpose. Of course trust will sometimes give way to its opposite – mistrust and fear – but by believing that life is fundamentally good, that there is meaning and purpose to existence, the spiritual seeker finds it increasingly easy to come back to the position of trust.
By affirming the value of trust, and by returning constantly to this position, whatever setbacks may occur, our life – the decisions we make, the relationships we form – begins to be built on trust rather than on fear: on the need to conform, to maintain status, or to protect ourselves, for example.
The magical understanding of Druidry that our state influences the world around us tells us that as we connect to the value of trust in life, this trust will start to radiate, and will in its turn attract trust from others, generating a beneficent cycle.
Integrity
Although the term integrity is often used to mean ‘the quality of possessing and steadfastly adhering to high moral principles and professional standards’, its deeper meaning is defined in the dictionary as ‘the state of being complete and undivided. The state of being sound or undamaged.’ Before a mission is sent into space, for example, the integrity of the spacecraft is checked again and again.
Used in this deeper sense, integrity becomes a value or quality sought by Druids, just as it is sought by all spiritual seekers. The spiritual journey begins for us when we sense that we are lacking something. We feel incomplete, and so we begin to strive towards Deity, enlightenment, wholeness. Further along the track we discover that these realities exist within us and that it is only our mind that believes we are separated from them. Slowly, through meditation and spiritual practice, we open to an awareness of our completeness, our wholeness. We find integrity. And from this place of integrity we can act with authenticity – not trying to be someone other than who we simply are.
Again, as with all these qualities, there will be times when we lose our sense of integrity, when we feel desperately incomplete or divided, and when we act not honestly and from our deepest feelings but inauthentically out of fear or misunderstanding. But one of the values of following a spiritual path lies in its acting as a gentle reminder, and offering particular disciplines that help us to constantly return to a contemplation of these core qualities. In this way, over time, our experience of a lack of any quality will start to diminish as our spiritual life connects us to these core values.
The Value of the Opposite
It is important to understand, though, that the holistic stance of Druidry does not deny the value or purpose of experiencing the lack or opposite of any of these values. Our depth of humanity comes precisely from our experiencing the contrasts of life: without the experience of unhappiness we would not be able to fully appreciate happiness, maturity of character and soul seems to require some amount of suffering, and we need to experience the feeling and effects of irresponsibility, alienation, disempowerment, fear and lack of integrity, in order to be complete human beings.
In the end values or principles such as those stated here, with others that are related to them or flow from them – such as honour, courage and respect – can form the basis out of which ethical and moral decisions can be made. Rather than internalising a moral code developed perhaps centuries ago by the ruling religious or political elite, we can develop a strong individual sense of morality and ethics born out of our own inner connection to these values. Blaise Pascal succinctly summarised, in the following triad, the ingredients we need to develop this morality, when he said simply: “Heart, instinct, principles.”
Being of Value to Others and the world
Druidism does not encourage us to focus exclusively on our own spiritual development. Druids care passionately about the state of the world – about the suffering of humans and animals, and of Mother Earth. The belief that many Druids hold in the importance of Peace influences their actions profoundly, and most Druids are involved in initiatives to protect the environment. Some may simply contribute to Greenpeace or Friends of the Earth, others may be more actively involved in trying to protect species or habitats. Most will support tree-planting and reforestation projects in particular.
Over the last fifteen years dozens of sacred groves have been planted by Druids all over the world and examples of these can be seen in the Sacred Grove project section on this site. An example of a Druid initiative to support an animal species can be seen at monarchbear.org
The maxim ‘think globally, act locally’ has been taken to heart by many Druids, who are involved in local community initiatives to protect and improve the environment, and the Order of Bards Ovates & Druids promotes a Campaign for Ecological Responsibility.
Even when Druids work on themselves they believe they are directly helping those around them. As they develop their humanity – their wisdom and compassion – and as they cultivate qualities of soul and character, they relate differently to the world, becoming – they hope – forces for good in a world that often needs healing.
Excerpts from What do Druids Believe? by Philip Carr-Gomm
