Teaching & Practice

"Look far off to the north-east
On the ocean so splendid
Teeming with life
Home of the seals
Shining and playful in the full tide"
Irish ninth century

Arthurian and Grail lore make up The Matter of Britain which is deeply integral to the Druid tradition.

"The Druid took four wands of yew and upon them he wrote Oghams, and by his keys of poetic wisdom and through his Ogham he divined that Etain was in Bri Leith with Midir." Tochmarc Etaine

Druids believe that all the Earth is sacred. They love the land and revere the Spirit of Place.

At the heart of Druidism lies a love of Nature and of her changing faces as the seasons turn. Eight times a year, once every six weeks or so, Druids participate in a celebration that expresses this love.

In using meditation to enter the Otherworld, Druids use techniques of inner journeying, including methods now known as shamanic. In using meditation to deepen their sense of presence and awareness, Druids use a variety of methods often including relaxation techniques combined with focussed awareness on the body or breath. A central symbol for the Druid is a tree, which is often used in meditation.

Those who follow the Druid Way are inspired by the old myths and legends, particularly of the Celtic lands and of the Matter of Britain, with its stories of the Round Table and the search for the Holy Grail.

"Druidry is a spirituality of simple things - of place and time, existence and imagination. It teaches the appreciation of sunrises and the sound of water. We are free to express divinity as we experience it. To those who are willing to learn, it teaches love and compassion, to listen to the song of our hearts and the music of the earth. And sometimes, hugging trees is in order!"
OBOD member Lily, Switzerland

"Imagine a fairy chain stretched from mountain peak to mountain peak, as far as the eye could reach..." Alfred Watkins, The Old Straight Track

A rich heritage of plant lore exists in Merlin’s Isle, as Britain was once known, and we can trace this heritage at least as far back as the Bronze Age, which began here around 4,000 years ago.

Prayer and devotional practices are central to many Druids' spiritual life. There are no prescribed prayers - each of us is free to use those prayers, blessings and practices that feel right for us, and our needs will change with the times and the seasons.

Birth, puberty or coming into adulthood, marriage, the ending of relationships and death, are all gateways, initiations, into new realms of experience - they are 'Rites of Passage'.

"Ritual is poetry in the world of acts." Nuinn

"Official chief-poet
Am I to Elphin,
And my original country
Is the region of the Summer Stars"
Taliesin trans. Lady Charlotte Guest

Druids love stones and stone circles. For the last two hundred years Druids have been creating them and celebrating in them. One of the most well-known examples stands in a field used each year for the Glastonbury music festival.

"Trees in particular were mysterious, and seemed to me direct embodiments of the incomprehensible meaning of life. For that reason, the woods were the place that I felt closest to its deepest meaning and to its awe-inspiring workings."
C.G.Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections