Tree companion
Get to know one tree through the seasons.
- Choose a tree near your home.
- Visit weekly and sit with it for ten minutes.
- Note the leaves, birds, weather and your own mood.
- Keep a record through the whole year.
Paganism · path
Druidry
A modern nature spirituality inspired by the ancient Celtic druids.
Origins
Little is known for certain about the ancient druids, the priestly class of Iron Age Celtic peoples, because they left no writings of their own. Modern Druidry grew out of revivals in 18th-century Britain, including the Welsh gorsedd ceremonies of Iolo Morganwg.
Beliefs and values
Most modern Druids revere the living land, honour ancestors and the cycle of the seasons, and value creativity, which they call awen, a Welsh word for poetic inspiration. Some honour Celtic deities, some work with nature without deities, and some combine Druidry with another faith.
Timeline
- 1st century BCE
- Greek and Roman writers, including Caesar, describe the druids of Gaul and Britain.
- 60 or 61 CE
- The Romans attack the druid stronghold of Mona (Anglesey), according to Tacitus.
- 1781
- The Ancient Order of Druids is founded in London as a fraternal society.
- 1792
- Iolo Morganwg holds the first modern gorsedd on Primrose Hill in London.
- 1964
- Ross Nichols founds the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD).
- 2010
- The Druid Network is registered as a charity in England and Wales.
Key terms
- awen
- A Welsh word for poetic inspiration, central to modern Druidry.
- bard, ovate, druid
- The three grades of study in OBOD: the arts, nature and healing, and the full teacher.
- gorsedd
- A ceremonial assembly of bards, now best known from the Welsh National Eisteddfod.
- nemeton
- An ancient Celtic word for a sacred place, often rendered as grove.
- grove
- A local group of Druids who meet to celebrate the festivals together.
How it keeps the festivals
Most modern Druids keep the eight festivals of the Wheel of the Year. Several orders use Welsh names for the solstices and equinoxes, such as Alban Arthan for the winter solstice and Alban Hefin for the summer solstice. Those names are modern. They are generally traced to Iolo Morganwg and later Druid writers, and they are not attested in ancient sources.
Ceremonies are often held outdoors and centre on a circle, a call for peace and the sharing of a drink or food. Many groups also mark the full and new moons.
See the Wheel of the Year and the glossary.
Where to read
- Julius Caesar, Gallic War, Book 6
- Pliny the Elder, Natural History
- Medieval Welsh and Irish literature
- Ronald Hutton, The Druids
Cautions
Claims of an unbroken line from the ancient druids are not supported by evidence. Treat popular tree calendars and ogham correspondences as modern traditions, not ancient fact.
Practices
Awen chant
A breath practice from modern Druidry.
- Sit comfortably and breathe slowly.
- Draw out three sounds, ah, oh and en, on one long breath.
- Repeat three times.
- Sit quietly and notice what arises.
More on Paganism
Where to begin
A gentle starting guide for newcomers: read first, start small, find people carefully.
Read more
Ethics and cautions
Common values, cultural borrowing, how to judge sources and claims, and finding communities safely.
Read more
Glossary
Plain-English meanings for the terms you will meet, from altar to Wheel of the Year.
Read more