Happy blessings for the start of Spring and the renewal of nature.

I am making an evffort this year to observe the wheel of the year and with Iambic approaching I was researching ways to observe and honor. I see a lot of reference to Brigid Crosses and I was wondering if that was something that began after the Church coopted of it were a pagan practice before.

Any help would be appreciated.

So I’m currently trying to crate several pieces of jewelry for my close friends as a gift. And I don’t want it to be just decorative, it should act protective or even bring good fortune, if possible both.

Thanks for any advice or help, blessed he thy day

I bought this book in the late 90s and let it sit on a shelf because of how academic this book is. I’ve picked it up again and I’m about 20 pages in. I’m curious if anyone else has read this and their opinions of the book.

https://www.powells.com/book/-9780878771967/17-0?srsltid=AfmBOooeKdzEEg03p8a1VsfveoQ6BhnDxNLP-YkQn-w-6zt71jZmOE25hQ4

So me and my mentor were talking that some magic have corrupted variants. I asked if there was a corrupt variant for green magic and he said it really doesn't have a name, but he calls it "plague" magic.

So I just want to know if there is any book or if anyone knows some more info about plagie magic. Any info would help and thx you in advance

When despair for the world grows in me
and I wake in the night at the least sound
in fear of what my life and my children’s lives may be,
I go and lie down where the wood drake
rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds.
I come into the peace of wild things
who do not tax their lives with forethought
of grief. I come into the presence of still water.
And I feel above me the day-blind stars
waiting with their light. For a time
I rest in the grace of the world, and am free.

-Wendell Berry

I'm new to Druidism and to be honest I don't really know where to start learning. One thing I saw recently was the wheel of the year. What is it? And recs on places and resources would be nice :)

It's so refreshing whenever I come here. Just let you know.

Aside from getting a field guide and learning about my local wildlife/ flora/fauna, how can I get started working with herbs and crystals?

With crystals, I am aware of crystal energy and chakras.

Thanks!

hi! i’m taking a philosophy of religion course right now and it’s lead me to learn about a lot of religions and different practices. i’ve never been particularly spiritual, but never atheist or without belief of some higher power. i find druidism to be really fascinating and i like the beliefs within it revolving around nature.

i am wondering if anyone has any tips for beginning a journey into practicing druidism? thank you so much :)

I’m just wondering? I know the heads of my local grove but I was just wondering how do I go about trying to join? Or at least start the ball rolling? Thanks in advance!! :)

A friend of mine wanted me to explain to him how can meditation and rituals in the woods be magical. I told him that it's not what he thinks it is because for me when I meditate in the forest I feel calm. My overthinking shuts off and my body relaxes. Sometimes I hear noises from the wind and animals and other times I hear noises I believe are from spirits.

Next thing you know he gets aggravated and think I'm bs.

How can I explain to people in a better way about witchcraft and about green magic?

Thx you in advance

Hello,

A friend and former coworker recently lost his brother who followed druidic beliefs (according to his death announcement)

Truthfully, I'm a little out of my wheelhouse here, but I was hoping someone could share or point me in the right direction of a proper mourning gift that best applies to his beliefs. Do you have any suggestions? Thank you so much!

A wise old owl sat on an oak,

The more he saw the less he spoke;

The less he spoke the more he heard;

Why aren't we like that wise old bird?

Hey y’all my name is Jelly I am a 26 yr old Trans man who has autism and adhd and I have struggled a lot with my spiritual/religious journey. But I feel connected to druidry right now.

For a little background I grew up kinda in a Christian household. My bio moms side who i saw every once in a while has some super religious people, very specifically my grandparents and my uncle. My bio mom and siblings one that side aren’t really religious but they have noted that I have struggled to find my place spiritually. I know my mom was pagan for a bit so I don’t think her or my sibling would mind what religion or spiritual group I join as long as whatever I decided to believe I don’t push it (cause my grandparents do)

My dads side who I was raised by didn’t really push religion at all, I think some of them may believe in god, and I think I may have been to a local church with family from my other moms side. But it really wasn’t forced upon us like with my maternal grandparents.

I personally didn’t feel to connected to Christianity as a kid, and right now idk if I do. Like I sorta believe in a god or maybe multiples, but I struggle with the religion vs science aspect especially with evolution. (Which I believe in). I know part of me wants to believe in some kind of all loving god or maybe multiple gods. The big issue I have with one god from Christianity is a lot of people imply I have to change for god and Idk right now I am kinda I guess agnostic. I have also looked into Buddhism, paganism, and Judaism and I looked into druidry before aswell

But anyway I know I have been really drawn to druidry and I really like to core beliefs that put emphasis on respecting nature and learning and growing (wisdom), and yeah idk I just feel kinda drawn too it right now

I would like to add I don’t know if it’s okay but I did want to try being a green witch, witch I sorta view as healer who use herbs and stuff to heal and idk if it’s okay to combine that with Druidism or to call myself a witch and Druid. I also still have some beliefs that stuck with me from Buddhism and idk if I could also be that too but more on a level of learning from there teachings or wisdom (philosophy). I do also think I believe somewhat in reincarnation but I also like the idea of living as myself just in the afterlife so yeah idk

Also I looked into a few orders and idk if I should join some yet I think I should be more of a solitary (or I think hedge may be there term) Druid if I do decide to go this route at-least at first. I also looked at the bard the Druid and the ovate. I feel like all 3 are important and may want to consider myself all 3 but idk if that’s okay.

Last thing can someone simplify the branches of druidry I know they’re revivalist and reconstructionist, and idk the last one it google says it may be solitary.

P.S. I don’t think the Druidic community seems to gatekeepish and wasn’t trying to imply it was. Also I saw the Reddit bio said you welcome everyone I moreso wanted to see if I could be more than one

Edit: sorry about the typo in the title I can’t seem to change it

Any ritual recommendations?

I do alot of meditating in the woods I live next to and would like to start working on more rituals.

Thx in advance

I am getting stuff ready for my first Imbolc. We can’t have actual candles where I live (independent living for disabled adults) for safety reasons as it’s a fire hazard.

I am looking into LED candles. Are there safety hazards when you throw them in the trash? Are the batteries hard to find? I want to be sure when I throw them away as I live in a home with other people.

How long can you keep them? I want to keep them for a while as it makes things cheery when the days have been gloomy. I like the idea of them as part of my altar.

I may do a ritual my own way anyway. Still feeling this out.

Thanks!

So I was walking through the woods just letting the forest guide me and I came across a massive branch. I asked the forest if I could turn it into a staff and thankfully I was approved. While I was working on him, he told me his name was twigs.

Is that normal and does anybody else have a name for there staffs? Hopefully it isn't weird😅

There's a stanza in The Oh Hellos' song Hieroglyphs which goes:

"Well, even the great celestial hieroglyphs Are bodies of dust illuminated, and if The heavens can be both sacred and dust Oh, maybe so can the rest of us."

I've thought about this for a while. Remembering that we are quite literally star dust never ceases to inspire wonder within me.

Then there are the first two stanzas of Dead Can Dance's song Children of the Sun which goes:

"We are ancient As ancient as the sun We came from the ocean Once our ancestral home So that one day We could all return To our birthright The great celestial dome

We are the children of the sun Our journey's just begun Sunflowers in our hair We are the children of the sun There is room for everyone Sunflowers in our hair"

I just thought I'd share. These songs never cease to amaze me.

I’ve noticed a tree near my I’ve never taken much notice of till now. He felt alive? ( well it is) not sure how to explain it. I talked to him and felt a presence?

Has this happened to anyone or am I going crazy? I hope not.

I’m planing on not having good or consistent access to internet for a an extended period of time is there a book I can buy to help study and practice

I've been scared to post for a while. If you're going to say Christianity and Druidry are incompatible I am not interested. That's your opinion of course but I don't share it. From my research, a reverence and caring for nature/animism doesn't compromise my faith in Christ. In fact the reason I love Druidry is the fact that you can believe in no god, multiple Gods, etc.

Anyway here it goes.

Don't know if I would call myself a Druid yet. But I've always had a witchy side, loved animals, nature as long as I can remember. I've felt crystal energy numerous times and want to start healing with herbs. That was what tipped over the apple cart. I was never raised in a Fundamentalist Christian house(my heart goes out to those who have-sounds terrible.) But rather a pretty Progressive Christian house. In fact I don't remember either of my parents ever reading the Bible. Except in church.

But still when I felt crystal energy, I was scared and happy. Because I finally got some amazing much needed sleep. Most of the Christian resources I found around crystals sucked and said Christians can't use them. But I didn't buy that. Thankfully I was able to find some more open minded Christian stuff about crystal energy. The point is that desire for knowledge was there.

Basically I think God can't be put in a box and isn't limited to just the Bible and can interact with us in ways people don't think about. Some of that is from my own life when I had medical issues. I believe He brought crystals into my life for a reason. (Yes I see a doctor too. and know their energy is not supplement for medical care.)

I believe animals have souls, think things. that we all have energy, vibrations, chakra balancing. To be blunt, Druidry makes me feel like I am not a freak. I also play an intsrument, draw, make jewelry, etc.

On the OBOD site I looked in to the Druidry and Christianity section and related to so much of it. Especially Barbara Erskine.

I am considering joining the Order. But do they make you do divination when you do the course? What if I am not comfortable with that? For Christian Druids how was it for you? For rituals I notice stuff around me in nature- birds laying eggs-not much is happening yet in Texas- and how they reflect on my own life and my relationship with Christ, etc.

Then there's the cost of the course as I don't have a lot of money. I may do a free one.

Celtic Christianity also is something I am looking into. But Druidry hits a chord like I can't explain. I have a wild soul.

This needed to go somewhere. I feel scared dumping all this so please be gentle.

I’ve been with AODA for years and I love it, but I’d like to check out some other paths too. However given the current state of Everything, I would like to make sure I’m avoiding any bigoted groups.

Some years ago I recall there being some controversy about ADF—was that based in anything real? Or unfounded? Are there any groups I should stay away from, as a gender nonconforming person specifically?

I am NOT asking this to start any drama. I just want to know which groups to avoid in my search. Thank you!

I just finished this read yesterday. Karen Armstrong is a British author and commentator known for her books on comparative religion. She has written extensively about Christianity, Islam, and Judaism, and her works are well received by scholars and practitioners alike, suggesting she is well-researched and knowledgeable in these fields.

This book is a bit different from her other writings. From the GoodReads blurb:

In this short but deeply powerful book, the bestselling historian of religion Karen Armstrong re-sacralizes nature for modern times. Drawing on her vast knowledge of the world's religious traditions, she vividly describes nature's central place in spirituality across the centuries. In bringing this age-old wisdom to life, Armstrong shows modern readers how to rediscover nature's potency and form a connection to something greater than ourselves.

What I enjoyed most about this book is its accessibility (short and engaging). She introduces sacred perspectives of nature from many different religious angels including Christianity, Confucianism, and Buddhism. Her analysis of the terms and concepts from these different branches is exceptionally communicated, easy to grasp for those who may not have a strong foundation in religious studies. Most importantly, she includes some banger poetry and readings from each of these practices, and I am inclined to buy the book purely for easy access to these readings in my collection. If anyone can suggest a collection of nature-themed poetry from different parts of the world and history, I would be indebted to you.

However, her research is anything but comprehensive. There is no mention of druidry or European pagan practices that I recall, and I don't think she ever mentions first people spiritual practices like that of Native Americans. This is probably a good thing, as it acknowledges the boundaries of her knowledge in this massive arena and strictly defines the utility of this book for readers to determine if it is a good fit or not. It seems to be targeted towards practitioners of modern popular religions in hopes to broaden their perspective on the sanctity of nature by emphasizing teachings from those practices.

Still, it was fascinating to learn how all these different religions across millennia inevitably come to the similar conclusions regarding the divine aspect of nature. Terminologies and specificities are distinct, of course, but she ties the threads together exceptionally well.

She reads the audiobook version herself, which is always a treat. I would highly recommend it for anyone interested in world religions.

I'm learning about the gods recently and I don't know if I believe in them. I hold a different belief, I hold the belief that rather than gods, the elements and celestial bodies (sun, moon, stars) are alive and hold powerful spirits that are the closest thing we'll get to gods.

Given recent events, a number of other subs have banned Meta and X links. I know this sub (and in my experience, Druids in general) try to stay out of anything political, but I don't agree with that approach.

As inclusive as Druidism is, it should not be tolerant of intolerance. It's a small gesture, but it's a clear message. I say we join in solidarity.

Hi all, I have a question for you guys. I'm the only one in my life that is "different" (by that I mean, spiritual and all that good stuff) and sometimes. Sometimes I feel so alone because of the path I'm on. Let's face it, druidry is still a bit taboo in day to day life. 🤷🏼‍♂️

I'm basically the black sheep everywhere I go and it can be lonely. So, basically my question is. Does anyone else get so lonely that they feel like the only one in the universe? Like you're the last one of your kind?