The Druid's Well

It’s the end of the secular calendar year, that delicious time of stillness between Winter Solstice and Imbolc. The land in the northern hemisphere is settling into rest and encourages us to do the same. It’s not quite yet time for dreaming, but it is time for remembering–time for reflection, for thinking about the past year, for making an account of the ways life has changed in the past 12 months. 

Simultaneously, there’s also the pull of community, of gatherings full of food and fellowship. Our desire to come together in this time of darkness, to encourage each other around the fire with stories and companionship, it all sits in wonderful contrast to the world outside.

While chatting with some other Grovies at a New Year’s gathering, it came up that some other people in our broader Druid community thought that if one wasn’t climbing some sort of course-work ladder within an order, or otherwise doing spiritual outreach, then you weren’t being a Good Druid (TM).

I was tremendously disheartened that this sort of opinion still existed, as I thought that by and large Revival Druidry had moved past that sort of spiritual shaming in the mid-2000s (back then the catch-phrase was “You’re Doing It Wrong”). There are so many problems with this attitude that it’s difficult to sort through them all, but the two biggest are:

1. Individual spiritual practice varies considerably due to circumstance, be that financial, physical or mental health, location, or a whole other host of reasons. Those circumstances matter, and nobody should be judging another on the speed or depth of their path.
2. OBOD Druids do not proselytize. Period.

It’s like mistaking the fruiting body of the mushroom for the entirety of the organism. There are very few Druids who will be lauded in any sort of public capacity (the fruiting bodies)–the rest of us in the mycelium are quietly underground, connecting and supporting each other. We may go our entire lives without anyone ever noticing our Druid proclivities. If you have a Druidic practice, even if you never go to a gathering, or join a Grove, or meet another Druid in-person, you are still a Druid. Don’t for a second think that because you aren’t a published author, or aren’t organizing festivals, or Groves or otherwise appear as a visible presence to those outside the community, that your Druidry isn’t good enough.

Is IS. And YOU are.

OBOD in particular is adamant that each individual chooses the Druidic path for themselves, whatever form that may take. We don’t need to adopt a mindset of conversion or evangelization for spreading our beliefs as that’s antithetical to our own values. We grow with the land and sink our roots deeply. If others see what we are doing, see that our lives are rich and full and good, and that we draw strength and comfort from our practices and communities, and if they have an interest in creating that sort of life for themselves, then by all means share your experience of your Druid path with them. And if they don’t show an interest, don’t be a pest with your beliefs.

Now that we have hopefully established that your Druidry is, in fact, good enough, this is a fantastic time of year to take stock of what exactly your practice looks like. New Year’s resolutions are for the birds (scattered on the winds to be gobbled up by some squawking blue jay and perhaps if you’re lucky shat out later to take root in a place you never expected); but noting what has transpired in the past solar cycle can be a useful exercise simply because it’s much easier to plot a future path if you know what territory has been covered. Be wary of getting caught up in a personal Myth of Progress (or lack thereof), and instead focus on any changes that have happened. Did change happen in the directions that you wanted? Were the changes that happened actually within your ability to control? Are there then adjustments that you want to make to affect a different sort of change?

Maybe you’re an urban Druid with herbs on your windowsill and want to start carrying a pouch full of seed balls for guerrilla gardening. Maybe you’re a rural Druid with a family of six that you’re teaching to live lightly on the earth through homesteading; this year you want to incorporate vermiculture. Maybe you travel the country giving first aid support as a street medic for protesters in need and want to expand your skills with a Stop the Bleed course. Maybe you work in a garden center and help people find their perfect plant companions, and that’s your happy place. Maybe you pour three cups of water for your gods every morning, and that’s it. All of these people are Druid Enough within the context of their own lives and circumstances. No one has the right to tell them differently.

So take stock of your practice. Do so gently. And know that regardless of what your Druidry looks like, so long as your are fostering a love and respect of the natural world, “You’re Doing It Right”.

See you in 2024.