My Spiritual Journey

Path of Druidry

Since I was a young child reading myths and legends of old, I have been intrigued and fascinated by what I have read about Celtic bards and druids. As teachers and healers, they held the wisdom of the ancient sages. In Celtic tribes, druids were historians and judges, knowing the history, laws, and stories of the area. They were well-versed in the uses of local plants and herbs for healing as well as the movements of the stars and the timings of the seasons. As Christianity became more popular in the areas that followed Celtic traditions, it seemed that druids and their knowledge had faded to be lost to the depths of time. However, many schools of learning remained with slight rebranding while the Christian monks and Romans that first lived alongside the druids wrote down detailed accounts of the stories and laws they heard. The surviving knowledge was passed down and combined with what had been recorded by earlier historians and a living form of Druidry reemerged around the time that Wicca was developing as a new religion. These two paths developed in tandem and share a lot of similarities, but the stories and traditions in Druidry are tied to Welsh, Irish, and Scottish Celtic traditions specifically.

I was raised in a Christian household, but neither my mom nor my dad was particularly religious, at least not church every Sunday religious. I am technically Catholic, but I am not a very good one, and my stepmom and mom are Methodist so my both houses had a Protestant influence. It’s always been pretty relaxed though. My mom taught me about reincarnation because that’s what she believes in. One of my cousins chose to be Jewish when her Christian and Jewish parents gave her the choice. My roommate in flight school taught me a lot about Hinduism. Also, I have always had a hunger and passion for stories, so I devoured the world of fiction and dived even deeper into the realm of legend and mythology when that well dried up. Religious and spiritual texts are stuffed full to the brim with all sorts of stories about life. I became disillusioned by religion before high school and only went through the motions of confirmation because my mom wanted me to do it. For most of my teens and early 20s, I was openly agnostic, believing that there was a higher purpose to life but not buying into any of the established religions.

Nonetheless, I have valued the lessons and values that some religious texts have to share and I have always seen that the core message at the heart of all religions is to love each other. It seems we just disagree on what it looks like when we love each other. This led to me gathering my own set of stories and parables to call on when I am struggling with something difficult. At the core, I believe that religions have always been meant to serve the community as a place to seek community, advice, and assistance. The problem is that the same stories don’t resonate with everyone, and the needs of each community can vary drastically. We are starting to shift from structured religious communities and more flexible spiritual communities. I also find it interesting that people want to separate their beliefs from the word religion and tend to stress the word spirituality as an indicator that their beliefs are inclusive and not exclusive.

I have mostly figured out things on my own, although I have read a lot about other religions and spiritual paths in my spare time. However, there is a sense of true community missing. I can go out onto the internet and find stories and photos about how people put their personal beliefs into practice – maybe participate in a forum or something, but the “spirituals” don’t have a designated place where it is okay to talk freely about their beliefs and ask for advice from leaders and mentors. I have always been drawn to Tarot and I picked up my first little pocket deck impulsively on a routine run to Barnes & Noble for more books. I will admit I have become a bit of a collector since then, but I absolutely love seeing different interpretations of the symbolism and imagery, as well as seeing the cards redefined or the structure being completely changed, which is when we start adding oracle decks to the mix. One deck that has always drawn me is The DruidCraft Tarot because it is so rich with symbolism: the guidebook explains every detail, the origin of it in Druidry, and tells the stories around the subjects in each card while also providing in-depth explanations of the card meanings and advice for each situation.

After many years, I finally looked more into the background of the deck: what was DruidCraft, and who are Philip and Stephanie? I discovered that the deck was connected to an organization of Druids that offered a living spiritual path modeled after that of the druids of old. It is a path of balance, living both in the spiritual world as well as the physical world. It encourages enjoyment of the material things in life while also feeding the spiritual needs of the soul, but what resonates for me the most is that it combines the magic of storytelling and music to encourage love, creativity, and learning. Druidry is also closely connected to nature and all that is needed to create a sacred space is a little bit of nature with you. Druidry celebrates creativity, learning, and love for one another. I found a path that balances the material world with the spiritual world and offers an open-armed community of people that share core values.

Barney the Mystic