Proto Druids

It’s been my privilege on a number of occasions now to see people discovering that they want to walk the Druid path. Frequently there’s an attendant process of working out that lots of the apparently disparate strands of their lives are in fact all things that will become part of their Druidry. I went through this one myself, and it was rather a surprising process. The Bardic grade of OBOD consisted a lot of going ‘bloody hell that as well eh?’ which was a good sort of experience.

So, I thought I’d put together a list of things that tend to already be in the lives of proto-Druids, for people who were wondering if the might be. If you spot one I’ve missed, add it in the comments please! If you’ve got an interest in, or are actively undertaking a number of these, you may be a proto Druid!

Environmental issues and green living, alternative living choices, compassionate living.

Philosophy

Trees

Herbs

Folk music, myths, story telling

Divination

Harps

Celts – ancient or modern.

Archaeology

Astronomy

An enthusiasm for being out of doors.

A call to service, volunteering work.

A need to do creative things – craft, arts, performance, or being the sort of person for whom cooking or making a garden for example, is an art form.

A passion for language, possibly manifesting in poetry, or other forms of writing, or the enjoyment thereof.

Social justice

Feeling a bit out of kilter with modern society

Peace work

Animal welfare

Healing – bodies, minds, humans, nonhumans, places, communities

Teaching

Meditation, or contemplating things a lot

If you feel a pull towards making, holding and facilitating real communities

Ancient sites

Liminal places (in fact if you already know what liminal means, give yourself extra proto-druid points)

A hunger for the numinous and for inspiration.