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The Role of the Druids in Today's World

by Grey Panther

Druids of the past differ from Modern Day Druids in terms of the times they lived in and the history that has transpired since they walked the Earth. Druids of the past lived without the benefits or the challenges of modern day society and the knowledge that has been collected since their time. They also differ from Modern Day Druids in that their world was a much smaller place due to the lack of high speed travel or the technologies of communication. They lived in a different time and obviously did not have the experiences of the last 2000 years of history, nor did they have knowledge of the social, cultural, and political changes that have transpired since their day. Today’s Druids reflect today’s world. Speaking as a Modern Day Druid, I am a product of my culture and my time. I have access to computers and high speed internet, and the world’s knowledge base is at my fingertips. However, that does not change my inner desire to connect to a deeper truth or spirit, nor does it inhibit me from connecting to nature, wisdom, and philosophy, just as the ancient Druids seemed to have done.

The Druids of the past are virtually unknown to us, because they left few clues about their view of the world, but as we reconstruct their history from resources available to us and try to intuit their philosophy and way of life, we do come to some conclusions that we agree to believe about them. Searles O’Dubhain’s view (text is located at http://www.summerlands.com/crossroads/library/traditional_role_of_druids.htm) represents the Druids of the past in what I call the “Ideal Human,” with the virtues and wisdom that only the ideal can meet. He tells us that they were wise to the ways of all the learning and wisdom of their tribe, including the wisdom of the leader, the judge, the scientist, the poet, the historian, the story-teller, the philosopher, the political advisor, and the wizard. They were able to dip into the occult or hidden wisdom and intuit the mysteries of the universe. They could read the future and the past, and give counsel to the actions of the present. They believed in truth and honesty as well as fairness and balance. Indeed, Searles paints a picture that we can all aspire to achieve.

In that light, the Druids of today can work to achieve the knowledge, wisdom, and insight of the Druids of the past by using this vision of the ideal as the model for achievement. They can put their focus and intention on being and becoming like this model. Today, we are blessed with the benefit of vast stores of information and knowledge that have been collected since that ancient time which, in my opinion, will help us on our quest for the ideal as well as assist us to chart a course toward this ideal vision. In that same light, we must realize that we also have the weight of history and the beliefs and values of our culture that may burden us and keep us from this goal. It is indeed a two-edged sword. Our society’s aims and directions are directly opposed to some of the values that the Druids seem to hold, and we must be aware of these aims and directions so that we can become wise and knowledgeable enough to lead our brothers and sisters on this planet into a new world vision.

With that said, I would consider this to be one of the roles of the Modern Day Druid. By helping our brothers and sisters to find a new world vision, we share the role of the Druids of the Past because we are then assisting others achieve a new understanding of spirituality and their connection to the world. We become the seekers of the deeper truths, based on a firm and solid knowledge of ancient and modern history as well as a wise understanding of how this history has shaped us and molded us in our current life. We can also minister to people’s needs in times of stress and pain and help them to gain insight into the story of their lives. Our wisdom is a different wisdom from the majority of people living today in the Western world, and with a deeper understanding of the truths of the ancient people, we can share this wisdom for healing and support. We can travel into the otherworld and bring back the hidden truths that the average human of today is not able to find because he is limited by belief systems prevalent in our society.

The abilities and insights of the Druids that Searles so poetically describes are the tools that will aid us in our quest to become wise. We use Imbas to intuit the deeper knowledge and wisdom of the world. This wisdom has not really changed over the centuries. It has simply been buried and needs to be resurrected. We do not need to have a written or recorded history of this wisdom in order to access it, because it is directly available to anyone who knows where to look. As Modern Day Druids, we go to the same “Well of Insight” to access the wisdom that the ancient Druids plumbed, and we do our own modern day plumbing! The knowledge and wisdom is still there and we must only look. In my estimation, the real wisdom that the Druids taught was to seek direct experience with the numinous. It is the same experience today as it was in the past, and we must put ourselves to the task of seeking and finding it. We then evaluate and study the results of this direct experience and experiment, using what works and discarding what does not, in the true scientific method. We seek the deeper truths, and we frame them using today’s technology which is vastly more efficient that word of mouth!

As Searles notes, if we act, speak, study, and seek Imbas as Druids once did, then we too are walking in the footsteps of the Druids, for it is the method of seeking and using wisdom more than the particular knowledge of their times or history that makes one a Druid today.

The scant history that we possess about the Druids mentions that they studied from 12 to 20 years to gain their great knowledge and wisdom. Well, today we have our grammar and high schools as well as our colleges that begin the job of educating us. I cannot deny that I learned a great deal about history, nature, the stars and galaxies, chemistry, the arts, the sciences, and ethics while attending my 18+ years of school. My job as a Modern Day Druid is to find the areas that still need exploring, and then to augment my education with that knowledge. I need the wisdom of story telling, the hidden wisdom of magic, and the greater understanding of astrology, dreams, and nature to complete my education.

How do we view the material that we must learn? In my estimation, as a Modern Day Druid, we are not to put sole emphasis on the letter of the law, but rather look more deeply at the spirit of the law. We are told that Bards memorized hundreds of stories. Why was this so? It was because the wisdom of their culture was not written down, and memorization was the only way that they could maintain the integrity of the accumulated wisdom of the times. In today’s world, what does this mean to us? It tells us that stories are the finest way of imparting knowledge and wisdom to others. We need to become story tellers so that we can relate this deeper wisdom to others. The true wisdom in learning to tell the stories of the Bards is to understand the power of the story to relate the parables of ethics, values, and virtues that we desire to achieve if we aspire to be better humans on the planet. Through our stories, we can tell of heroic adventures and instill in our children as well as our comrades the true nature of valor, ethics, and high ideals. We can also share stories of healing for those who are hurting, and stories of transformation for those who are suffering with the ills of today’s society. Stories share wisdom as well as healing and give others the hope as well as the direction to make their lives more meaningful and purposeful. This is the true nature of being a Bard. As Bards, I personally think that it is important not only to know the stories of the Celtic past, but to recognize the themes and images that impart wisdom, truth, healing, and the ideals of our own divine heritage. When we do so, we are truly acting as Priests who impart the spiritual wisdom and as Leaders who instill the ethics and values that promote true and right living.

In like manner, when we look to astrology as one of their areas of knowledge, what we want to intuit is their skill in explaining the cosmic order and sharing the deeper wisdom and meaning of life as well as humanity’s place in the universe. When we look to the law, what we need to consider is the deeper level of ethics, fairness, and virtue that is needed in our society today. When we look to leadership, what we need to see is our role in shaping our community. But first and foremost, for any Modern Day Druid, the first admonition must be to Know Oneself, as all the great and wise men and women of the past have suggested. We must know our own goodness as well as our shadow. We must come to terms with the beliefs that have been spoon fed to us and still affect us today. We must learn to Live Deliberately with Conscious Awareness of who we are and awareness of the forces that have shaped us into the individual we are today. In the words of Jung, we must become whole, balanced, integrated, and fully individuated, and we must know and face the truth about ourselves.

Finally, in Searles’ words, we must learn to pay attention, to see the reality and wholeness of things. In modern day terms, I call this multi-dimensionalizing. We must be able to see all sides of a situation and learn to intuit its deeper truths. Then we are truly able to see into the deeper wisdom of all the worlds of existence, both mundane and occult. We are able to live fully in this world and relate to the peoples of this world, both Druids and non-Druids, and we are able to minister to the individual from where He or She is coming from and what He or She believes, rather than from where we are. We do not limit ourselves to one viewpoint, but rather we share and listen to the viewpoints of all people and help them to grow from where they are in their own understanding. We do not single ourselves out and make ourselves different. Instead, we find ways to connect and form inter-dependencies and inter-relationships that allow us to easily share the wisdom and understanding that we possess. To me, this is the mark of a true Druid! When we are too “different” or “strange”, people will not listen or pay attention, but when we connect in our similarities, people listen, especially when our wisdom helps their situation. We must not minister only to our own kind, because in today’s world, our “tribe” is the Global Village. That is the benefit as well as the challenge of modern technology. We come together with not only a Celtic history, but now, as a part of this Global Village, we recognize that we are a member of humanity, and our tribe is the Earth tribe. If we shine by example, then people will desire to be like us. As truth seekers and stewards of harmony, we can be of service to the world.