The Druids- A Brief Cultural History

The group of people known as the Druids, their practices, beliefs, and lives are shrouded in a great deal of mystery and misconception.

Many people are fascinated by Druidism and the tales of powerful wizards quietly working their magick under the dark velvet cloak of the night. However, the truth is often overlooked and not very well understood.

The Druids established themselves as a spiritual class of healers, teachers, and rulers. They were a group of people that observed and worshipped the patterns and elements of nature around them, viewing these as reflections of themselves and the world around them.

Ritual practices and beliefs were sought to bring them into closer harmony with nature and build a relationship that assisted them in their daily lives with everything from herbalism and holistic medicine, to rites that celebrated birth, death, and marital unions.

For centuries, they flourished and were highly revered and respected by the Celtic people. The Druids were viewed by their own people as the equivalent of the clergy or ruling class.  There was a hierarchy that existed within their ranks consisting of The Arch-Druid- the wisest or eldest ranking Druid in a particular Grove- equivalent to a king.

The Druids were equivalent to the clergy class. Sacrificers - who were of a warrior-type class. The Bards were the equivalent of an artist or trade class and new initiates or followers assisted with the menial or mundane duties of the order.

They possessed a very sophisticated system of order for their peoples' time and it is this type of order that is reflected in many of their rituals and workings.

The Druids are responsible for many occult systems and religious symbolisms used today by practitioners of many beliefs and traditions - among them Christianity, Judaism, and Wicca and their use of the number three and of the trinities.

The Triscale is a swirling image of three lines coming together to a circle in balance and is one of the Druids chief symbols.

Their use of the trees and their different energies and the properties in folk magic practices have survived even to this day, as well as their other countless ideas on polarity, balance, meditation and the cosmic cycles within life.

They have contributed immensely to the foundation of society in Europe and the world over.

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Moonwillow, published her first novel Gullveig & the Breaking of the Hexes in 2008 and is currently writing the next book of the Gullveig Series as well as being the creator and editor of an online magazine called The Magick of Spirit & Enchantments which developed from her vast knowledge as a Pagan, Reiki Master and Psychic.

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