Mock the Week

"Mock the Week" did a piece on the recent acceptance of the TDN by the Charities Commission. It's a good laugh.

The Mark of a Druid

Rhonda R. Carpenter has managed to pack a lot into "The Mark of a Druid".  It features England, Ireland, the United States, the past, the present, druids, christians, sovereignty, shapeshifting, prophecy, reincarnation, past life regression, hypnosis, murder and drama.

I listened to the book in audio format via the free subscription at iTunes.  The story seems slow to start and jumped quite a bit, from past to present, and between characters but, eventually, I was hooked.  Towards the end, as all the elements started to come together, the pace quickened, but the author was careful to keep you waiting for the ending you knew just had to be.

One quibble I had with the podcast format was the Rhonda R. Carpenter's reading style.  Strange punctuational pauses were distracting as was the apparently inappropriate changes in pitch giving emphasis were it was not warranted.  After a while, I noticed it less and less, with only the occasional inner query arising.   Still, it was worthwhile listening to the audio version on my commute to and from work.

I will purchase a hard copy of "The Mark of a Druid", eventually, to re-read at my leisure. I would imagine it would be a great book to take on holiday as the story is broken down into small segments, as it alternates between the past and present, thus allowing the reader to pick it up and put it down at will.

Rating:  4/5.

How to know?

I recently finished reading a book by Stuart Piggot, "The Druids" and thought the information presented therein was reasonable, discussing what is known about the historical druids, with a little rant at the modern movement beginning with the romantics. The book was written in 1974 and was a slim, paperback volume, and written in an easy to digest style.

During a discussion on some of the historical texts, I struck a problem, this paragraph:

"There are two pieces of Celtic gnomic or proverbial wisdom recorded by the classical writers, and one attributed specifically to the Druids, that deserve comment here. Diogenes Laertius attributes to 'Gymnosophists and Druids' certain 'riddles and dark sayings', 'teaching that the gods must be worshipped, and no evil done, and manly behaviour maintained'. This is a statement in typically Celtic triadic form, and it is interesting to find what must be another version of it in an Irish tale, The Colloquy of the Elders, which dates from the end of the twelfth century, but may incorporate earlier material. Here St Patrick talks to one of the old pagan Celtic heroes, Caelte, and asks him: 'Who or what was it that maintained you so in your life?'; to which comes the answer, 'Truth that was in our hearts, and strength in our arms, and fulfilment in our tongues' – essentially the same three qualities in slightly different order."

I couldn't figure out how the author thought these two statements were similar in any way. I posed the question on a few forums, hoping for some answers, all the while feeling I was being stupid. So far, the responses I have had tell me I was not being stupid and the author is making a connection where there isn't one. Now, I am questioning if there are other parts of the book I shouldn't trust. But, how am I to judge? I have no background in archaeology, history, linguistics or any other field which might allow me to discern the truth. How do other, non-academic people like me manage this? I read what I can, but obviously if I can't evaluate the information critically, I might be treading down the wrong path.

I want to learn the truth, as far as we can know it today, but I am finding I am getting lost in the mire because I am unfamiliar with the landscape.

What can I do?

All suggestions welcome.

The Druids

I stumbled across a review of the Stuart Piggot book, entitled "The Druids", which consisted of seven words, ending with "very little information."  The reviewer gave the book one star and I had to wonder if they had missed the point of the book.  

I have not finished it (as yet), but the author starts by saying what evidence there is in regard to this particular caste of early European society is fragmentary and scarce.  From what I can understand, most of what is known by the general populace is based on supposition and romantic notions fostered in the seventeenth and eighteenth century. Archaeology reveals very little, and the Greek and Roman writers might have engaged in a bit of spin-doctoring, stirring up fear by over-stating the barbaric nature of a society which they intended to invade, and overpower, so that they were no longer a threat to their idea of a civilised society.   [Sound familiar?]  It is often asserted that not all of the classical writers might have had direct contact with the druids, but are merely quoting or paraphrasing earlier writers.  Though all this, too, is supposition, as there really is very little information on the societies in which druids thrived. 

It struck me, reading the review of "The Druids", that although I am vastly ignorant, I am not completely so.  At least I am aware of the fact that little is known about the druids, and I don't require authors to "pad out" information in order to satisfy my thirst for knowledge.  Hope for me yet?

Have you ever thought that there’s something wrong with modern Druidry?

This was posted to Caer Feddwyd and I feel it may be of interest to others, so I am posting it here.

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We have reached a stage in our evolution as a ‘movement’ where we have become self-satisfied and complacent. The format of our rituals and festivals lack passion and religious insight, but of even far greater concern, they are starting to become set in stone. They have no concept of the Pagan inner mysteries and stagnate in some superficial desire to connect with the seasons and the world of nature. Our practices have become far removed from that which we pretend to honour.

We have been led to fear the words ‘religion’ and ‘dogma’, as if the ancient Druids were as unstructured, undisciplined, ill-informed and confused as we are today. So we accept the received wisdom from a handful of authors and it is leading us down a road to nowhere. We have forsaken the dying and rising sun god, within and without. We have relegated the goddess to a mere spirit of nature. It is we who would seem naive and primitive in the eyes of our ancestors.

In their time our druidic ancestors were at the cutting edge of philosophy, natural science and the understanding of the glory of the cosmos. Yet we insult these ancestors by pretending to be shamans, as if the ancient Druids had not evolved beyond the hunter-gatherers and still clung desperately to some primitive Mesolithic awareness until the arrival of the Christians.

Druidry is more than just animism, more than a counter-culture reaction to monotheism. But still we generalize with the symbolism of the gods. Where is the passion on our tongues and the fire in our bellies? Is there is no yearning in our hearts to look deeper? Do we really believe we already have all the answers we need? Where is the real belief in the gods? Where is the fire in our heads?

Can we say, before our gods, that druidry today answers those questions? No it cannot, enlightened spiritual insight remains our greatest weakness.

Many who read this may find our words offensive, and if we have hit a raw nerve, then having done so is way over due. But if you feel like we do, that it’s time for change, that Druidry today needs to be shaken out of its complacency before its too late, then you will find a way to contact us.

Our illustrious tradition deserves better of us. Together we can make a difference. Lets make it real, lets do it with passion, lets re-connect to the gods and stoke those ancient fires once again.

In Truth/\
Stefan Allen Seniuk, Head of the Albion Conclave of Druids,
and many others.

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The standard is being raised at Flag Fen on October 11th, 2008 and if enough good people come we will hold a council to determine our next steps.  This maybe the true beginning of the resurgence of the British Native Religions, something we in Brython have planned and prayed for for then last two years.