The Philosopher and the Druids

The Philosopher and the Druids
Author: Philip Freeman
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 249
Release: 2006-03-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 0743289064

Early in the first century B.C. a Greek philosopher named Posidonius began an ambitious and dangerous journey into the little-known lands of the Celts. A man of great intellectual curiosity and considerable daring, Posidonius traveled from his home on the island of Rhodes to Rome, the capital of the expanding empire that had begun to dominate the Mediterranean. From there Posidonius planned to investigate for himself the mysterious Celts, reputed to be cannibals and savages. His journey would be one of the great adventures of the ancient world. Posidonius journeyed deep into the heart of the Celtic lands in Gaul. There he discovered that the Celts were not barbarians but a sophisticated people who studied the stars, composed beautiful poetry, and venerated a priestly caste known as the Druids. Celtic warriors painted their bodies, wore pants, and decapitated their foes. Posidonius was amazed at the Celtic women, who enjoyed greater freedoms than the women of Rome, and was astonished to discover that women could even become Druids. Posidonius returned home and wrote a book about his travels among the Celts, which became one of the most popular books of ancient times. His work influenced Julius Caesar, who would eventually conquer the people of Gaul and bring the Celts into the Roman Empire, ending forever their ancient way of life. Thanks to Posidonius, who could not have known that he was recording a way of life soon to disappear, we have an objective, eyewitness account of the lives and customs of the ancient Celts.

Druids: A Very Short Introduction

Druids: A Very Short Introduction
Author: Barry Cunliffe
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 160
Release: 2010-05-27
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0191613789

Who were the Druids? What do we know about them? Do they still exist today? The Druids first came into focus in Western Europe - Gaul, Britain, and Ireland - in the second century BC. They are a popular subject; they have been known and discussed for over 2,000 years and few figures flit so elusively through history. They are enigmatic and puzzling, partly because of the lack of knowledge about them has resulted in a wide spectrum of interpretations. Barry Cunliffe takes the reader through the evidence relating to the Druids, trying to decide what can be said and what can't be said about them. He examines why the nature of the druid caste changed quite dramatically over time, and how successive generations have interpreted the phenomenon in very different ways. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.

The Druids

The Druids
Author: Rudolf Steiner
Publisher: Rudolf Steiner Press
Total Pages: 110
Release: 2023-10-20
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9781855840997

The Sun Initiation of the Druid Priests and their Moon Science; The Mysteries of Ancient Ireland; Celtic Christianity - the Heritage of the Druids; Teachings of the Mysteries - the Spirit in Nature; The Great Mysteries - the Mystery of Christ; The Function of the Standing Stones; Spiritual Imaginations.

The Druid Way

The Druid Way
Author: Philip Carr-Gomm
Publisher:
Total Pages: 208
Release: 2006-01-01
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 9781870450621

Druidism, the ancient shamanic religion of Britain is experiencing a major revival there and in America. This book is both a complete description of the Druid Way as well as a fascinating tour of the major Druid sites, ruins, and "power places". Includes specific suggestions for bringing this ancient wisdom tradition into our own lives and activities.

Witches, Druids and King Arthur

Witches, Druids and King Arthur
Author: Ronald Hutton
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 402
Release: 2006-09-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781852855550

In Stations of the Sun and The Triumph of the Moon Ronald Hutton established himself as a leading authority on the historian of Paganism. His wealth of unusual knowledge, complemented by a deep and sympathetic understanding of past and present beliefs that are often dismissed as strange or marginal, and an ability to write lucidly and wittily, gives his work a unique flavour. The essays which make up Witches, Druids and King Arthur cover elegantly and entertainingly a wide range of beliefs, myths and practices.

The Mysteries of Druidry

The Mysteries of Druidry
Author: Brendan Cathbad Myers
Publisher: Red Wheel/Weiser
Total Pages: 429
Release: 2006-04-07
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1632658135

“A clear, accessible, and forthright exploration of Celtic tradition as the foundation of a personal path of mystical transformation.” —John Michael Greer, former Grand Archdruid, Ancient Order of Druids in America, and author of The Druidry Handbook The Druids were the mystics, philosophers, and magicians of the ancient Celtic world. Their spirituality was borne from their near-worship of poetry and music, their warrior prowess, and the world of nature. The Mysteries of Druidry reveals this mystical romanticism as it was in ancient times, and shows various ways to bring it to life today. It includes: A professionally researched survey of Druidic history, tradition, and customs Detailed descriptions of the mysteries of Celtic spirituality, including the Sacred Truth, the Great Marriage, the Hero’s Journey, and the Otherworld Practical guidance for meditation and ceremony, for individuals and for groups The Celtic story of the creation of the world, presented together with a plan for re-enacting the story in ritual “An exemplary look at one man’s approach to Druidism, with excellent food for thought and suggestions for group ritual and personal practice . . . His personal stories of working with and discovering the spirits of the land are inspiring and useful guides to the readers.” —Erynn Laurie, author of A Circle of Stones, cofounder of the Inis Glas Hedge School “With gentle clarity, [Myers] writes not only of myth, folklore, and Celtic history, but also of and for our Celtic present. With his words, he inspires, calling the reader to breathe in the songs of the ancestors, and so to sing those songs with both a celebratory pride and a profound relevance for today.” —Emma Restall Orr, Joint Chief of the British Druid Order; author of Kissing the Hag

Cathedral of the Black Madonna

Cathedral of the Black Madonna
Author: Jean Markale
Publisher: Inner Traditions
Total Pages: 312
Release: 2004-10-27
Genre: History
ISBN: 9781594770203

Explores the connection between ancient druidic worship of a virgin at Chartres and the veneration of the Black Madonna • Examines the Virgin Mary’s origins in the pagan worship of the Mother Goddess • Identifies Mary with the dominant solar goddess of matriarchal societies The great cathedral of Chartres is renowned the world over as a masterpiece of High Gothic architecture and for its remarkable stained glass, considered alchemical glass, and its mystical labyrinth. But the sacred foundations of this sanctuary go back to a time long before Christianity when this site was a clearing where druids worshiped a Virgo Paritura: a virgin about to give birth. This ancient meeting place, where all the druids in Gaul gathered once a year, now houses the magnificent Chartres cathedral dedicated both to the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, and to one of the most venerated Black Madonnas in Europe: Our Lady of the Pillar. Coincidence? Hardly, says Jean Markale, whose exhaustive examination of the site traces Chartres’ roots back to prehistoric times and the appeal of the Black Madonna back to the ancient widespread worship of Mother Goddesses such as Cybele and Isis. Markale contends that the mother and child depicted by the Black Madonna are descended from the image worshipped by the druids of the Virgin forever giving birth. This image is not merely a representation of maternal love--albeit of a spiritual nature. It is a theological notion of great refinement: the Virgin gives birth ceaselessly to a world, a God, and a humanity in perpetual becoming.

Contemplative Druidry

Contemplative Druidry
Author: James Nichol
Publisher:
Total Pages: 192
Release: 2014-10-09
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9781500807207

Contemplative Druidry is an evolving aspect of modern Druidry. Rather than talking in purely abstract terms, this book focuses first on the experience of people practicing contemplative Druidry now. Only then does it look at the bigger picture and draw conclusions for the developing spirituality of modern Druidry as a whole.'Contemplative Druidry' takes the five months of March-July 2014, and offers a snapshot of how 15 practitioners of Druidry in England today understand and practice contemplative Druidry, and why they value it. Responding to a set of questions either in live interviews or through written responses, they describe both what contemplative Druidry means to them personally, and how they see it fitting in to the context of Druidry as a modern pagan spirituality. In this way 'Contemplative Druidry' acts as a contemplative inquiry, with many voices offering perspectives on contemplative Druidry, its place within Druidry as a whole, and its wider contribution to the development of modern spirituality, particularly within pagan traditions. The contributors, in alphabetical order of first names, are: David Popely, Elaine Knight, Eve Adams, JJ Middleway, Joanna van der Hoeven, Julie Bond, Karen Webb, Katy Jordan, Mark Rosher, Nimue Brown, Penny Billington, Robert Kyle, Rosa Davis and Tom Brown. In his introduction, the author describes the experience which led him, already a practising Druid, onto a more contemplative path. He talks of how he turned outwards to his own community, as well as inwards to his personal practice, and brought together a group dedicated to developing a practice of contemplative Druidry in Gloucestershire, England. The book is in many respects a fruit of this work, and 11 of the 15 contributors are involved in the group. The other four are independently engaged with contemplative and meditative practice in Druidry, and agreed to be part of the book. The main section of the book is divided into three parts. The first is about the people involved - their childhood spirituality, their histories of questing for a spiritual practice and home that made sense, and their commitment to Druidry as an identity and set of values. The second is about practice - formal sitting meditations, ways of contemplative engagement with nature, forms of group practice, contemplative arts, and having a contemplative stance in every day life. The third is about potential - what the practice of contemplative Druidry can do for the individual and its benefits to the community as a whole. The book ends with a set of author's reflections and conclusions, including suggestions about how contemplative practices can become more widely adopted within the Druid community. There are eight appendices, which include models of group programmes and solo practices for contemplative Druidry, and also two threads from the Contemplative Druidry Facebook group, one about contemplation and mysticism and the other on pilgrimage. The book has a foreword by Philip Carr-Gomm, Chosen Chief of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, a significant contribution in its own right under the title: 'Deep Peace of the Quiet Earth: the Nature Mysticism of Druidry'. The foreword endorses the view that contemplative Druidry is an idea whose time has come. 'Contemplative Druidry' is an introduction in that it raises awareness of contemplative practice in Druidry, and potentially in pagan spirituality more widely. It provides documentary recognition of the approach. And it sets a note of contemplative inquiry and exploration, rather than offering a fixed set of teachings that people are invited to assimilate in a top-down kind of way. The book is therefore of interest both to people with a personal interest in contemplative Druidry, and to those with a more general interest in the life and development of modern Druidry, pagan paths more widely, and evolutionary spirituality as a whole.