Friday, February 15, 2013

D is for Druidism

When I first started looking into paganism the first thing I started looking into was Wicca. I had a friend in high school that lent me one of her "Wicca 101" books. And for the first time, I found a religious system that seemed to fit how I viewed the world.

So I started thinking of myself as Wiccan. I read (mostly on the internet) on ritual tools, altars, and holidays. I tried casting circles. I tried dedicating myself to the God and the Goddess.

But it didn't quite fit. I couldn't wrap my head around the need to create a barrier when I was doing a ritual. In my mind I there wasn't just one God and one Goddess (or Lord and Lady).  I wasn't much in to spells and magic (though there is a lot more to Wicca than that). But I kept reading and trying to make it work.

But even with all my research and reading and thinking and trying, Wicca just didn't work. And I was stuck.

Then one day, I discovered Druidism. For all my research I hadn't really realized that there were other traditions that fall under the "Pagan Umbrella". (To this day I am still stumbling on traditions I didn't know existed.) And I as I read about this modern day Druidism things began to click.

There were people out there that still believed in polytheism and viewed each god as an individual. There seemed to be less emphasis about spells and magic, and more about connecting to and honoring the gods. I was and still am particularly attracted to the ADF style of druidry: honoring the Three Kindreds (god/goddess, ancestors, and nature spirits), the three realms, and the emphasis knowing about the ancient druids without trying to reconstruct their religion.

Druidism fits me. I am still learning and trying and thinking about my path. And I am excited for the journey.

pbp2