Druids: Clergy at large for the greater Pagan community

 

 

“How can you be a Druid?” they ask. “Where is the Celtic community you serve?” And it is true that back in the day of the Druids of old, they were, among other roles, clergy for the Celtic community. But today there is no Celtic community, at least not in the sense that there was in the historical past. For one thing, there is not a single village in Wales, Ireland, Scotland, the Isle of Mann, Cornwall, Brittany or Galicia, where a majority of the populace are worshiping the old gods. There are many that speak a Celtic tongue, and many that have preserved at least some of the old ways, but few follow the old gods. If this is certainly true in the Celtic homelands, than surely it is true of the diaspora as well.

So who do we modern Druids minister to? First, we minister to the Earth Mother. Now is the time for environmental activism, and we Druids should be in the forefront of the healers of Gaia. Now some will even deride us for this, and call us “Treehuggers.” So be it! I’m proud to be a Treehugger.

Second, we minister to our families and to each other. We’re also the builders of communities of our fellow Druids.

Third, we minister to those who have no minister. The Pagan community today is largely a community of solitaires. These are a people of diverse beliefs who have, for whatever reason, chosen to honor their gods alone. The fact is very few people join covens or groves, or have had the opportunity to do so. Many more have purposely avoided membership in groups, and others have been members in the past, but are
now burned out and seek solitude. It is to these we Druids are “on call,” for when they need to be handfasted, or when they give birth, when they need counseling or when their loved ones are called upon to wish them well on their journey to the Summerlands, we Druids are there.For when it comes right down to it, there is only one Nation, one Tribe, one People, and we Druids are Mother Gaia’s clergy, Her priests and priestesses, caretakers and guardians.