Druidry and Brythonic Polytheism - Crossing Paths?

[lorna]

I've recently been putting a page on Pagan Paths for my local Pagan Society's website. It's still a work in progress as I don't know enough about the different paths to summarise them all. But one thing that leapt out at me when I put together summaries for Druidry and Brythonic Polytheism -

Druidry is a nature based spirituality, philosophy and religion that draws its main inspiration from the culture and traditions of the British Isles. Beliefs and practices vary widely between individuals, Groves and Orders.

Brythonic Polytheism combines research into pre-Christian native British spirituality with lived relationships with the land, gods and ancestors in the here and now.

uclanpagsoc.weebly.com/pagan-paths.html

- was that I realised I identify more strongly with the latter due to the focus on relationship with the Brythonic gods, local landscape and its spirits, ancestors etc.

I guess the major difference is that Brythonic polytheism is essentially polytheistic and the gods are seen as real, whereas Druids can be pantheists, atheists etc. or hold archetypal views of deity. And I feel the need for commonality in regard to belief about deity...

I almost feel like I'm crossing paths with the folk who have migrated toward Druidry.

What are your personal understandings of the relationships between Brythonic Polytheism and Druidry? Why the change?

[Heron]

Sept 6, 2014 12:14:22 GMT -1 lorna said:

I guess the major difference is that Brythonic polytheism is essentially polytheistic and the gods are seen as real, whereas Druids can be pantheists, atheists etc. or hold archetypal views of deity. And I feel the need for commonality in regard to belief about deity...

I almost feel like I'm crossing paths with the folk who have migrated toward Druidry.

What are your personal understandings of the relationships between Brythonic Polytheism and Druidry? Why the change?

Yes I think that's a good distinction to make Lorna, and I do seem to have crossed backwards and forwards along those paths myself over the years. I don't personally see any contradiction between polytheism and nature-based paths although one does not imply the other. Druidry is a much broader and more inclusive approach, at least in the way it is practised today, while Brython has a much more specific focus on the gods and our relationship with them as individual deities, and so too to what we might learn from their historical as well as their current appearance in our culture of veneration and relationship with them.

I don't see it as a change so much as a difference of emphasis. But I am aware that in Druidry the approach is more broadly spiritual than focused in the way it is here. I think that Brythonic polytheism can certainly express itself through Druidry, though not all druids would necessarily be at home here.

[lorna]

Thanks, Heron.

I'd agree that Druidry in general and Brythonic polytheism certainly aren't incompatible. Druidry being the umbrella term for nature based spirituality and BP the specific focus on deity? Although I do wonder whether BP is compatible with, for example, Zen or Christian Druidry. I personally don't think I could combine such different belief systems but am aware some people do quite successfully.

On a personal level I guess where I differ from most but not all Druids is that it's my relationships with the gods and other spirits, as well as spiritual ancestors such as poets, philosophers and writers that guides my journey through nature. And I feel like I'd be lost in nature without them. Hence they're such a big focus. Although place is very important to me too, as revealed by my journey through it. Whereas most Druids have a much more direct relationship with nature, without the mediation of the spirit world?

One thing that stood out to me when I read The Druid Network Order of the Yew's Statements of Dedication was that the majority of them were to the Druid path, commitments to the whole of nature and some to specific places (this is as I recall anyhow, I think they may have been taken down off the website now?) rather than to gods. Whereas the only statement of dedication I ever made, and perhaps will ever make was to a specific (Brythonic) deity.

I know I'm not a Druid and I don't believe having a commitment to a Brythonic deity without a deep knowledge of Welsh mythology, landscape, language and culture makes me a Brythonic Polytheist either, although I do feel more drawn toward this path at the moment.

And maybe it's ok and perhaps necessary to wander not knowing with the simple word 'Awenydd' and an occasional word from the gods for guidance? (Although that isn't easy to explain to new members of a pagan society or when doing interfaith work!)

[redraven]

Sept 6, 2014 12:14:22 GMT -1 lorna said:

I guess the major difference is that Brythonic polytheism is essentially polytheistic and the gods are seen as real, whereas Druids can be pantheists, atheists etc. or hold archetypal views of deity. And I feel the need for commonality in regard to belief about deity...

I almost feel like I'm crossing paths with the folk who have migrated toward Druidry.

What are your personal understandings of the relationships between Brythonic Polytheism and Druidry? Why the change?

I think one of the major differences is not that the gods are "seen" as real but more "experienced" as real. To "see" something places the individual as the observer, on the outside, but it is my experience that with Brythonic Polytheism, one tends to "experience" far more than just "see" (in some respects, Brythonic Polytheism is similar, in my experience, to the very real experience of the Norse Gods.) It also has to be remembered that this group made a very public statement that we didn't consider anyone here was either "willing or qualified" to adopt the Druid title early on. The focus of the group was community at that stage and I think it was the right thing to do at that stage. We have moved on and the whole "Druid as Priest" thing has changed, certainly for me, I don't have that particular association anymore. Priest belongs to a different religion and time frame and once I got rid of that particular baggage, I moved back towards Druidry relatively smoothly. But my own Druidry is most definately rooted in Brythonic Polytheism and also with me now moving from a relatively Anglo-Saxon area to a most definately Brythonic area and environment, the ties and relationships between druidry and Brythonic Polytheism strengthened considerably.

[potia]

My relationships with particular Brythonic deities has only deepened with time and I am as much a Brythonic polytheist as I was when this board was more active. I came into Brython from Druidry but I went through a phase of not feeling I could define what Druidry is to my satisfaction let alone what a Druid is and so I stopped using those words to describe what I am.

Brython seemed to fragment and I had, and still have, a need for online community interactions that help me to think about things and grow so I went back to TDN. In going back I re-examined my feelings about using the title Druid and using Druidry to describe my path again. I have now become more comfortable with a flexible definition of Druidry which allows for a multitude of individual expressions partially due to reading Ron Hutton's book "Druidry" and realising that it is a path that has constantly re-invented itself through time. I've also come to accept that the snippets we have about what iron age druids were are also just that, snippets, not a complete picture.

My own dedication to the Order of the Yew by the way was not written specifically for the Order it is a dedication I made on my blog as well here pedwarceffyl.blogspot.co.uk/2013/12/a-short-statement.html

Each of us has our own journey. Druidry has been part of mine almost to the time I chose to be Pagan. I may wander away from it from time to time but it's always going to be part of who I am. I am now also a Brythonic polytheist and I can't imagine that changing now as those are the gods I have the deepest relationships with, so if I'm going to give a compete descriptor of my path now it would be Brythonic polytheist Hearth Druidry (whic is a bit of a mouthful)

[lorna]

RR and Potia, many thanks for sharing your perspectives. Very interesting to hear that you are both just as, no more, committed to Brythonic Polytheism as well as now feeling comfortable to be Druids, under your personal definitions.

@ RR 'in some respects, Brythonic Polytheism is similar, in my experience, to the very real experience of the Norse Gods.'

- yes, that's why I feel I have more commonality with the Heathens at my local Pagan Society than the OBOD Druids.

@ Potia 'I went through a phase of not feeling I could define what Druidry is to my satisfaction let alone what a Druid is and so I stopped using those words to describe what I am.'

- that sounds a little like what I'm experiencing now as I can't find the commonality between, for example, TDN Druidry, OBOD Druidry, Xian Druidry and Buddhist Druidry... in RR's words I can't nail my jelly to the wall... so get a clear understanding or vision of Druidry which I feel I can with Brythonic Polytheism.

- and many thanks for sharing your deeply personal statement of dedication here.

Thanks all, I've got a much better understanding on your personal experiences of the relationships between Brythonic Polytheism and Druidry now.

[potia]

I've got to the stage where I no longer try nailing the jelly down and just enjoy eating it

[mooncrone]

I'm still learning, and trying hard to come to terms with the information I've read, and attempting to make sense of the experiences that have come my way.

This thread has been very helpful, thanks to all who have added to it, I think Heron's post resonates with me a lot.

I hope to be able to make more of a constructive comment when I've been here a while longer.