The following is one of the lessons of The Druid Path curriculum, which can be purchased in it’s entirety HERE.
The symbol of Druidry In the second age of Reformed Druidism is the seven pointed star or Seren Derwydd, which, among other things is a reminder of the seven characteristics, or aspirations of a mature Reformed Druid. We interpret the symbol by the Welsh word Derwydd (Druid) with each point standing for one of the seven attributes of a Druid:
- Point #1: Doethiweb Wisdom
- Point #2: Eluseugan – – Compassion
- Point #3: Rhyddfrydwr – Liberal
- Point #4: Wmbredd – Abundance
- Point #5: Ymnellltuaeth Noncomformity
- Point #6: Dysg Learning
- Point #7: Delfrydwr – Idealist
These take time to cultivate, though usually some of these are present within the seeking Druid from birth onwards. Those that aren’t present are aspired to with each member cultivating these inward characteristics from the Light itself.
– Point #1: Doethiweb Wisdom
The first point of the Seren Derwydd, and therefore the first attribute to be developed by the fledgling Druid is called Doethiweb, or wisdom. Wisdom is esteemed to be higher than knowledge because without wisdom knowledge is just so much sound and fury. But what is wisdom? How is wisdom defined?
Wisdom, according to the Merriam -Webster dictionary, is defined as “1 a: Accumulated philosophic or scientific learning: knowledge; b: Ability to discern inner qualities and relationships: insight; c: Good sense: judgment d: Generally accepted belief challenges what has become accepted wisdom among many historians — Robert Darnton>. d: A wise attitude, belief, or course of action. e: The teachings of the ancient wise men.
All of the senses above are related to intelligence making it difficult to produce a definition of wisdom that is not mostly equivalent to intelligence. Some see wisdom as a quality that even a child, otherwise immature, may possess independently of experience or wide knowledge. The status of wisdom or prudence as a virtue is recognized in cultural, philosophical and religious sources. Some define wisdom in a utilitarian sense, as foreseeing consequences and acting to maximize the long-term common good. As such, wisdom is viewed as consisting of ideals and principles that govern all actions and decisions.
Applications of personal wisdom include one’s ethical and social guidelines in life that determines one‘s unique style of personality, the particular nature of short and long-term goal(s) pursued in life (spiritual or materialistic for example), perspective on life, social attitudes, etc. (Source: Wikipedia)
A Druid‘s use of Wisdom concerns how one uses knowledge for the common good, that being the good of the Tribe. Today we define the Tribe as everyone living on this planet. We are one organism, a mere part of Mother Earth, so our application of knowledge needs to be for * the good of the many, instead of the few. We can‘t afford selfishness. We can‘t afford nationalistic perspectives. We have to think globally. We have to look at the big picture. In this sense, WE ARE our brother‘s keeper, because a harm to one is a harm to all. Cutting off a leg or an arm may seem like an isolated event, but that action will have repercussions to the whole of the bodies functioning. Our collective wisdom demands that we – see other nations, creeds, races, etc., as parts of the same body the body of Mother Earth, so collective decisions are ethically, from each according to his/her abilities, to each according to his/her needs.
Wisdom involves thinking things through to their logical conclusions, and then taking right action at cusp. A cusp is a moment of decision which may or may not allow time to think things all the way through however, so one‘s collective wisdom will be brought into play and depending upon that wisdom‘s development, rightness or wrongness will be determined in hindsight. An example of this kind of cusp might be if you were in an alley and getting mugged. In the moment, you might call upon your marital arts skills and kill the mugger or you might just give them your wallet. Only hindsight can determine the wisdom of a given course of action at such a cusp.
Another example would be a political leader‘s decision to go to war. In this case the leader has ample time to evaluate the pros and cons of such a decision including the environmental impact on the Earth Mother. If wisdom is applied then 99% of the time the decision to go to war would be negative as only in the most extreme case (like another nation declaring war on ours) would war be justified and even then extreme care would have to be taken to limit environmental damage and loss of life (on both sides).
How does one develop the virtue of wisdom? By gaining knowledge. By learning. By taking in as much knowledge and in as broad a subject matter, as possible. The Druid will have knowledge in Astronomy, Ecology, Biology, the Humanities, Physics, Mathematics, Philosophy, Religion (all religions), the Arts, Literature, etc. A knowledge of Celtic history, culture, art, etc., is a given but the Druid will also have equal knowledge of the history and culture of all other nations and – peoples on Earth as well as even the smallest and most insignificant tribes. A Druids education begins when they decide to become a Druid and lasts until they die. There is too much to know and therefore no reason to stop the learning process. In this case Wisdom would also dictate that educational opportunity, including university, be available to everyone regardless of means. A well-educated society is a healthy society. A broad knowledge base tempered by a Druid‘s ethical base in the two tenets (the Gaian Hypothesis) and the inspiration of Awen, will develop the Wisdom attribute of a Druid.
“Wise men say nothing in dangerous times.”
~~ Aesop ~~
“When I was a boy of fourteen, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be twenty-one, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.”
~~ Mark Twain ~~
“I hope our wisdom will grow with our power, and teach us, that the less we use our power the greater it will be.”
~~ Thomas Jefferson ~~
“Patience is the companion of wisdom.”
~~ St. Augustine ~~
“Wise men talk because they have something to say; fools, because they have to say something.”
~~ Plato ~~
“Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers.”
~~ Alfred Lord Tennyson ~
“It requires wisdom to understand wisdom: the music is nothing if the audience is deaf.”
~~ Walter Lippmann ~~
“All I know is that I know nothing.”
~~ Socrates ~~
“Above all else, the greatest gift and the most wondrous blessing hath ever been and will continue to be Wisdom.”
~~ Bahá’u’lláh ~~
Point #2: Eluseugan – – Compassion
Out of wisdom flows then the second attribute of the Druid: Eluseugan, or compassion. Those of us who are member-Druids of the Order of the Mithril Star already know a little about compassion for it is at the very heart of our definition of love:
“Love is the condition in which the happiness of another person is essential to your own.”
~~ Robert A Heinlein, Stranger In A Strange Land ~~
Compassion is a feeling deep within ourselves — a “quivering of the heart” — and it is also a way of acting — being affected by the suffering of others and moving on their behalf. Today, the Dalai Lama is the most well known exemplar of compassion and it is the central ethical virtue in the religion of Buddhism as well as other systems of enlightenment.
The spiritual practice of compassion is often likened to opening the heart. First, allow yourself to feel the suffering in the world including your own. Don’t turn away from pain; move toward it with caring. Go into situations where people are hurting. Identify with your neighbors in their distress. Then expand the circle of your compassion to include other creatures, nature, and the inanimate world. The practice of compassion increases our capacity to care. It reinforces charity, empathy, and sympathy. It is very good exercise for your heart muscle. But when you move toward others with compassion you are likely to bump into some common attitudes just waiting to close your heart again. The usual suspects are judgment and all its associated “isms”: racism, sexism, ageism, classism, and nationalism.
On a personal level your compassion is sabotaged by feelings of ill will toward others: spite and malice. These feelings, and others arising out of emotional wounds and personal pain are actually symptoms indicating that you need to have compassion for yourself.
A human being is a part of the whole called by us universe, a part limited in time and space. He experiences himself, his thoughts and feeling as something separated from the rest, a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness. This delusion is a kind of prison for us, restricting us to our personal desires and to affection for a few persons nearest to us.
“Our task must be to free ourselves from this prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of nature in its beauty.”
~~ Albert Einstein ~~
“Compassion is the radicalism of our time.”
~~ HH The Dalai Lama ~~
“When you begin to touch your heart or let your heart be touched, you begin to discover that it’s bottomless, that it doesn’t have any resolution, that this heart is huge, vast, and limitless. You begin to discover how much warmth and gentleness is there, as well as how much space.”
~~ Pema Chodron ~~
“If you want others to be happy, practice compassion. If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”
~~ HH, The 14th Dalai Lama ~~
“No matter how you seem to fatten on a crime, there can never be good for the bee which is bad for the hive.”
~~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~~
“Love and compassion are necessities, not luxuries. Without them, humanity cannot survive.”
~~ HH The Dalai Lama ~~
“Years ago I recognized my kinship with all living things, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on the earth. I said then and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; while there is a criminal element, I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.”
~~ Eugene Debs ~~
Point #3: Rhyddfrydwr Liberal (Progressive)
We’ve discussed Eluseugan or Compassion in English. Point #3 then naturally flows from this sense of compassion. Rhyddfrydwr, or Liberalness (or liberality) in English is not the British sense of the word but rather the American ideal often derided as left wing liberalism. These days we prefer the word “Progressive.”
Druids, if politically oriented at all, are mostly to be found in the Socialist, Green or the far left wing of the Democratic Party. A good example of someone who thinks like a Druid (though I doubt he is) is Noam Chomsky. Another one is Dennis Kucinich. These people, like Druids, understand that the humanity is one people and that harm to one person or class ultimately harms the whole. Druids favor an economic system that balances capitalism with socialism (the yin and yang of economics) and understands that in order for one person to enjoy Liberty everyone else must be empowered equally in order to fully enjoy the fraternity of all mankind. So the very rich freely give of their taxes so as to benefit the very poor and raise their standard of living. Likewise by giving freely, the very rich stop over-consuming and thus are free to focus more on the spiritual and less on the mundane.
Ultimately a Druidic economic system would be cashless and based on the principles of sharing all. The concept of ownership would simply cease to exist and goods and services would be shared equally among all. Ultimately poverty, disease, hunger, homelessness, war and violence would be faint memories of a dark age. Likewise selfishness, greed, possessiveness and mean-spiritedness would also be attitudes of the past.
Human rights and the upholding of the Bill of Rights are of the utmost concern. “Life, Liberty and Pursuit of Happiness” are principles that must be available to everyone, regardless of race, creed, sexual orientation, age or gender. Economic opportunities must be available for everyone and equal access to the marketplace must be guaranteed. Education is paramount and the Druid works for equal educational opportunities for all from Pre-School to Graduate School in an egalitarian and secular environment. Healthcare is also a right that all should enjoy and in fact should be totally and utterly free as it is in all of the advanced countries. Free expression is also a right and monotheistic moralistic laws restricting behavior need to be struck down. Likewise laws that criminalize soft drugs (such as marijuana, LSD, peyote, etc.) need to be wiped off the books.
But all this is just the tip of the iceberg.
The environment is the number one concern for the Druid as we are the stewards of the Earth Mother. And the number one environmental issue for the Druid is putting an end to deforestation. We‘ve come to a point technologically where the production of lumber for building is no longer necessary. We can also recycle most paper and new paper can be made from industrial hemp.
There‘s simply no logical or moral need to cut another tree down. And for that matter, there is a moral imperative to plant more trees. An example is in the Middle East. Prior to the arrival of the Jewish people to Palestine that area was more or less a desert and even today much of it still is. But the Jewish people began a program of reforestation the result of which today there are vast forests growing on the hills surrounding Jerusalem and in northern Israel. Orange and grapefruit groves grow all along the Mediterranean coast; on land that the former owners believed was worthless.
Urban-based Druids can especially be effective in promoting the acquisition, preservation and development of green belts and urban forests in our cities.
I could go on and on, but I‘m remembering that the Pagan music group, Gypsy, on their album Enchantress , summarized the spirit of the attribute of “Rhyddfrydwr” in their song, We Want To Live:
We want to live in a world that survives On the planet of life with light in our lives
By the power of the moon and the strength of the sun We are one on the Earth
We want a world where there is love for everybody; We want a world where there is no more war….
We want a world where there is hope for everybody; We want a world that’s better than before
Give us a world where there is food for everybody: Water is pure; the air is fresh and clean
We want a world that is good for everybody; We want a world where everyone is free
We want a world (oh, say can you see…)
We want a world (there’s a change in the wind)
We want a world (so proudly we hail)
We want a world
(the new age, is dawning….)
We want a world where there is peace for everybody; We want a world where there is no more war
We want a world where there is truth for everybody; We want a world that better than before
We need a world where there is food for everybody; Flowers that bloom with trees green and tall.
We want a world that is good for everybody; We want a world with joy and peace for all
We want a world
(The time has now come…)
We want a world
(to heal….)
We want a world
(the wounds of the world)
We want a world
(Earth Mother is calling….)
We want a world that is good for everybody; We want a world where there is no more war
We want a world with food for everybody; We want a world that’s better than before….
(Io Evoe…save the world)
Love is the key…..
(Io Evoe….bring us peace ) So Mote It Be….
We want to live in a world that survives On the planet of life with light in our eyes
By the power of the moon and the strength of the sun, We are one on the Earth….
We want to live in a world that survives With love in our hearts and light in our eyes
So our children can sing when all battles are done We are one on the earth…….
Point #4: Wmbredd Abundance
One of the primary attributes of Liberalness is the principle of sharing. In the Kabballah, it is taught that sharing is the attribute that makes us most like Be’al. – That opens the door to our 4th point, which is Wmbredd – Abundance. When we give of ourselves, we receive. The more we give of ourselves the more we receive. This is a universal law of metaphysics and there are whole courses of study devoted to teaching this principle. But the simplest explanation is that abundance isn‘t just about material goods. Sharing is the key to abundance. Not money, or how big a house or the car you own. In fact, the acquisition of the material is only a side benefit because Beal takes care of those who work for the Light. Be’al enables us to give of ourselves, to share, and sets off the cycle of sharing and receiving, sharing and receiving, and so forth.
– THE UNIVERSE IS YOU, SO SHARE –
Most metaphysical texts use the phrase “The Universe.” By this they mean the same thing as The Force, The Source, Universal Life Force, Reiki, God, Goddess, and some Kabbalahists may say “The Creator.” Those of us who realize our own Godness know that they are referring to what we call God (as in Thou art God ) which we Druids we refer to as Be’al, or sometimes, The Earth Mother, and we know that in speaking of any of the above we are really speaking of ourselves.
The Earth Mother gives of herself constantly and continuously. She creates the oxygen we breathe, the food we eat, the water we drink and all from which we receive life. In fact, her main function is to share herself with us and with the creatures and plants and other life that lives on her. We in turn as integrated parts of her eco-system, give of ourselves in producing the carbon dioxide that plant life needs to breathe, in cultivating the crops, taking care of the animals and being general stewards of the environment.
So you easily see the cycle: the Earth Mother, the Universe, shares with us, and we in turn share back, and this creates the cycle of sharing and abundance which in turn enables us to share ever more especially with our families, our tribes, our Groves and fellow Druids and with those less fortunate than ourselves – the victims of capitalism.
There are lots of ways to share our abundance. Mothers of course, do this every day with their families, as do fathers. We share ourselves in the workplace as well, especially when we do our work well and go the extra mile doing things that aren‘t really expected of us, that aren‘t in our job description. We can also do volunteer work for the myriad charities that beg for our help and our donations. It doesn‘t hurt to throw a dollar or two at the guy on the corner with the cardboard sign.
This is why I have said over and over again that the political view of Libertarianism is anathema to Druidism. Libertarianism is grounded in the teachings of Ayn Rand, author of The Virtue of Selfishness. Ayn believed that altruism, giving of yourself to others, was a stupid way of life. She died famous and rich, but also alone and miserable. Worse, though, she left a legacy of selfishness that many in our society have embraced to the detriment of not just our society (and as we have seen of late, our economy) but to the Earth Mother as well.
Every time we share we are drawn closer to Beal and Beal is drawn – attracted – to us. The more we share the more others will share with us. And that is the key to abundance and to living the abundant life.
The ultimate in sharing, and thus the ultimate key to abundance, is to teach sharing. As Druids we are clergy at large to the Pagan community. As such we enjoy a bully pulpit and people listen to us and will learn from us. This is true of our teaching, but also of the example we make. By teaching that people need to share, we are teaching them how to get closer to Beal (and the self-realization of their own Godness), and we are opening the doors to abundance in their own lives and increasing the openings for abundance in our own.
Do you see that each point of the star is interconnected to and builds upon the others? As we move further around the star, we shall learn even more.
Point #5: Ymnellltuaeth Noncomformity
What do we mean by nonconformity? We mean individuality. We mean questioning authority. We mean not going with the flow. Henry David Thoreau put it this way:
“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”
It means that just because everyone else has a (fill in the blank), I don‘t have to have one. It means paying very little attention to fashion. It means that you stop caring about what others think.
Just being a Druid is an act of nonconformity. Even among Neo-Pagans Druids are a minority and sometimes misunderstood by the majority. Druids are also hard to define. For example, is Druidism a Right Hand Path or a Left Hand Path? The fact is that we have traits common to both sides mixed with opposing traits from both sides. We are really “middle pillar” but how do you define that?
We are pantheistic in a monotheistic world. We are polyfidelitous in a monogamous world. We prefer the woods to the city, nakedness to clothing, mead to champagne. We define our own gods, as well as declare each other to be god. Of course, there are no absolutes and a Druid‘s nonconformity may lead him/her to not be any of these things.
We are examples of compassion in a selfish world. We are the Treehuggers, the hippies, the beatniks. We demand peace in the midst of war. We demand love in the midst of hate. We demand equality for all in the midst of classism, racism, ageism, misogyny, and misanthropy. We love.
But even our nonconformity is nonconformist. We‘ll gladly go along with society when society is right about something. For example it looks like the majority is starting to see the importance of being green. We go along with that. We encourage green – ness. Likewise we are loyal towards the members and leaders of our Groves, our Orders and our Druid fellowships. In this day of uber-individualism being loyal to a collective is an act of nonconformity in itself.
We recognize the natural force of Karma yet, rather than being Karma‘s subjects, we oftentimes are called upon to be Karma‘s agents. This means that like Valentine Michael Smith, we will be called upon by conscience to take right action at cusp and use our will to either bind or eliminate those individuals or things that are a threat to the collective. At the same time we will take a lot of time to meditate, to Grok, before taking an action. Waiting is. This is the opposite of the usual social need to do it now suffer the consequences later.
“The hope of a secure and livable world lies with disciplined nonconformists who are dedicated to justice, peace and brotherhood.”
~~Rev. Dr. Matin Luther King Jr.~~
Point #6: Dysg Learning
Moving right along, we now consider the 6th attribute of a Druid, “Dysg”, which in the Welsh means “Learning.” Caesar wrote that it took twenty years for a candidate to amass enough knowledge to take the title of Druid. We don’t know if that is true or not and frankly, given Caesar’s hatred of the Druids it’s reasonable to assume that he lied about this and everything else. But since this is a positive aspect of Druidry, it’s equally likely that he was telling the truth. My thinking on this is that more than likely either the parents of a candidate took them to the Druids to be raised (just as Merlin was given charge of Arthur as an infant) or, that the Druids divined candidates for their order from the newly weaned among the Celts, perhaps in a similar manner that the Dalai Lama is chosen. Either way, that twenty years began at a very young age and included an education in just about everything, including science, math, poetry, history, astronomy etc.
Today a Druid’s education begins when he or she decides to become a Druid. That education never ends because the Druid’s appetite for new knowledge is insatiable. We can never know too much and we will always know too little. Our education needs to be broad so that we have a working knowledge of everything, yet we may want to specialize at least for a time on a subject we are particularly attracted to. For example, I of late have become very interested in higher mathematics and quantum physics. This I find odd since neither of these subjects interested me when I was in college (I was a Journalism and History Major, with a Minor in Sociology and Religion). Recent advances in Physics are revealing the blending of quantum mechanics and religion, and yielding fascinating new theories regarding time, and history. Calculus and Trigonometry are the language that explains these theories and phenomenon associated with them, so I’m finding my interest piqued. At the same time, my long term study of Kabbalah is also helping stimulate my new interest in higher math especially in regard to what is called “esoteric mathematics.” This all dovetails nicely with my long time interest in astronomy and cosmology. But this is just an example and other Druids may find that their interests lie in other branches of science, or in history or literature. Other disciplines a Druid might learn are in the realm of the esoteric, such as Reiki, Native American Medicine, Shamanism, Tantra, etc.
Lastly a Druid is a Priest. Clergy are expected to be therapists and so a working knowledge of psychology and sociology are necessary tools for dealing with the crises of life, as well as gaining an expertise in ritual for those rites of passage common to all of human kind: birth, coming of age, marriage, divorce, eldering, and death, each with their own psychology and emotion.
What of knowledge of the ancient Celts, and of modern Celtic culture? I’m going to lay out something highly controversial here. I think a working, general knowledge of these things is good, especially for the development of ritual and mythology, but other than that these studies have very little to do with being a Druid. Think about it: the ancient Druids probably didn’t spend a lot of time learning their own culture, and really, of what practical use is it? There is also the problem of our having almost no knowledge whatsoever of what the ancient Druids actually believed, that being a problem associated with Druidism having been a oral tradition. But we can do what we know the ancient Druids did: they made up their religion, as we are making up ours.
Point #7: Delfrydwr – Idealist
The seventh and last point of the Seren Derwydd is “Delfrydwr” – Idealism. In Western Philosophy idealism is a theory that states that the ultimate nature of reality is based on mind or ideas. It holds that the so-called external or “real world” is inseparable from mind, consciousness, or perception. However, the Welsh word, delfrydwr refers more to the dynamic consciousness of living beings that emanates from the Gods themselves; from the Awen. In this way we are looking at the world through the eyes of the Gods and seeing not the world the way it is but the world the way it should be.
“Some men see things as they are and say ‘why?’ I dream things that never were and say “why not?”
~~ Robert F. Kennedy (Quoting George Bernard Shaw) ~~
Druids aspire to a world where hunger, homelessness, poverty, sickness, crime, and war are eradicated forever. We aspire to a world where the water is clean, the air is pure, and where all the species of the Earth live protected from the ravages of human greed. Where hunting for sport is no longer tolerated. Where logging ancient trees is a crime.
We aspire to a world where,
“We no longer believe that the acquisition of wealth should be the main priority in life. We believe that our work should be for the betterment of humanity.”
~~ Jean Luc Picard~~
It‘s a different kind of wealth we seek. An accumulation not of the material, but of knowledge, and beauty. Of appreciation for all of life and all of Nature. For the Order of the Mithril Star , these ideals are enshrined in the pledge that each new member Druid takes:
“In dedication to the celebration of Life in its many forms, I hereby declare my commitment to a way of life that is ethical, benevolent, humanistic, life-affirming, ecstatic and ecologically sane. I subscribe to means and methods that are creative rather than destructive, tolerant rather than authoritarian, gentle rather than violent, inclusive rather than exclusive, egalitarian rather than hierarchal. I pledge myself to harmonious eco– psychic awareness with the total biosphere of holy Mother Earth.
“Like an ancient Redwood, I would have my roots deep in the Earth and my branches reaching for the stars, the stars not only above but around me, my fellow humans, for “every man and woman is a star,” and “the good of the many outweighs the good of the few,” from each according to his/her abilities, to each according to his/her needs.
“I acknowledge my personal responsibility for myself, to my fellow humans, and to the whole of Nature; and I recognize this total responsibility, in each of us, as the source of our infinite freedom to become who we are and do what we will. I dedicate myself to my own inner growth and development that I may be of greater service to myself and the world around me. For these reasons I recognize Divinity both within and without, and I say to myself and others: THOU ART GOD.
“I wish to unite with others upon a spiritual path that encompasses the whole of the universe, and hereby make application to join the pantheon of The Order of the Mithril Star, and the Reformed Druids of Gaia, in order that we may learn together and teach each other ways to bring about these ends.”
“So say we all!”
Back in the late ‘60s we idealized about a coming Age of Aquarius, age where peace, love, and justice are the earmarks of society:
“Harmony and understanding Sympathy and trust abounding No more falsehoods or derisions Golden living dreams of visions Mystic crystal revelation And the mind’s true liberation…”
John Lennon was an idealist who invited us to Imagine what the world could be like:
Imagine there’s no Heaven It’s easy if you try
No hell below us Above us only sky Imagine all the people Living for today
Imagine there’s no countries It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for And no religion too
Imagine all the people Living life in peace
You may say that I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us And the world will be as one
Imagine no possessions I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people Sharing all the world
You may say that I’m a dreamer But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us And the world will live as one
Oh, I can hear the naysayers, and the haters, and those who continue to profit from human suffering, and from raping the environment reject these words and scream SOCIALISM !!!
So? They‘re not Druids. They don‘t count.
At least in the ideal world they wouldn‘t. Let‘s build that world. Druids can make this happen.
Epilogue
We look at the Seren Derwydd for inspiration, it’s seven shining points reflected in each Druid as seven attributes, or characteristics, of our office:
- Point #1: Doethiweb Wisdom
- Point #2: Eluseugan – – Compassion
- Point #3: Rhyddfrydwr – Liberalness
- Point #4: Wmbredd – Abundance
- Point #5: Ymnellltuaeth Nonconformity
- Point #6: Dysg – Learning
- Point #7: Delfrydwr – Idealism
Each point, as we have seen, dovetails into the next. Wisdom naturally leads one to compassion, because wisdom illuminates our ” Be’al nature ” – the recognition that our individuality and separateness are an illusion. Compassion then is the recognition that helping another is helping yourself. To be compassionate is to be liberal, and I am talking about the political sense. We gladly pay our taxes in the recognition that those taxes are buying food and healthcare and housing for those without, roads to get us where we need to be, schools to educate our young, etc. We find it more difficult to pay our taxes when they are funding human suffering. Warfare kills many more innocent than it ever does combatants.
In these modern times, most wars have been instigated and fought for the profit of a few. And since all human kind is Be’al collectively, war hurts each of us personally.
“Harm to one is harm to all.”
Compassion and Liberalness also compel us to act on behalf of justice. To seek equal rights and equality for all. To work to guarantee that, for example, the right to marry is enjoyed by all, regardless of sexual orientation. Or that women are paid equally to that of men. That employment in based upon skills and experience, and not skin color, religion, gender or sexual orientation. That workers have the right to organize freely.
Liberalness is rewarded as Abundance (prosperity). Prosperity is not just for the few, but prosperity should be enjoyed by all. The economic system must be balanced so that opportunity is equal for all. Education should be free for all – from pre-school to a post Doctoral degree, in this way guaranteeing that each person is qualified for their role in society. Liberalness then, through working for policy changes, dovetails into abundance. The universe rewards those who are compassionate — who share with others.
Nonconformity is basically swimming against the stream:
“If a man does not keep pace with his companions, perhaps it is because he hears a different drummer. Let him step to the music which he hears, however measured or far away.”
~~ Henry David Thoreau ~~
Those who do not recognize their oneness with Be’al , who embrace the deception of individuality, are, ironically, uncomfortable with those of us who do. So we appear to be the ones who are eccentric, or rebellious toward society.
Due to our nonconformity with the status quo, we have to continue to learn. Learning is forever. Learning never ends. There is always something more to learn, and scientists are always discovering new insights into our understanding of the cosmos and nature. Our horizons are therefore ever -expanding.
These six attributes collectively give way to the last point: Idealism. We Druids share a vision of a new world order. We Druids want a world where:
We want a world where there is love for everybody We want a world where there is no more war
We want a world where there is hope for everybody We want a world that’s better than before
We want a world that is good for everybody We want a world where everyone is free
Finally we see that the last six attributes dovetail back into the first, Wisdom, and we then come full circle, for the Druid who has assimilated these seven attributes will be defined most by the first one, and this is what the Druids of old were most known for: being wise.
For the wisest of men and women, those who emulate Doethiweb (Wisdom) are also Eluseugan (Compassionate), Rhyddfrydwr (Liberal), enjoy Wmbredd (Abundance), are Ymnellltuaeth (Nonconformist), are ever Dysg (Learning) and most of all, are Delfrydwr (Idealists).
An easier way to describe them is this:
These women and men are DERWYDD – DRUIDS!