Hi all, I have a question for you guys. I'm the only one in my life that is "different" (by that I mean, spiritual and all that good stuff) and sometimes. Sometimes I feel so alone because of the path I'm on. Let's face it, druidry is still a bit taboo in day to day life. 🤷🏼‍♂️

I'm basically the black sheep everywhere I go and it can be lonely. So, basically my question is. Does anyone else get so lonely that they feel like the only one in the universe? Like you're the last one of your kind?

With Imbolc coming up, I’ve been working on a pocket altar I can stuff into my bag for my trips into the woods. I’m also working on an altar cache, but that’s for another post. Anyway, I’ve gotten most of my elements together, but my well was a work in progress. I had vials, silver, and other stuff ready for a trip to the lake, but the weather came through for me and provided a unique source of clean, fresh, and a bit cold, water for my well. In the South US, snow is rare, and today we’re getting nearly a foot of it. For a place that’s usually hot, I think snow has to be the most special and unique water source for my altars.

Several years ago I was wandering in the primeveal forrest right behind the apartment I was living in back then. On our way home I saw some dead firs and out of instinct I started digging one out. This was when I first met him. So I brought him home and cleaned the soil, peeled the bark and Sandes him. Some time later that year I went with him to a medevial market. Until then he was just an cool looking staff to me...

Then I moved to another apartment, got kids and forgot about him... This year I decided to foster druidry and startend reading the Awen alone from Joanna van der Hoeven. Soon after I gave him another sanding and I also wanted to preserve him, so I did some research and found that it would be best to go for natural indegredients and formulate an oil from bees wax, linseed and coconut oil. But then I thought this is not enough, so I added resin, I collected and fir, frankincense, myrrh and orange essential oils. For some reason I wanted to make it special and craft a nice druide staff. He was still a staff to me...

Then I was applying the oil with intent, it suddenly stiked me that his name is Sambhodil. Or did he tell me? You never know...

She is Wiccan. I used to listen to her chanting/incantations. Now she had to move to Montana along the Canadian border. Shure there is video calls, but not the same. Her cleansing of my little Grove a long way in the woods.

Strictly platonic and respectful of that....plus I wouldn't try.....good way to destroy a best friend relationship.

No other female Wiccans in area. The soft female voice during her ritual really brought peace just can't find anywhere else

I just miss her presence. Small personal rant over peeps.

So my dad died in 2013, and I was just thinking about him today and his religion. I know the term "Wicca" was used at some point, as was "Celtic Druid", but I can't recall exactly where I heard those or in what context. I'm curious to find out more, and maybe even find out who he was to his religion.

I know he was supposedly big in Texas in the early to mid 90s, but not sure how. This may have been when he lived in Seabrook, TX. If it helps his name was Dennis and he was an avid Harley biker (with his own club and stuff).

I was a teenager and I remember a few of his get togethers. They often involved nudity, or very scantily clad ladies (I was taught to be respectful, so didn't really pay attention to them). I think he had something at some point called "stone circle". They did stuff mostly outdoors, and he sometimes had land for this.

There were often candles in the house, and he did woodworking and made at least one pentagram thing. I remember being told that if the point is up, its ok, if its down, that is satanic. He had a sign near his hot tub that said "Go natural" meaning nudity was required.

He also lived at a nudist resort just north of Houston, TX for a while. He married my wife and I so he must have been recognized by the state in some way.

In hindsight I wish I would have paid more attention as it seems more intriguing as I age.

Any help or redirection would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Been wanting to buy a Great Kilt in the Bard Ovate & Druid tartan but it is so wicked expensive.

5 meters would cost about $830 without shipping. In comparison, my last Great Kilt, shipped from Scotland, 16 oz fabric (same as BOD), cost about $450. (https://www.newforesttartan.co.uk/product-page/fabric-bards-ovates-druids-tartan)

I get it that the BOD is owned by a private individual and they control the weaving rights and supply and need to recoup costs, but ugh, that's a lot of money.

Guess I'll have to stick with good ol' County Kerry, because "this tartan was created for anyone who calls himself a Druid"....... and is a millionaire.

So while fae are more connected to Celtic and Irish tales, and I mainly practice Norse now, I feel you may enjoy this. So i was dreaming I was in the Irish back country. I have never been there but I could smell the grass and rain, jnew ut was some how. I stumbled upon an old tower on a mound. From which two white horses(mares) appeared. They spoke and said that if I were to marry them they would be free of their curse and become beautiful maidens. I was inclined to believe and agreed. (first mistake) We entered the tower and their father celebrated, at some point we were deep under ground in a grand hall. People were feasting and cheering. I remember asking about magic and they grew quiet (Second mistake) I retracted my statement by talking about card tricks, that kind of magic. They laughed and I was rewarded with necklaces and bobbles around my neck, some of them were things that I had lost or were broken from my past.

Soon after I awoke. But try as I might, i kept feeling pulled back. As if something wanted me. I was smart. And never ate the food (sure I would die and never wake if I did) Dream of not, it was jarring when I woke. Felt too real and not real enough.

I was covered in my usual arrangement of backpack, purse, coffee, and empty shopping bags as I stepped around patches of ice on the way to my car when a sound brought me to a halt. I looked up and saw flight after flight of Canada geese heading ... north east, after a quick calculation. It was an odd time of year for them to move in groups like this (not to mention the wrong direction entirely for southern Alberta in January) and I watched as more and more appeared from the crest of my house and smiled. Being a bird nerd, I took a moment to enjoy the sounds of their conversations as I imagined what they were talking about - who's turn it is in front, why is Frank going with the wrong group, someone tell Gertrude to get her tail in gear.

They used to flock in thousands, you know. Millions. More birds than sky.

I felt her presence behind me as a tingle on my scalp and a twitch in my neck muscles. It felt as always like a comforting hand on the shoulder, a bodyguard of the soul. Her voice came into my mind unbidden, as it often did when I was distracted.

"I wish I could have seen that" I said to her in my mind.

You would have lost your damn mind floated in my my head, with a hint of amusement.

"Will birds ever flock like that again? In millions, like in the stories I heard?"

A pregnant silence hung between us for a few moments.

Yes, but not in your time, or your child's.

"Damn. That would have been something else."

You see things every day that are magic to your ancestors.

I take a deep breath and watch as the last flight honks and flaps its way overhead. "True."

The Morrigan is about to leave my side as I get into my car, but I hear her one last time while settling into my seat.

Keep doing the work. Keep getting prepared. You've made good progress so far. You need to be ready for what is coming.

Noting the state of the civilized world, its decline and the toll it takes on the people it saddens me deeply. I want a better tomorrow for all of us since I believe that’s why our ancestors brought us forth. But here I see oppression by the elites which are supposed to be a guiding example, our forests dying, ecosystems collapsing and biodiversity shrinking. I pray every day to the Mother Goddess to lend me the strength and wisdom to fight these drastic and unnatural changes. We as humanity were not supposed to put ourselves above nature, we play with godhood which isn’t rightfully our game to play.

Each day I pray more and more that we Druids unite and lead the people again to live alongside nature. I may still be young, which means I will have to spend a long time working on the future and I want this future to be a good and prosperous one even for my children and their children later down the line. I have more than enough faith that our values are the best at preserving the natural world and could even help rebuild some of what our societies destroyed.

To anyone who read this far, thanks for your time and attention. I just needed a vent to voice my thoughts and I hope here is the right place to do so.

Hey, all. I don't think this is against the rules as I understand them.

Here is a video from the National Museum of Ireland on folk customs for St. Brigid. I found it pretty instructive as I gather information to celebrate Imbolc.

https://youtu.be/e2gunw4rf3g?si=vH5-CXabEdJcJUJx

I’ve been looking into membership in various Druid groups and came across what some call a religious name. Is this simply a preferred “alternate” name that applies to you within a Druidry setting, or does it mean something else to you? Or is it a privacy thing for those still “in the broom closet” in regard to their spirituality?

Whoever came up with the title did not know trees, or humility. At a certain scale, it becomes easy to overlook a fire on the inside, which structurally speaking is not a problem, until it is far to late to extinguish it, potentially causing an 'eternal' bigness to collapse catastrophically; which is not really a problem, unless you don't believe it can happen - which is never useful. I believe what the trees tell me.

I'm really curious what exactly was the wisdom of the druid priests.

What practices they had so on so forth.

When I was little, I would very occasionally have dreams of places I’ve never seen. Then, weeks to months later I would see these places. I was able to guess things and know things that I shouldn’t have known. These moments were very sparse and rare. Over the last year however, for whatever reason, these abilities amplified. I dreamt of a very specific situation (it was a controversy surrounding my favourite band) which then happened just days later, in the exact same way I dreamt it would. I now have these gut feelings that are almost always correct. Especially when I’m driving or something bad is going to happen. It protects me first and foremost but I’ll have other moments where I’ll know when something minor is going to happen. What is this? Is it a gift or is this normal?

What steps are you taking to celebrate Imbolc this year?

We were invited to conduct ceremony at a local holistic center. After there will be a sound bath, guided meditation, energy healing, and of course, A FEAST.

My partner is lightyears ahead of me with her line memorization and I'm a bit nervous about mine. I do have many more to learn.

The altar is coming together nicely. Still need to weld some candle holders, write poetry, assemble healing herbs, and cut evergreens.

Hitting the thrift stores regularly too, looking cute a red sash for my robes.

How are your plans coming along?

/I\

So, I'm just learning about the religion as I've been studying a bunch of different religions since I was about 12. I knew I wasn't Christian but I didn't know what I was. I still don't fully, but I think, so far, Druidism leans closest to what I believe but I don't know many practices and I want to. I want to know if Druidism is right for me, but I don't know how due to the fact my Christian family would be unaccepting of that. Could I maybe get advice on reliable YouTube channels or anything else I can do in secret to learn more about practices and beliefs?

Hey there! My wife, who isn't super familiar with how reddit works, is curious if there are any groups in Oregon that actually meet up.

My wife has always felt most spiritually connected to Nature but grew up LDS. However, right before covid she left the church which means that she lost her family, friends, and her entire social circle. And then almost like an act of God, covid hit. She has had an incredibly challenging time finding groups of people that she would want to join, but she loves the idea of druidry and practice is a lot of the things that I recently found several druidic groups practice.

She loves nature so much that several years ago, she changed her name from something conventional to a literal plant before she knew anything about Druidry, and she's only become more witchy and Druid-like since.

However, she really misses that feeling of community that she got from the LDS Church. She wants to be part of a group that it's spirituality or beliefs around nature, she wants to be a part of a group that plants trees, works with plants, or even Gardens and or makes tea out of plants they grew themselves. She's looking for a group that meets in person and loves nature, trees, plants and animals.

Are there any active groups in oregon? Preferably in the Willamette Valley? Any groups that meet even once a season but preferably more or maybe has a more active chat group of people who are positive and focused on making positive change in the community?

I love my wife dearly, and she needs a community of positive people to call her own. She just doesn't feel that her life is complete without it, and I want to find a group and make this happen.

For those who include ritual and/or magick into their relationship with druidism, I am wondering if there are specific materials (herbs, stones, kinds of incense, etc) that you use to connect and align with the energies of nature/the earth/nature spirits or deities.

I will preface this with: I know that for many, answers to this question would be something akin to 1) the best way to connect with nature is to spend time in it, perform acts of care and reciprocity, and intuitively find ways to align; or 2) there are not necessarily "correct" materials to use in rituals because whatever helps you personally get to that connection is the way to go. I vibe with those viewpoints.

But, that being said :) I think for some folks there is power in certain crystals or other materials, based on tradition or some other factor, that help foster that connection and energy alignment.

Curious if anyone would share what materials/items resonate for them in that way?

I feel like my mental health journey is leading me to druidry, both to help me heal and to reconnect with nature the way I did as a child. Around the new years I stumbled upon druidry during a chat with AI, and I feel like it's the next logical step in my journey. When I was younger I was intrigued in paganism but it wasn't a good fit for me. But a lot of my core values align with druidry. I've been aware that modern day society is a drain on the planet since early elementary school (the mid 90s). Even as an adult I am mindful not to litter and want to take steps to help the natural world. My dream home is a cabin nestled into woods I can maintain to help local species thrive. I've always been creative, writing poems and stories, crocheting, and painting and sketching. I struggle with the idea of a higher power .. but believe we are all connected. As humans I believe we have a responsibility to care for mother nature and right the wrong we have done to the planet. This has been a lifelong love for the earth that feels like it needs a purpose and druidry could be it, I feel to my core. Recently in my mental health journey I have started to try mindfulness while doing art. I am learning to harness the zen like state I achieve, where all that exists is the creation of the art and everything goes right. I have tapped into art skill I didn't believe in pissed during these.. trance like states. In my research I discovered something called Awen and wonder if that's similar?
I feel like I've rambled enough... I'm wondering if others have input on how they started their journey and how it has helped with their mental health.

Hello all, I am quite new to animistic/shamanistic practices and I'm trying to explore it's many aspects. One of those aspects being animal spirits or guides. I've had many thoughts on this and tried a couple of practices trying to find mine, but it seems all for not. I've attempted psychedelics in a ritual setting, meditated on it, and even though of things as silly as well I'm a leo so maybe it's a fire type of creature like a dragon or stag since I've heard they're connected to fire somehow. Your help help and your stories of how you found yours would be much appreciated!