Druid dogmatix

John Michael Greer is (among other things!) the Archdruid of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA). In this book, "The Druidry Handbook", he explains the faith and practice of this particular Neo-Pagan group. The book comes with a foreword by Philip Carr-Gomm of the more well known Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids.

Greer freely admits that the AODA doesn't have a direct connection to the ancient Druids of the pre-Roman Celtic lands. In fact, no modern Druid group has, although some have attempted to reconstruct the ancient tradition through painstaking research. By contrast, the AODA is based on so-called Revival Druidry, a modern British cultural phenomenon no older than the 18th and 19th centuries.

The Revivalists, chief of them Iolo Morganwg, claimed to have rediscovered the true traditions of the ancient Druids. In reality, their ideas were an eclectic mixture of Masonry, Rosicrucianism, Romanticism and even Anglican Christian meditation techniques. Iolo seems to have forged many of the "ancient" documents he claimed as his sources. Later, Theosophy, the Golden Dawn and Wicca were added to the stew. Or magickal potion? There have also been conflicts between British and Celtic druids, largely based on nationalist sentiments. Today, a faction of Druidry known as Reconstructionists rejects the Druid Revival en toto, seeing it as an acute embarrassment. One Revival group, the Reformed Druids of North America (RDNA) was originally a prank before evolving into a real spiritual group!

Greer takes a different approach. He points out (sensibly) that we know almost nothing about the beliefs and practices of the original Druids. Besides, all religious traditions are in some sense "invented". The important question isn't the ancient pedigree (if any) of a certain tradition, but rather whether or not it reconnects us to nature, spirit and our true selves. Seen in this way, even Revival Druidry becomes a legitimate spiritual path. However, Greer does *not* say that reality is entirely subjective or that anything goes. In fact, he is at pains to emphasize the opposite, especially the ecological limits to life on Earth. Rather, he seems to believe in a kind of pantheist life-force which permeates the entire cosmos, while taking somewhat different forms in various traditions. At one point, Greer suggests that the gods might be a kind of symbols, but says that he isn't really sure. Practitioners have even encountered one of the spoof gods invented by the RDNA! My interpretation is that Greer regards the cosmic energies, our spiritual selves and the material world as objectively real. Everything else is - or could be seen as - symbolic.

The beliefs of the AODA do come across as a greened version of the usual Theosophical or occult teachings. Our souls emerge from the mineral world, enter the plant and animal worlds, and eventually become human. Being human is a learning experience, since humans have free will and the potential to reach even higher, spiritual regions of existence. If the opportunity is squandered, humans will reincarnate as the plants or animals that best suit their mentality. (I wonder where that would leave me? A plant with a bad attitude? A nettle, perhaps? Suits me just fine, JMG!) Evolution never really stops, since the spiritual worlds also consist of many different levels.

Judging by Greer's book, however, Druids aren't all that interested in the "pure" spiritual worlds, in contrast to much of what passes for Theosophy or New Age. Rather, the emphasis is on living a spiritualized, materially simple life in the midst of the material world. The Druid wants to balance the "solar" and "lunar" energies by living in harmony with Nature. Ritual, meditation and studies of poetry, magic or regular natural history are important parts of the Druid path. The author tries to explain the rather complex symbolism of Revival Druidry, which includes speculations about the esoteric meaning of Ogham letters or the legends of King Arthur.

Greer devotes considerable time to discuss the ecological crisis. Here, his perspective is radically green: our modern civilization is ultimately unsustainable, and Druids (not to mention everybody else!) are advised to cut back on consumption, grow their own food, support local markets and practice individual self-reliance. Greer blames the people rather than "the system" for the crisis: what forces us to frantically produce, consume or pile up debts? Why do we vote politicians who suggest otherwise out of office? Real change starts with the individual. Here, I must say that the author is somewhat simplistic. (He has a more realistic perspective on things in his more political books, "The Long Descent" and "The Wealth of Nature".)

In the last chapter, it turns out that "The Druidry Handbook" is actually used as a textbook for those who wish to become initiated in the AODA...

Although I don't feel ready to emulate Merlin and Getafix quite yet (I'm a nettle, remember?), I will nevertheless give this book four stars for being an excellent introduction to one of the more common versions of Neo-Druidry. But then, I do have a tendency to give John Michael Greer's book consistently high ratings, don't I?