Druidism

Druidism is the philosophy, knowledge and practice taught and studied by Druids. Druidism is not, nor is there any recorded history or historic account of Druidism being a religion or the religion of the Celts, Gaelic or Gaul peoples or culture (collectively and commonly referred to as Celts).http://www.fatheroak.com/,http://islanddruid.shorturl.com/

Druidism was not openly shared with the culture or people that the Druids were associated with, Druidism was a closed system open only to those accepted for study by a Druid. It could be assumed that Druidism had a role in the beliefs and spiritual practices of the cultures that the Druids interacted with as teachers, physicians/healers, and judges in the sense of understanding, holding, applying and upholding local Celtic laws.http://www.lost-civilizations.net/celts-druids.html

Both the terms Druid and Druidism, are terms that have their origin, not from the Druids themselves or their practice but from the attempts to describe the philosophy and teachings of the Druids by others in history who encountered the Druids. A secretive group, the Druids held their knowledge and practices to select and accepted few. http://www.lost-civilizations.net/celts-druids.html

There is much debate as well as speculation as to what and who the Druids were (and are today) but what the Druids taught and how they imparted their knowledge was not recorded an so for the most part is lost to history. Though the original or Historical Druids and their practices were mostly killed off by the Romans, those who did survive either went into hiding becoming more secretive and private, or converted to a Celtic form of Christianity.http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/romans_and_the_druids.htm

Historic accounts of the Druids and Druidism is all of a third party nature as the Druids theselves did not record their teachings and or practices. Most of the accounts of the Druids and their practices (Druidism) can be easily attested to by two general groups, those who were at odds with the Druids of the times and those who recorded in poems, stories and songs their observations of Druid behaviour and activity.http://druidism.suite101.com/article.cfm/who_were_the_ancient_druids

Cultural accounts of the Druids and Druidism can be found in the Celtic, Gaelic, and Gaul stories, songs, and poems that have been passed down through generations that attempt to account for events of the past associated with or conducted by Druids. Historical accounts of the Druids and Druidism comes mostly from Roman sources, during a time when the Romans were at war with the Celtic Nations and actively trying to remove the Druids as an source of power and authority in the Celtic Nations. .http://druidism.suite101.com/article.cfm/who_were_the_ancient_druids

Druidism has enjoyed a number of revivals over the last century with Druidism today taking on many forms, approaches, and practices depending on the interests and associations of their practitioners.

In the late 16th through to the 18th century, England and Wales experienced Druid revivals, inspired by the likes of John Aubrey, John Toland and William Stukely and others. Much of todays Druidism is based more or less in part to the work and research of John Aubrey, historic records and cultural remembrance. Druidism today in part is receiving attention due to the Celtic revival that is happening in many parts of the world, including Ireland, Scotland, England, Britannia as well as the north western parts of France which are actively promoting their Celtic heritage.http://www.spiritus-temporis.com/druid/revival.html

Druidism was not openly shared with the culture or people that the Druids were associated with; Druidism was a closed system open only to those accepted for study by a Druid. Druidism was a study that was open to both men and women, and was a wisdom study of both inner and outer consciousness.

It is held that the Druids and their Druidism had a role in the beliefs and spiritual practices of the cultures that the Druids interacted with as teachers, physicians/healers, poets, artists,musicians and judges . For the most part there is no historic record of the Druid as a teacher of religion or religious beliefs; there are records of them as the wise, the healers and the knower’s of knowledge and learning that was outside the common knowledge of the Celtic clans that they were a part of.http://islanddruid.shorturl.com/,http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/d/druidism.html

Druidism was a secret path of study and like most secret paths of knowledge; it was handed on from a Master (Druid) to their students orally, as instructions, stories, knowledge and practices. It can only be surmised from the various other knowledge/consciousness paths of study that still exist today, that Druidism as a knowledge/consciousness path of study would have had similarities.http://www.themystica.com/mystica/articles/d/druidism.html