Druids were an intellectual and religious caste among the tribal peoples of pagan Europe and were custodians of their cultural and spiritual heritage in the centuries before our Common Era (BCE). They practiced their rites in urban shrines and woodland groves, holding the natural world as sacred, in particular honoring certain trees, plants and animals, rivers, lakes and springs.
Historians commonly associate Druids with the Iron Age Celtic culture that spread out from central Europe from about 800 to 200 BCE, yet the Celtic people of Gaul maintained that Druidry originated in Britain and that Druids from continental Europe came there to study. And there is new archeological finds in China dating Indo-European settlers back 5000 years.
Archeological evidence suggests that many aspects of Celtic religious practice derived from much earlier traditions. For example, the layout of Celtic ritual sites often echoes those of the Neolithic period with bank and ditch enclosures, internal settings of posts and astronomical alignments.
Remnants of Druid teachings survived in the Bardic colleges in Wales, Ireland and Scotland, which remained active until the 17th century, in medieval manuscripts, and in oral tradition, folklore and ritual. By this time the Druidic families were 'underground' with their teachings only being passed from one generation to the next. The Sanctuary is founded upon one of these "Family Traditions".
The 18th century saw a Druid revival, inspired by a renewed interest in Classical and medieval Celtic literature and antiquarian studies of ancient sacred sites. This revival had links with Non-conformist Christianity, Freemasonry and revolutionary politics.
Druidry Today
The late 20th century has witnessed another renaissance in Druidry, inspired by the renewed interest in alternative spiritualities from the 1960s, by the 'green' movement and by contact with other Nature-based spiritual traditions, notably modern 'Wicca' and the 'shamanic' cultures of North America and elsewhere.
There are now some 300 or so Druid groups worldwide.
The Sanctuary works with a native Scottish tradition. The term 'Scottish' is used not in a narrow political or nationalistic sense, but to evoke a time when the two islands of Ierne (Ireland) and Albion (England, Scotland and Wales) were jointly known as the Pretannic Isles. We draw inspiration from the sacred land and from our ancestry; the mud and blood of Scotland, whose myths and mysteries are the wellspring of our tradition.
In our work, we honor our ancestors of blood and of spirit, those recently departed and those of old, our physical forebears and the predecessors of our tradition, the Druids, priests and priestesses of past ages and the old Gods of our people. Much of our strength and wisdom comes through them, and by working with them we establish creative and healing links with the spiritual and cultural heritage of our land and its people and with our own kinfolk who have entered the spirit world before us.
Druidry in its heyday was a pan-European tradition, so we seek to recreate an understanding of Druidry as the native spirituality not only of the UK, but also of the World. This process of restoration involves recovering a sense of the sacred in all areas of our lives so that we can begin the healing process
The essence of our teaching lies in working with the spiritual energy known as Awen. Awen literally means 'flowing spirit.' The Bards of medieval Britain saw it as the source of their inspiration, and as a gift bestowed by the Christian god, as well by an ancient pagan goddess, Ceridwen, 'she who is the poet,' who they referred to as the patroness of their order.
Those who study with and join the Sanctuary are encouraged to make their own links with this spirit of inspiration, through which they might find their own energy and creativity, and thereby discover and walk their own sacred path to joy, peace, healing, ecstasy and the Divine.
The Threefold Path
We recognize the three traditional areas of Druidic practice, those of Bard, Ovate (Ofydd), and Druid (Derwydd).
We see initiation as an individual process, which must result from a personal spiritual quest. We see our role as offering guidance and training, helping people to find and focus their own sources of inspiration.
Bard
The spiritual force of the old Bardic tradition was strong. The Sanctuary seeks to renew that energy by encouraging a new generation of Bards to walk the Earth in a sacred manner; to rediscover its holy places; to recover its ancient songs and stories, and to bring them back to life for the renewal of land, life, love, liberty and laughter.
Ovate
The Ovate directs Awen into the development of gifts of prophecy and divination, the healing arts and awareness of the other realms - the Otherworld. The Ovate seeks understanding through study of the natural world, working with the shadow-side of life and the processes of death, of letting go, of the mysteries of time, of preparing the ground and facilitating with rebirth the advent of the new.
Druid
The Druid applies Awen to the roles of ritual celebrant, guide and teacher. Journeying through and between the worlds, the Druid acts as a bridge builder between cultures, traditions and peoples, between spirit and form, relating the Awen to the Earth energies, or Dragon lines, which run through the landscape, connecting sacred places and times.
Re-Kindling the Sacred Fire
We seek to pass on the Druid tradition through hands-on teaching and direct personal experience. This is done through our affiliated Churches, through camps, talks, workshops, sacred walks, sweat lodges, howling under the full moon nights, singing on high hilltop days, wading in the waters of life, forest gatherings, fire-dancing, spirit-weaving, soul-healing, eisteddfod and re-creation sessions. Through these events we simultaneously present and recreate the spirit of the Bardic/Druidic tradition. Events are provided at minimal cost, being primarily for people not profit.
Sanctuary sponsored events include a series of workshops and seminars under the generic title, 'Druidry: Traditional Spirituality,' each of which present different aspects of Druid tradition.
The Sanctuary sponsors Druid-Christian and other inter-faith conferences and gatherings. We applaude Rev. Chris Wells of Brushy Creek Baptist Church for his efforts and classes to help educated and dispell fear and misunderstanding of non-Christian Paths. Bravo to a very Courageous man!
We celebrate a cycle of seasonal festivals, promoting a sense of identity with the land and its cycles of growth, death and rebirth. We are happy to assist with rites of passage such as naming and blessing ceremonies for children, handfastings and Druid weddings, rites of puberty, croning and passing over.
Sanctuary events take place at a number of venues. If you would like us to bring Sanctuary events to your area, or to assist with rites of passage, or would like to book Cathbodua, or one of our teachers, to present talks, workshops or Bardic performances, please get in touch and we will do our best to accommodate you.
What is the Sanctuary?
An active and open statement about the Order's state of being.
In keeping with so much of modern Druidry, the Sanctuary exists as a paradox. And like modern Druidry, it is rather difficult to describe. A good place to begin might be to declare that the Sanctuary exists largely as a concept: a means by which things get done, a well-organized non-organization organization.
Druidry is sometimes easier to define through what it is not, and so is the Sanctuary. It is not a solely a source of teaching for an ancient faith or culture reconstructed. It is not aiming to proclaim a definitive Druidry.
'Membership' exists in a personal way. It is horrifying the number of people, Druid chiefs to media men, who ask how large is the membership of the Sanctuary in order to judge its influence and validity. For us, the very existence of a 'membership' brings up connotations of an organization to which some people belong and others don't. And once we find ourselves with an organization with this list of people attached, each one of them investing their energy and their loyalty, those who run the organization begin to find themselves taking responsibility for - and, the gods forbid, speaking on behalf of - that membership, who in turn on some level look to the organizers, and before you know it people are defining positions, and the great confusion of hierarchy and politics ensues. The whole problem of who does represent the membership quickly arises and next comes the democracy or dictatorship debate, or doubts being raised as to whether a person should or should not be seen as associated with the Order. Such political considerations are not a part of the spiritual tradition that the Sanctuary encourages or practices.
Membership can confer to the member a sense of status and belonging, which in itself can be wonderful. The Christian Church is well reputed for holding out its arms in welcome and with the assurance of unconditional love to all who have lost their roots or their purpose. Yet there is always the risk that the strength and stability found is not through one's own center but externally through the supporting body. A ritual of initiation into an organization might amplify that risk. Indeed, whether the Sanctuary members call themselves Druids or not on the basis of their involvement in any event or ritual the Sanctuary sponsors, is entirely up to them. The decision is left entirely up to them. Essentially this is the membership of the Sanctuary.
My duty, as Elder and Arch Druid, is to administrate its affairs, to arrange events, to listen and respond appropriately to what is requested. I hope to create space in which people can think, people can talk and people can listen, as we all walk our paths, learning, finding our gods and our perfect peace. To use the now rather overused word, I am a facilitator, motivated by the joy I find in working together, in bringing people together and in our sacred lands.
People ask for initiation for a number of reasons. As a spiritual ritual that would mark the point at which a person moved into a deeper involvement with Druidry, perhaps expressed by their subscribing to the Sanctuary and attending rites and events. Such initiations are poignant, declaring a commitment to the spirit of place, to the ancestors and to the spiritual community that witnesses the rite. At times in our lives it can be important and deeply effecting to make such a dedication, marking the changes in our perspectives and priorities, allowing the process better to continue its unfolding.
Initiation can happen on many levels. For some it is the acknowledgement on a spiritual level of having crossed a barrier of fear and unknowing, of having walked through another doorway. Some rites not only acknowledge with thanks, but actually take us through the doorway, marking a beginning but on a deeper level than the simpler dedication. Some are a part of a deeper dedication or vow to a deity. At the Sanctuary, we view such initiations as being the inevitable conclusion of a personal journey or quest, and as such I am always happy to witness, guide or act as a celebrant for an initiation rite with anybody who feels they have arrived at such a point and where our involvement feels appropriate. In this way, initiation is a spiritual rite of passage, and sacred ceremony can be created around such a turning point in life.
Initiation is then not the only way that someone might join the Sanctuary, nor is it possible to pick up such an initiation as part of a collection of titles or prestigious affiliations. Druidry is not a packet of beliefs or ritual practices: it is the adventure of experiencing a spiritual reality, of learning soul freedom and true creativity.
The Sanctuary's philosophy is pivoted on what we call the Awen, the flowing spirit that is the life force in motion that is 'being' in perfect presence, that is the touch of the gods, divine inspiration. My hope is that through the work of the Sanctuary, people will discover ways in which they can access awen and allow it to flow through them, finding ways of clear self-expression, healing and creativity.
What the Sanctuary aims to do is to listen to what it is asked to do, by the members, by the community and by the gods whom we revere. There are no defining qualities of Druidism but honor and reverence for all creation, for the ancestors and the gods, and as such we celebrate individuality with all its idiosyncrasies (except perhaps the pompous and damaging). I would hope and ask that any person who wishes to contribute to the Sanctuary's program let me know how.
