The Druids: Chapters 3 and 4

I am reading A Brief History of the Druids by Peter Berresford Ellis. After every few chapters, I'll write a post about what I have read - something like a chapter-by-chapter book review. Here are my thoughts on chapters 3 and 4:

Chapter 3: Druids Through Foreign Eyes
This chapter summarizes the writings of the Greeks and Romans on the Druids. Ellis gives a fair amount of background information on these writers so the reader can decide how far he or she is willing to trust them. Many of the Greek and Roman writers presented the Druids in either a very negative or positive light. From reading this chapter, I was struck by how little writing on other cultures has changed in a couple of thousand years. Even in our own century there have been many examples of writers who have portrayed other cultures in a way that (as is later found out) was very inaccurate. Ellis comes to the conclusion that none of these writers should be trusted, which seems rather obvious to me. After all, we should always question everything we read, right?

The oak tree makes another appearance in this chapter, this time in a discussion of the possibility that the Druids practiced their rites in oak groves. There is also an interesting few paragraphs on "Druid's eggs." Throughout this chapter, Ellis makes references to archaeological discoveries that may support or disprove what the classical writers have said.

Chapter 4: Druids Through Celtic Eyes
In this chapter we turn to the writings of the Celts themselves, which are mainly from Ireland and mainly written by Christian monks. If you're familiar with Irish mythology, there won't be much new for you here. Ellis begins with the Leabhar Gabhala, and works his way through the myths that contain any mention of the Druids. In some instances, Ellis mentions passages in the Irish writings that corroborate something in the classical writings. Druids also appear in the Lives of several of the Celtic saints, hinting that they may have been around into the Christian era. Ellis does not remain entirely confined to Ireland; he also discusses Druids in the Isle of Man, Scotland, Wales, Cornwall, and Brittany. Again, I didn't find much new information in this chapter, but it did contain some interesting points nonetheless.

In the Forest

The end of the third week after going back to class.

I am in natural resource science, and for the first time in several years I am feeling that this is what I love doing and what I could see myself doing in the future. I get to go on field trips almost every weekend. I am making a collection of plants for my forest ecology class and a collection of insects for my entomology class. Every week we are outside on campus, looking at trees, plants, and how they interact with other aspects of their ecosystems. I am learning how to classify soils and the types of environments the different kinds of soils are found in.

I am busy. Many nights I have sunk into bed feeling that I am truly going to get my rest and not just my obligatory eight hours a night. When I do have free time, I use it more productively. Even though I have still not started my daily meditation again or begun my studies of Ogham I do not feel that I am not progressing. I am learning so much about the natural environment around me and how humans interact with it in my classes that I am certain that it will have some impact on my spiritual practice. So much of my spirituality is grounded in the world of nature, and there is still so much I do not know about the nature that is around me everyday. (For one thing, I had no idea there were so many different species of trees on campus.)

Last year at this time, I was becoming more and more dissatisfied with the path my life was taking and I was feeling despair at not knowing where to turn next. This year, I am feeling a growing sense of contentment and even joy in what I am doing. I still don't know where I'm going, but it no longer feels as though I am frantically looking for a path that is not there. Rather, I have abandoned the path altogether and gleefully plunged into the forest.

The Druids: Chapters 1 and 2

I am reading A Brief History of the Druids by Peter Berresford Ellis. After every few chapters, I'll write a post about what I have read - something like a chapter-by-chapter book review. Here are my thoughts on chapters 1 and 2:

Chapter 1: The Celtic World
This chapter gives a basic overview of Celtic history and culture, from their murky origins to the present day. I don't have much to write about here, other than to say that I think Ellis did a good job of dispelling the stereotype of the Celt as "proud, ignorant, illiterate...and often drunk."

Chapter 2: The Origins of the Druids
Here, Ellis discusses the possible etymology of the word "Druid." After bringing in the possible connection with the word for "oak," he devotes a few pages to the importance of the oak in various Indo-European cultures, including that of the Celts. I found this interesting, but I am not sure how it contributed to the chapter, especially as I think there are some people who do not think that "Druid" is related to "oak."

After that, Ellis presents several arguments for and against the possible non-Celtic origins of Druidism (which all seem to be based on Julius Caesar's statement that Druidism came to Gaul from Britain, which would imply that it had its origin in Britain and not in Europe (where the Celts came from)). As he believes that Druidism is Celtic, I thought he did a fairly good job at presenting the arguments of the other side.

Poem for Autumn

The name -- of it -- is "Autumn" --

The hue -- of it -- is Blood --

An Artery -- upon the Hill --

A Vein -- along the Road --

Great Globules -- in the Alleys --

And Oh, the Shower of Stain --

When Winds -- upset the Basin --

And spill the Scarlet Rain --

It sprinkles Bonnets -- far below --

It gathers ruddy Pools --

Then -- eddies like a Rose -- away --

Upon Vermilion Wheels --

(Emily Dickinson)

Book Blogging

Lately, I've noticed a few people (namely Nettle at Druid's Apprentice and Juni at Living the Path of Mist) writing posts based on the books they have been reading. Since I love books, and since this month is rather busy one for me, I think that I might try this as well. By combining reading and blogging, I might be able to free up some time for other activities.

I have three books on my shelf right now that I could possible use for this process. They are:

• A Brief History of the Druids (otherwise known simply as The Druids) by Peter Berresford Ellis
• The Elements of the Celtic Tradition by Caitlin Matthews
• Celtic Gods and Heroes by Marie-Louise Sjoestedt

The latter two books I have already read once, but the first one is new to me. If anyone has a preference as to which book they would like me to read, leave me a comment. Otherwise, I'll just read whichever one I prefer.

Settling Into the Old Routine

I am back at university, and have been since last Monday, September 7. I am living on campus, in the same building I have always lived in here, but this year I have been given a different room than the one I have had the previous three years. It is only four doors down from my old room and the layout of it is basically identical, but there are just enough little things that are just a little bit different to throw me off balance.

It is hard enough re-adjusting to my routine here. I am living in the city again and once more I have to get used to hearing the sounds of traffic and of people talking as they walk past my room. I have to become re-acquainted with the local magpies, crows, robins, and squirrels that are so plentiful here right now. Perhaps most importantly (from an academic point of view), I have to motivate myself to sit through (occasionally boring) lectures, read tedious chapters in textbooks, and wear out my hand while taking notes.

Walking is another thing. At home, we live so far out in the country that you have to drive if you want to go anywhere. Here, I have no car and I walk everywhere. I did a fair bit of walking last week and I felt it in my leg muscles afterwards. Another reminder that I need to exercise more! Apart from exercise, I also want to get back to doing my daily meditation and yoga sessions. I would also like to add Ogham divination to these sessions. I think the study of Ogham will harmonize well with the course I am taking this semester on trees.

I will be going on field trips on the next three weekends so I'm not sure how frequently I will be able to update this blog, but I'll try to post at least once a week.

Walking the Path

I am looking forward to going back to university again this fall, partly because once more I will be living alone. Once more I will be able to sit and think for an hour undisturbed, to get up in the middle of the night to write, to rise before anyone else is awake to meditate, to walk around campus alone with my hair blowing in the wind, to spend the whole afternoon with a book, speaking to no one. These are some of the joys of living alone.

I love living alone, probably because I am at heart an introvert. My early elementary school teachers often labelled me as "shy" and tried to draw me out, to make me part of the group. I resented them for it, for I have known for a long time (before I even knew what the word was) that I am an introvert and prefer being by myself (or with one or two close friends) to being in a group. I have never tried to pretend otherwise.

It is not surprising then that I have always been alone on my spiritual path as well. Most of the time this doesn't bother me, but sometimes I wonder how my life would be different if I knew other people who were pagans and/or Druids. What would it be like to spend hours discussing philosophy and religion, or to celebrate a festival together, or simply to know that there are others close to me walking this path?

But at the same time I know I am not alone. The world of nature, the gods, ancestors, and spirits always surround me. And everyday I draw on the wisdom of others through the books and blogs that I read. These people are my companions on my path, even if we shall never meet in the flesh.

And ultimately the path must be walked alone.

Storm

It was a hot, smoky day, getting up to 31 degrees Celsius (88 Fahrenheit) in the afternoon. The hills were a hazy blue, and below us, the valley had vanished in the smoke. The air smelt dry, like dust and cut grass. By suppertime, the wind was beginning.

At first the thunder was only a quiet rumble in the distance, but soon we were seeing bolts of lightning to the south and the east. The thunder was louder; I could feel it in my feet, vibrating through the house.

As it got darker, the lightning became more noticeable. Some bolts were only a single bolt, others were two joining into one or one splitting into two, or one that split and re-split into many fragmented bolts. Many bolts appeared to strike the hills to the east of us. That is the way the storms usually travel, along those hills.

I felt the fear rising again in me. Please, not this time, I begged, not knowing to whom I was speaking, don't let a fire start near our house. At the same time I felt a delicious thrill of awe at the beauty and power of the storm.

We heard a few taps of rain on the metal roof, and then more. The breeze felt cool and the temperature began to fall. On it went all evening, thunder, lightning, raining and stopping, raining and stopping. Once the clouds opened and a bit a sunlight shone through, creating a rainbow over the hills. I began to feel more hopeful.

By the time we went to bed, the thunder and lightning had mostly passed by and as I lay in bed drifting off to sleep I could hear the rain steady on the roof. In the morning, the grass looked greener and my hands and arms felt sticky with the increased humidity. Instead of smoke, fog obscured our view of the valley.

Perhaps this is the end of it. Perhaps this is the end of the hot, dry weather, and of the fear.