We hold great power, and with that power comes an even greater responsibility. The tribe looks to us for guidance and wisdom. Our duty is to them and to Nature, and we will follow that duty even if it costs us all.---Galeain ip Altiem MacDunelmor
First, let us address some of the popular misconceptions I have encountered about Druidism. The largest by far is the practice of taking what little is found in books, all written by non-Celtic authors and most written by antagonistic groups (i.e., the Romans and the early Christians), and using this information as dogma. While some of these authors may not have been truly antagonistic, and even admiring from afar, anything they viewed that the Druids did was from not only an ousider's but another culture's point of view. They therefore were unable to recognize which acts had significance and which did not, which things were symbolic and which were not. An observer seeing a druid cut a mistletoe sprig from an oak with a sickle wearing white and performing this act on the 6th night after the new moon could very easily believe that this was a ritual and standard occurrence, when indeed it may have only held importance for that particular druid.
Another common misconception is that women were slightly inferior druids to men, and that women and men druids should always work apart. Nothing could be further from the truth. In the druidic orders, women and men were considered equal, and would rise in accordance with their abilities. The Druids felt that by women and men working together, they were able to achieve the greatest balance and therefore the greatest power in their ceremonies and magic. It wasn't until much later when outside cultural influences had begun to change the Celtic peoples as a whole that men and women split in the druidic orders. So while this split did exist, it was not viewed as a favorable change and most felt that the rituals and magic lost much of its power by the imbalance of this situation.
There is a debate over whether or not Druids were the "priests" of the Celtic peoples. In fact they were not really priests. They did not guide the people in their faith as faith was seen to be an individual matter. The most they might have done in the matter of another's faith would be to help them find the balance in themselves. One of the best terms I have heard is one the Greeks used upon their encounter with the Celts. The Greeks termed them "natural philosophers" and as the Druids spent much of their time exploring the mysteries of nature and the universe, this term to me is the most apt description of the Druids. As discussed in the Celtic Society section, Druids were not part of a "noble" or "ruling" class, but merely one necessary part of the whole of Celtic society.
Ancient Druidism was forged from the shamanistic philosophies of the early peoples who merged to form the Celts. This gave them a system which was deeply rooted in the ways of Nature and the Spirit world. The word Druid comes from an ancient Celtic word , druii, meaning "Wise" (and closely related to the word meaning "Oak" ) and id which means "One", so druid means Wise One. Eventually Druids formed a belief structure which revovled around the concept of balance in all things.
The earliest Druids most likely started out as small closely-knit groups working together to help their specific tribes. While this worked well at first when there were but a handful of tribes, the various groups of Druids soon realized that in order to keep their own tribe in balance they needed to understand the other tribes as well. This realization led to cooperation between the various druii groups. As the tribes grew and more tribes formed due to growing population, the druii began to work ever more closely together in an effort to pool their knowledges and understand their world more clearly. By the time the Scythians merged with the Celts, the Druii groups had become one group dedicated to keeping all the tribes in balance with Nature and the Otherworld. Around this time the Celtic people, recognizing that the Druii were among the wisest of them, gave unto the Druii the power to create the laws which Celtic society would follow.
Above all, Druids are known for their curiosity and their willingness to discover the answer to any questions they may have. They are also known for their extreme dedication to their people and to Nature. Druids are very open-minded, often to the point where they will accept any idea as possible until it is proven wrong. Druids believe that there are many paths to enlightenment and to truth, and that no one path is "better" than another. All have validity.
Advancement in Druidic society is twofold. First, the student must demonstrate a firm grasp of the knowledges they have gained, often in the manner of an oral presentation where they state the lore they have learned and what it means to them. A Druid must be more than a mere storehouse of information, they must be able to personally interpret the lore they learn. Second, the student receives a sign from Nature that s/he is ready to advance.
The positions that one holds in Druidic society is based upon the structure of a tree.
The first is the Leaf (Guiteraes). A Leaf is expected to absorb as much information as they possibly can. Within this time they begin to order their mind and learn basic control over the body. To move to the next level they must demonstrate an ability to recite what they have learned and tell why it matters.
At this point they advance to the Branch (Maghivellwyn). The Branch learns animal lore and plant lore and how to commune with living and nonliving things. They will absorb much information from these lessons. At this time they also learn how to commune with the elements and basic healing, combative, defensive, and divining magics. They must often prove their skills in a contest against Nature in which other Druids use both magic and physical obstacles to test the student.
Upon success of the Branch test, the student is now considered a full Druid (though a druid never stops learning). They are called the Trunk (Llwellyn). At this point they are expected to make their own path to gain knowledge. They study what most fascinates them, sharing whatever lore they gain with others. This stage in druidic training is highly dangerous as they are always experimenting with new magics and new methods for older magics. They are expected to devote some of their time each day for the betterment of both their tribe and Nature.
At some point, if a druid survives the Trunk level, Nature will call the druid to lead. They become the Root (Themaoddis). They are now called a Head Druid. They are expected to aid other druids and they are aware of what happens both within and without their grove. They are most responsible for the making of the tribal laws. They are the link between both the Otherworld and Nature for other druids.
Sometimes even this is not enough and Nature will call upon the most powerful and wise of druids to lead all the Druids of an area. They are known as the Tree or the World Around the Tree (Aretha). They are expected to solve whatever imbalances are present in their area at the time they take this position.
Magic is the potential for creation. This potential exists within all things. Magic is the energy that exists within everything, living and nonliving, spirit and substance. This energy connects all. Druids draw upon the energy in themselves as well as the energy of the things around them to perform magic. This energy is never taken forcibly from others but always politely requested. Thanks and offerings to those beings who assist the druid are common. A Druid uses this energy to aid others. Arrogance has no place in Druidic magic. If anything, a druid is profoundly respectful for s/he realizes the existence of many, many beings of far greater power than the druid, and s/he is aware of how little s/he knows and how much there is still to learn.
Most would cringe to know that sacrifice was a part of Druidism. Sacrifice was also a part, at one point or another, of nearly every culture in the world. Sacrifices, both animal and human, that were performed by Druids followed a few very specific rules. First : the sacrifice must be willing. Second : the sacrifice must feel NO PAIN. Those were the two unbreakable rules of sacrifice, for to break these rules rendered the sacrifice unfit for its purpose. Druids perform sacrifices as appeals to the Otherworld for aid and as pleas to sway the forces of Nature to a particular act. No unwilling sacrifice would carry an appeal to spirits or the forces of Nature. Likewise, a sacrifice feeling pain would be in no condition to relate the appeal to the Otherworld or Nature in understandable terms. Sacrifice in this manner is no longer a necessary part of Druidism.
It is difficult for a Druid to be solitary because the original structure of Druidism was that of a group working together. A druid assists anyone in need of aid, and a solitary without others for support is often weighed down by the press of all s/he needs to do. Those who wish to be solitary Druids might find it easiest to help people in specific areas, perhaps those they most excel in, rather than trying to solve every problem they encounter. In addition, since a solitary has no one to test and gauge progress, s/he must have a strong connection to Nature, as Nature will be the primary teacher. A solitary must still gather large amounts of knowledge. Without a group to share in this task, the solitary is solely responsible in searching for lore wherever they can. However, a Druid working alone will learn great inner strength and power from treading the solitary path. Often a solitary's connection with Nature is much stronger than that of a Druid within a grove. All the information within these pages can be adapted for solitary practice and still retain its validity, essence, and power.