Blessed by DruidsWe are a loose collection of Celtic Reconstructionists, philosophers, and students of Druidry who are concerned with the matter of ethics in the Druidical community and who meet with our peers from time to time to study the Brehon Laws, to search the ancient stories for Celtic tribal values, and to consult our own consciences for the kind of Druid path we envision. Our purpose is not to condemn or judge anyone. We welcome Druids of every denomination as well as independents and those who care about Celtic culture, history and spirituality to join in our discussions. We hope to meet physically at least once a year to compare notes and to eventually arrive at a consensus of common Druid ethical values. Order of Whiteoak groups are completely autonomous and free to set their own agendas. Every group so far has at least one person who is "on line" and therefore we ask that each group record the topics covered in their meetings and forward them to every other group via the list. In this way the consensus building will begin.
Statement of Beliefs - Ord na Darach Gile (Order of the White Oak)
The Order of the White Oak is a modern Druidic order which bases its
beliefs and practices on what we know of the original faith and practices
of the pagan Celts. We use historical research and poetic inspiration to
build a viable tradition. Our source material for this research includes
such names as Miranda Green, Alwyn and Brinley Rees, and Barry Cunliffe.
Based on our studies of works by those and other authors, we believe that
the ancient Druids were philosophers, lawyers, healers, judges,
lorekeepers, and poets as well as ritual leaders and teachers. Thus, we
strive to achieve similar skills in these modern times. We also draw upon
the writings of the Celts, such as the Audacht Morainn and the Brehon
Laws. From those, we learn that the Celts respected the virtues of
justice, impartiality, conscientiousness, firmness, generosity,
hospitality, honor, stability, beneficence, capability, honesty,
eloquence, steadiness, truth in judgment, and mercy. We seek to uphold
these virtues in our daily lives. Some of us have found value in studying
other Indo-European traditions in the search for understanding, such as
the Vedic texts of the Hindus, while others turn more inward in the quest
to fill the gaps in the records.We do not believe we are inheritors of the priesthood of Atlantis. We do
not believe that Druidry was the sole province of men, as our studies
have shown us that women were Druids both in the insular areas as well as
on the continent. We do not derive our traditions from medieval romances
about Arthur and Merlin. We are not Wiccans or Witches of any sort, as
witchcraft and Druidry have been separate though coexistent paths
throughout their mutual histories. We do not believe we are the only true
Druids. We do not seek to control all Celtic Pagans as a dogmatic
priesthood. We do not even hold all of our members to one interpretation
of the ways of the Celts, as not even they worshipped identically to each
other across the multitude of tribes and centuries.For further reading, we recommend these books:
Alwyn and Brinley Rees, CELTIC HERITAGE
Miranda Green, THE WORLD OF THE DRUIDS
Anne Ross, PAGAN CELTIC BRITAIN
Barry Cunliffe, THE CELTIC WORLD
Alexander Carmichael, CARMINA GADELICA
Cross and Slover, ANCIENT IRISH TALES
Nora Chadwick, THE CELTS
Marie-Louise Sjoestedt, GODS AND HEROES OF THE ANCIENT CELTS
Ellen Evert Hopman, A DRUID'S HERBAL FOR THE SACRED EARTH YEAR
Alexei Kondratiev, CELTIC RITUALS: AN AUTHENTIC GUIDE TO ANCIENT CELTIC SPIRITUALITY
Louis Brunaux, THE CELTIC GAULS
Bruce Lincoln, DEATH, WAR AND SACRIFICEContact us at Whiteoak@ziplip.com
