Expert: Alayne Grey - 11/25/2006

Question
I am confused about different accounts of druidism. It is definitely a pagan religion? How close is druidism to wicca?, as these two always seem to be affiliated. Thank you very much for your time,   Christine

Answer
Hi Christine,

Druidism is definitely a Pagan religion. "Classical Druidry" is what we call the religion of the ancient Druids, who worshipped a pantheon of Gods much like the Greeks and Egyptians and venerated the earth, the sun and the moon and observed the movements of the stars. "Modern Druidry" falls neatly into the category of Neo-Paganism because it has earth veneration in common with other Pagan traditions, and because it is a mystery religion - one where you have to progress spiritually through the religion in order to learn its secrets, as compared to a "revealed religion" like Christianity, which has public scriptures.

The proximity of Druidry and Wicca is debateable. Certainly, in the development of Western occultism, a lot of the founders and first Neopagans of the last two hundred years or so have met each other. You probably know Aleister Crowley, founder of Thelema, was an influence on Gerald Gardner related to the creation of Wicca. The magical system called Hermeticism also provides some foundation teachings for Wicca and for other Neopagan religions, so most are interrelated at the time of their creation, with separate founders sharing ideas. Druidry in the UK is said by Americans to have Wiccan influences, because Gerald Gardner came from here, but I disagree; Druidism in the USA hasn't got the Masonic influences that affected Druidry in the UK when it reemerged in the 1700's and is more Neopagan, compared to Druidry in the UK being relatively Mesopagan (you can visit the website of Isaac Bonewits to observe the differences in opinion on this.)

However, I can tell you that Druidism and Wicca have very different theologies. Wicca is largely Duotheistic, with a God and a Goddess, whereas Druidry is largely polytheistic (many gods) and not as eclectic in its approach to spirituality. The majority of druids worship Celtic gods and goddesses. In Wicca (because of the influence of ceremonial magic in the UK and Europe) you draw a circle and use special tools for magic, but in Druidry all space is sacred and you need relatively little for magic, if you do it at all. A friend of mine also observed that Druidry is very intellectual, more "high magic" than Wicca's "low magic", and encompasses a lot of learning and reading with a measure of shamanism and journeying between the worlds. Druids also have training grades, like Wiccans, but our grades have different teachings rather than different levels of ability as a priest or priestess.

I hope I haven't confused you any! Isaac Bonewits is a reliable source for further information, and OBOD for British Druidry; I warn you to disregard anything by Douglas Monroe, though, as he's discredited.

Thanks for your question. May your journey be unimpeded.
Brightest Blessings,
Alayne