Mild Druidry

I was thinking about modern druids, probably inspired by watching Jago Cooper with the Caribbean Taino people, who were recreating their traditional rituals based on patchy evidence and oral history. It seemed a bit sad, in a way - sitting in tatty jungle clearings play-acting at achieving trance states or shuffling about in circle dances. However, there also seemed something profoundly valuable in it - reconnecting personally with a significant cultural essence that has an enduring value, linking individuals to the shared continuum of a deep and unique heritage.

This resonates with my direct experience of current Western interpretations of shamanistic practices too. I attended the Winter Solstice ceremony at Glastonbury, which had a strong cohesive positive energy that I felt comfortable engaging with. In general, I like the way that inspiration is given primacy in modern Druidry. The Awen, as that divine breath of inspiration, seems a powerful idea, which links to the feeling that I often get at Glastonbury. This photo, which I took there on the solstice, reminds me of that (even though it wasn't actually taken at dawn).