A group of Druids at Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England.

Neo-Druidism or Neo-Druidry, commonly referred to as Druidism or Druidry by its adherents,^[1][2][3] is a form of modern spirituality or religion that generally promotes harmony and worship of nature, and respect for all beings, including the environment. Many forms of modern Druidry are Neopagan religions, whereas others are instead seen as philosophies that are not necessarily religious in nature.^[4][5] Originating in Britain during the 18th century, it was originally a cultural movement, only gaining religious or spiritual connotations in the 19th century.

The core principle of Druidry is respect and veneration of nature, and as such it often involves participation in the environmental movement. Another prominent belief amongst modern Druids is the veneration of ancestors, particularly those who belonged to prehistoric societies.

Arising from the 18th century Romanticist movement in Britain, which glorified the ancient "Celtic" peoples of the Iron Age, the early Druids aimed to imitate the Iron Age priests who were also known as druids. At the time, little accurate information was known about these ancient priests, and the modern Druidic movement has no actual connection to them, despite some claims to the contrary made by modern Druids.^[6]

In the first half of the twentieth century, modern Druids developed fraternal organizations modeled on Freemasonry that employed the romantic figure of the British Druids and Bards as symbols of indigenous British spirituality. Some of these groups were purely fraternal and cultural, creating traditions from the national imagination of Britain. Others merged with contemporary movements such as the physical culture movement and naturism. Since the 1980s some modern druid groups have adopted similar methodologies to those of Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism in an effort to create a more historically accurate practice. However, there is still controversy over how much resemblance modern Druidism may or may not have to the Iron Age druids.^[7]

Beliefs[link]

Beliefs vary widely, and there is no set dogma or belief system which all adherents follow.^[8] Indeed, it is a key component of many Druidic groups that there should not be strict dogmas. There is no central authority over the entire movement, nor any central religious text or religious leader. Core ideas shared by many Druids, according to Emma Restall Orr, the founder of The Druid Network, include "honouring of the ancestors and honouring of the land".^[9] Orr also commented that "Druidry connects with all the other Earth-ancestor traditions around the globe, such as the Native American, the Maori and Huna, the Aboriginal, the Romany and the indigenous spiritualities of Africa and Asia",^[10] a view supported by leading British Druid Philip Carr-Gomm.^[11]

Nature-centered spirituality[link]

Druidry largely revolves around the veneration of nature. Phil Ryder stated that "within Druidry, Nature is considered to be unconditionally sacred and an expression or manifestation of deity and divinity".^[12] Many Druids are animists. Most Druids see the aspects of nature as imbued with spirit or soul, whether literally or metaphorically. Some Druids consider animals and plants to be members, like the deities of the Celts, of a túath, or tribe^[13] and therefore honored. Celtic author J.A. MacCulloch wrote of this in depth in a book published in 1911 entitled Religion of the Ancient Celts.

Because they view the natural world as sacred, many Druids are involved in environmentalism, thereby acting to protect areas of the natural landscape that are under threat from development or pollution.^[14][15]

Theology[link]

The theology of the modern Druidic movement is inherently nature-based, equating divinity with the natural world. However, the specifics of Druidry has changed over the centuries, from a God-centred monotheistic tradition to a Goddess-centred polytheistic tradition.

Monotheism[link]

When modern Druidry developed into a religion in Britain during the 18th century, the island was almost entirely Christian, with most of the populace believing in a monotheistic God. This^{[clarification needed]} idea was adopted by several of the pioneering modern Druids, like the Welshman Iolo Morganwg.

By the end of the 19th century, Druidry was still a "monotheistic philosophical tradition".^[16]

Neopagan theology and the Goddess[link]

Some Druids, such as members of Ár nDraíocht Féin, are polytheists, worshipping various gods and goddesses, who "are worthy of respect, love and worship".^[17] These deities are commonly taken from historical Celtic polytheism, though can also come from other sources, such as Christianity.^[18] The Goddess Danu gives her name to the family of Irish deities, which in the Gaelic is the Tuatha Dé Danann. The hierarchical concept of worship involving submission and obedience by us as lesser beings is not a concept compatible with Druidry, despite frequent misunderstanding based on the Judeo-Christian hierarchical concept of worship.^{[citation needed]}

With the increase in Neopagan Druidry, and the widespread acceptance of Goddess worship, "The Druid's Prayer", which had been originally written in the 18th century by Druid Iolo Morganwg, had the word "God" replaced with "Goddess" in common usage.^[8]

Ancestor Veneration[link]

Respect for the ancestors is another core belief for some Druids. This idea of respect for ancestors, or ancestor worship, is common in pagan folk religions. Revivalists and Reconstructionists agree that knowing as much as possible about the lives of our ancestors and preserving national or tribal heritage is important and good. Archaeological evidence does suggest that the ancient peoples of Britain, Ireland, and other parts of Europe practiced burial customs from which we infer particular respect for ancestors and probably a belief in life after death in some form.^{[citation needed]}

The Druids' ancestor veneration generally focuses on the Iron Age "Celtic" peoples of western Europe, because these were the peoples amongst whom the ancient druids lived. This offers a connection to the Celts through a "blood link to a modern Celtic land or merely a soul allegiance".^[19] Some Druids, however — particularly those with no ethnic connection — do not emphasise such a Celtic link, and focus instead on other historical peoples, such as the Anglo-Saxons or the Norse.^[20]

Ancestor veneration leads many to object to the archaeological excavation of human remains and their subsequent display in museums. Many have organised campaigns for their reburial. For instance, in 2006, the Council of British Druid Orders' reburial officer Paul Davies requested that the Alexander Keiller Museum in Avebury, Wiltshire rebury their human remains, and that storing and displaying them was "immoral and disrespectful".^[21] Criticism of this view has come from the archaeological community, with statements like "no single modern ethnic group or cult should be allowed to appropriate our ancestors for their own agendas. It is for the international scientific community to curate such remains."^[22]

Afterlife[link]

Emma Restall Orr stated that "there is a general acceptance" of reincarnation amongst Druids, and that a soul can reincarnate into any species.^[9] However, Orr's claim that this is nearly universal among Druids is not supported; there is no discussion of the afterlife or reincarnation, for example, in the writings of the Reformed Druids of North America.^[1]

Practices[link]

Ceremonies[link]

The practices of modern Druids typically take place outside, in the daylight, in what is described as "the eye of the sun".^[23] In some cases, they instead perform their rites indoors, or during the night.^[23] Most Druids perform ceremonies within a circle around an altar or central fire. Neo-druids often meet and practice in groups called variously "groves" or "henges." Sometimes they meet at stone circles and other megaliths which are pre-Celtic, but which since the romantic revival have been associated in the popular imagination with the ancient druids. At the Summer solstice, a Neo-druidic ritual is notably held at Stonehenge in England. Another particularly sacred place is Glastonbury in southern England. In parts of the world beyond the range of the original Celtic tribes in Europe and the pre-Celtic megalithic cultures, modern Druids seek an understanding of the sacred qualities of landscape and place.^{[citation needed]}

When performing rituals, some modern Druids wear ceremonial cloaks and robes, which in some cases imitate the Iron Age style of the Celts. In some orders, robes or tabards of different colors are used to indicate the grade of the druid within the order. In the case of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, the colors blue, green, and white are respectively assigned to these grades. Some modern Druids also use ritual staves, a symbolic magical instrument long associated with both Druids and wizards generally. Many modern Druids do not adopt any ceremonial garb.^{[citation needed]}

In the 1990s and early 2000s, the use of sweat lodges became increasingly popular amongst Druids. Originally a practice performed by members of certain Native North American groups, it was adopted into Druidry as a part of a widespread perception that in order to learn about ancient European culture and religion, Druids would have to draw from indigenous cultures and religions from across the globe that were more in touch with the natural landscape. Within Druidry, sweat lodges are considered as "initiatory and regenerative opportunities to rededicate oneself to honouring the Earth and the community of life."^[24]

Arts and poetry[link]

In Druidry, a specific ceremony takes place known as an Eisteddfod which is dedicated to the recitation of poetry and musical performances.^[25] Within the Druidic community, practitioners who are particularly skilled in their recitation of poetry or their performance of music are referred to as Bards,^[23] a term based upon the word bardoi, which the ancient Greek historian Strabo claimed was the term for poets in Iron Age Gaul.^[26] Bards perform at Eisteddfod at various occasions, from formal rituals to pub get-togethers and summer camps and environmental protests.^[25] Instruments commonly used by Druidic Bards include acoustic stringed instruments like the guitar and the clarsach, as well as the bodhran, bagpipe, rattle, flute and whistle. Academic Graham Harvey believed that these specific instruments were preferred by modern Druids because many of them were Irish in origin, and therefore gave a "Celtic flavour, seemingly invoking the Iron Age", the period during which the ancient druids lived.^[25]

Inspiration for poetry and other arts is known as Awen, and is believed to be a "flowing spirit" given by the Goddess which can be invoked by the Druid.^[23] In many Druidic rituals, Awen is invoked by either chanting the word "Awen" or "A-I-O" three times, in order to shift the consciousness of the participants involved.^[27]

Druids have participated in other musical genres and with more technological instruments, including the blues and rave music, and one British club, Megatripolis, opened with the performance of a Druidic ritual.^[28]

Tree lore[link]

Amongst many Druids, there is a system of tree lore, through which different associations are attributed to different species of tree, including particular moods, actions, phases of life, deities and ancestors.^[29]

Festivals[link]

Certain modern Druidic groups attempt to revive folkloric European festivals and their accompanying traditions.^[30]

Many Druids follow eight festivals a year, which are collectively known as the Wheel of the Year. Four of these are solar festivals, being positioned at the solstices and equinoxes. The other four are the "Celtic" festivals of ancient Ireland. The idea of the Wheel of the Year was introduced into Druidry by Ross Nichols, who founded the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids in 1964, and he had gained this idea from his friend Gerald Gardner, who had implemented it in his Bricket Wood coven of Gardnerian Witches in 1958.

History[link]

Origins[link]

An illustration of William Stukeley, one of the primary figures in the development of Druidry, he was also a significant influence on modern archaeology.

The Druidic movement originated amongst the Romanticist ideas of the ancient druids that had begun to be developed in the 17th and 18th centuries. Whilst many Early Mediaeval writers, particularly in Ireland, had demonised the ancient druids as barbarians who had practiced human sacrifice and tried to suppress the coming of Christianity, certain Late Mediaeval writers had begun to extol what they believed were the virtues of the druids, and reinvented them as national heroes, particularly in Germany, France and Scotland. It was also during this period that Conrad Celtis had begun to propagate the image of the druids as having been bearded, wise old men wearing white robes, something that would prove highly influential in future centuries.^[31]

The image of the Iron Age druids as national heroes would later begin to emerge in England during the Early Modern period, with the antiquarian and Anglican vicar William Stukeley (1687–1765) proclaiming himself to be a "druid" and writing a number of popular books in which he claimed that prehistoric megaliths like Stonehenge and Avebury were temples built by the druids, something now known to be incorrect. Stukeley himself, being a devout but unorthodox Christian, felt that the ancient druids had been followers of a monotheistic faith very similar to Christianity, at one point even stating that ancient druidry was "so extremely like Christianity, that in effect, it differed from it only in this; they believe in a Messiah who was to come into the world, as we believe in him that is come".^[32]

Soon after the publication and spread of Stukeley's writings, other people also began to self-describe themselves as "druids" and form societies: the earliest of these was the Druidic Society, founded on the Welsh island of Anglesey in 1772. Largely revolving around ensuring the continued financial success of business on the island, it attracted many of Anglesey's wealthy inhabitants into it, and donated much of its proceeds to charity, but was disbanded in 1844.^[33] A similar Welsh group was the Society of the Druids of Cardigan, founded circa 1779, largely by a group of friends who wished to attend "literary picnics" together.^[34] The third British group to call itself Druidic was English rather than Welsh, and was known as the Ancient Order of Druids. Founded in 1781 and influenced by Freemasonry, its origins have remained somewhat unknown, but it subsequently spread in popularity from its base in London across much of Britain and even abroad, with new lodges being founded, all of which were under the control of the central Grand Lodge in London. The Order was not religious in structure, and instead acted as somewhat of a social club, particularly for men with a common interest in music. In 1833 it suffered a schism, as a large number of dissenting lodges, unhappy at the management of the Order, formed their own United Ancient Order of Druids, and both groups would go on to grow in popularity throughout the rest of the century.^[35]

Development of religious Druidry[link]

None of the earliest modern Druidic groups had been religious in structure; however, this was to change in the late 18th century, primarily because of the work of a Welshman who took the name of Iolo Morganwg (1747–1826). Born as Edward Williams, he would take up the cause of Welsh nationalism, and was deeply opposed to the British monarchy, supporting many of the ideals of the French revolution which had occurred in 1789. Eventually moving to London, he began perpetuating the claim that he was actually one of the last initiates of a surviving group of druids who were descended from those found in the Iron Age, centred around his home county of Glamorgan. He subsequently organised the performing of Neo-druidic rituals on Primrose Hill with some of his followers, whom he categorised as either Bards or Ovates, with he himself being the only one actually categorised as a Druid. He himself practiced a form of religion which he believed the ancient druids had, which involved the worship of a singular monotheistic deity as well as the acceptance of reincarnation.^[36]

Morganwg's example was taken up by other Welshmen in the 19th century, who continued to promote religious forms of Druidry. The most prominent figure in this was William Price (1800–1893), a doctor who held to several radical ideas at the time, such as vegetarianism and the political Chartist movement. His promotion of cremation and open practice of it led to his arrest and trial, but he was acquitted, achieving a level of fame throughout Britain. He would declare himself to be a Druid, and would do much to promote the return of what he believed was an ancient religion in his country.^[37]

In 1874, Robert Wentworth Little, a Freemason who achieved notoriety as the first Supreme Magus of the occult Societas Rosicruciana, allegedly founded the Ancient and Archaeological Order of Druids, which, like the Societas Rosicruciana, was an esoteric organisation.^[38] Meanwhile, at the start of the 20th century, Druidic groups began holding their ceremonies at the great megalithic monument of Stonehenge in Wiltshire, England: the historian Ronald Hutton would later remark that "it was a great, and potentially uncomfortable, irony that modern Druids had arrived at Stonehenge just as archaeologists were evicting the ancient Druids from it" as they realised that the structure dated from the Neolithic and early Bronze Age, millennia before the Iron Age, when the druids first appear in the historical record.^[39]

Neopagan Druidry in Britain[link]

The most important figure for the rise of Neopagan Druidry in Britain was Ross Nichols. A member of The Druid Order, in 1964 he split off to found the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD). In 1988 Philip Carr-Gomm was asked to lead the Order.

Another significant figure in the British Neopagan Druidic movement is Emma Restall Orr (1965-), who was a senior member of OBOD. In 1993 she became joint chief of the British Druid Order (BDO) staying until 2002. Together with the Order founder Philip Shallcrass, she developed the BDO into one of the largest and most influential of its time.^[40] Feeling the system of Orders too limiting, in 2002 she created The Druid Network, which was officially launched at Imbolc 2003.^[41]

Druidry in North America[link]

While modern Druidism came to North America first in the form of fraternal Druidic organizations in the nineteenth century and orders such as the Ancient Order of Druids in America were founded as distinct American groups as early as 1912, the Neopagan branch of Druidism can be traced to one particular root in the Reformed Druids of North America, which was founded by protesting college students.^{[citation needed]}

In 1963, the Reformed Druids of North America (RDNA) was founded by students at Carleton College, Northfield, Minnesota, a liberal arts college that required its members to attend some form of religious services. As a form of humorous protest against this rule, a group of students, who contained Christians, Jews and agnostics within their ranks, decided to create their own, non-serious religious group. Their protest was successful, and the requirement was scrapped in 1964. Nonetheless, the group continued holding services, which were not considered Neopagan by most members, but instead thought of an inter-religious nature. From its beginning, the RDNA revolved around the veneration of the natural world, personified as Mother Earth, holding that religious truth could be found through nature. They had also adopted other elements of Neopaganism into their practices, for instance celebrating the festivals of the Wheel of the Year, which they had borrowed from the Neopagan religion of Wicca.^[42]

Whilst the RDNA had become a success, with new branches or "groves" being founded around the United States, the many Neopagan elements of the RDNA eventually rose to prominence, leading several groves to actively describe themselves as Neopagan. This was opposed by several of the group's founders, who wanted it to retain its inter-religious origins, and certain groves actually emphasized their connection to other religions: there was a group of Zen Druids in Olympia and Hassidic Druids in St. Louis for instance. Amongst those largely responsible for this transition towards Neopaganism within the organisation were Isaac Bonewits and Robert Larson, who worked in a grove located in Berkeley, California. Believing that the Reformed Druidic movement would have to accept that it was essentially Neopagan in nature, Bonewits decided to found a split-off group known as the New Reformed Druids of North America (NRDNA), which he defined as an "Eclectic Reconstructionist Neo-Pagan Priestcraft, based primarily upon Gaulish and Celtic sources".^[43]

Bonewits still felt that many in the RDNA were hostile towards him, believing that he had infiltrated their group, and so in 1985 he founded a new, explicitly Neopagan Druidic group, Ár nDraíocht Féin (Our Own Druidism; a.k.a. ADF) and began publishing a journal, The Druid's Progress. Arguing that it should draw from pan-European sources, rather than just those that were considered "Celtic", he placed an emphasis on academic and scholarly accuracy, taking a stand against what he perceived as the prevalent pseudo-historical ideas of many Neopagans and Druids.^[44] In 1986, several members of Ár nDraíocht Féin openly criticized Bonewits for his pan-European approach, wishing modern Druidism to be inspired purely by Celtic sources, and so they splintered off to form a group called the Henge of Keltria.^[45]

Demographics[link]

Three druidesses at Stonehenge on the morning of summer solstice 2005.

According to the American Religious Identification Survey (ARIS), there are approximately 30,000 druids in the United States.^[46]

On November 1, 1980, Gwenc’hlan Le Scouëzec became the "Grand Druid of Brittany", at the head of Goursez Breizh, the "Fraternity of Druids, Bards and Ovates of Brittany", founded in 1908. Gwenc'hlan is sometimes also considered the "Grand Druid" of France.^{[citation needed]} The Italian Druid Order founded in 2009 and affiliated to the English Order Of Bards Ovates and Druids^{[citation needed]}

In September 2010, the Charity Commission for England and Wales agreed to register The Druid Network as a charity, effectively giving it official recognition as a religion.^[47][48]

See also[link]

• Celtic Neopaganism
• List of druids and neo-druids

References[link]

Footnotes[link]

Bibliography[link]

Academic books

Druidic books

External links[link]

This article's use of external links may not follow Wikipedia's policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links, and converting useful links where appropriate into footnote references. (October 2010)

American[link]

• ADF – Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship
• ADO – Avalon Druid Order
• DGOFC – Druid Gorsedd of the First Circle
• The Henge of Keltria
• RDNA – Reformed Druids of North America – Website of the Carleton Grove
• Reformed Druids of North America – privately maintained RDNA portal
• Reformed Druid Grove Locations
• A Reformed Druid Anthology (repository of RDNA texts at Carleton College)
• AODA – Ancient Order of Druids in America
• The Archdruid Report blog of John Michael Greer, archdruid of AODA
• Ord Draiochta na Uisnech – Irish Tradition
• Isaac Bonewits's website
• RDG – Reformed Druids of Gaia
• Order of the Mithril Star – Teaching Order of the Reformed Druids of Gaia

British[link]

• OBOD – The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids
• AOD – The Ancient Order of Druids
• Philip Carr-Gomm's website (current leader of the Order of Bards Ovates & Druids)
• Druidcast – a druid podcast (issued by the Order of Bards Ovates & Druids)
• TDN – The Druid Network (a registered charity in England and Wales)
• BDO – The British Druid Order
• Council Of British Druid Orders – (CoBDO)
• Caer Clud

Canadian[link]

• Celtic Faith of Greater Ireland (French)
• Canadian Druid Confederation – La Confédération Canadienne de Druide

Irish[link]

• The Irish College of Druids
• Irish Druid Network Directory
• Hibernian Order of Druids

Galician[link]

• IDG - Pan-Galician Druidic Fellowship (Portuguese)

v t e Neo-Druidism Common beliefs Ancestor veneration · Celtic polytheism · Eisteddfod · Nature worship Orders Ár nDraíocht Féin · Ancient Order of Druids · The Druid Order · The Druid Network · Reformed Druids of North America · Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids Notable Neo-Druids Erwan Berthou · Isaac Bonewits · Philip Carr-Gomm · François Jaffrennou · Gwenc'hlan Le Scouëzec · Robert Wentworth Little · Iolo Morganwg · Ross Nichols · Emma Restall Orr · William Price · Philip Shallcrass · William Stukeley Related Celtic Neopaganism · Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism · Celts · Druid · British Iron Age · Paganism · Neopaganism · Stonehenge

v t e Celts Ancient Celts Celtic studies Peoples Names · Gaels · Britons · Picts · Gauls · Iberian Celts Places Gaelic Ireland · Dálriata / Alba · Iron Age Britain / Roman Britain / Sub-Roman Britain · Iron Age Gaul / Roman Gaul · Gallaecia · Britonia · Balkans · Transylvania · Galatia Religion Polytheism · Christianity Mythology Irish · Scottish · Welsh · British · Breton · Cornish Society Calendar · Law · Warfare · Coinage Art Insular · Pictish · Brooches · Carnyx · High cross · Interlace · Knotwork · Mazes · Triple spiral · Wheels Modern Celts Celtic Revival Modern Celtic nations · Pan-Celticism (Celtic Congress · Celtic League) · Music (Rock) · Neopaganism (Reconstructionist · Neo-Druidism) Languages Proto-Celtic · Insular Celtic (Brythonic · Goidelic) · Continental Celtic (Celtiberian · Gaulish · Galatian · Gallaecian · Lepontic · Noric) Festivals Samhain/Calan Gaeaf · Imbolc/Gŵyl Fair · Beltane/Calan Mai · Lughnasadh/Calan Awst Lists Celts · Tribes · Deities · English words of Celtic origin · Spanish words of Celtic origin · Galician words of Celtic origin · French words of Gaulish origin

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Phillip Emmons Isaac Bonewits
Isaac Bonewits in 2004
Born	(1949-10-01)October 1, 1949 Royal Oak, MI
Died	August 12, 2010(2010-08-12) (aged 60) Valley Cottage, NY
Spouse	Phaedra Bonewits (m. 2007)
Children	Arthur Shaffrey Lipp-Bonewits
Website
http://www.neopagan.net

Phillip Emmons Isaac Bonewits (October 1, 1949 – August 12, 2010^[1]) was an influential American Druid who published a number of books on the subject of Neopaganism and magic. He was also a public speaker, liturgist, singer and songwriter, and founded the Druidic organization Ár nDraíocht Féin, as well as the Neopagan civil rights group, the Aquarian Anti-Defamation League. Born in Royal Oak, Michigan, Bonewits had been heavily involved in occultism since the 1960s. He died in 2010.

Early life and education[link]

Bonewits was born in 1949 in Royal Oak, Michigan, as the fourth of five children. His mother and father were Roman Catholics.^[2] Spending much of his childhood in Ferndale, he was moved at age 12 to San Clemente, California, where he spent a short time in a Catholic high school before he went back to public school to graduate from high school a year early. He enrolled at UC Berkeley in 1966; he graduated from the university in 1970 with a Bachelor of Arts in Magic,^[3] becoming the first^[1] and only person to have ever received any kind of academic degree in Magic from an accredited university.^[4]

Personal life[link]

Bonewits was married five times. He was married to Rusty Elliot from 1973 to 1976. His second wife was Selene Kumin Vega, followed by marriage to Sally Eaton (1980 to 1985). His fourth wife was author Deborah Lipp, from 1988 to 1998. On July 23, 2004, he was married in a handfasting ceremony to a former vice-president of the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans, Phaedra Heyman Bonewits. At the time of the handfasting, the marriage was not yet legal because he had not yet been legally divorced from Lipp, although they had been separated for several years. Paperwork and legalities caught up on December 31, 2007, making them legally married.^[2][5]

Bonewits' only child, Arthur Shaffrey Lipp-Bonewits, was born to Deborah Lipp in 1990.^[2]

Career[link]

Early Years[link]

Isaac Bonewits (right) interviewed in Mondo Pagan June 1999 by Rock Savage at Camp Ramblewood.

In 1966, while enrolled at UC Berkeley, Bonewits joined the Reformed Druids of North America, or RDNA. Bonewits was ordained as a Neo-druid priest in 1969. During this period, the 18 year old Bonewits was recruited by the Church of Satan,^[2] but left due to political and philosophical conflicts with Anton LaVey. During his stint in the Church of Satan, Bonewits appeared in some scenes of the 1970 documentary Satanis: The Devil's Mass.^[6] Bonewits, in his article "My Satanic Adventure", asserts that the rituals in Satanis were staged for the movie at the behest of the filmmakers and were not authentic ceremonies.^[7]

Author and Druid[link]

His first book, Real Magic, was published in 1971. Between 1973 and 1975 Bonewits was employed as editor of Gnostica magazine in Minnesota (published by Llewellyn Publications), established an offshoot group of the RDNA called the Schismatic Druids of North America, and helped create a group called the Hasidic Druids of North America (despite his life-long status as a "gentile"). He also founded the short-lived Aquarian Anti-Defamation League (AADL), an early Pagan civil rights group.

In 1976, Bonewits moved back to Berkeley and rejoined his original grove there, now part of the New Reformed Druids of North America (NRDNA). He was later elected Archdruid of the Berkeley Grove.

Founder of Ár nDraíocht Féin[link]

Over the years Bonewits also had varying degrees of involvement with mystical organizations such as Ordo Templi Orientis, Gardnerian Wicca, and the New Reformed Orthodox Order of the Golden Dawn (a Wiccan organization not to be confused with the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn) as well as others.^[4] Bonewits was a regular presenter at Neopagan conferences and festivals all over the US.

In 1983, Bonewits founded Ár nDraíocht Féin (also known as "A Druid Fellowship" or ADF), which was incorporated in 1990 in the state of Delaware as a U.S. 501(c)3 non-profit organization. He made the organization's first public announcement in 1984, and began the membership sign-up at the first WinterStar Symposium in 1984. Since that time, ADF has developed into one of the world's largest forms of contemporary Druidism practiced as a religion.

Although illness curtailed many of his activities and travels for a time, he remained Archdruid of ADF until 1996. In that year, he resigned from the position of Archdruid but retained the lifelong title of ADF Archdruid Emeritus.

Musician and activist[link]

A songwriter, singer, and recording artist, he produced two CDs of Pagan music and numerous recorded lectures and panel discussions, produced and distributed by the Association for Consciousness Exploration. He lived in Rockland County, New York, and was a member of the Covenant of Unitarian Universalist Pagans (CUUPS).

Bonewits encouraged charity programs to help Neopagan seniors,^[8] and in January 2006 was the keynote speaker at the Conference On Current Pagan Studies at the Claremont Graduate University in Claremont, CA.^{[citation needed]}

Illness and death[link]

In 1990, Bonewits was diagnosed with Eosinophilia-myalgia syndrome. The illness was a factor in his eventual resignation from the position of Archdruid of the ADF.

On October 25, 2009, Bonewits was diagnosed with a rare form of colon cancer,^[9] for which he underwent treatment. He died at home, on August 12, 2010, surrounded by his family.^[1]

Contributions to Neopaganism[link]

In his book Real Magic (1971), Bonewits proposed his hypothesis on the Laws of Magic. These "laws" are synthesized from a multitude of belief systems from around the world, and were collected in order to explain and categorize magical beliefs within a cohesive framework. Many interrelationships of these areas exist, and some are subsets of others.

Bonewits also coined much of the modern terminology used to define and articulate many of the conceptual themes and issues which affect the North American Neopagan community.

• Pioneered the modern usage of the terms thealogy, "Paleo-Paganism", "Meso-Paganism", and numerous other retronyms.
• Possibly coined the term "Pagan Reconstructionism", though the communities in question would later diverge from his initial meaning.^[10][11]
• Founded Ar nDraiocht Fein, which was incorporated in 1990 in the state of Delaware as a U.S. 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
• Developed the Advanced Bonewits Cult Danger Evaluation Frame (ABCDEF)
• Coined the phrase "Never Again the Burning."^[12]
• Critiqued the Burning Times / Old Religion Murray thesis (in Bonewits's Essential Guide to Witchcraft and Wicca)

Bibliography[link]

• Real Magic: An Introductory Treatise on the Basic Principles of Yellow Magic. (1972, 1979, 1989) Weiser Books ISBN 0-87728-688-4
• The Druid Chronicles (Evolved). (1976 Drunemeton Press, 2005 Drynemetum Press)
• Authentic Thaumaturgy. (1978, 1998) Steve Jackson Games ISBN 1-55634-360-4
• Rites of Worship: A Neopagan Approach. (2003) Earth Religions Press ISBN 1-59405-501-7 OP
• Witchcraft: A Concise Guide or Which Witch Is Which?. (2003) Earth Religions Press ISBN 1-59405-500-9
• The Pagan Man: Priests, Warriors, Hunters, and Drummers. (2005) Citadel ISBN 0-8065-2697-1, ISBN 978-0-8065-2697-3
• Bonewits's Essential Guide to Witchcraft and Wicca. (2006) Citadel ISBN 0-8065-2711-0, ISBN 978-0-8065-2711-6
• Bonewits's Essential Guide to Druidism. (2006) Citadel ISBN 0-8065-2710-2, ISBN 978-0-8065-2710-9
• Real Energy: Systems, Spirits, And Substances to Heal, Change, And Grow. (2007) New Leaf ISBN 1-56414-904-8, ISBN 978-1-56414-904-6. Co-authored with Phaedra Bonewits.
• Neopagan Rites: A Guide to Creating Public Rituals that Work. (2007) Llewellyn ISBN 0-7387-1199-3, ISBN 978-0-7387-1199-7

Discography[link]

Music[link]

• Be Pagan Once Again! – Isaac Bonewits & Friends (including Ian Corrigan, Victoria Ganger, and Todd Alan) (CD) (ACE/ADF)
• Avalon is Rising! – Real Magic (CD)(ACE/ADF)

Spoken word[link]

• The Structure of Craft Ritual (ACE)
• A Magician Prepares (ACE)
• Programming Magical Ritual: Top-Down Liturgical Design (ACE)
• Druidism: Ancient & Modern (ACE)
• How Does Magic Work? (ACE)
• Rituals That Work (ACE)
• Sexual Magic & Magical Sex (with Deborah Lipp) (ACE)
• Making Fun of Religion (with Deborah Lipp) (ACE)

Panel discussions[link]

• The Magickal Movement: Present & Future (with Margot Adler, Selena Fox, and Robert Anton Wilson) (ACE)
• Magick Changing the World, the World Changing Magick (with AmyLee, Selena Fox, Jeff Rosenbaum and Robert Anton Wilson) (ACE)

References[link]

Further reading[link]

This article's further reading may not follow Wikipedia's content policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive, less relevant or many publications with the same point of view; or by incorporating the relevant publications into the body of the article through appropriate citations. (January 2012)

• Berger, Helen A. (2005) Witchcraft and Magic: Contemporary North America. University of Pennsylvania Press ISBN 0-8122-3877-X, ISBN 978-0-8122-3877-8
• Berger, Helen A. (1998) A Community of Witches: Contemporary Neo-Paganism and Witchcraft in the United States. University of South Carolina Press ISBN 1-57003-246-7, ISBN 978-1-57003-246-2
• Berger, Helen A. & Helen H. & Evan A. Leach, Leigh S. Shaffer (2003) Voices from the Pagan Census: A National Survey of Witches and Neo-Pagans in the United States. University of South Carolina Press ISBN 1-57003-488-5, ISBN 978-1-57003-488-6
• Bond, Lawrence & Ellen Evert Hopman (1996) People of the Earth: The New Pagans Speak Out. (reissued as Being a Pagan: Druids, Wiccans & Witches Today in 2002 Destiny Books ISBN 0-89281-904-9) Interview.
• Clifton, Chas S. (2006). Her hidden children: the rise of Wicca and paganism in America. Lanham, MD: AltaMira Press. ISBN 0-7591-0202-3. 
• Lewis, James R. & Shelley Rabinovitch (2002) The Encyclopedia of Modern Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism. C Trade Paper ISBN 0-8065-2406-5, ISBN 978-0-8065-2406-1
• Pike, Sarah M. (2004) New Age and Neopagan Religions in America. Columbia University Press ISBN 0-231-12402-3, ISBN 978-0-231-12402-7
• Urban, Hugh B. (2006) Magia Sexualis: Sex, Magic, and Liberation in Modern Western Esotericism. University of California Press ISBN 0-520-24776-0, ISBN 978-0-520-24776-5
• Vale, V.; Sulak, John (2001). Modern pagans : an investigation of contemporary pagan practices. San Francisco, Calif.: RE/Search Publications. pp. 70–77. ISBN 1-889307-10-6. 

External links[link]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Isaac Bonewits

• Neopagan Net (formerly "Isaac Bonewits' Homepage")
• The laws
• A Reformed Druid Anthology includes The Druid Chronicles (Evolved)
• "An Open Letter to Selena Fox"

v t e Neo-Druidism Common beliefs Ancestor veneration · Celtic polytheism · Eisteddfod · Nature worship Orders Ár nDraíocht Féin · Ancient Order of Druids · The Druid Order · The Druid Network · Reformed Druids of North America · Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids Notable Neo-Druids Erwan Berthou · Isaac Bonewits · Philip Carr-Gomm · François Jaffrennou · Gwenc'hlan Le Scouëzec · Robert Wentworth Little · Iolo Morganwg · Ross Nichols · Emma Restall Orr · William Price · Philip Shallcrass · William Stukeley Related Celtic Neopaganism · Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism · Celts · Druid · British Iron Age · Paganism · Neopaganism · Stonehenge

Ellen Evert Hopman, M.Ed., was born in Salzburg, Austria. She is an herbalist, lay homeopath, and Mental Health Counselor (U. of MA, 1990) who lives and works in Western Massachusetts.

She is a co-founder and former co-Chief of The Order of Whiteoak (Ord na Darach Gile), a Reconstructionist Druid organization.She held the position of vice president of the Henge of Keltria, an international Druid Fellowship, for nine years,^[1] and is a professional member of the American Herbalists Guild. She is the author of several books and audio tapes on Paganism and Druidry.^[2][3]

She was formerly a Professor of Wortcunning at the Grey School of Wizardry, where she taught herbalism, celtic religion, celtic history and celtic lore. She also teaches herbalism and Druidry,^[2] and has been a speaker and workshop leader at numerous Neopagan and New Age events.

Books[link]

• 1992. Tree Medicine, Tree Magic. Illustrated by Diana Green. Seattle, WA: Phoenix Publishing. ISBN 0-919345-55-7
• 1994. A Druid's Herbal for the Sacred Earth Year. Destiny Books. ISBN 0-89281-501-9
• _ and Lawrence Bond (1995). People of the Earth: The New Pagans Speak Out. Inner Traditions. ISBN 0-89281-559-0
• _ and Steven Foster (photographer) (2000). Walking the World in Wonder: A Children's Herbal. Healing Arts Press. ISBN 0-89281-878-6
• _ and Lawrence Bond (2001). Being a Pagan: Druids, Wiccans, and Witches Today. (Revision of People of the Earth: The New Pagans Speak Out) Destiny Books. ISBN 0-89281-904-9
• 2008. Priestess of the Forest: A Druid Journey Llewellyn Publications. ISBN 978-0-7387-1262-8
• 2008. A Druids Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine Inner Traditions International. ISBN 978-1-59477-230-6
• 2010. THE DRUID ISLE Lewellyn. ISBN 978-0-7387-1956-6
• 2010. MAKING KITCHEN MEDICINES - A PRACTICAL GUIDE Dreamz-work Productions, 2010
• 2011. SCOTTISH HERBS AND FAIRY LORE Pendraig Publishing ISBN 978-1-936922-01-7
• 2012. PRIESTESS OF THE FIRE TEMPLE - A DRUID'S TALE LLewellyn. ISBN 978-0-7387-2925-1

References[link]

External links[link]

• Willow's Grove - Ellen Evert Hopman - Ellen Evert Hopman's website
• Ord na Darach Gile - Druid Order of WhiteOak

This article about a herbalist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This article includes a list of references, related reading or external links, but its sources remain unclear because it lacks inline citations. Please improve this article by introducing more precise citations. (October 2011)

Philip Carr-Gomm is an author in the fields of psychology and Druidry, a psychologist, and one of the leaders of The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids.

Biography[link]

Philip Carr-Gomm was born in London, raised in Notting Hill Gate, and educated at Westminster School and University College London. He is the nephew of Richard Carr-Gomm.

He met his first spiritual teacher, Ross Nichols, the founder of The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, when he was 11. He began studying with him when a teenager, and joined the Order when he was 18. He studied meditation with Olivia Robertson in Ireland, who later founded the Fellowship of Isis, and in his twenties he founded The Esoteric Society in London, which organised journeys for members to Bulgaria and Egypt, and hosted talks by well-known authors such as Gareth Knight, W. E. Butler, and Arthur Guirdham.

In 1975 his Druid teacher died, and he followed a Bulgarian teacher, Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov for seven years, giving talks on his teachings and helping with the translation and publishing of his books into English. He also travelled to Bulgaria and studied the work of Aivanhov’s teacher, Peter Deunov, visiting Sofia annually for fourteen years, teaching Deunov’s Paneurhythmy dance in England and at Findhorn in Scotland. In his thirties he turned to a study of psychology, taking a BSc degree at University College London and Jungian analysis, with plans to become an analyst. On discovering Psychosynthesis, he trained instead as a therapist at the Institute of Psychosynthesis in London and began a private practice.

In 1988 he was asked to lead the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. He organised the Order’s teachings into a distance-learning course, and edited his teacher’s book with John Matthews.^[1] Since that time, the Order has grown to become the largest Druid teaching order in the world, with Professor of History Ronald Hutton writing that 'the OBOD correspondence course arguably represents one of the major documents of British spirituality from the late twentieth century'.^[2]

Bibliography[link]

• Paneurythmy, Privately published. 1980.
• Special Times: Listening to Children, with Dr. Rachel Pinney and Meg Robinson, The Children’s Hours Trust 1985.
• When the Flame and the Rose are One: Etchings by Liuben Dimanov with excerpts from letters by Rainer Maria Rilke edited and introduced by Philip Carr-Gomm. (Privately published 1986, Limited edition of 100 copies, each with twenty lithographs signed by the artist).
• The Elements of the Druid Tradition, Element Books 1991.
• The Druid Way, Element Books 1993, Thoth Publications 2006.
• The Druid Animal Oracle, with Stephanie Carr-Gomm, Simon & Schuster, Fireside Books, USA and Australia 1994. Connections Publishing UK 1996.
• The Druid Renaissance ed. Thorsons, HarperCollins, 1996. [Re-issued as The Rebirth of Druidry – Ancient Earth Wisdom for Today, 2003]
• La Force des Celtes: L’Heritage Druidique — Entretiens avec Philip Carr-Gomm, Paco Rabanne and Philip Carr-Gomm, Michel Lafon, Paris 1996.
• In The Grove of the Druids: The Druid Teachings of Ross Nichols, Watkins Books, 2002.
• Druidcraft: The Magic of Wicca & Druidry, Thorsons, HarperCollins, 2002.
• Druid Mysteries: Ancient Wisdom for the 21st Century, Rider,Random House, 2002.
• The DruidCraft Tarot, with Stephanie Carr-Gomm, St.Martin’s Press, New York, 2004.
• What do Druids Believe? Granta, 2005.
• The Druid Plant Oracle, with Stephanie Carr-Gomm, St.Martin’s Press, New York, 2008.
• Sacred Places: Sites of Spiritual Pilgrimage from Stonehenge to Santiago de Compostela, Quercus, 2008.
• The Book of English Magic, with Sir Richard Heygate, John Murray, 2009.
• Journeys of the Soul: The Life and Legacy of a Druid Chief, Oak Tree Press, 2010.
• A Brief History of Nakedness, Reaktion Books, 2010.

Notes[link]

References[link]

• Comstock, Gary (ed) Religious Autobiographies pp. 81–98
• Hutton, Ronald, "The New Druidry" in Witches, Druids and King Arthur, Hambledon & London, 2003, pp. 239–258
• The Druids, Hambledon Continuum, 2007, pp. 194–197
• Rabinovitch, Shelley & Lewis, James, The Encyclopedia of Modern Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism, Citadel Press, 2002, p. 38
• Sawyer, Karen, Soul Companions, Conversations with Contemporary Wisdom Keepers, O Books, 2008, pp. 48–53
• An Encounter with the White Brotherhood — Ardella's Foreword to Dance of the Soul

External links[link]

• Philip Carr-Gomm's Homepage

v t e Neo-Druidism Common beliefs Ancestor veneration · Celtic polytheism · Eisteddfod · Nature worship Orders Ár nDraíocht Féin · Ancient Order of Druids · The Druid Order · The Druid Network · Reformed Druids of North America · Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids Notable Neo-Druids Erwan Berthou · Isaac Bonewits · Philip Carr-Gomm · François Jaffrennou · Gwenc'hlan Le Scouëzec · Robert Wentworth Little · Iolo Morganwg · Ross Nichols · Emma Restall Orr · William Price · Philip Shallcrass · William Stukeley Related Celtic Neopaganism · Celtic Reconstructionist Paganism · Celts · Druid · British Iron Age · Paganism · Neopaganism · Stonehenge