Is Druidry the same as Celtic Shamanism?

 So, is Druidry the same as Celtic Shamanism? This is a question that prompted me to explore the ins and outs of Druidry over the past few weeks. And the answer? Well, yes and no. Druidry is certainly not the same as Core Shamanism but I have discovered that Druidry is a very broad "church" indeed. 

Druidry as it is practised today is a very modern "religion" or way of relating to the world and our place in it. It also means many different things to many different "Druids". Druids can be Animist, Pagan, Polytheist, Atheist, Buddhist, Yogis, even Christian!

Where Druidry and Celtic Shamanism blend together is in the love and respect for the Natural World - for the Earth, the environment, the wild creatures, the forests and the Spirits of Nature. I find that the Shamanism that I practice with The Way of The Buzzard is more informal and easy going than most of the schools of Druidry I have researched. Having said that, the Hedge Druid or the Feral Druid is basically a Shamanic person working with the Old Celtic traditions in their own way.

Druidry probably doesn't even qualify as a "religion", although the Charity Commission in the UK has recognised it as one and a lot of Druids would say that Druidry is their "religion". But for me, it is not a religion, as indeed Shamanism is NOT a religion. Those who know me will know that I have no time or respect for organised religions - I don't do rules and dogma and "holy" books. Religion is all about the few controlling the many in my view. Druidry, like Shamanism, has no "holy" books, no rules and no dogma, so in that respect they are very similar.

Both Celtic Shamanism and Druidry follow the Wheel of The Year and the major festivals of the seasons and both respect the Spirits of Nature and have respect for their Ancestors. Both journey into the "Otherworld" for guidance and healing but not always in the same way. Both love poetry and music and are keen to make use of the drum. I find that a lot of the Druid groups are more into formal ritual and magical thinking than my own Shamanic practise - but again, there are a lot of Druids that are much less formal in the way they work. Also, the Celtic and Gaulish Deities seem to figure largely in a lot of Druidry, far more so than in Celtic Shamanism, although we do recognise that these Deities exist. I actually had an encounter with the Gaulish Horse Deity Epona not long ago.

I guess I am more inclined to favour The Way of The Buzzard approach with its laid back, rustic, non religious approach to Native Spirituality, mostly because Jason Smalley is one of the wisest and most humble men I have ever encountered. I am still learning about Druidry and am still doing a course with The Isle of Wight Druids and Malcolm Brown. The thing I still find amusing is the way many Druid groups like to dress up in white robes and gather at ancient stone circles. There may be a certain magic to these rituals but I am fairly sure that our Stone, Bronze and Iron Age ancestors didn't prance around in freshly laundered white cotton robes. Still, each to his own. 

Regarding ritual and its place in Druidry there is a very interesting article on The Druid Network website written by "Bobcat". It's pretty long so here is a link - "The Power of Ritual - or Lack of It"