Lesson 1 - Deity

This is the first lesson in the free druidry course of the Druid Order of Tristram.

1. Core beliefs

In the druid way there is room for monotheism, polytheism, pantheism and animism. The Druid Order of Tristram believes in One Eternal, Divine Creation ('Awen'), whose attributes are Truth, Beauty and Goodness, and which is expressed in an archetypical manner through the Celtic/Druidic Pantheon with its old Gods and Goddesses - the many faces of The One. We see no conflict within the context of Druidry between the personal preference of the worship/honour of Spirit in a monotheistic, polytheistic, pantheistic or animistic form. The question is simply "which of all the equally valid aspects works for YOU?".

The divine attributes are reflected back from the physical Universe as Love, Harmony and Joy. This trinity is very important to us. Druids could not believe that a Divine Spirit expresses itself in terms of Anger, Jealousy or Retribution, instead we believe that the duty of all created matter is to acknowledge its Divine origins and to express this belief through Love, Harmony and Joy.

We believe that the Divine Spirit exists within all of Creation; animal, vegetable and mineral. All that exists contains the Divine and is therefore sacred. Druids train to access the Divine through the natural world as well as other recorded sources of wisdom. Druids do not believe that the Universe is simply a mass of inert or inconsequential objects to be exploited and despoiled as the fancy takes us. Our members see the ebb and flow of the divine impulse in all things and thus see deity as all, or deity in each individual thing.

What Gods the original Druids worshipped depends on the nation you look at. Ireland had different gods than Wales, which in turn had different gods than Gaul. The Druid Order of Tristram recommends the Irish 'Tuatha de Danann' (Tribe of the Goddess Danu) for use in Druid Work, should you wish to work with a Pantheon at all that is. Some of the main Gods are: Danu, Brigid, Ogma, Fand, Cuchulainn, Fergus, Lir, Dagda the Good, Nuada of the Silver Hand, Morrigu, Babd, Macha and Diancecht. The pantheon is discussed in greater detail in a later lesson.

2. Evil

The Druid Order of Tristram believes that the Divine origins of the Universe will ultimately result in the return of all the Spiritual elements into a reunion with the Eternal Creation after countless developments. We do not believe in Hell or in some eternal banishment from the Divine due to human imperfection in a single make-or-break incarnation. Instead we believe that evil is a peculiarly human condition that has its origins in the fear that stems from ignorance or insecurity about our Divine origins and destiny. Druids believe that evil is eliminated by a conscious re-engagement with the Divine Spirit. The Druid Order of Tristram do not believe in an externally manifesting source of evil such as Satan or the Devil. Mankind holds all the evil we can bear.

3. Sacred texts

Druids have no sacred texts like the Bible, Torah or Bhagavad Gita. The Tradition is not governed by a set of written rules, ancient or modern. However the best sources for study are mythologies. They teach us what the Druids did, how they behaved and what some of them have said. Although the medieval manuscripts that preserved them were mainly written by Christian monks, much wisdom yet remains there. In Wales, the major myths are contained in The Mabinogion, as well as in the Red Book of Hergest, and the Black Book of Carmarthen. In Ireland the chief myth cycles are the Ulster Cycle, the Fionn Cycle, and the Invasion Races.

4. Afterlife
Druids have always believed that the soul is immortal, with Ancient Druidry teaching a Western Tradition of reincarnation or a redeployment of the soul. Between and after incarnations, the soul is believed to dwell in the light of the Otherworld or Summerlands. It is believed that these Summerlands or 'Tir Nan Og' are neither 'above' nor 'below', but rather 'within'. Our Souls are Infinite. We need to limit the Soul in a finite body in order to spiritually mature. We incarnate in order for the Soul to experience limitation and therefore, growth. Without the challenge of limitation, we would not learn, grow or mature. Without the limitations of Death and the laws of Nature, our lives would have no meaning, no immediacy.