New age pantomime druids

week 27

NEW AGE PANTOMIME DRUIDS (NAPD)

A friend of mine was called this. He's not a druid, not sure he's even pagan. But he is a well learned individual and someone whom I respect a lot. It is now a term I use to describe the new flux of fuckwits that have flocked to our stone circles and have all the gear and no idea.  AKA Plastic Druids.

Druidry
I'm not a druid, lets get that fact out there. However, I've been knocking about with a few over the last decade and think I've had a good taster of what kind of people are out there calling themselves druids. I've stood in circle and been part of druid ceremonies.  It's alright and we share the same ideals in many areas of our paths.  But I'm not a druid and have no aspirations to become one.

As far as I'm aware, and I could be wrong (it's been known to happen), you start as a Bard, then Ovate, then after 21 years of learning, you can call yourself a Druid.  There are courses out there that can teach you about plants and all those kinds of things and some are legit and some are ripped off copies from the Internet and then sold as their own work. Plagiarism at it's finest. I hear many good things about the OBOD course from friends who are doing it.  My issue is with those who decide one day to be a druid. They buy the robes, create themselves a title and Order and then go out in to the world with the 'love and light' mentality and a shit load of glamour.  People are sucked in to their void and get ripped off.  I was contacted by a lady who had a friend who was going to spend £1200 on a course from once such NAPD.  He had only donned the robes a year earlier and yet, here he was selling 'knowledge and learning' that he hadn't obtained himself but ripped off the world wide web.  This was a genuinely nice lady and would have been £1200+ poorer if I hadn't spoken out.

I'm sure this applies to many other new age paths - New Age Pantomime Witch/Heathen/Shaman (don't get me started!!) etc etc etc.  There's always some nob out there, puffing out their chest, blowing hot air and smoke up your arse that they are the best thing since sliced bread and their way is the ONLY way.  And people get sucked in, they cannot see the bullshit invading them - glamour.  Our community seems to be blinded from seeing these people and there's more than a handful.

These so-called druids create disharmony. I've seen it countless times. They start a new group up. They get new members. There's old petty arguments that surface, then everyone gets involved and it's all out bitchcraft. This spills over in to other groups and infects everyone around it. That group then splits off and creates a new one, a new Order and more titles.  It's an endless cycle of egotesticle wankybollox - it's a fucking pantomime!  People I have been friends with have stopped being a friend on the back of these group splits. It's no wonder people sit on the fence and 'won't get involved' because it happens all the time. I know people who have completely walked away from the pagan 'scene' because of all the bitchcraft.  People I loved spending time with around the fire, drinking mead and wotnot and talking about putting the world to rights.  Those people are good people and the poison pushed them out.

New age pantomime druids - it's the latest fad in paganism. The 'I'm a shaman because I beat a drum and chant and use crystals' craze thankfully seems to be on it's way out... for now!

The point I'm making?  If you decide one day after much thought, to be a druid - great, go for it!  Deciding one day to dress up, get a sword, a staff, grow a beard/hair, wear robes and say 'namaste' all the time does NOT make you a druid.  It makes you a playgan. The same applies to so many different paths.  Granted, noobs all make that mistake (I'm fairly sure I did) and with some gentle guidance and pointing them in the direction of some good solid information, they can walk up their path with more confidence.

WALK YOUR TALK PEOPLE!

As always, I did a little research during this blog and thought you'd like to read these.  No path but your own, you decide how you want to learn.. just learn not to be a gullible muppet parting with lots of money without doing some research of the person selling 'their wisdom'.

OBOD
Druid Network
CoBDO
Guardian article