New-Age-Center

Neo-druidism or neo-druidry, commonly referred to as Druidism or Druidry by its adherents is a form of modern spirituality or religion that generally promotes harmony and worship of nature, and respect for all beings, including the environment. It is considered to be a Neopagan faith by some adherents, along with such religions as Wicca and Asatru, though "some assert that Druidry is not a religion at all, not even necessarily a spirituality, but simply a philosophy of living" that can be adhered to by followers of any religion or by atheists.

Originally inspired by 17th, 18th and 19th century Romantic movements, modern Druidism was based upon theories about the Iron Age Celtic druids which are no longer considered to be historically accurate. Modern Druidism has no demonstrable historical link to the ancient Celts or their culture. In the first half of the twentieth century, modern druids developed fraternal organizations based 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 Iron Age or earlier druidism.


Adapted from the Wikipedia article Neo-druidism, under the G. N. U. Free Documentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki