Menelluin (Lisa Crockett)

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BRD101
Assignment 2 - Keeping the Hearth Fire
Menelluin

2. Keeping the Hearth Fire:

Why is druidism relevant today?

Druidry may be seen by some as being an irrelevant and ill informed practice, largely lost

in the annals of time. However, the archetype of Druid practice and beliefs is still very much

alive and relevant within the collective unconscious. This archetype leads those who wish to

honour and follow it into positions where the damage to the natural world, and humans as a part

of that world, can be healed. Druidic practice as the offspring of the archetype is as relevant as it

was in ancient times, and vital to the continuation of our planet as an entity.

According to Wikipedia, the term ‘archetype’ can have five different but related

definitions. The first offered definition is that an ‘archetype’ is an original thing, or form from

which other things merge. The second is that an ‘archetype’ is a pure, original form. The third is

the Jungian idea of an archetype being an element universally found in the collective

unconscious. The fourth definition is that an archetype is a symbol or idea that is found

constantly re-occurring in mythology, literature or art. The fifth definition is that archetypes can

be possibly interpreted as instincts that, in close correlation with the Jungian idea of a collective

unconscious, are in fact inherited and drive much of human behaviour.

If we take these definitions into account, we can see that while modern druidism is not a

handing down of the exact practices of ancient Celtic druids (much of which are unknown), it is

an ongoing development of perceptions of the natural and other worlds and the progression of

adapted traditions. There must be an intrinsic understanding of the archetype of druidism to fully
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understand how that archetype is represented in the collective and ecological unconscious to see

why druidism is even more relevant in today’s society and environment than it was in ancient

times.

Clearly, the world is a very different place than it was in ancient times. The natural world

has been assaulted and depleted and is on a path to total destruction, obvious to those who can

see. Society and human populations have increased to a point of overload and, while the quality

of life for most people is beyond the imaginations of ancient Druids, there is also a suffocating

miasma of depression, anxiety and despair. Humanity is almost completely over-run with greed

and is oblivious to the destruction that the controlling forces in society have on both the

individual and the environment.

At the same time, the collective unconscious still contains the symbols and ideals of the

Druidism archetype. This means that part of the relevance of modern Druidism is its role in

awakening the archetype within the collective unconscious. Through teaching, practice,

learning, guiding and ritual, opportunities arise to make contact with people who are ready to tap

into the collective unconscious and the druidism archetype. In this way, the Druid archetype

functions like a massive tree that was planted when the world became sentient. Its roots and

boughs spread over the world and through time. The archetype is the original seed of the tree,

and our modern practice is the fruit of the tree that unites all ecology, including humanity. The

collective unconscious has images of the archetype firmly planted within it. This archetype

appears in dreams, art and other forms of expression. While it is clear that there are people who

are more sensitive and aware of the messages the collective unconscious, it is equally clear that

there are people who are completely shut off to any suggestions beyond their ‘real’ world

experiences.
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While the collective unconscious carries the symbols and memories of various archetypes

which often represent the spiritual unity of the universe, the ecological unconscious lies within

us all and calls us to to the natural world. In a time when, as stated above, the urbanisation and

industrialisation of the world has all but destroyed the natural world, it is important to remember

that humans are animals and, like all other animals, we need a close connection to nature to

continue to survive.

The modern world is like a whited sepulture. On the surface, we drip with advantages and

wealth. In reality, under this layer of advancement, people are withering like neglected birds in

cages. Suicide and depression grow with each generation and more and more people live in

concrete environments under polluted skies. Soul are severed from what they truly need, a

contact with the natural and spiritual world.

The ecological unconscious, the need and drive to connect with the natural world, is an

element of druidism that makes it more relevant with each passing year. It is also important to

realise that Druids are also relevant in healing the damage to the natural world. Leading by

example, and devoting time to practice mending our natural environment are tasks vital to a

continued relationship to the spirits of nature. Encouraging people to spend time communing

with the natural world will help heal individuals. A natural progression of people awakening

their ecological connections, will be their drive to protect and nourish the natural world as they

learn to see it as a progression of themselves.

As the world of humanity becomes more and more remote from the natural and spiritual

world, it is the role of Druids, and other pagan practitioners, to call humans back to the roots of

the archetype, follow the messages of the collective unconscious and nurture their ecological

unconscious. Through teaching, practicing and leading by example, Druids have a vital part to
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play in opening human consciousness to the massive task that lay before us all in repairing the

damage that has been done.