Ism: an oppressive and especially discriminatory attitude or beliefThe term "Druidry" was a creation of Ross Nichols, one of the major luminaries in the English Druid community in the mid-twentieth century. He wanted to stress that the Druid path was not an "ism," an ideology or set of beliefs, but a craft, a set of practices and traditions sharing common principles. The English language gives the suffix "-ry" to any number of crafts, such as pottery and forestry; the example of Freemasonry was probably also in Nichols' mind (nobody talks about "Masonism"). More recently the two words have become convenient labels for the two main approaches in the Druid community, with "Druidism" used most often by recent Celtic Reconstructionist groups who base their versions of the Druid way on modern scholarship, while "Druidry" is used most often by older groups who work with the heritage of the Druid Revival. We adopted it for ourselves, partly to affirm our Druid Revival roots, partly to affirm our commitment as a church to a living spirituality that is open, tolerant, practical, and free from dogma and ideology.
- John Michael Greer
Source"A person should not believe in an -ism, he should believe in himself."
Tags: John Michael Greer Druidry Druidism
