The ancient Druids did not document their beliefs and practices for posterity. What we do know is incomplete and open to speculation.
Druidry may be considered a philosophy, a religion, a spiritual system, or a path to knowledge.
Druidry is a living system of beliefs and practices. While these are rooted in the past, we should not be stuck there.
The core elements of Druidry are a respect for nature, a thirst for knowledge, and a penchant for gnosis (magick and mysticism). The Druid archetype is that of a scholar who respects nature and practices magick.
Anyone who is drawn to Druidry may become a Druid. While most modern Druids tend to be neo-Pagan, Druidry is compatible with other religions and philosophies. At the same time, not all religions and philosophies are necessarily compatible with Druidry. You can be a Druid and also a Wiccan, Witch, Norse Pagan, Shaman, Christian, Jew, Buddhist, or whatever.
Each person’s beliefs and experiences of Druidry are individual. While some organizations want to impose certain beliefs and dogma on their members, OSC acknowledges and respects individuality and supports the rights of individuals and Groves to chart their own paths.
The deities, ancestors, nature spirits, and ascended masters are real and accessible – whether you believe them to be actual entities, egregores, archetypes, or psychological processes in the brain. You don't have to worship the Celtic deities to be a Druid, but you should honor and respect them. Some Druids build relationships with deities of other pantheons including Norse, Greek, Roman, and even Christian.
Druids are more than bards, musicians, storytellers, historians, and priests. Druids also should develop their knowledge and skills in divination, astronomy, astrology, tree and plant identification, ley lines, and other sciences.
OSC tends toward the Fraternal Revivalist Druid model. We believe that Fraternal Revivalist Druidry is a rich tradition, even if it doesn’t meet the scrutiny of strict reconstructionist Druids. We believe the past can provide information and guidelines that can help in one's personal practice, but the past is not infallible and we do not revere it to the exclusion of all else. We must strive for a Druidry that fits the 21st Century. We hold to the spirit of Ancient and Revivalist Druidry, but leave the dogma and strict adherence to past ways in the past.
We believe the newer Druidry has merits. This includes the tales and symbolism of King Arthur and Merlyn.
We believe in the Law of Reaction – that whatever you do magickally and in life has consequences which can be interpreted as good or bad. We do not hold to the Law of Three, as that is largely a Wiccan (and not a Druid) invention.
We believe in balance – between light and dark, solar and lunar, science and magick, masculine and feminine, order and chaos, and so on.
We believe the best things come in threes, and that life isn’t always a binary.
We believe that divine inspiration and energy are represented by the symbol of Awen.
We believe in reincarnation and other planes of existence.
We believe in celebrating Druid holy days throughout the yearly seasons.
We believe oak trees, mistletoe, and stone circles are cool.
We believe all of the above is true, but at the same time none of it is.
