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On Faery Craft - © Rt Revd Alistair Bate M.A.Div. (2020)

1/13/2022

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 On Faery Craft - © Rt Revd Alistair Bate M.A.Div. (2020)

Being more than a little fey myself, I have always been aware of the Faery realm, but on moving to a remote valley in the Swiss Alps eight years ago I became more strongly impressed than ever before by the nearness of what we might call “the Elven Kingdom”, a magical world parellel to our own. Now the time has finally come to bite the bullet and write something of my clairvoyant encounters with the Good Folk.

As a child brought up in the foothills of the Dublin mountains I was brought up with the awareness of fairies; made little rock houses for them and talked to them at the bottom of the garden. Then as a teenager I made frequent pilgrimages to the several neolithic sites within walking or cycling distance of my home, which further strengthened the connection, but it was in my flat in London that I had my first brief clairvoyant sighting of a Leprechaun who ran down the hall, jumped on to a flowerpot and vanished. In fact this may very well have been my own Leprechaun guide, drawn for me around the same time (1991) by Britain’s most famous psychic artist Coral Polge. Coral was a clairsentient so she drew as she "felt" and was usually very accurate. Drawing my guide she expressed surprise as she had "never had a Leprechaun before", which of course made a 27 year old feel very special!
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Giant's Grave, Ballyedmonduff, Co. Dublin
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My Leprechaun Guide - drawing by Psychic Artist Coral Polge, 1991
Around the turn of the millenium, as a student with the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, naturally Fairies were on the curriculum, though certainly not a central feature and living in an urban environment at that time  I was perhaps less aware of them then I might have been, but the fairies were just biding their time and waiting for fate to unfold. Moving to the Alps in 2011 I was immediately aware of the close proximity of Elves, a race of Faery I had not encountered before, having previous done some work with their cousins, the Sidhe. Carrying spears, they nevertheless seemed friendly and welcoming,  as if they had been waiting for me, for they told me that it has been  many centuries since there has been a Cunning Man in this valley. The following year I made my first batch of flower remedies under their instruction - from Coltsfoot, Crocus and Gentian. I learned where their houses were located, marked by rocks, and the nearest no more than a 100 metres from our own home. One of these sites has since become a place where in summer I conduct informal ritual and make offerings.
Picture Lupin Fairy by Peter Fich Christiansen
Last year, 2019, was a breakthrough year in my relationship with the "Other Crowd", as theologically I had worked through a lot of baggage and found myself in a much more adaptable position dogmatically. No longer feeling  bound by a rigid orthodoxy, but rather embracing an “interspiritual” approach, I began working shamanically and magically with some of the Fairy deities as well as our local elves, flower fairies and giants. It has not been easy to let go of the idea of a jealous God who forbids the invocation of any other, but I have been helped by the work of Tom Harpur, whose scholarly analysis of Christian origins places the original faith firmly in the Gnostic camp along with the other mystery religions of the ancient near east. Recognizing, therefore, that Christianity has no more basis in historical fact than Faerycraft, Druidcraft or any other spirituality has given me a certain freedom to explore formerly forbidden landscapes of the soul. That is not to say of course that the deities (including those most familiar to us), fairies, and angels do not have a life of their own. They most certainly do, and if one is really diligent with practise, there is no shortage of subjective proof of their power, divination being particularly important in confirming the truth of various clairvoyant impressions one might receive. 
Picture A fairy dell 2 minutes walk from St Gall's Retreat
Two things I have learned in my dealings with the faery realm are quite important. Firstly, like attracts like. Good fairies are attracted to people with noble and pure intentions whilst base individuals attract similar characters from the world of faery, which can be problematic. As consistent a high vibration as one can muster is best maintained if at all possible. Secondly, relationships with the Good Folk are built on friendship and mutual benefit. Making regular offerings without fail - in my own case I offer water daily, and shortbread and milk at new moon and festivals - shows respect to our fairy friends and is rewarded by blessings, sometimes blessings one had not even thought to request. Important as offerings are however, I find that what the Good Folk desire most of all is to experience through us some of our special human aptitudes. In particular, by opening our hearts to the citizens of Faery we may allow access to those higher states of consciousness which humans alone can achieve in meditation. They may help us to experience the realm of the Dark Mother, within "the Hollow Hills", whilst we may assist in their connection with the  Sky Father above. In this way the receptive human being may become a channel of connection between the underworld of Annwn and the upperworld of Gwynfyd. Ceugant, being the Source, holds all three worlds in its embrace, so there is no sense in which our faery brethren are less connected with the Source than ourselves, however, being human we can offer them experience of a different path to divinity than that which comes naturally to them, just as they, being less confined by circumstances and living much longer lives, can offer us many blessings both material and spiritual.

For those who would like to learn about Fairycraft/Faery Craft I would recommend the work of Morgan Daimler and Emily Carding, and for those who wish to experience a magical retreat here in this enchanted valley I offer an invitation to come and experience the world of the elves and fairies for yourself!

Post Script: We now live part of the time in both Ticino and Norway and welcome guests in both locations.
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On being a Universalist Druid - © Rt Revd Alistair Bate M.A.Div. (2019)

1/13/2022

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On being a Universalist Druid - © Rt Revd Alistair Bate M.A.Div. (2019)

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Trinity Grove is part of a tradition of universalist Druidism going back to the 18th century, the specifically "Universalist" aspect having been made explicit just over 100 years ago. Our Druid Grade initiation ceremony borrows extensively from the ritual of the Ancient Order of Druids, founded in London in 1781, which makes reference to the similarity of Druidism to both “Brahminism” and Zororastrianism, whilst also giving the bible a central place and function within the Lodge.

Our seasonal rituals on the other hand are mostly inspired by those compiled by the Ancient Druid Order, also known as the “Universal Bond of the Sons of Man”, founded by George Watson MacGregor Reid, a London-based Universalist minister. At an early public ritual of this order, held at Stonehenge in 1912, the founder assumed the persona of  “Ayu Subhadra”, “the messenger from Tibet with his little flock”, wearing turbans. Over the next few years the rituals of the Universal Bond continued to have an oriental - specifically Zoroastrian and Babist (proto-Bahai) - character before they assumed a more Celtic identity, which continued under the leadership of the founder’s son, Robert MacGregor Reid. The Universal Bond was the parent body of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids founded by the Revd Ross Nicholls who was a deacon of the Holy Celtic Church of Brittany, from whom we have lines of Apostolic Succession. Uniquely among Druid Orders, in Trinity Grove we have a Druidic Eucharistic Rite which contains elements taken from a ritual manuscript of the Universal Bond, one which did not find its  way into later ADO or OBOD rituals. As someone who has completed the Druid grade in OBOD, I have carried over the ADO and early OBOD heritage and ritual tradition to Trinity Grove. In fact, next to the ADO itself, which still exists as a London-based Druid order, Trinity Grove is probably the order that perpetuates the ritual tradition of early 20th century Druids better than most, though George Watson MacGregor Reid’s theological tastes and political radicalism would probably reasonate more with today’s neo-pagans.
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George Watson MacGregor Reid as "Ayu Subhradra", Stonehenge 1912. Many thanks to Mary MacGregor-Reid for permission to publish this photo

So, having established the precedent for Universalist Druidism let us now consider the meaning of the word “universalist”. There are two distinct meanings of Universalist in a religious sense. Firstly, “universalist” refers to the doctrine of “universal salvation” - and the consequent denial of the possibility of “eternal damnation” - found in the writings of some early church fathers, principally St Clement of Alexandria. The idea has resurfaced regularly as a legitimate strand of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox theology, but was noticably absent from Roman Catholic and Protestant theologies until the 18th century when the Universalist Church was founded in the United States. Although there was no institutional connection, the London-based Church of the Universal Bond was certainly cut from the same cloth as the American-based Universalist Church, which is now partnered with the Unitarians as the Unitarian Universalist Association. Actually, the photo-copied ritual manuscript in my possession came to me through the kindness of a Unitarian minister, in Edinburgh, who is a great historian, and of course Unitarianism has also been a major influence on some forms of Druidry, notably  the Welsh Gorsedd. The idea of universal salvation, however, whilst certainly an improvement on the idea of eternal damnation, whether for the many or for the few, is largely irrelevant as popular spirituality is increasingly less focussed on life after death and rather more concerned with enriching the quality of life, here and now.
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Many thanks to Mary MacGregor-Reid for permission to publish this photo
The second meaning of “universalist”, and that which most people today would recognise, refers to the idea of a commonality between most religions, actually a proposal advanced by Liberal Catholics who have always believed that there are “many paths up the same mountain”. This was a very avant-garde idea a hunderd years ago but since Vatican II even the Roman Catholic Church acknowledges that other churches, and even other faiths, contain partial revelation, though they believe that  it is still the Roman Church which holds "the fullness of revelation". Nevertheless, this acknowledgement is a huge step away from “outside the Church there is no salvation “ (extra ecclesiam nulla salus) and also a long way from evangelical “one way” rhetoric.

To recognise that most faiths have much in common and each having something unique to offer is surely just common sense. History has proven Ludwig Feuerbach right when he proposed that religions cannot be anything  other than humanly constructed. Theology is an art, not a science, and in recent decades we have especially become aware of the extreme fragility of the historical foundations of the Gospels. In fact these foundations have all but disappeared. Nevertheless, with doctrine reduced to meaningful metaphor, Christian spirituality can thrive, especially when cross-fertilised with other traditions.

In theory Universalism need not mean syncreticism, but it often does in practice, as people who study comparitive religions recognise the common origins of religious themes and images across traditions. Globally, but particularly in the Indo-European context, it is easy enough to trace our spiritual ancestry to variant forms of shamanism that developed very gradually into religions, with similar deities and practices, designed to facilitate similiar mystical experiences. Therefore, one who becomes aware of these similarities intellectually, and more importantly, experiences the essential mystical core of various traditions for himself, almost invariably comes to a universalist theological position, if he is honest.
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Ancient Druid Order (Universal Bond) at Stonehenge for the Summer Solstice, mid 20th c.
The voyage to Univeralism is, of course, made much smoother if one also believes in reincarnation, as do most Druids, most Liberal Catholics, and most members of the oriental religions. If one feels a karmic connection with ancient Egypt, Hinduism or Tibetan Buddhism for example, how can one be anything other than Universalist?

Naturally, the danger of Universalism is the possibility of falling into a shallow syncreticism, tasting a little of this and a little of that, and not really making much progress in any one tradition. Having been a Unitarian for several years I am certainly aware of this danger for anyone who is serious about their spiritual growth. It is a challenge, but it is possible  to walk a number of paths simultaneously and in depth, though it can be a strain sometimes to make sense of the experience of different paths and somehow integrate these experiences whilst honouring the integrity of each path. This, I feel, is where a shamanic perspective can be most helpful. For many of us, if we dig deep enough into the akashic records, we are bound to connect with a Spirit which is Primal, Above and Beyond all the man-made categories that can so easily become confining. Our deepest and highest Spirit, One with the Great Spirit, is the best teacher and will guide the weaving of our own unique soul tapestry. If we meditate daily, listen to our own rhythm and practise intuitively we won’t go far wrong.
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The author as an Ovate at Stonehenge, 2001
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Christo-Druidic Reflections on Cosmology & Communion - © Rt Revd Alistair Bate M.A.Div. (2016)

1/13/2022

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Christo-Druidic Reflections on Cosmology & Communion
​- © Rt Revd Alistair Bate M.A.Div. (2016)

Over the last three hundred years or thereabouts many people have tried to make sense of their attraction to the Druids on the one hand and their commitment to their Christian faith on the other and though there is a common strand of faith discernible in all those writing from a Christo-Druidic perspective there are also significant theological differences, informed by the background and times of the writer. Thus, this little reflection is simply the fruit of my own Christo-Druidic experience, a few personal thoughts that may make little sense to anyone who approaches the subject purely out of academic interest. In conclusion, it will become apparent that my Liberal Catholic perspective, whilst drawing on the great Druidic founders of the 17th to the 20th centuries, brings its own particular insights, but first of all I wish to review some of the Christo-Druidic insights of those who have gone before.
PictureThe Revd William Stukely in his Druidic persona of "Chyndonax", from the frontispiece of "Stonehenge" 1740
In the Revd William Stukeley, for example, a Church of England clergyman and self-identified Druid, we find a Latitudinarian (“broad church”) kind of faith grounded in mainstream Protestantism, devoid of evangelical enthusiasm on the one hand and of Catholic mysticism on the other. Small wonder that he looked to the the romantic image of the Druid as a point of access to the deeper mysteries! Stukely, as the father of the neo-Druidic revival, viewed Druidism, from the limited archaeological and historical perspective of his day, as a religion in the style of the Hebrew Patriarchs, what one might call our “Native Old Testament”. For example, he drew attention to the fact that in Genesis, Abraham’s altar of sacrifice was beside the sacred “Oak of Moreh”: 

​“6 Avram passed through the land to the place called Sh’khem, to the oak of Moreh. The Kena‘ani were then in the land. 7 Adonai appeared to Avram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to Adonai, who had appeared to him.” (Genesis 12: 6 - 7, Complete Jewish Bible)
He also appealed to the witness of the prophet Hosea who wrote: 
“They sacrifice on the mountain peaks and offer incense on the hills
under oaks …” (Hosea 4: 13, Complete Jewish Bible)

In the same antiquarian tradition as Revd Stukely, the Revd Canon Samuel Lyons in his 19th century work “Our British Ancestors” again went so far as to proclaim that,  "The religion of the Britons appears to have been very much the same as the Patriachal religion” (p. 58) and this was actually taken as fact by the majority of British people at least until the archaeological advances of the 20th century. However even down to our own time some - such as the Revd Dr Gordon Strachan (in “Jesus the Master Builder: Drudic Mysteries and the Dawn of Christianity”) - have argued in favour of a particular connection between the Judao/Christian tradition and Druidism. Whether empirically true or, more likely not, these speculations form part of our Christo-Druidic heritage and so in a sense I remain comfortable with the idea of Druidism as a “Native Old Testament”. This is especially true if one views Christianity not as merely superseding ancient Druidism but rather in bringing it to fulfillment, for we believe in a Christ who did not appear at a point in history and then disappear, so much as a Christ who appeared as a point in history and whose influence radically transforms time itself. Like a stone thrown into a pond the ripples continue to circle outwards, both back and forth. This tradition is best understood in the story of the “harrowing of hell”, when on Holy Saturday Christ descended to Hades (actually more like Annwn than Hell) and redeemed the Hebrew patriarchs who had anticipated His coming. … Which leads me nicely to the immense contribution of Iolo Morganwg, some of whose ideas shed further enlightenment on this subject.
Undoubtedly, Iolo’s druidic cosmology reasonates with what we might now call a shamanic worldview and even though a Unitarian, a denomination not always renowned for mystical depth, he appears to have been a true mystic, maybe even someone who “tapped into” a source of spiritual inspiration coming from the dim Druidic past. His diagram of the Three Circles of Existence is particularly worthy of consideration. Coming from a world in which belief in a three tier universe was normative (this world, with hell below and heaven above), how, we may ask, did Iolo arrive at his much more flexible and holistic circular model? 
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Perhaps he was aware (possibly via Voltaire) of the alleged teaching of Hermes Trismegistus, “God is an infinite sphere, the center of which is everywhere, the circumference nowhere” (Book of the 24 Philosophers), an idea echoed by several Christian mystics and reformers through the centuries. It is also quite possible that he may have been influenced by the masonic teaching concerning the working tools of the 3rd degree which allude to the same Hermetic doctrine, for although not a freemason himself, he was a stonemason by trade and had several freemasonic contacts.
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The most wonderful thing about Iolo’s diagram of the Circles is that the Source - Ceugant  (God) envelops the other worlds, so nothing can exist outside the source. The second circle is Gwynfyd (the “White Life” or heaven) and the inner circle is Abred (this apparent world). Naturally the doctrine of panentheism is at least implicit in this illustration and it is panentheism that, in my opinion, forms the real link between Christianity and Druidism - the idea that all is holy because all exists within God who is holy. As St Luke says - and the experience has been proved by thousands of Christian mystics since then - God is he “in whom we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). There is a definite thread of panentheism - the idea that the universe exists in God, though God is not confined to it - that runs through Christianity and the same is discernible in some other world religions but most especially in animism, the mother of all religions. Drudism is of course a species of animism, as it is well known that our ancient brethren venerated trees, rocks and springs, as well as, earth, sea and sky, as particular dwelling places of Spirit. 
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Therefore, it is apparent from Iolo’s diagram that both heaven and this world are enveloped by God, but where one might ask does Annwn, the underworld, fit into Iolo’s scheme of things? Unfortunately, Annwn does not appear in the diagram in “The Barddas of Iolo Morganwg” (page 223) but there is only one place to put it and that is at the centre, within (or beneath) Abred.  This abyss, chaos, nothingness and place of the dead, exists deep within us all and is the dark and fertile mystery that gives birth to vision and empowerment in due season.
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With a little versatility we may also turn Iolo’s diagram of the three worlds inside out, for by applying the Christian doctrine of the indwelling Holy Spirit we may rightly say that “the Highest God and the Innermost God are One God”. Thus if we reassign Ceugant to the centre we find that heaven flows from within; our Abred in this apparent world is transformed and the whole is enveloped within the great mystery of nothingness. Annwn becomes for us a black hole giving entry to the world of apophatic mysticism or non-being, for as the great 9th century theologian John Scotus Erigena affirmed, "We do not know what God is. God Himself does not know what He is because He is not anything [i.e. "not any created thing"]. Literally God is not, because He transcends being.”
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Both Annwn and Ceugant can be apprehended as theological constructs and states of soul and naturally both can be experienced, just like Abred, this apparent world in which we live. We may, for instance, experience Ceugant in pure contemplation and Annwn through occult pathworking and shamanic journeying. In the Celtic Christian tradition it is even said that the great St Columba journeyed to the Underworld on one occasion for the express purpose of consulting with a Spirit there. We may also journey to Gwynfyd, the “White Life”, or the higher/upper world of Spirit, using occult techniques, and indeed Iolo’s three druidic grades - like the three degrees of craft freemasonry - also offer a path of initiation to the “ White Life”. The white robes of the Druid grade may be seen as anticipation of the glory still to come.

​In addition to the above esoteric techniques, in our Liberal  Catholic tradition we also have other very specific and potent means of journeying between these worlds, the sacraments, and particularly the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. 
There are two aspects of the Eucharist that are relevant to our discussion, sacrifice and communion. Both are essential facets of the sacrament, a sacrament being essentially a bridge connecting us with the divine in a special and explicit way, “an outward and visible sign of an inward invisible grace”.
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Firstly, it is well known that the Druids of old communed with their Gods through animal sacrifice - and possibly even human sacrifice. Blood sacrifice was common to ancient people, the ancient Hebrews included, but for Christians God himself poured his own life blood into the world in the person of Jesus and as mentioned before, the effects of that sacrifice, through the incarnation as well as the atonement, ripple out backward and forward in time, making any other sacrifice completely unnecessary. In Christ all is redeemed, gathered up, transformed, sacrificed and sanctified once and for all. Our only task is to realise it! This outpouring of love is re-presented by the priest in every Mass, thereby giving us as individuals a chance to particpate personally in the great drama of salvation.
Picture"Blessed be you, Innermost God, outside, in the wide open wilderness with no walls.” (Tess Ward)
Secondly, the sacrament is not only a re-presentation the sacifice, but we are also invited to consume the flesh - the life essence - of the sacrifical victim, in a completely un-bloody way, through the reception of communion.

Additionally, the reception of communion may be a great moment of grace enabling a sense of connection with heaven and God the Source of All, but this moment may also be prolonged through Eucharistic Adoration. For not only does God give himself to be consumed  he also allows himself to remain as a portal of communion between worlds.

As Fr Brendan O’Malley wrote not so long ago in his book “A Celtic Primer”, the Eucharist is a concentration of God’s Presence in the world”. So, from the perspective of the three Circles of Existence, God is at once Ceugant at the centre of the circle, and Ceugant at the circumference. Truly all that is, is in God, and in some sense is God, but in the Eucharist we have a very special focus of God’s Presence, a veritable portal of entry linking us through the “White Life” Gwynfyd to Ceugant itself. It is no accident that traditionally the host is white and is often displayed for our adoration at the centre of a blazing sun!
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The Oak and the Cross - Rt Revd Dom Alistair Bate OSBA, M.A.Div (© 2009)

1/13/2022

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The Oak and the Cross - Rt Revd Dom Alistair Bate OSBA, M.A.Div (© 2009)

PictureMembers of the Ancient Druid Order celebrating Alban Elfed (the Autumn Equinox) on Primrose Hill in London
This was originally a contribution to "The Path of the Blue Raven" by the Revd Mark Townsend (2009).

"I have been a Christian all my life and a member of a modern Druid Order for nearly ten years, though my interest in Druidism began in childhood. Throughout the years I have tried to hold my Druidism and Christianity in a creative tension, but it would be true to say that my primary identity is undoubtedly as a Christian and a Bishop and I would put my identity as a Druid on a par with my identity as a Freemason, a Templar and a Rosicrucian; membership of each of these orders being supplementary and complementary to my primary Christian identity. The same would be true for most Christian Druids of the last three centuries, whilst for the 21st century neo-Pagan Druid, on the other hand, simply being a Druid has become a primary religious identity, in a way which was unheard of this side of the early dark ages. Does this mean that the neo-Pagan Druid has a greater claim to authenticity? This may not necessarily be the case. Perhaps the Christian Druid is simply more in touch with the bigger esoteric picture. As a Pagan friend of mine once said about a Christian Druid of her acquaintance “I used to think that X was confused until I realised that he is just very knowledgeable!”

To many in our society the word “pagan” is still confused with the word “atheist” and it is an enlightening moment when someone discovers Paganism as an alternative religion, however, in my opinion Paganism is often just as much rooted in secularism as it is in alternative theology for it includes under its umbrella scientific pantheists and even humanists as well as people of other theological persuasions. Regrettably too, in my experience anti-Christian prejudice is just as widespread in the neo-pagan community as anti-pagan prejudice is among Christians. 

The gradual dawning of the rationalist enlightenment has exposed the foundational Christian myths for what they are, myths, and sadly, many in the pulpits and in the pews have not understood the value and power of myth and have thrown out the baby with the bath-water, reducing Christianity to little more than a few morality tales. Positively, neo-pagan Druidry is an attempt to re-present some ancient myths is a way more suitable and reasonable for our times. Lives that have worth and meaning are lives lived with a sense of wonder and positive anticipation and the re-mythologising and re-enchantment promoted by druidry are definitely one means of filling that need for some people. Where I may differ as a Christian Druid is that I find in Celtic and esoteric Christianity, as well as pre-neo-pagan fraternal and cultural Druidism, a blend of Christian and pre-Christian myth and magic, experienced as one system when seen as different aspects of the Western Mystery tradition. To wrench the Christian mythos, which has been so formative of our spirituality and culture, from the heart of Celtic spirituality, for example, in order to present a Druidry, shorn of Christian influence, would be a grave mistake, for to the true Celtic soul, the Christian and pre-Christian myths are so intertwined, interdependent and complementary as to be inseparable.

When a Christian, who has had problems with the negative side of institutionalised religion discovers the vibrant freedom and charm of Druidry there is often a great sense of relief and a casting aside of forms of worship previously held precious. But for many of us the new/old spirituality is found in time to be not quite so profound as we hoped and we turn back to the tradition of our birth to reconnect with the central themes of incarnation, crucifixion, resurrection and ascension with a renewed appreciation and understanding. I would certainly never regret the few years in which I identified as a Pagan for I firmly believe that neo-Paganism has enabled me to understand and appreciate the central themes of Christianity more deeply.

In the Liberal Catholic tradition, drawing on Theosophy, we sometimes talk about the Seven Rays and so I can also understand the various traditions with which I work as representative of different rays or paths. I see Christian religious devotion as working on the Red or 6th ray, magical and ceremonial work in the esoteric tradition as working on the Violet or 7th ray and working with Druidry and Shamanism as work on the Green or 3rd ray, though each of these disciplines may include work on secondary and tertiary rays as well as on their primary ray.

People like to fit spirituality into neat little boxes labelled “Christian”, “Pagan”, “Buddhist” or whatever. Maybe “Eclectic” or even “Universalist” are just two more labels. If so, so be it. Here I stand, firmly in the Universalist tradition of Druidry founded in the early 20th century by George Watson MacGregor Reid; firmly with the theosophical motto “There is no religion higher than truth” and firmly with one of the founders of my own Liberal Catholic tradition, Bishop Leadbeater, who was amongst the first Church leaders to teach that there are “many paths up the same mountain”.

So, for some of us, the oak is the cross of Esus, a foreshadowing of Christ among the ancient Celts. It may also be the World Tree of Odin, whence he hung to obtain wisdom and bring liberation and the Cross is the cross of the four directions, the four beasts of revelation, the four alchemical elements of the Druid circle, the four evangelists and archangels. The Oak and the Cross are so interconnected and entwined as to be inseparable and to attempt a separation is to diminish the other. May the religion of the future recognise that our myths are mirrors of each other and, for those with the eyes to see, all reflect the one Divine Unity."
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1/13/2022

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Reflections on Druidic Christology
​- Rt Revd Dom Alistair Bate OSBA, M.A.Div. (© 2006)

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My Druid is Christ, the Son of God, Christ, Son of Mary, the Great Abbot, The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. 
St. Columba 

It is well known that there are today, and have been, probably for nearly two thousand years, Christian Druids. This venerable tradition is, however, in danger of being superseded as we move out of the age of Pisces and into the age of Aquarius. The danger I perceive is that, sensing the power of the new wave of spiritual activity on our planet, the new devotees will miss the opportunity to integrate the best of the old with the new forms of spiritual practice.

If Druids are to be true to both our highest calling as human beings and to the traditionally tolerant, inclusive and universalist Druid tradition, then we need to make 'integration' our watchword for the next century at least. A wholescale rejection of Christianity in favour of a reconstructed Paganism can only lead to more ignorance and fundamentalism. Hence my wish to write something about specifically Christian Druidry. What one might call 'Christian Druidism' is largely theologically incoherent. However, scholars much more able than I have offered some observations on the relationship of pre-Christian Druidic deities with Christian theology and some others, such as past Chiefs of the Ancient Druid Order and the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, have attempted to give ceremonial expression to deeply felt theological convictions.
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As an example of orthodox Christology finding its way into Druidic ceremonial I would like to consider the benediction at the end of the traditional (O.B.O.D.) ritual for Imbolc; “May the blessing of the Uncreated One, of the Created Word and of the Spirit that is the Inspirer be always with us. May the world be filled with harmony and Light. ….” In this case, the writer (probably Chief Nuinn/Ross Nichols, Chief of the Order of Bard, Ovates and Druids and a Deacon of the Holy Celtic Church) was obviously inspired by the opening verses of St John’s gospel. This in itself may be no accident given the popularly alleged association between a Gnostic Johannine tradition and Celtic Christianity. However, the writer may also have been influenced by a passage in “The Barddas of Iolo Morgannwg”, where God the Father is referred to as HEN DDIHENYDD, (meaning the Ancient or Unoriginated One). Iolo goes on to say that “God the Son is called IAU” (meaning Younger), “that is, God under a finite form and corporeity, …. And when he became man in this world, he was called Jesus Christ”. Iolo goes on to explain some of the epithets of Jesus. Two in particular are of interest; “and he also has other names, such as PERYDD, (Causer/ first cause), and God the NER, (Energy/ the Powerful).

The theological difficulty with the above is that Iolo appears at once to imply that Jesus Christ was himself both created and Creator. Such is the difficulty arising from the church’s teaching in the Nicene creed that Jesus was “begotten, not created”. It would appear, therefore, that Iolo’s Christology leans towards Arianism, though it doesn’t quite get there, and that Chief Nuinn’s Christology leans in the same direction. A more orthodox rendering of Chief Nuinn’s triadic formula might be “May the blessing of the Uncreated One, of the Creative Word and of the Spirit that is the Inspirer be always with us”. This, I believe, would not only be more truly in tune with the bardic experience, but would also resonate with the Om/Creation idea found in the Hindu tradition. As we envision Awen, the primordial sound, echoing out of the void, we connect with our own creative inspiration as part of that first creative Word, which is in Christian terms, at once Christ and his Spirit.
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In fact, our own potential divinity, a very orthodox idea, is affirmed by Iolo when he writes that “Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came down from Gwynvyd to the Little World in the condition of man, in order to teach, warn, direct, and inform those who seek to be divine.” It is this urge towards personal transformation, and ultimately theosis or divinisation, that is at the very heart of both Christian mysticism and Christian Druidism, the allowing of Awen, the Creative Word, to do its transforming work in us. Looking at what one might call pre-figurings of the Trinity among the ancient Celts, one is immediately struck by the theological common ground shared by middle eastern mystery religions, among which I would count Christianity, and the mystery religions of Western Europe. These similarities and correspondences were perhaps understood and grasped most perfectly by Chief Nuinn/Ross Nichols and presented, posthumously, in his “Book of Druidry”.

It is quite well known that ancient Druidism had, as Chief Nuinn wrote, “an essential spirit called Hesus or Esus, linked with the Oak tree, which seemed a plain anticipation of Jesus upon the tree of the cross.” Iolo Morgannwg goes so far as to identify Hu/Hesus/Esus with Jesus Christ: “Hu the Mighty, -Jesus the Son of God, the least in respect of His worldly greatness whilst in the flesh, and the greatest in heaven of all visible majesties.” The editor of Barddas, Revd J. Williams ab Ithel, helpfully goes on to explain that “the meaning of “Hu”, is that which is apt to pervade, or to spread over. It is used as an epithet of the deity, in reference to His omniscience, and is not unfrequently to be met with as such in the words of the Bards…..” Chief Nuinn links Esus in a triad of Gods with Teutates and Cernunnos, as their statues were discovered together in Paris, but perhaps more intriguingly, Hesus is also linked with Beli, the “Sun Disk”, and Taruos Trigaranus (the Bull God of three cranes) . Chief Nuinn notices what he calls a “unity of idea” within the Hesus/Beli/Taruos triad. Beli “the sun disk” can be identified with both the Aten of Akhenaten and Adon/Adonai of Moses, in both cases the (same) Father aspect of the divinity, but Beli can also be seen as the Solar Logos, the Creative Word or Son aspect. Hu can be seen as both emergent from the Oak tree - the Mabon/Christ child – and as the Origin, the Father of all . Taruos, as a bull God, parallels the Canaanite Baal and the Greek Zeus, both Father God types associated with bull cults, while the crane as the Celtic bird of Wisdom parallels Sophia, Holy Wisdom, most often symbolised by a dove. Hence we see that Hesus/Hu and Beli both contain Father and Son aspects while Taruos contains Father and Spirit aspects of the Christian Trinity. Perhaps there is indeed a “unity of idea” here. In practical terms and from a monotheistic Druidic perspective, there may be some people for whom there is one obvious flaw in the triadic formulas of the past and that is their seeming maleness and consequent reinforcement of "patriarchy". The Maiden/Mother/Crone model favoured by Wiccans is a modern invention, though of course the triple Matronae and the three battle Goddesses of Ireland are very ancient. I too would wish, however, to make room for some femininity in a more orthodox model. Chief Nuinn writes that “Teut, Hu and Bel may be reckoned a trinity of shapes of the One; but there is always the fourth, the feminine balance, the all-mother Ana” . ​
Picture Fontaine Sainte Anne, Bullion, Île-de-France
Ana/Anu/Dana/Danu is the mother of all the Gods of the ancient Irish, the Tuatha De Danann, the people of Danu. Interestingly, a Hindu Goddess shares the same name. To call Ana, the Grandmother of the Gods would not, in fact, be incongruous. To Gnostic ears too, this would not sound strange, as one neo-gnostic “Ave” petition reads, “Holy Sophia, Mother all the Gods, pray for us now and at the hour of our death”. If Mary is Theokotos, the Mother of God, then her mother, St. Anne/Anna could be called Grandmother of God. Popularly, though it has never been defined satisfactorily, Mary is not only the Mother of Christ and Mother of God, she is also called, in the Litany of Loreto, “Mother of the Creator”. We are used to the image of Mary as mother of Jesus, but have we really considered that although herself created she is indeed the Mother of the Creator. Some might even argue that the essence or potentiality of Mary, as Sophia, the breath – that is the life - of God hovered over the waters . The historical Mary is not always an empowering archetype for women, in particular, nevertheless, I believe that a proper mystical understanding of, and devotion to, the Mother of God, the “Cosmic Mary”, if you will, is a viable alternative to Celtic pagan Goddess reconstruction, beautifully creative though that can be. In the 4th century St Augustine declared, “That which is called the Christian Religion existed among the Ancients, and never did not exist, from the beginning of the Human Race until Christ came in the flesh, at which time true religion, which already existed began to be called Christianity”. That the religion of our most ancient ancestors is in essence very similar to that of our more recent ancestors is the conviction that keeps some of us simultaneously both Druid and Christian. 

Bibliography: The Barddas of Iolo Morgannwg - J. Williams ab Ithel, ed., 1862 – Weiser (2004). The Book of Druidry – Ross Nichols – Thorsons 1990.

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    The Rt Revd Alistair Bate (Tau Blaise) is Archdruid of "Trinity Grove, an Esoteric Druid Order" and High Priest of "Avalonian Druidcraft"

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