Why is Druidism Relevant Today?

Druidism of the past was fully integrated into the culture of the Celtic Tribes. Druids were the judges, priests, tribal leaders and even kings.  They were the educated, the elite, and the leaders of the people. The foundation of who they were, however, was as keepers of the Land where they lived. Even their kings were created by uniting with the Goddess, the Land.

That society and that culture are gone today.  We have priests of many faiths, judges, law makers and rulers, now elected by the people but as far as as I know, none make any official commitment to keeping the Land in trust or for preserving and tending to the Earth as sacred.

With the ancient culture and society of the Celts gone, what remains is the archetype of a Druid, the druidic spirit, rooted in the Earth, fully immersed in the sensous exprerience and interdependence with all life upon the Earth.

Carl Jung gave us the idea of a collective unconscious, better described as collective imprints of the history of human consciousness. These imprints are buried deep within us but can have a profound impact on who we are and how we act in our lives.

Personally, knowing what Jung proposed, I can easily explain why from early childhood I wanted to know more about the culture of my ancestors.  Pulled by some unseen force within me to know more, to ask and inquire, to dig and explore wherever I could to know where I came from. Imprints, that collective unconscious, a powerful force serving as a guide from within.

The idea of an “ecological unconscious” is new to me. Seeing it as a “repositiory of all the ecological, wild and environmental patterns, symbols and archetypes within the history of cosmogenesis” has given me one of those “Aha” moments. This is what creates a druid spirit, one who connects with a deep bond to the cosmos, from which they have emerged, and to the Earth which has provided them with a home.

Since the beginning of time, we, as humans, have abused, plundered, destroyed and ravaged the land. Our machines and factories pollute the air we breathe, and the water we need for survival. We have made barren much of the farmland which has fed us by not giving back to the soil the nutrients it needs to remain fertile. Mankind has not cared for the Earth. It has taken what it needs, selfish in its desire, without thought of the harm done.

I had a wonderful early childhood.  I grew up in a time when children were free to roam and play outside without supervision. I lived in the foothills of the mountains of Southern California, those mountains were my backyard. I learned to love the trees and plants that surrounded me while I explored. I had a favorite oak that had one large branch that grew down toward the ground then up again, forming what to me what a perfect saddle in which to sit.  That tree became my best friend when I came to it, hurt or sad about some event in my life. Climbing into that saddle and hugging that oak, gave me the comfort I needed.

My father taught me the joy of having my hands in the Earth, creating beauty with flowers and herbs and treating the soil with care. He taught to love this beautiful Earth where we live.

When I look at my life, using an inner eye, I can see the imprints of both the collective unconscious and the ecological unconscious at play, guiding me through the adventures of my life.

I have, for many years, identified as having that druidic spirit within me.  Perhaps I do not yet have the necessary training or acquired knowledge to call myself a Druid, but perhaps I will live long enough to be able to do that.

So, we ask the question, “Is Druidism relevant today?” More than ever before it is necessary and relevant for that Druidic Spirit to be alive and thriving. We must care for the Earth.  We must love and protect her. Those who follow the path of Druidism, those who know and feel their connection to the sacredness of the Earth, need to be examples for others, showing that care and love for the Earth.

There are many ways we can serve others as we walk this path but no matter what skills or talents we use in that service, underlying all of it is the knowledge that a Druid is a keeper of this Earth and openly walks this path as an example to others. The imprints of the collective unconscious and the ecological unconscious are inherent to the druidic spirit and so very necessary and relevant in this world today.

Deanne Quarrie 12/27/2025