22nd February 2007, 11:46 AM
Lifted from BRITARCH.
"Hallo, a h-uile duine.
Yes, well, there were at least two posts in this thread that referred to CoBDO as "neo-druids" (I haven't read the entire thread yet, so if this is redundant, which I doubt very seriously, please accept my apologies). Sorry, but that ain't the case, folks. CoBDO members are, for the most part, "Meso-Druids," properly speaking (sometimes called "Druid Revivalists"). "Neo-Druids" are a whole 'nother animal. Then, of course, you also have Celtic Reconstructionists, Celtic Heathen Revivalists (not to be confused with "Druid Revivalists"), and Celtic Traditionalists (these latter three camps can probably be dubbed "Celticists," and are usually rather obviously different from Meso-Druids or Neo-Druids).
Of course, many of you will probably dismiss all of this attempt to make distinctions and happily brand all persons in the present day using the term "Druid" or "Draoidh" or "Draoi" or "Derwydd" or the like as "Neo-Druids," but that would be sublimely unfair (and likely to annoy several of us). It is true that the "Celticist" camps are primarily a phenomenon of the Celtic Diaspora, but there are a few groups in the UK and Ireland which would fall under that header. Nevertheless, most "Druid" groups in the UK and Ireland are in fact made up of "Meso-Druids."
"Meso-Druids" generally view their 300-year-old (or so) "tradition" as a philosophy that can be held by anyone of any Religion (as such, there are Christians, Buddhists, etc, among the membership of these Orders). Neo-Druids, on the other hand, are exclusively Neo-Pagans or New Agers (and while they may tend to universalism, they're not really as "open" as they like to pretend). Neither type of "Druid" is likely to be very concerned with historical accuracy in the use of the term "Druid" (or much else, really), and neither type is in any way the "inheritor" of pre-Christian Tradition.
Celtic Reconstructionists should probably be called "Modern Pagans" or (possibly) "Retro-Pagans," and (as their label implies) are concerned with "reconstructing" the religious aspects of a Celtic culture (or, in some cases, the religious aspects of all Celtic cultures). Celtic Traditionalists aren't really concerned with one Religion or another, but are instead concerned with a specific Celtic culture's cultural Tradition, but are typically Christians or Heathens (and a few of these groups may involve individuals who are called "Draoidhean," "Draoithe," "Derwyddion," etc, but most of the more well-known Celtic Traditionalist groups have issues with the concept of Priesthood, due in part to the influence of Protestant anti-clericalism). Celtic Heathen Revivalists (as the name implies) are Heathens (and take offense at being called "Neo-Pagan," since the approach and attitude are *significantly* different), usually focusing on an even more specific culture's cultural Tradition (i.e., you'll find, e.g., "Ivernian Heathen Revivalists," but the closest to that you'll find amongst the Traditionalists is "Gaelic Traditionalist" or *maybe* "Scottish Gaelic Traditionalist" and "Irish Gaelic Traditionalist"), but concerned with "reviving" pre-Anglo-Norman and pre-Christian aspects of that culture (whereas the Traditionalists stick to the cultural Tradition _as is_). At any rate, these three camps of "Celticists" tend to be much more concerned with historical accuracy (though you'll find individuals who claim to be "Celtic Reconstructionists" or "Celtic Traditionalists" or "Celtic Heathen Revivalists" who are not living up to the ideals of the movement in question; you will, of course, find poor examples of adherence to a standard in *any* Religion).
There's a *lot* more that goes into distinguishing one of these groups from another than what I've said here, but the point is that there are very real differences between these camps, and lumping the members of one camp into another camp ... well, just think how insensitive it would be to plaster "Reformed Jews" with the label "Chasidim" (or worse, to paint "Chasidim" with the name "Neo-Essenes").
Mise le meas, Croman mac Nessa"
So now we know (someone's already done the Judean People's Front Joke...and the People's Front of Judea).
"Hallo, a h-uile duine.
Yes, well, there were at least two posts in this thread that referred to CoBDO as "neo-druids" (I haven't read the entire thread yet, so if this is redundant, which I doubt very seriously, please accept my apologies). Sorry, but that ain't the case, folks. CoBDO members are, for the most part, "Meso-Druids," properly speaking (sometimes called "Druid Revivalists"). "Neo-Druids" are a whole 'nother animal. Then, of course, you also have Celtic Reconstructionists, Celtic Heathen Revivalists (not to be confused with "Druid Revivalists"), and Celtic Traditionalists (these latter three camps can probably be dubbed "Celticists," and are usually rather obviously different from Meso-Druids or Neo-Druids).
Of course, many of you will probably dismiss all of this attempt to make distinctions and happily brand all persons in the present day using the term "Druid" or "Draoidh" or "Draoi" or "Derwydd" or the like as "Neo-Druids," but that would be sublimely unfair (and likely to annoy several of us). It is true that the "Celticist" camps are primarily a phenomenon of the Celtic Diaspora, but there are a few groups in the UK and Ireland which would fall under that header. Nevertheless, most "Druid" groups in the UK and Ireland are in fact made up of "Meso-Druids."
"Meso-Druids" generally view their 300-year-old (or so) "tradition" as a philosophy that can be held by anyone of any Religion (as such, there are Christians, Buddhists, etc, among the membership of these Orders). Neo-Druids, on the other hand, are exclusively Neo-Pagans or New Agers (and while they may tend to universalism, they're not really as "open" as they like to pretend). Neither type of "Druid" is likely to be very concerned with historical accuracy in the use of the term "Druid" (or much else, really), and neither type is in any way the "inheritor" of pre-Christian Tradition.
Celtic Reconstructionists should probably be called "Modern Pagans" or (possibly) "Retro-Pagans," and (as their label implies) are concerned with "reconstructing" the religious aspects of a Celtic culture (or, in some cases, the religious aspects of all Celtic cultures). Celtic Traditionalists aren't really concerned with one Religion or another, but are instead concerned with a specific Celtic culture's cultural Tradition, but are typically Christians or Heathens (and a few of these groups may involve individuals who are called "Draoidhean," "Draoithe," "Derwyddion," etc, but most of the more well-known Celtic Traditionalist groups have issues with the concept of Priesthood, due in part to the influence of Protestant anti-clericalism). Celtic Heathen Revivalists (as the name implies) are Heathens (and take offense at being called "Neo-Pagan," since the approach and attitude are *significantly* different), usually focusing on an even more specific culture's cultural Tradition (i.e., you'll find, e.g., "Ivernian Heathen Revivalists," but the closest to that you'll find amongst the Traditionalists is "Gaelic Traditionalist" or *maybe* "Scottish Gaelic Traditionalist" and "Irish Gaelic Traditionalist"), but concerned with "reviving" pre-Anglo-Norman and pre-Christian aspects of that culture (whereas the Traditionalists stick to the cultural Tradition _as is_). At any rate, these three camps of "Celticists" tend to be much more concerned with historical accuracy (though you'll find individuals who claim to be "Celtic Reconstructionists" or "Celtic Traditionalists" or "Celtic Heathen Revivalists" who are not living up to the ideals of the movement in question; you will, of course, find poor examples of adherence to a standard in *any* Religion).
There's a *lot* more that goes into distinguishing one of these groups from another than what I've said here, but the point is that there are very real differences between these camps, and lumping the members of one camp into another camp ... well, just think how insensitive it would be to plaster "Reformed Jews" with the label "Chasidim" (or worse, to paint "Chasidim" with the name "Neo-Essenes").
Mise le meas, Croman mac Nessa"
So now we know (someone's already done the Judean People's Front Joke...and the People's Front of Judea).