Disciplines

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This Hearthfire Last Kindled: 19 December, 2010

One Skill Set, Three Applications

What's in a Name?

Why should ADO break from the use of standard Neodruid titles? Surely what we call ourselves can't important enough to create even more confusion about what Druids are and do?... Well actually... If we take the ancestors on faith regarding the power of words (particularly the spoken word), then we must concede that what we call ourselves is that important. According to ancestral teachings -- including that of the Celts -- names define (and limit) us in foreseeable and unforeseeable ways, and it's those unforeseeable ways that tend to come back to bite us when we least expect it. Belief in the power of names is partly to blame for the Celtic prohibition against nicknames, which they considered a form of satire because they diminish the resonances inherent in a name's original form, thus diminishing the person. If the Celts believed that a simple nickname had the power to reduce someone's talents or to limit spiritual growth, then it seems likely that they considered the words they used to define concepts and titles important, too.

Nearly any words we choose will have their limitations, but the worst limitation is one that is imposed by an enemy, and the Celts had a potent enemy in Caesar. The word 'Druid' has broader origins which may derive from the proto-Celtic, but the familiar titles of 'Bard' and 'Ovate' (or Vates) both derive from Caesar. Prior to Roman records, there are several instances of the word 'Singer' (seeming to correspond to the later title, 'Bard'), 'Pathwalker' (which appears to mean 'bodyguard'), and 'Seer' (from which we take 'Dreamer'). These earlier references seem to us to capture the essence of these roles as they existed in native society much better than their later counterparts. The earliest lore keepers sang the lore to the gathered Tribes, and so dubbing them 'Singers' makes perfect sense. The appearance of the term 'Pathwalker' is also supported by several references that name the three layers of society differently than did Caesar, placing emphasis on the Hunter/Warrior archetype rather than on 'Druids' as a subgroup within a redundantly 'Druid' priesthood. (Of course, Caesar likely wanted to forget this group as quickly as possible, since his legions had suffered such devastating losses at their hands.)

The People of Art:

Pathwalker

Pathwalkers are Avalon's primary guardians of the land and amongst the Tribes they hold many different roles. We are taught that in ancient Avalon, every Dreamer had her Pathwalker and every Pathwalker her Dreamer, the one to keep the other safe in the course of their work. The Pathwalker kept watch over the Dreamer while she walked in the Land of Truth to instill power in ritual tools or locate the herds for the Hunt, and they aided Dreamers in "tracking" lost souls (or even forgotten Dreams). When the Tribes had need of Chieftains, it was the Pathwalkers who tested and prepared them to meet their trials as candidates. Pathwalkers served the community as trackers, hunters, scouts, and (later) sentries. In times of conflict, the skills of the Pathwalker were converted to warriorcraft. It is said they could move soundlessly and invisibly; that they could take a life and be gone before the body hit the ground. Their skill, courage, and prowess were feared by both Celts and Romans, and they are still remembered in local folklore wherever their descendents dwell.

Singer

Singers work as healers, as historians recording the stories of individual heroes and mystics, and collective triumphs and failures for posterity, and as enchanters healing and drawing the primal stories from the land. They serve as genealogists and lorekeepers, charged with remembering the lineages of individual families, kin-groups, and tribes reaching far back into the remote past. It was the Singer, primarily, who taught the great story cycles to the gathered kindred around the evening hearthfires, providing them with a lifeline to the ancestors, a context for understanding the present, and instilling and nurturing the essence and image of spiritual identity. The songs and stories associated with Rites of Passage, and the customs related to Feast Day observances were all within their keeping.

Dreamer

Dreamers preserve the people's collective ('folk') soul by keeping open the pathways between the ancestors, the people, and those who are yet to come, a task we call "holding the Dream". The folk soul is the "umbilical" connecting the people to their spiritual identity and nurturing the unique culture that arises from it. It is maintained at the central hearthfire, the spiritual center of Avalon, our Tradition, and our spiritual community. In time past, Dreamers guided the spears of Pathwalkers and supported Singers by illuminating for them the threads that bind the present to the past and that must be preserved in all story lore. Dreamers are able to journey forward or backward in time according to the needs of the moment, returning with wisdom and guidance to support, nurture and protect the tribal life and beliefs. There are many ways of Dreaming, but in ADO we dream together, as was the way of the far ancestors. The difference between collective Dreaming and the Immrama learned in most Avalonian groups is like the difference between spinning and weaving. Alone, we can only spin one thread; together, we can weave the many threads that we collectively hold.

The People of Skill:

Artisans

While every member of the Tribes participates to a certain extent in all of these activities, they do not study them intensively or dedicate the better part of each day to their practice, and often they are reluctant to subject their work to the scrutiny of those more experienced than themselves. As a result, they never develop the level of skill necessary to effectively guide others. And while they may at times be granted visions of stunning power, they cannot summon such Dreams at will, as a true Dreamer must. They will never be able to reliably recount the lineage of the Tribe or restore life to one who is near deaths as does the Singer. And though they may join it, they will never be skilled enough to lead the track or hunt like the Pathwalker. They will never be 'experts' in these three disciplines, but they often possess other vital gifts and are endowed with different, but equal magics.

We seldom think of them when joining a group such as ADO because, while most Neodruid groups place a high value on their work, they are seldom spoken of in any clear, direct way, but the myths make plain the place of artisans in ancient cultures. People who would nowadays be considered humble trades people (smiths, tanners, shoemakers, spinners, embroiderers, weavers, etc.) stand amongst the Gods in the ancient stories, side by side with Druids, and often the two are nearly indistinguishable. This attests to the powerful magic inherent in dedicating a craft to the Gods.

As with the Disciplines, most often it is not the people who choose the craft, but the craft that chooses the people. Often it reveals itself even before the Dream of Calling. The Gods may reveal themselves in Dream, or in the irresistible urge to learn more about them, or through a love of certain tasks or activities. It is in working our craft that the Gods as patrons enter into our spiritual work, acting as mentors and guides. In exchange for their aid we dedicate our work to them. Works that are dedicated to the Gods must be used with the same respect and care as we use any other ritual objects, for they are imbued with the force of the God as well as the Awen of their maker.

The Tribes needed artisans to survive every bit as much as they needed Druids and, while Druids often practiced a craft they were seldom as expert as were dedicated Craftspeople -- for the same reasons that true Craftspeople seldom became Druids: time. Alas, arts and crafts are jealous masters and seldom permit us to court rival interests. Exceptions are extremely rare, and claims of mastery must be demonstrable; however, having a God as mentor has its compensations and the joy of doing what one loves means that you will find few craftspersons who complain or envy another their lot in community life.

In Closing:

This is all it is needful for one to know about the work of our Druids, unless one is walking the path of the Novice oneself. Whatever else there is to know may be can be gleaned from personal observation and experience within our community. There is no greater teacher than direct observation and no more unforgiving mentor than first-hand experience. To these we leave you, then, until such time as you meet your own Dreams of Calling and the paths of your own greatness within our community is at last revealed to you.