Welcome back to White Rose of Avalon my Darlings. Today’s post is a book review of The Druidry Handbook: Spiritual Practice Rooted in the Living Earth by John Michael Greer. I have been wanting to do more research into Druidry to incorporate aspects into my spirituality. As I am already an herbalist (soon to start a certification course) and Avalonian in my path, studying Druidry is a natural expansion for me. I am very glad that I chose to begin a deeper study with this book!
The Druidry Handbook is an excellent overview of Druid practice neatly sectioned into parts. The first part gives an overview of the history of modern Druidry and how it has evolved over time. The second part gives an overview of Druid philosophy. The final part gives an overview of the three paths of initiation into Druid practice. I liked the flow of the text, as it seemed that someone of any experience level could get something from the text. Beginning with history meant that you had a solid foundation before moving forward to look at the Triads of the Druid Philosophy section. In the introduction, the author even stated that the book was formatted so that you could skip around to the part you are ready for (skipping the history if you already had an established knowledge of it, for example). Even though the history section was mostly a refresher for me, given that Druid history entwines much with other Celtic spiritual history, it was nice to read the book cover to cover and appreciate the flow of the structure.
The final part of the book was probably my favorite, as it gave a deep analysis of the three paths, the Earth Path, the Sun Path, and the Moon Path. I found so much commonality in Druid paths to what I already do in my Avalonian Spiritual Path, which brought into light why studying more about Druid practices can be used to enhance my own path! The book is also formatted to be used as a textbook for the first year of Druid initiation, should the reader want to commit to a Druid spiritual path. I like that this book is a very interesting read that can also be used as an in-depth guideline for a prospective Druid initiation. I am glad that I read the book, but I do not think I will be necessarily looking to initiate in this way, as I am very happy walking a firmly Avalonian path, but I think it is so important to see how other Celtic paths entwine with my own, and possibly enhance my practice with this knowledge. Plus, it does leave the possibility of choosing to one day go through such an intense Druid initiation process. All that being said, I think this book is a must-read for any person looking to walk a Druid path, any Avalonian practitioner looking to better understand how Druidry and Avalon overlap, and even any spiritual seeker interested in Celtic belief!
I hope you have enjoyed reading my thoughts on The Druidry Handbook by John Michael Greer. Have you read this book? Do you want to read it now? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!
Note on Image: The image at the top of the post is the book cover. I found the image on https://www.amazon.com/Druidry-Handbook-Spiritual-Practice-Classics/dp/1578637465.
Tarot Note: I have a page offering tarot and oracle readings for those interested in these services! I am very happy to be offering these readings to my treasured readers at White Rose of Avalon! Link to page: https://whiteroseofavalon.life/tarot-and-oracle-readings/