Category: Gwynfyd

Druidry and God in Bardism

Post author By Bogatyr
Post date February 18, 2022
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As I’ve made clear, this blog is my process of exploring the writings of Iolo Morganwg in Barddas, the source of contemporary Revival Druidry, and trying to put it into modern terms as a system firmly rooted in the authentic Welsh cultural tradition.

That means going beyond Barddas itself: recognising that the Four Branches of the Mabinogi contain a pantheon of ancient Brythonic deities, for example. My experience is that they exist; they are real, and represent real powers. Barddas, however, comes from Iolo’s spiritual insights, rooted in a Christian background, and his writings are full of references to God. Can these things be reconciled? I believe that they can.

Tags Awenyddion, Olodumare, Orisha, Santeria, Spirit medium, Yoruba religion

Abred Annwn Awen Barddas Bards Celts Community Creativity Culture Cymru - Wales Divination Druidic Virtues Druidry Druids Education Ethics Gorsedd Gwynfyd Insight Iolo Morganwg Knowledge Learning Meditations Morality Nature OBOD Ovates Reflections Reincarnation Religion The Druid Network Theology Three Branches Values Wisdom

Thoughts on Druidic belief and authority

Post author By Bogatyr
Post date March 13, 2021
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I wrote this as a contribution to a discussion that’s ongoing in the members’ forums of the Druid Network. Those are private, so I thought I might post it here so that a broader audience can read it and contribute their thoughts.

Tags Neal Stephenson, Sir Ken Robinson, TED Talks, The Diamond Age

Abred Annwn Barddas Druidry Druids Gwynfyd Iolo Morganwg Reincarnation

Druids on the Silk Road

The folks behind the Balkan Celts blog recently posted a very, very interesting article: The Celtic Buddha.

The post discusses a stucco head discovered at an archaeological site in eastern Afghanistan. It represents a Celtic man, and is believed to have been sculpted from life – in other words, the artist knew a Celtic man who was on-site. In Afghanistan, possibly in the late Hellenistic age (when the area was conquered and settled by the armies of Alexander the Great), or possibly later, in the early Christian era.

Tags Afghanistan, Alexander the Great, Buddhism, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Rowan Williams, Silk Road, The Idler, trade

Abred Amaethon Annwn Arawn Brân the Blessed Gwern Gwydion Gwyn ap Nudd Gwynfyd Hare Lapwing Plant Annwfn Plant Dôn Plant Llŷr Roebuck

Thoughts on the Battle of the Trees

Post author By Bogatyr
Post date February 17, 2020
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The Cad Goddeu, in English The Battle of the Trees, is a prophetic poem amongst the works of Taliesin.

Prophecy in poetry is like divination with the I Ching: it does not have one definitive meaning and application. It is a reflection in the great Cauldron of Annwn: its obscure text and poetic imagery hold meaning, but that meaning only emerges when we interpret the poem’s symbolism in the context of our own time and our own situation.

The Cad Goddeu tells us of a war between the Great Families of Welsh myth.

Abred Annwn Awen Barddas Bards Culture Cymru - Wales Druidry Druids Gwynfyd Iolo Morganwg Ovates Reincarnation Theology Y Gymraeg - The Welsh Language

The Wisdom of the Loom

The English word ‘Druid’ is derived from the Gallo-Brythonic word which has come down to modern Welsh as ‘Derwydd’. In turn, this is a compound word, drawing on ‘derw-‘, relating to the oak, and ‘-wydd’ (root word ‘Gwydd’), relating to ‘seer’ or ‘knowledge’.

An alternative word – ‘Gwŷdd’ – however, is also the Welsh word for a loom. This connection is worth exploring further.

Abred Annwn Barddas Gwynfyd Iolo Morganwg Reincarnation Theology

Barddas and the journey of the soul

Post author By Bogatyr
Post date June 24, 2019
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In Barddas, Iolo Morganwg devotes a section to his theological views. There is quite a lot more on this theme in Barddas, but I think this excerpt covers the key points. Not all contemporary Druids believe this, but I do. I want to post Iolo’s words here to set the tone for a discussion of the soul’s journey, and of reincarnation, in Druidry as I understand it.