WHAT DO NEOPAGAN DRUIDS BELIEVE? Many of the members of A'r nDrai'ocht Fe'in: A Druid Fell

WHAT DO NEOPAGAN DRUIDS BELIEVE?
     Many of the members of A'r nDrai'ocht Fe'in: A Druid Fellowship, Inc. ("ADF") have come to accept most of the following beliefs. However, it's important to remember that not everyone would use the term "belief" in reference to these concepts, and that every concept mentioned has a wide variety of accepted interpretations within the organization.
Thou Art God/dess
     We believe that divinity is both immanent (internal) and
transcendent (external), with immanence being far more important
for us to pay attention to at this crucial phase of human
history. Deities can  manifest at any point in space or time
which They might choose, including within human beings (through
the processes known as "inspiration," "channeling," and
"possession").
Goddesses and Gods
     We believe that divinity is as likely to manifest in a
female form as it is in a male form, and that the word "Goddess"
makes just as much sense as "God."  Women and men are spiritually
equal, and "masculine" and "feminine" attitudes, values, and
roles are of equal importance.
Polytheism
     We believe in a multiplicity of gods and goddesses, as well
as lesser beings, many of Whom are worthy of respect, love and
worship. We have a wide variety of nonexclusive concepts as to
the nature of these entities. While some of us believe in a
"Supreme Being," Neopagan Druidism is emphatically polytheistic.
We have no figure of ultimate Evil.
Nature Worship
     We believe that it is necessary to have respect and love for
Nature as divine in Her own right, and to accept ourselves as
part of Nature and not Her "rulers." Many of us accept what has
come to be known as "the Gaia hypothesis," that the biosphere of
our planet is a living being, Who is due all the love and support
that we, Her children, can give Her. We consider ecological
awareness and activism to be sacred duties.
Cautious Technophilia
     We believe in accepting the positive aspects of Western
science and technology, but in maintaining an attitude of
wariness towards the supposed ethical neutrality of that science
and technology. We also consider it important that scientists
(like everyone else) pay as much attention to their means as they
do to their goals.
Religious Freedom
     We believe that monolithic religious organizations and
would-be messiahs and supergurus are a hinderance to spiritual
growth. We believe that healthy religions should have a minimum
amount of dogma and a maximum amount of eclecticism and flexi-
bility. Neopagan Druidism is an organic religion, and like all
other organisms is growing, changing, and producing offshoots.
Positive Ethics
     We believe that ethics and morality should be based upon
joy, love, self-esteem, mutual respect, the avoidance of actual
harm to ourselves and others, and the increase of public benefit.
We try to balance people's needs for personal autonomy and growth
with the necessity of paying attention to the impact of each
individual's actions on the lives and welfare of others.
Religious Toleration
     We believe that it's difficult for ordinary humans to commit
offenses against the Gods and Goddesses, short of major crimes
such as ecocide or genocide. Our deities are perfectly capable of
defending Their own honor without any need for us to punish
people for "blasphemy" or "heresy."
The Good Life
     We believe that human beings were meant to lead lives filled
with joy, love, pleasure, beauty and humor. Most Neopagans are
fond of food, drink, music, sex, and bad puns, and consider all
of these (except possibly the puns) to be of spiritual value.
However, we do not approve of addictive or compulsive behavior
and we support people with dysfunctional histories who have
entered appropriate  recovery programs.
Magic and Mystery
     We believe that with proper training, art, discipline and
intent, human minds and hearts are fully capable of performing
most of the magic and miracles they are ever likely to need.
Magical/miraculous acts are done through the use of what most of
us perceive as natural (some say "divinely granted") psychic
talents.
Liturgical Art and Science
     We believe that there is an art and a science to creating,
preparing and performing worship rituals. Our worship celebra-
tions are continually evolving as we search for the most intel-
lectually satisfying, artistically beautiful, spiritually power-
ful, and magically effective rites possible.
Connecting to the Cosmos
     We believe in the importance of celebrating the solar, lunar
and other cycles of our lives. We consciously observe the sol-
stices, equinoxes and the points in between, as well as the
phases of the moon. Such "rites of intensification" are human
universals, as are the various ceremonies known as "rites of
passage" -- celebrations of birth, puberty, personal dedication
to a given deity or group, marriage, ordination, death, etc.
Together these various sorts of observations help us to find
ourselves in space and time.
Born Again Paganism
     Many of us believe in some sort of afterlife, usually
involving rest and recovery in the Otherworld before reincar-
nating. We have no concept of "eternal" punishment, refusing to
worship deities who could be that cruel.
Hope and Action
     We believe that people have the ability to solve their
current problems, both personal and public, and to create a
better world. Our utopian vision, tempered with common sense,
leads us to a strong commitment to personal and global growth,
evolution and balance.
Mystic Vision
     We believe that people can progress far towards achieving
personal growth, evolution and balance through the carefully
planned alteration of their "normal" states of consciousness. We
use both ancient and modern methods of concentration, meditation,
reprogramming and ecstasy.
Community Responsibility
     We believe that human interdependence implies community ser-
vice. Some of us are active in political, social, ecological and
charitable organizations, while others prefer to work for the
public good primarily through spiritual means (and many insist on
doing both).
Authenticity
     We believe that if we are to achieve any of our goals, we
must practice what we preach. Neopagan Druidism, like any other
religion, should be a way of life, not merely a weekly or monthly
social function. So we must always strive to make our lives
consistent with our proclaimed beliefs.
Cooperation and Defense
     We believe in cooperation and ecumenical activities with
those members of other faiths who share all or most of these be-
liefs. We also believe in resisting efforts by members of dys-
functional religions who seek to persecute us or suppress our
human rights.
     There's more to our beliefs than these few details, of
course, and a great deal of variation in how these beliefs are
extended to cover other topics. Some of our members are pacifists
and others are in the military; some are animal rights activists
and vegetarians, others are carnivorous hunters; some are commit-
ted to conservative and others to alternative life styles. We ac-
tively encourage everyone to apply these principles to the prac-
tical questions of their daily lives.
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(c) 1993 c.e. by A.D.F.
Contents may be freely reprinted by Neopagan media,
including BBS's, provided no editing is done and this
copyright notice is included. 9306.02

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