{"id":3346,"date":"2020-02-11T15:48:34","date_gmt":"2020-02-11T15:48:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/druidry.org\/\/contemplative-druidry-people-practice-and-potential-by-james-nichol-3"},"modified":"2020-02-19T12:38:34","modified_gmt":"2020-02-19T12:38:34","slug":"contemplative-druidry-people-practice-and-potential-by-james-nichol-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/druidry.org\/resources\/contemplative-druidry-people-practice-and-potential-by-james-nichol-3","title":{"rendered":"Contemplative Druidry: People, Practice and Potential by James Nichol"},"content":{"rendered":"

by Maria Ede-Weaving ~\u00a0<\/em>
\nModern Druidry is an evolving spirituality; each of its practitioners is continually adding to the breadth and depth of this path through their experiences. What gives a spirituality its power is it practices and approaches, and these are far from static \u2013 they live and breathe, grow and change, as we do. For a path to flourish and mature, it requires that we engage, question and explore, remaining open to the possibilities of change whilst honouring the wisdom already shared. James Nichol\u2019s Contemplative Druidry: People, Practice and Potential is a wonderful example of this process in action.
\nNichols has gathered a group of Druids to discuss their experiences of contemplative practice. Fifteen Druids share their thoughts about both their solo and group encounters with contemplative meditation and how these have impacted upon their Druidry and wider lives.
\nThe book is in three main sections: \u2018People, Practice and Potential\u2019 with contributors not only reflecting on what drew them to contemplative Druidry and how such is expressed in their spiritual practice, but also posing the question of how such approaches might manifest in the wider Druid community, should they be more readily explored.
\nIt is clear from these accounts that sitting meditation is only one part of this approach; mindful walking, chanting, daily offices, communion with nature\/the divine and creative activities also play a part in keeping contributors present and connected. There is a real sense that each \u2013 for want of an established Druid-based contemplative framework \u2013 has been quietly experimenting, acting as pioneers exploring their own frontiers in order to find what works.\u00a0 In doing so, they have been planting the seeds of a tradition that could potentially flourish into a valid and inspiring area of Druidry, one that until now has been rather ignored. Many have taken their inspiration from other spiritualities such as Buddhism and Christianity, however, their practices have developed a flavour that is distinctly Druidic. It\u2019s a fascinating read and interesting to see how meditative practices give depth to Druid concepts such as the Awen and Nwyvre;\u00a0 how Druid contemplation and mindfulness might\u00a0 help to shape, transform or deepen a connection to life and self.
\nIn the Neo-Pagan movement and the Western Mystery Tradition there has been a dominant focus on what might be perceived to be \u2018active\u2019 meditation techniques; the use of visualisation and path-working holding a dominant place. The Eastern approach to meditation has often been assumed to facilitate a removal of self from the world in an attempt to transcend its illusions. As such it might be perceived to be at cross purposes with the Druid world view where life and earthly experiences are celebrated. Most of us understand\u00a0 Druid spiritual practices to be a gateway to deepen one\u2019s involvement with earthly life, as opposed to escaping it via ascetic disciplines, however, what Nichol\u2019s book illustrates is that the contemplative approach, explored from a Druid perspective, can be a tool that moves us into a richer and deeply felt relationship with nature, community and self.
\nReading through the book\u2019s many thought-provoking accounts I had that sense of excitement you get when a long-held suspicion about something is validated by another\u2019s experience. My first encounter with meditation came years ago via the practice of Yoga. For me, regardless of how one might interpret the philosophy of Yoga, what its practices illustrated was that these techniques of mindful movement, breath and contemplation could actually help me to feel more embodied and present on this planet. They were immensely practical and useful , not only in aiding my physical well-being but also in creating a healthier flow between my body, mind and emotions, and in doing so, opening the door to my spiritual journey. The book\u2019s examples makes it clear that I am not alone in my view that these techniques are not ring-fenced by any religion or path but are open for all to use. I see no contradiction in including them as part of my Druid practice. It is true that each spiritual path will approach these techniques through their own spiritual lens \u2013 and even each individual within each path will bring their own unique focus to bear \u2013 but Nichol\u2019s books suggests that there is a rich seam of spiritual nourishment to explore here, and that even if such practices are not for us, then the debate about them can only deepen and widen what Druidry has to offer.
\nThere is much here that gives food for thought. Contemplative Druidry is a valuable springboard for further discussion and a great starting place for those who are interested in including contemplative meditation in their practice. Nichol\u2019s book encourages us to really think about what a contemplative Druidic practice might be. What is clear from each contributor\u2019s experience is that it is an approach that is nature and body affirming, one that offers us a means to engage more fully with self and the world around us. In time, as this discussion deepens, as more people engage with these practices and share the results, I feel sure that many more benefits will become apparent. All this can only add to the richness and diversity of the Druid path.\u00a0 \u2013 Maria Ede-Weaving
\nJames\u2019 book is available from Amazon and the OBOD shop.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Maria Ede-Weaving ~\u00a0 Modern Druidry is an evolving spirituality; each of its practitioners is continually adding to the breadth and depth of this path through their experiences. What gives a spirituality its power is it practices and approaches, and these are far from static \u2013 they live and breathe, grow and change, as we […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":42,"featured_media":3347,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3346","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-book-reviews"],"acf":[],"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/druidry.org","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/druidry.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3346","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/druidry.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/druidry.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/druidry.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/42"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/druidry.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3346"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/druidry.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3346\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/druidry.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/druidry.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3346"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/druidry.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3346"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/druidry.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3346"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}