Emma Restall Orr is the chief of The British Druid Order and she set up the Druid Network, a Druidry wellspring.

Priestess, author, poet and singer Emma Restall Orr has books to her credit including keystone works 'Principles of Druidry', 'Spirits of the Sacred Grove'

& 'Ritual: A Guide To Life, Love And Inspiration', as well as poetry books 'Black Lizard Forest' & 'Tides of Dying'.

Her latest title, 'Druid Priestess', is a new edition of 'Spirits of the Sacred Grove'.

Emma is also lead singer of Hush, whose music enjoys a devoted following particularly in the UK and USA.

Could you tell us a little about why you decided to set up the Druid Network? What needs do you see it fulfilling that were not being addressed before?

The Druid Network evolved out of my work as joint chief of The British Druid Order, a role I had had for almost a decade. Having spent many years developing ideas within the Order that were not coming together as richly as I would have hoped, when my joint chief Philip Shallcrass decided he had to take a complete break from the work, I shifted my focus to the new broader organization, The Druid Network.

My hope was to create an organization that was pan-Druidic, open to members of all Orders, Groves and other nature spirituality groups, acting as a wellspring of information and inspiration. I dislike any blend of money and spirituality, and I hoped here to make a clear distinction between the administrative organization and its spiritual core/roots in The Druid Order of the Yew and The British Druid Order. I also dislike politics and exclusivity within spirituality, and we are working to ensure that The Druid Network will be devoid of both.

Who, for you, are the Druids of today? Do you feel everyone has the potential to be a Druid if the inclination is there, or do you see Druids as a class/caste apart with special gifts and blood lineage?

If I were to answer this question generically for the whole Druid tradition as I see it today, I would say that the definitions of Druidry are too diverse for a clear statement in reply. You ask for my own personal opinion however, and so I offer my view.

I see Druids as the priests of the land and the people. To get to that position takes the kind of training, commitment, dedication and self-sacrifice that most people are not willing or able to make. Secular work, family, soul-wounds, doubt and distractions, all take people from this path of complete focus.

Many who commit themselves utterly have been through roads of trauma and brutal awakening, experiences that cause them to perceive nature and humanity in an unusual way. They are able to value life more acutely because they know something of death. Some are able to train and commit sufficiently even if life has been an easy road, and their role in the community usually reflects this different life experience.

While some have been trained in Druidry through hereditary lines, and some feel closely affiliated to the tradition because of ancestral connections to the landscape in which they see Druidry rooted, I don't consider it valid to judge someone a Druid simply on the basis of blood lineage.

One of your books is entitled "Druid Priestess." Are all druids priests, in your views or are there other roles for Druids to take? How would you describe the role of a Druid today?

A priest might work with trees or plants, or with people and politics, or the sick and dying, with birds or the sea, with babies or badgers. It matters not what area of life he/she is in, for we all have different interests and strengths, come of genetics and experience; what defines the priest is that he/she works utterly in a sacred manner.

There is much tension between the different Druid groups in France. A certain number of them consider that Druidry must only be transmitted orally, and even that should be reserved for circles of Initiates. Do similar issues of legitimacy and exclusivity exist in England?

The situation in France is probably similar to that in Britain 25 years ago. There are still Orders here in Britain that declare one must be Scots Gaelic or Irish, or male, or Welsh and speak fluently that language. There is one that claims you can't call yourself a Druid unless you have trained in their Order. We have some folk who claim for themselves outrageous titles, declaring spiritual jurisdiction over certain geographic areas or ancient sites.

As I have said before, I find this kind of pomposity and exclusivity anathema to intelligent spirituality, provoking conflict and disharmony, where I see our role as Druids to be solely that of peacemakers. As humanity we are offered the exquisite opportunity of life, briefly touching others; let us do it with honour and open arms.

Having said that, I am a great believer in the oral tradition, for it teaches us that there is no fact - only stories. Some stories travel down through millennia, soul to soul, heart to heart. Some are lost and we catch only glimpses in the wind, in the breath of trees, the hum of stones. Some are our own stories, crafting out of our own living. It teaches us that we each have different perceptions, different realities; it teaches us acceptance of individuality and diversity within all of nature. I am sad when the power of an orally-transmitted wisdom is crushed by human need for fact and stability, and - even if still taught without writing - the teachings become dogma. The beauty of the oral tradition is that it changes, evolving, retaining a naturally consistent relevance to every moment as it passes; this is one of the most potent values of Druidry.

I would add also that teachings vary in depth and intensity. If I were teaching about the nature of the wind and how we can learn from it, or giving the tale of Blodeuwedd, I might do so in an open circle. If I were teaching about how to trance, leaving behind the human mind to fly upon the wind, to feel the nature of its consciousness beneath the owl wings of cursed flower-forged Blodeuwedd, I would be working only with those who have considerable training and initiation behind them.

Not all Druid Orders in France accept that a woman can be a Druid. While they will accept women in their groves their status is not equal to that of the men. What would you consider the role of women in Druidry today?

One of the main reasons why Philip Shallcrass asked me to take the role of joint chief of The British Druid Order, and one of the main reasons why my first book was published, was specifically because there was not enough female energy in modern Druidry. It has been my work for this past decade of being in the limelight to bring women into the tradition, offering them affirmation that their presence is welcomed and celebrated.

While I cannot support any prejudice or exclusivity based on sexism, I can accept that some groups prefer to work solely within the natural energy of one gender. I know of a number of women's Druid Groves in Britain and America who work specifically with the powers of nature as they flow the female body and mind. I am sure that some men's groups would feel threatened by women's energy and ideas disrupting the quality created within the group without them.

As to what role women can take in Druidry, I can hardly begin to answer this question. First of all, I consider spirit/soul wisdom to be more important than human gender, and secondly gender itself is not (emotionally or even physiologically) entirely black and white. For me then here to list the gifts that women bring into any area of life would be to risk being sexist and gender generalising myself.

Taking that risk, I would say that Druidry has benefited enormously from women's emotional intelligence, deep empathy and compassion, willingness to hold, to co-operate, to gather together, to feel passion and passionately, to organize and administrate, and perhaps above all to share openly without competition.

Certain people believe that druidry courses open to everyone, or the putting on-line of information and rituals are in fact a vulgarisation of Druidry, which only serves to denature it. As the founder of The Druid Network how do you feel about such views?

As the founder of The Druid Network, and previously running a large Druid Order, I have been accused of practising a diluted form of Druidry, something overly gentle and superficial. This is entirely because those rituals that I perform in public and publish for general consumption are not the deeper magical rites. I keep my private life and spiritual practice where it belongs: in private.

I would say, however, that when I was first becoming known as a Druid 15 years ago, the general public and the media were either afraid of Druidry, considering it something occult and 'satanic', or ridiculed it as idiotic hippy make-believe. Nowadays, in Britain, other than satirical articles about the more theatrical characters who call themselves Druids, the media take us seriously. The BBC consider Druidry to be a valid and interesting religious movement. I am invited to conferences run by the Church of England to discuss important issues. I present talks to schools, universities and education authorities. Some primary schools are now even offering Druid children the 8 festivals as holidays.

This change has come about only because people like myself have been willing to talk out loud and explain just what the tradition is about. I use language that is accessible in order to reach the widest audience, so that our spirituality that is our nations' heritage will again be accepted, finding its place within our culture.

The deeper mysteries that can only be understood with years of study and dedication remain within the heart of the tradition, to be found and explored by those who have made the journey to get there.

The Druid Network is like a large platform of international exchange and communication. In what way do you think Druidry can be international ?

While Druidry in Britain is an easy blend between honouring ancestors and honouring the land, there are those living around the world who reach through their bloodlines (or perhaps one strand of their bloodline) to learn from ancestors of these European and Druidic lands. Someone may feel themselves fully Australian, and profoundly revere the spirits of that nature within that landscape, yet feel something missing. Walking the path of their roots might take them to a land inspired by the teachings of the Druids, and so does their spiritual practice become a unique blend of ancestral wisdom and immediate environment. Not only do the old stories find a new breath of life, but also I see this as something that can only be healthy for humanity and the natural world.

Indeed, there are many within Britain whose own blood is a mix too. Most people in modern developed countries are. My own blood is partly British and partly French Alsace/German Schwarzwald, the old region of the Gallic Celtae in Caesar's time. I have reached back through my ancestors and found inspiration from all these lands that adds to my own Druidic practice and understanding.

Who can join The Druid Network? Do you have to be a recognised Druid ? A member of an existing Order ?

Anyone can join the Druid Network. It is entirely and actively non-exclusive, for within it we hope to offer resources that will guide the shy solitary beginner upon the path, as well as the well trained priest. You need belong to nothing else, or you can belong to everything that will have you.

Our inclusivity, we hope, will engender and inspire a wide spectrum of ideas. Even for those who have studied for 30 years, if the mind is open even the simplest ideas can

How do you see the future of Druidry ? Do you think the Druids of the future will still find themselves on the edges of society ? Or do you think the future will allow Druids everywhere more freedom of worship. In France, for example, it is very difficult to practice Druidry without people thinking you are part of a sect or a Satanist. For these reasons public ritual in public places is rare if not impossible.

In Britain, because of the work we have done presenting Druidry to the general public as a beautiful inspired part of our living heritage, it is easier and easier to practise in the open. It is happening slowly in America too. I see no reason why the same should not occur in other countries around the world, if people are willing to stand up and intelligently communicate with people outside the tradition, explaining its nature with a clear mind and an open heart. I'm not talking about working with the media, for that's a tricky job suited only to some; I mean talking to work colleagues, neighbours, family, friends ...

There is no reason at all why the mysteries at the deep core of the tradition need be touched by this, or diluted in any way at all. Mysticism remains a central magical energy within almost every established religion around the world, while the aspects that are open to all are accessible and enjoyable, teaching ethics, old stories and celebration.

I see Druidry evolving in this way too. Parts of the tradition will always remain hidden, and some Druids will always be at the edge of society (for the secular world can feel like a strange and empty place). There will also be a large aspect of the tradition that is open, more about community and celebration and the simpler teachings of honour and grace, environmentalism, connection and responsibility: available to all and benefiting everyone.

Do you have a particular message you would like to address to French druids ?

I would encourage Druids and those studying the tradition in France to come together, to communicate and share ideas, to celebrate, so that the wealth of spiritual wisdom held within the tradition can flow through humanity, for our world desperately needs this.

Do you think that an annual meeting, bringing all the Druid Orders in Europe together to talk and celebrate is a possibility or a dream?

It is more than a possibility. We are making the first steps to reach that gathering ground right now! We shall make a cairn, each person bringing a blessed stone from their own landscape, creating a monument to honour life. I look forward to meeting you all there, raising the meadhorn and giving thanks to the gods and our ancestors.

The Druid Network website

Emma Restall Orr (May 2003) Interviewer : Sylvie Merle