Dreaming of Druids

One of the first unusually vivid dreams I can recall was a dream I had in high school. 

In this odd, but memorable dream, a single bright section of an orange transformed into a tiny infant right before my eyes. At the mall a few days later, I saw an album in a record store window. On its cover was a dreamy sort of image of a baby. The name of the album was Tangerine Dream.  

I made the connection and bought it on the spot.

Later, listening to my new album through my headphones, I had a vision. In it, a group of men in dark robes were trudging up a hill. Behind them, a grove of trees had been cut down, and on each stump a man had been beheaded.

I had an interest in King Arthur from an early which may be why I recognized the men as Druids. Given that interest, I'm sure a lot of people would just chalk a vision like that up to imagination, but because I have aphantasia visions are few and far between for me (and those I do have are not deliberately self-generated). So it was unusual for me to see any kind imagery in any state. 

What really got my attention however was the emotion I felt. 

The scene was grisly, but I wasn't the least bit horrified. Instead, as the hauntingly beautiful music built to its crescendo, I felt a bittersweet sense of loss. I understood those retreating figures. I knew their way of life was ending and that loss moved me.

It wasn't until many years later, that my interest in Celtic spirituality would move me to become a member of the OBOD (Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids). To me (as to many others in the order), druidry isn't a religion. It's more of a philosophy..

It is perfectly acceptable to be a Christian with an interest in druidry, which is not (as the OBOD) presents is not by definition an occult order but more focused on the study of ancient Celtic spirituality and mythology.

I have always love mythology and I like the way that this type of spirituality (like most indigenous traditions) intersects with nature.

Did my dream and the resulting vision predict this interest? Or is there something genetic that travels downstream through time that speaks to us? Or is it only coincidence?

That is the mystery.

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You can visit the OBOD website at Druidry.org