The Path of Paganism

Well I've never been one to be into religion, and have (wrongly) ridiculed those which follow a religion to the point of it dictating illogical and, what I deemed to be, ridiculous beliefs. I suppose most of that viewpoint was based on the frustrations of certain Christian-rooted religions based on people I had encountered and been around who followed such, earlier in life. I've since learnt to live and let live, and understand that some people do need a religion to follow and can wholeheartedly believe the dogmas and preachings they are taught.

Back in 2011\2, I became introduced to a more spiritual view and whilst not from a religious standpoint, it did make me look back on elements I did believe in and which I could understand and pin logic to. I've always had an affinity with nature and the earth and thus started looking into Paganism; which I'd previously dismissed (due to lack of understanding). However, when reading more into Paganism, I soon found that the more I read, the more it was obvious that I was actually Pagan and had all the beliefs and values which I was reading about! This obviously spurred me on to read more and I embraced it with vigour. There are a lot of key points and aspects of Paganism which are logical, make good sense and have supporting physical evidence (unlike most religions).

Having looked at the various paths within Paganism, it seemed obvious and right that I would go into Druidry. So again, researching more into this, I eventually joined the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids. In 2011, I started the Bardic course, which was part of the Order and learnt much about the elements, history, origins, tales of the ancient druid path; I passed this course in summer 2012 and continued into the Ovate grade, to study more about trees, herbalism, ogham language, divination etc.

I certainly feel very content with this undertaking and it feels very right and like a "coming home" type of feeling. I look back even as far back as my childhood and can see where I had actually already been Pagan and am quite happy that I can now do something about it and actively follow this path.

I've managed to visit a number of old Pagan sites, joined groups of like-minded people and been involved in rituals and other activities. It's certainly opened my eyes and given me a connection to the earth. So I now continue my studies, to eventually enter the Druid grade and complete that to become a fully-fledged druid.