About Nimue Brown

Druid blogger, author for Moon Books, folk enthusiast, comics creator and narrowboat dweller. www.druidlife.wordpress.com and www.hopelessmaine.com

Druid Thoughts: Is There Really a Devil?

June 12, 2013 By 9 Comments
Lynx Chasing Rabbit

Pagans are frequently asked if we worship the Devil, and it’s not unusual for more hostile and fundamentalist followers of monotheism to assume that’s what we are about. There is that whole business with the Goat Footed God, after all. A lot of Pagans will tell you that the Devil has nothing to do with Paganism. Some will tell you that the Christians appropriated nature gods like Pan and Herne to make their hate figure – mostly to put the old Pagans out of business. For most Pagans, the … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Columns, Druid Thoughts, Nature, Theology, Ethics, Philosophy Tagged With: , , , , , , 9 Comments

Druid Thoughts: Pagan Fiction

May 29, 2013 By 2 Comments
John William Waterhouse, Tristan and Isolde with the Potion

Most of the stories featuring witches and druids seem to be paranormal romances or fantasy fictions. The people who write them are not practicing Pagans – you can tell because they get so much wrong. For many authors, the Pagan character is a convenient plot device, or a way of bringing in a bit of glamour, mystery and magic. Those authors who are Pagan are often more drawn to the possibilities of ancient times, Arthurian myth, the burning times and the never-was history in which the magic was … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Columns, Druid Thoughts, Literature, Media, Film, Music Tagged With: , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Druid Thoughts: Insanity and Spirituality

May 22, 2013 By 2 Comments
Jeanne d'Arc (Eugene Thirion, 1876)

Look back at figures such as Joan of Arc, getting directions from God, or pretty much any of the other Christian saints and you’ll notice they experience things these days we’d define as symptoms of illness. Voices, seeing what no one else can see, and having impossible things happen to you would, for a modern, be a sure fire route to medication. The pathologizing of ‘irrational’ experiences and the tightening up of what is ‘real’ and ‘normal’ has resulted in a lot of religions … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Columns, Druid Thoughts, Editor's Picks, Health and Wellness Tagged With: , , , , , , , , 2 Comments

Druid Thoughts: The Ethics of Divination

May 15, 2013 By 1 Comment
From Mal Corvus Witchcraft & Folklore artefact private collection owned by Malcolm Lidbury (aka Pink Pasty) - Witchcraft Tools

I’ll be clear up front on two counts. I have undertaken divination for money on many an occasion, and I don’t like Sylvia Browne. I had a book of hers to review years ago; I thought it was smug, patronising, and pretty useless. I’ve had no experience of her performances on TV, but am aware of posts like this and the anger around what this so-called psychic has done to countless people over the years. There are some who think that the only ethical approach is not to charge money for … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Columns, Druid Thoughts, Ritual and Practice Tagged With: , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Druid Thoughts: Pick and Mix Paganism

May 8, 2013 By 9 Comments
Nimue Brown

I know a lot of people whose paths are a mix of more than one tradition: Christio-pagans and Heathen, Christian, and Zen Druids  particularly, but there are others. There are some who see any kind of shopping around for ideas as New Age pick 'n' mix and spiritual tourism. There are many for whom any kind of mashup is a betrayal of all the traditions involved. The only true way is to be a purist and stick to one path, according to some. What sent me off pondering this subject is the recent … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Columns, Druid Thoughts, Theology, Ethics, Philosophy Tagged With: , , , , , , , 9 Comments