In the last article, initiated Druid Ellen Evert Hopman talked about the Druid’s three sacred worlds, why trees are so important, and keeping different pantheons separate. Here, she talks about celebrating the cross-quarter holidays, discusses Druids’ relationships with deities, and tells about her latest books.
While most Wiccans celebrate eight sabbats a year, Rev. Hopman explains that Druids celebrate only the cross-quarter holidays. The solstices and equinoxes are about what is happening in the sky, and Druids are more interested in what is happening here on the Earth. They mark these holidays by events in nature around them. “Ancient Celts didn’t have this calendar that we have. You knew it was Imbolc when the ewes started giving milk.” Rev. Hopman’s research indicates that ewes in Eastern MA begin lactating around February 15. Beltane is marked by the blooming of the Hawthorn. Some pagans celebrate Beltane on May 1, but Rev. Hopman says, “I don’t feel like it’s Beltane until the Hawthorn blooms.” Druids celebrate Lughnasad when the first grain is ready; this can vary by as much as three weeks depending on the local harvest. Samhain is marked by when the cows come down from the hills; this is usually around November 10. This method of marking the sabbats has less to do with where the Sun is in the sky, and more to do with the rhythms of life around us.
“Our main focus is giving thanks and forming a personal bond to the deity. To forge a personal relationship with a particular deity, a familial relationship, like a colleague, like a mentor. You want to be just like them, like an older brother or sister. You don’t bow down to them; you don’t worship them.”
Rev. Hopman has written many books. She says her objective in writing them is “bringing the ancient traditions forward so people can do them.”Among her books are a “trio of novels that incorporate Druid teachings and spirituality. The first two are ‘Priestess of the Forest: a Druid Journey’ and ‘The Druid Isle’. The third volume in the series will be out in early 2012.” She also wrote “A Druid’s Herbal of Sacred Tree Medicine.” Learn more about these and her other books at www.elleneverthopman.com.
Rev. Hopman is leading a monthly class in Easthampton MA on Celtic culture and Druidism. See www.examiner.com/pagan-in-boston/monthly-class-on-celtic-culture-and-druidism.
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