About

I would like to begin by acknowledging the traditional owners of the land I live and write in, the Dharug and Gundungarra people. I acknowledge that this land was never ceded, that it always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land. I honour the deep and abiding connection that the Dharug and Gundungarra poeple have to this place, and that all First Nations people have to their lands. I recognise their strength and resilience of culture and community, and pay my respects to Elders past and present, and to any Aboriginal people who might take the time to read my words. My deepest gratitude to be able to walk this land and call this place home. 

My name is Julie Brett. I’m the author of the books Australian Druidry: Connecting with the Sacred Landscape, and Belonging to the Earth: Nature Spirituality in a Changing World. These books explore my experiences of following a nature based spiritual practice inspired by what we know of the ancient Celtic Druids, called Druidry, while living in an Australian context. 

Druidry draws together inspiration from Celtic mythology, poetry, storytelling and music, sacred sites, natural lore, and ancestral connections, as well as creating modern rituals for personal connection and alignment with the seasons and the world around us. Australian Druidry is a way of adapting modern Druidry to the Australian environment, practicing here with respect and reverence for Australia’s unique flora and fauna, seasons, sacred places, history, cultures, ancestors and spirits, as we try to find our way of being here in respect for the Earth, the ancestors of the land, and our own cultural ancestors. 

In 2007 I founded Druids Down Under, a networking group which helps bring together the many different forms of Druidry in Australia. Through this group people can find others to work with, but importantly it has been an essential hub for the discussion of what it means to practice Druidry in an Australian landscape. It has been a blessing to work with this community and it has brought me much joy, learning and friendship. 

Through Druids Down Under and in conjunction with The Blue Mountains Seed Group (OBOD), I run public seasonal rituals in Katoomba. I have also worked a lot with the wider Pagan community, teaching and sharing about Australian Druidry at many Pagan events around Australia including the Australian Wiccan Conference, PAN events in Sydney, The Festival of the Minds, The English Ale, Red Tent Australia, and others, though this has been somewhat slowed on account of COVID. I have however been involved with teaching online during that time. I am also a jewelry artist, creating crystal jewelry for Forest Spirit Jewelry. 

You can find out more about my courses in Australian Druidry and my jewelry work via my other website www.forestspiritjewelry.com.