Druids Down Under is a networking group online and also the name I give to the public events that I run in Sydney. The aim of the group is to promote networking, discussion and event sharing on the subject of Australian Druidry. We incorporate interests in traditional Druidry, but also work a lot with exploring the different landscapes, seasonal changes, animals, plants, local histories and Indigenous knowledge that we have available to us in our diverse environments in Australia. Together we explore what it means to be following the Druid path in this southern land. I welcome others to use the name Druids Down Under if they follow a similar ethos of exploring what it means to follow the path of Druidry in the Australian landscape. It is an inclusive path with no expectation of membership in any of the other Druid orders. We welcome all paths of Druidry including those learning from books rather than the correspondence courses available. I am however also a member of The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD), for a time I was the Oceania co-ordinator for The Druid Network (TDN), and my teachers have been mostly from the traditions of the British Druid Order (BDO). I have also recently started the courses with The Isle of Wight Order of Druids (IWOD). So I’m a mixed bag myself! Another group present in Druids Down Under is Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship (ADF). They’re all a bit different and I’d encourage you to explore which one or ones are right for you. We have a lot to share with each other as well as different ways of practicing Druidry.
We have a Facebook group that has a Southern Hemisphere and particularly Australian focus, Druids Down Under and more local groups for Sydney and Adelaide: Sydney Druids Down Under and Adelaide Druids Down Under. Feel free to join the groups, join in the discussions and find out about meetings and events near you, or reach out to see if others are interested in joining you if you would like to organise something.
Sydney Druids Down Under used to meet on the Northern Beaches, but I now run my circles in Katoomba in the Blue Mountains after having moved here in May 2016. We are having a break from public circles, but if you’d like to know more about what we put on in the future, see either the Druids Down Under main Facebook group, or our Grove’s wider community group Friends of the Blue Mountains Grove.
It was through the ritual circles and exploration of the Sydney area I have done myself, as well as discussing these topics a great deal on Druids Down Under on Facebook, and in the rituals and workshops that I run through the public group in Sydney, that I came to write my book Pagan Portals – Australian Druidry. The book Belonging to the Earth was more about my experiences in the Blue Mountains and travelling around the country to visit other Australian Druidry groups in other areas. For more information about my books click here.
Julie Brett 