Druids see nature as a divine and sacred force. What can their movement, which is growing once again, offer others keen to find their place in the web of life?

Every summer solstice you can guarantee you’ll see photos of Stonehenge abound in the UK news. The prehistoric stone circle on Salisbury Plain in south-west England is usually pictured surrounded by people dressed in full-length robes or carrying wooden staffs – Druids, who have come to celebrate one of the most significant festivals in the pagan calendar.

The two annual solstices, when the sun (sol in Latin) seems to stand still (sistere), are, along with the equinoxes, a time when followers of this nature-focused spiritual practice pause to connect more deeply with the natural world and the cycle of life. The festivals, says Philip Carr-Gomm, spiritual teacher and author of What Do Druids Believe? are opportunities ‘to feel the influence of the season in our bodies, hearts and minds, to soak in the energies of earth and sky, and to radiate our love and blessings to Earth and all beings…’

What hope, what promise of a calm and peaceful existence those words hold. In such unsettled times, the world might well benefit from looking to the spiritually enlightened Druids, but what would that entail? Who are the Druids and what can they teach us?

Therapist Adrian Rooke belongs to the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD) – one of close to 150 Druid groups that exist worldwide. He says that today’s Druidry ‘is founded on an acute awareness that we must honour our planet and nature’. He adds: ‘The world is in crisis and humans need to show humility, to accept that they don’t always put their dominance to good use. Far from it, in fact – the damage our species is continuing to cause to the environment, to other life forms, even to other humans, is incalculable. The path Druids follow has only one end, which is to safeguard the Earth, to ensure it is protected, restored and respected, through the cultivation of love, wisdom and creativity. The health of all else, including society, follows from that.’