The Solitary Druid: Walking the Path of Wisdom and Spirit

I bought this book near the beginning of my journey in ADF Druidry and it has been an incredible resource and aid to me ever sense. The chapters on meditation alone, for those of you pursuing the Two Powers type meditation done in ADF, are worth the cost of the book. As a Dedicant Path mentor and Grove Organizer within ADF I recommend this book to every new student and seeker I come across. Yes, this is a book about ADF (Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship) style Druidry, though I believe much that is here would be relevant to other Neopagan Druids, and not about revival Druidry. No where in this book does Mr. Ellison claim that this is the "only way" to do Druidry or that the ADF way is superior to any other path as has been claimed by other commenters. Easy to read, enjoyable, interesting, and very highly recommended.

This truly is an introduction into the path of the druid. Mr. Ellison truly lays it out well for those that are just starting out or are working on their own. I've been following this path for awhile now, so I must admit that I was already familiar with some of the information presented, but the info that I wasn't familiar with helped me out so much! Especially when it comes to daily devotionals and opening the gates. At the time I was wondering how to open the gates in a quick yet meaningful way without making it into a full blown ritual. He presents a very nice one in his book. I have actually taken quite a few of his ideas for my own devotions. I must say that when I saw the first review made for this book, I was astonished! I actually took a look at that reviewer's review history and I have seen that almost every single one was negative. With such high standards, you'd assume that the guy would suck it up and write his own book up to his level. *note sarcasm*

I just finished this book! I have been a practicing "Grovie" i.e. actively involved in a public grove since 1999. I am transitioning to solitary due to family health issues. I can tell you that the rituals in Skip's book are powerful and effective. The history is well research and accuratly cited. The chapter on divination is great too. What I would say is underemphasized is the importance of mental dicipline and meditation, take that as a suggestion for further study! All in all, this should be manditory reading for all Druids, not just solitarys.

Let's face it. Thanks to the pagan revival of the last decades, most of us Druids now live in areas where there is at least a small pagan community. However, if you are like me, your pagan community features many Wiccans and eclectics, but no Druids other than yourself. Robert Ellison has given us an indespensible guide to the Druidic mysteries as he has experienced them and through scholarship providing us with a guidebook of rituals, book suggestions and networking ideas. My copy was dog-eared within a week and I don't think I could live without it.

I don't know what book the first reviewer read, but he doesn't seem to have even vaguely grasped what The Solitary Druid is about. Ellison lays out the basics of Celtic Paganism in a scholarly yet accessible way. He supports each of his assertions about Druidic beliefs and practices with citations from ancient sources and from archeology, and lays it all out in an outline that allows students to get started immediately with a Druidic spirituality. Far from being duotheistic, the book gives advice for constructing your Druidic pantheon of worship based on the realities of the local land, and the spirits proper to each individual worshipper. From there, he presents a full system of Druidic ritual, as used in Ar nDraiocht Fein - about as far from a Wiccan form as one could get. It involves offering to the Gods & Spirits, divining their blessing, and then receiving that blessing. Ellison gives solitary rituals for each of the Celtic holy days (and for the solstices and equinoxes), as well as ideas for Druidic funderal and wedding rites. There is a section on spells and practical magic as well, and the book ends with a listing of every Druidic group and order of any size at all. This is a valuable resource - one of the very first books on Druidry drawn from a non-wiccan, scholarly perspective, adapted to practical use. Highly recommended.