What the Druids Got Right

Let’s consider the Druids as culture, rather than religion, for a couple of reasons. First, it is a more accurate and revealing way to explore what might be learned from them. And second, seeing Druids as an historic culture makes the subject easier to discuss without agreeing or disagreeing. The reason we’d like to look into it is that we inherited the name, here among the homes for sale in Druid Hills, and it might be useful to see what else we might have inherited.

Our Part of the World

Ancient Celtic ancestors saw folks as occupying one of three main roles in the world. Although it might seem at first like a hierarchy, the rest of what we know about Druids suggests they may have seen all three roles as equally important. The balance of their world would have depended on it.

Workers, warriors, and people of learning made up these three Celtic roles. The learned ones were called Druids. They were sometimes described as religious leaders, although that would be misleading. The Druids were also legal authorities, arbiters, keepers of the cultural lore, medical professionals, and political advisors. A look around the neighborhood here might suggest that little has changed among the Druid Hills homes for sale.

Beyond Tree Hugging

Wake up a schoolboy in the middle of the night and he might tell you the Druids worshipped trees. This is barely a patch on the significance of their culture and what we might choose to learn from it.

Druids concerned themselves with the powers of the natural world. As our evidence of nature’s power appears to be dialed up in recent years, the Druid view might be becoming a little less remote. The wind, warmth, sun, and waters would qualify equally for a place in the Druid pantheon. And yet their regard for trees, particularly for the strength of the oak, seems to be what we recall.

The Penalty of Secrets

Even in ancient times, Roman historians remarked on the extensive knowledge Druids possessed of physics, astronomy, and mathematics. In other words, their world view went beyond beliefs, and it included measurable, reliable, and repeatable observations.

Unfortunately, everything we know about the Druids was reported by someone else, usually an enemy. The distortions that result from Caesar, for example, spreading word of a barbaric culture to solidify support for war, can be said with confidence to be questionable, at best.

The reason our knowledge of the Druids is hearsay is because they left no written records. The Druids’ immense body of knowledge was taught by sheer memorization to avoid the risk that written records could enrich their rivals or compromise the Druids’ advantages. It was not only a high price to pay for secrecy, but also a strange choice – to hoard knowledge rather than to grow it by sharing.

Choosing Wisely

We have the advantage of choosing more wisely today as we consider the deep shade and utter loveliness created by our abundance of trees around the Candler Park homes for sale. We can choose to learn from their respect for nature and the studious wisdom of the Druids and to disregard the lurid legends.

Have a look at the legacy that is reflected in the beauty that inspired the name of Druid Hills. Just call us at 404-439-9316 or find out more at owndowningpark.com.