Australian Druidry

Julie Brett

Julie Brett’s wonderful book Australian Druidry will be available to buy on Friday 29 September. I share here a review by Maria Ede-Weaving to whet your appetite! It’s a great little book that bears witness to the strengths of Druid diversity – well worth a read!

Australian Druidry – Connecting with the Sacred Landscape by Julie Brett 

Modern Druidry is a living, ever-evolving spirituality and Julie Brett’s fabulous Australian Druidry -Connecting with the Sacred Landscape is a testament to the diversity of the path and its expansive spirit. Julie’s book is published by Moon Books and is part of their Pagan Portals series and as such is a great introduction to exploring the Druid Path from an Australian perspective.

The work is the result of many years of observation by Julie and the Druids Down Under online community as they sought to find a more appropriate and relevant way of working with seasonal festivals and Druid ritual. Following the Northern Hemisphere Wheel of the Year has proved problematic for many living in an antipodean landscape. Rather than merely reversing the Northern Wheel, Julie has listened to the land and its stories for inspiration; from years of studying the weather and wildlife in her locale, she has created a vibrant seasonal mandala, rich with meaning and associations that speak of lived experience and relationship with place.

It is fascinating to read about the festivals Julie and her community have developed over time; you get a real sense of how special and diverse the Australian landscape is, reminding the reader how each of us are intimately shaped by the environments in which we live. The archetypal experiences of rebirth, growth, death and transformation that we work with in the Northern Wheel are still very present but express themselves through different cycles and  via the  lens of the trees, plants, animals and weather systems  unique to the area of Australia where Julie currently resides.

Julie Brett

The book is full of useful pointers and suggestions to help the reader engage more fully with their own little piece of the planet. Julie offers her seasonal wheel not as a fixed template but as inspiration for the creation of many wheels, each resonating with the land one calls home. Her approach not only celebrates the diversity of this spiritual path but encourage others to engage intimately with place, to have the confidence to develop their own systems, each of these a valuable addition to the wider Druid family.

Australian Druidry is a clear, well-written and inspiring read full of practical tips and suggestions for those in the Southern Hemisphere . However, it is also a great read for those in the Northern Hemisphere too. It reminds us that our seasonal festivals are not abstractions but deeply rooted expression of our relationship with nature, ever-growing, ever-changing.

~ Maria Ede-Weaving

Australian Druidry will be available to buy this Friday from Moon Books, Amazon UK and Amazon.com and Julie’s website can be found here, her Blog here. You can also find her on Twitter and Facebook.