All definitions © Piatkus Dictionary of Mind, Body & Spirit by Paula Byerly Croxon

Druid

Druids, Druidry, or the high  priests and leaders of Celtic Britain and Ireland, who followed pagan traditions of nature and goddess worship, performed magical rituals and sacrifices, and possessed great knowledge of healing, astronomy and the sacred geometry of the earth.

These wise men and women preserved in their writings and teachings their respect for trees and natural cycles form an important  part of English folklore today.

In fact, the name comes from the Greek word for oak, which was the Druids' sacred tree. The Celtic name for the oak tree was duir, and wid is 'to know or see'. Put  together, the two words meant one who knows the wisdom of the oak, a long-lived tree. The reverence of  tree wisdom in Druidry was even expressed in their alphabet, the ogham,  which consisted of 25 different tree symbols, each embodying the elemental wisdom of the particular plant.

There are modern Druids in the UK today.