Some books are easy. Some books are hard. Some books are a walk through the park. Some books are a walk through history. The Druidic Art of Divination (subtitled Understanding the Past and Seeing Into the Future) is a pleasure through and through. The title alone makes you want to pick it up and thumb through it. If you do, you'll be hooked, in a good way.
The author is a 5th generation Druid teacher and practitioner and fiercely proud of his lineage. He has no use for what passes for Druidic knowledge on the Internet -- he's the real deal. Using his Welsh Druidic name, Cynon, Hughes teaches seminars and workshops throughout Europe sharing the lore and his knowledge. He resides in Ireland and is the director of the Irish Centre for Druidic Practices. His credentials are solid. The author has written this book (and others) for the serious practitioner, someone willing to put in the time, effort and necessary work to achieve his goals.
He starts by going back several generations to explain the origins and practices of the ancient Druids, you can almost feel the clouded past of Avalon swirling around you. King Arthur, Merlin. Especially Merlin.One of the first things an initiate must do is determine which of the divinatory practices he is suited for. Hughes outlines the three main types of divinatory techniques and what is required of the practitioner. Which of your inborn talents match the requirements of a certain technique? The three natures are Craft Druid, Elemental Druid and Intuitive Druid.
The Craft Druid is a hands-on type of Druid, using wands, stones, herbs and other implements of nature. As the name implies, they are also craftsmen, making wands and staves and scrying mirrors. The Elemental Druid works with the natural elements of fire, earth, air and water. They read smoke and work with water and the other elements. Intuitive Druids, a rarity, are the ones who are highly intuitive and have an innate knowledge of the workings of nature. Hughes gives thorough and detailed descriptions of each along with what is involved in the training of each type. Time plays a big part in being a Druid. One is expected to know it backward and forward and there are taught techniques for achieving this.
The book is liberally sprinkled throughout with diagrams and black-and-white pictures that amply illustrate his teachings.
The author's followers and students would be grateful and proud to have this book in their libraries.
~review by Judy Blackstone
Author: Jon G. Hughes
Destiny Books, 2020
278 ppgs., $18.99
