Joanna van der Hoeven

good intro into the subject of developing a personal practice, though this feels less like education regarding druidic practices and more along the lines of general environmentally-conscious paganism with some bioregional animism and druidic terms sprinkled on top. there's nothing wrong with that, certainly, and druidry is difficult to identify and summarize due to its fragmentary and reconstructionist nature across time, but this is better focused toward new folks exploring how to craft and show more build up their own spiritual practices. 4 stars for the overall concept and the author's clear passion for the responsibility each of us holds in taking care of the environment and learning ourselves; 3 stars for druid-specific stuff show less

**This book was reviewed via Netgalley**

Van der Hoeven’s Zen for Druids is her second book focuses on combining the nature spiritualism of Druidry with the teachings and tenets of Buddhism. She makes a note that the reader should have read the previous Zen Druidry before reading this one. I would disagree, and say that a familiarity with either Druidry or Zen is sufficient. I have passing knowledge of Zen, and a strong knowledge of Druidry, and had no difficulty in understanding and show more integrating the text material.

There are five different parts, with various subheadings. Each subheading has questions for the reader to consider, and some have exercises. The first covers the basic precepts of Zen Buddhism. The second looks at the pagan Wheel of the Year, tying one aspect of the Eightfold Path to each of the eight High Days (Solstices, Equinoxes, and the four Celtic Fire Festivals of Samhain, Involved, Beltane, and Lughnasadh). The third and fourth parts focus on meditation and mindfulness practices, and how Zen aspects of these can tie to Druidry. The fifth, and last, looks to fully integrating all of these teaching into a whole practise.

I found this book fascinating. van der Hoeven explained the Zen teachings in such a way that I understood them better than any other books on the subject I've read this far, making it seem more obtainable a goal than its ever seemed before. I may take the Wheel of the Year challenge, adapting as needed to my circumstances. I've been wanting to rekindle my Druid practise, and integrate it with my Rokkatru beliefs.

📚📚📚📚📚 Highly recommended for any with an interest in adding Zen practise to their Druidry. Also, for a good, concise overview of Zen teachings. show less

Really nice overview from beliefs down to practice. This book offers a number of sample rituals (about a third of the book) for daily, monthly and Sabbat use.

This book read as half philosophy, half personal journal. While some parts were interesting or thought-provoking, there was little of practical use. The author provided sample rituals to perform, but she wasn't clear about what types of information the practitioner should be seeking or, when found, how to incorporate such information into daily life or grow your own practice. I also don't feel like I have a clear idea of the differences between Wicca, Druidry, and witchcraft; after a very show more brief description of each, the book goes into how the author practices/thinks without specifying how the different approaches work together.

The author's passion and anecdotes were quite enjoyable to read. show less