I recently had a discussion about why I include, even emphasize, academic topics like the sciences in my teaching approach to basic Druidry. It's a good and valid question. "Why would a Druid want to study geology?" (Or substitute your own basic science or other liberal arts academic topic into that question.) 

The first place to look for answers is in the inspirational source culture, in this case: Ireland. We see throughout the manuscript materials that the Druids were the educated class, advisors to the rulers, the holders of history and science and landscape knowledge. Even as the native culture was deliberately broken down by invaders and colonization, knowledge was prized and specific families hung onto their identities as experts in manuscript creation, poetry, story telling. The Irish greatly value education; my alma mater, UCC, ranks in the top 300 universities in the world. From this we can generally understand that Druidry is founded in learning and preserving knowledge, that this quality was and is highly valued in Irish culture. 

Looking more specifically at the evidence we find that  Eochu, chief poet of Ireland, was humiliated by Mongán, son of the King of Ulster when he was challenged for answers about the history of the landscape. The Druid cursed him in revenge for the shaming. (Yellow Book of Lecan) This and other references opens the question of whether every Druid had basic knowledge in many or every area, or whether there were specialties and specialists. It appears that Druids were regularly challenged on their knowledge, and gave challenges in return, and being shown to be ignorant of some information was discrediting. 

We see that a text on medicine was attributed to Dian Cecht, a God of the Tuatha De Danann who features in the Cath Mage Tuired. There are references to other specific texts on law, metal smithing and other specialties, now missing, attributed to Gods associated to those skills. The term for the group of them, Tuatha De Danann, is now understood to mean People of Skill. This seems very specialized. 

Was Druid education like our own, with many years of shared academics leading to specialization at higher levels? We still don't really know. 

If we are to follow this inspiration then modern Druids deserve to be educated. They are people who are interested in knowledge and learning, and they are people who, in return for their academic opportunities, can be of value to their communities with their knowledge and their understanding of how knowledge is sought and uncovered. 

And so a basic education in Druidry should seek to fill in the gaps in knowledge, to go beyond learning the uses of crystals, for example, into the chemistry and formation of crystals and gemstones, to go beyond a love of trees and nature into an understanding of essential botanical concepts and a grounding in the specific native plants in the sacred landscape.

Druidry is where faith and science dance with one another, complement each other, open up the possibilities inherent in each. 

Druidry challenges us, and it is a lifelong challenge of learning and service.  We first assume that the Druids were educated, and then we move toward that goal.

Peace of the mountains to you, 

Paulie Rainbow