Hi AODA,
What is all your professions and occupations?
Is it aligned with your Druid path or exploration path?
I would love to know.
Happy Summer All
8 Likes
Spent a year in tech, then did 6 months at my buddy’s race car shop where I learned to make vinyl stickers, then I opened my own sticker shop. During the 10 years I was making stickers I was also a traveling motorsports photographer. Then I quit and got a master’s degree in history and now a phd or law degree is the next step. Being an academic or lawyer is pretty druidy. My career path is about as crooked as it gets.
9 Likes
I’m a wildlife biologist. I did my Masters in NE Louisiana working with bears. Worked in north-central Florida for a few years, then 20 years in the upper coastal plain of Georgia. Now I’m working in the Piedmont of Georgia.
As to paths, I am brand spanking new to AODA, and it will take a while to work all that out.
12 Likes
I’m a writing professor and learning researcher, which most closely aligns with the bardic path. I feel like everything I do, I do as a druid, and that includes my work life. That’s more about living in a way that is aligned with my principles. I did a lot of additional studies (like permauclture design training, permauclture teacher training, herbalism, regenerative agriculture, natural building, etc) which have very little to do with my career and that’s ok!
14 Likes
Hey hey , that’s awesome ! What kind of law will you study?
1 Like
The bear of north and guardian of the stars . That is amazing . Welcome to AODA
Hey hey good morning ,thanks .
I am a grant proposal manager for a humanitarian aid organization, and my background is in policy research more broadly. I originally got into this type of work because I wanted to work in sustainable food policy, and got a masters in food policy. I think my motivations for both my career and Druidry come from a similar desire to promote peace, justice, and a sustainable lifestyle. I used to feel much more strongly that my career should reflect my passions, but now I separate the two more. My job allows me to have ample time for spiritual practice and time with my family, while also doing something I consider mostly positive in the world, and for that I am grateful!
10 Likes
I’m currently building up hours - I’ve been at home with burn-out and depression for nearly a year - in governmental grant procedures. The organization I work with focuses on subsidies for research and implementation in health related topics, but has included climate change, social issues and volunteer work more recently. My programme deals with the latter, which is very exciting. I think in the future, I’d rather work a bit closer to the action, so with the type of NGOs we currently subsidize. Additionally, I feel called to organize small gatherings to honour the Earth and develop a connection with others in safe and sacred space, but I haven’t been able to bring that into practice yet.
As to whether or not it is aligned with my Druid path or explorations… Yes, I think so. I am a druid, the earth-based spirituality is at the core of my being, and everything I do is an expression of that. It is definitely a path though, and I feel that work-related I am not yet at the place where I feel I want to be. And maybe I never will be, that’s OK🤷♀️
6 Likes
I am very new to druidry, but I teach at a university (mostly in gender studies) and also work for a labour union in an advocacy role (I represent workers as they go through the processes that exist for addressing rights violations in the workplace).
I can’t say that my job choice was motivated by druidry (the jobs came first, the druidry later) but I definitely see them as both compatible, and as motivated by similar sentiments – commitment to social justice and respect for all.
8 Likes
I’m a sub contractor for a web developer. It has nothing to do with my druidry lol. I do consider myself fortunate though. My contract holder is a really good friend of mine, and even though I am not a web developer - she gave me a job. At first it was data organization. I was literally logging data from comic strips onto a spreadsheet, and then she’d use it on the client’s website. Now I do a range of odd jobs. Anything from setting up web pages (the literal pages of the website - not the website itself), adding content, data, research, etc. She even got me taking a Response Web Design course.
I don’t make a lot, but I get to work from home, and on my own time. I have no set hours. If I wanted to work on a job at 3am - I can. If I’m having a bad day (I have health issues) than I can make it up tomorrow (if the deadline allows for it - sometimes I gotta push through it to get things done, but that’s okay too!)
10 Likes
I am a police detective. I see it as related to my devotional religious practice, and I think my druid path enlightens my career in certain ways, but it isn’t directly related to my magical practice. That being said, druidry probably saved me from getting burned out, and the meditation practice and SOP are valuable in remaining centered.
16 Likes
Hi KWo, that’s fantastic and super inspiring. I have been searching for a similar harmony. My last job was working the accessories field dealing with leather. Thankfully, I have moved past being trapped in that industry (feeling trapped in) and exploring where to go to. Reading stories like your has opened up my mind to ways that I can have my fundamental values align.
Thanks and keep making your life peaceful, just filed and sustainable.
3 Likes
Hey LilWolf, When I think of tech , I feel As if it is filled with air - communication , a bit if fire and earth. Since I am filled with fire and air, i guess that when applying for jobs that have that energy I become burnt out . Yikes.
Web design looks interesting… but Im so so into it .
It’s great to hear that it all worked out for you.
2 Likes
Hey Judith,
I hope that upon you as well. If you are in the NC or nYC area , let me know and I would love to help you build the gathering.
Discovering what all of us Druids have as an occupation has helped me know there is such a great variety of occupations that align our spiritual path with our occupation.
2 Likes
Hey Aquamarine, my favorite stone!
Gender studies , that’s awesome . They are very much related because Druidry doesn’t have paternal base as well as not being dogmatic about studying other religions , we have the freedom to express ourselves in anyway we choose.
Great !
3 Likes
Lol to be completely honest - I would never have opted to take the Web Design course personally. A coworker found it, and asked if it would be beneficial. My friend said it would, and I got that friendly nudge too lol. I’d attempted a few times, and failed miserably lol. My brain simply did not like the language of code. Third time was the charm I guess. This time I’m doing well, and enjoying it.
I work to play, if I can’t play it’s not worth it. I’m blessed to work with friends - it doesn’t feel like a job, it’s more like shared projects with friends. We laugh, joke, engage in friendly teasing. (My friend once gave me a task purely cause she didn’t want to do it - we had an endless back and forth of jokes about it the whole time lol)
6 Likes
I’ve unfortunately always found myself working in industries I’m not proud of. I had a stint in advertising, escaped from that and worked for a company doing covert online data collection (scraping social media to see what people are talking about and selling that data back to large corporations) and now, I’m somewhat ashamed to admit, I work in the online gambling industry.
Long story, but I took each role in situations where I was financially in real trouble, and each time after a few years I quit from one role, I would try to find a way into something more aligned with my values. After the periods of unemployment and financial destitution that followed, I’d find myself back into one of these types of (fairly well-paid) roles. I’ve never been able to find a job that does align with my values, but not for want of trying. All because I didn’t think carefully enough about what I wanted to study when I was younger…
Hopefully I will be able to escape this cycle in a year or two.
That I keep falling into this pattern must mean that there is something I need to be learning from it. And there are two things I suppose I am learning:
-
From Druidry, but also from reading philosophy and psychology, I can at least learn to apply myself as ethically as I can within those roles, and treat my co-workers with respect and humility and learn from them.
-
I’m also learning, in these ‘shadowy’ yet strikingly ordinary industries, about the techniques that institutions and companies will use to extract money, time and information from people. Not because I want to do those things myself, but so that I know how to defend myself against these techniques, and which I can tell friends and family and others about so that they can defend themselves from them as well.
I’m a bit nervous about posting this here given the nature of the industries I’ve worked for, but felt compelled to do so since the topic came up.
13 Likes
I forgot to add my question: how do you escape from careers or jobs that don’t fit with your values but circumstances have led you into?
6 Likes
Hi Terry,
Noted about supporting people in tech. and choose the most friendly version of the tech. Is there an option in that area?
My mentor, Tree, works in tech. I had questioned him about careers in tech and how he feels mixing them with Druidry. He said to think of the elements that I am working with. It has truly supported my thinking around the subject.
1 Like