PART VII Spirit Quest

Within the shrine of the Great Mother Goddess, it was felt to be in poor taste to imply that some Druids were better than others, so regardless of whether an initiate was expected to be an ordinary or an elite priest he was inducted with the same formulaic words of welcome. The unspoken distinction between those who were embarking on the nine years of intensive study required to become high priests and those who would complete the training required to carry out routine ritual functions within a matter of months was that the former were sent on a spirit quest and latter were not.

The quest might be as brief as overnight or last for weeks, but it always entailed accomplishing a task divined by the shrine’s oracle in the expectation that through fulfilling that task the quester’s spirit guide—most often an animal, bird, or fish for bards and healers, and a spirit from the other world for oracles—would reveal itself in a dream or a vision.

Not only was a disciple’s spirit quest his initiation into the long and arduous path to joining the highest ranks of their order, for most it was the only time in their lives they ventured outside of the valley.