The Ditzy Druid Goes Shopping: The Magical Druid

It’s been awhile since I’ve added to this series, but summer has been a huge financial drain.  I’ve done very little shopping outside of farmers’ markets and grocery stores.  However I have been meaning to post about a shop called The Magical Druid since this year’s Wellspring.  Better late than never!

Name of Shop: The Magical Druid: Spiritual Resource Center

Owners: Rev. Michael J Dangler and Rev. Seamus Dillard

Location:

The Magical Druid, LLC.
7079 Bryemar Dr.
Reynoldsburg, OH 43068-9773
USA

In addition, they vend at Pagan festivals such as Wellspring as well as online.

Knowledge of goods:

These gentlemen are extremely knowledgeable about their merchandise.  They can tell you about contributing artisans, their own work and materials, the myth and lore behind everything in their shop, and recommend how to use the items.  As they’re both clergy within the ADF tradition, they are very well-versed in Druidic ritual and magic and have a good understanding of other paths.  If you email them with a question, they are likely to respond right away!

Audience:

This shop is run by ADF Druids and, as the name implies, many of their products target that group.  Most of the art pieces bear Celtic motifs, some inspired by ADF Druid Ian Corrigan (see here and here for examples).  There are also obvious references to Druidic ritual and cosmology – Three Kindreds, three realms, ancestors, Nature Spirits, etc…  Many of the example products also bear ADF logos or references to ADF events such as these medals.

For those of you in other spiritual paths, don’t let the heavy Druid flavor deter you.  The Magical Druid offers various handmade divination tools such as runes and the Greek alphabet oracle as well as images of several Indo-European deities.  There are plenty of pentacles to go around as well as the usual trappings that most traditions share – dried herbs, incense, resins, etc.  And who can pass up “Baby’s First Baphomet Puzzle“?!

To me, the biggest draw to this shop is the woodwork by Michael and Seamus, particularly the custom commissions they offer.  I’ll get to my personal experiences in a moment, but there are so many possibilities here.  Lughnasadh game medals, congratulatory plaques for new clergy, grove Yule ornaments, etc.  If there is a deity image you’d like but cannot find or make yourself, I’m sure they could.  Although I’m very much a DIYer when it comes to my tools, I am not a wood worker.  It is nice to know of Pagans who are and who are willing to do custom work.

A wooden Mothers’ Day card from The Magical Druid.  Photo by Michael Dangler.

Number of Experiences:

I have had three positive experiences with the Magical Druid.  The first time was to order a special wooden Mother’s Day card.  It arrived on time, in excellent condition, and utilizing minimal packaging.  My mother absolutely loves it and displays it in her living room.  It was nice to give my mum something that reflects my spiritual beliefs but wasn’t heavy-handed.

My second experience was working with fellow ADFer and flame keeper Bonnie to coordinate with the Magical Druid on making these wonderful tokens for the ADF flame keepers who joined us at Wellspring.  They used that design but added the name of our special interest group.  The tokens turned out wonderfully and everyone who received one to bring home to their altars was thrilled with the results.

Most Recent Experience:

Finally, I visited their “travel shop” at the Wellspring festival this past May.  I was able to witness their handicraft in person and their work is amazing.  Michael and Seamus are very friendly and approachable.  They are willing to answer any questions you may have.  I loved visiting their shop.  I purchased some of Seamus’ handmade “Sacred Grove” incense.  It had an earthy, mildly spicy scent – exactly what I love.  The smoke was not overwhelming or dense – it was a very light and clean burning mix.  I highly recommend it.

Environmental Impact:

Once more attesting to the approachability of The Magical Druid, I contacted Michael and Seamus about this important topic.  I received a response almost immediately!  Seamus explained that much of the packaging is reused and comes from his other place of employment.  What I noticed right away with my first order was the minimalist approach to packing.  Michael and Seamus felt that was import and work hard to keep it that way.  Seamus also explained that most of the wood is scrap or salvaged from storms.

Michael gave more details:

While we occasionally do exotic hardwood sets, we’ve become more and more careful about our suppliers, and buy only from lumber and wood companies that provide sustainable woods these days, even for exotics. As we grow, we find that we’re becoming more conscious of those choices instead of less, and we’ve noticed that it is less about saving money and more about improving both quality and impact.

None of our wood enters landfills, either: when we make mistakes, we keep that wood around, sand it down, and re-use it when we can. When we can’t, we use it for test pieces over and over again. At some point, we’ll use whatever is left to help start and maintain our Grove’s ritual fires, since the vast majority of our wood remains natural from start to sale and doesn’t receive chemicals (though we do stain some pieces that might live outside or be subject to warping, we are always happy to provide non-stained versions of anything we offer, even if it requires us to custom-build it from scratch).

One of the things worth noting: if you buy a rune set or ogham set from us, you’re buying a set that comes from a single piece of wood, wherever we can manage it. When there’s wood left over that we can make things out of it, we’ll typically offer those items to the individual who bought the original set first, and try to make things that compliment the original creation (like a Fionn’s Window for a set of Ogham, or a runic necklace for a set of runes). Anything that isn’t used in production is burned once it reaches the end of its useful life: we consider wood that makes a sacred tool to be sacred on its own, and we don’t want to disrespect either the tool or the customer by destroying the remnants in anything other than a responsible way.

Further, their website utilizes the latest in renewable energy.  According to Michael, their host, A Small Orange, is ” now buying offsets for 150% of their power usage through renewable sources.”

Way to go, Magical Druid!

Summary

I highly recommend The Magical Druid, especially for your woodworking needs.  Their attention to sustainability and customer satisfaction is excellent, and they are very knowledgable of their craft and spiritual community.   As the holidays approach and you begin to consider gifts, keep The Magical Druid in mind.  They offer many affordable, artisan pieces that your grove makes and loved ones will truly treasure!