Mara Freeman weaves science and mysticism in reviving a Celtic form of worship.

831-tales from the area code In her rich life, Mara Freeman has been a musician, a storyteller, a psychic reader and a psychotherapist. It wasn''t until just recently, however, that she realized she''d been on a path almost since birth to becoming a druid.

Yeah, a druid. One of those old white-bearded Celtic dudes who hang around in deserted forests making human sacrifices, hugging trees and reading the guts of sheep. Only different.

You see, that''s the portrait of yesteryear''s druid, and it''s a portrait mostly painted by the Romans who drove the Celts from mainland Europe and by proselytizing Christian priests grinding their own axes.

Mara Freeman is more of a now kinda druid.

In reality, we know very little about the ancient Celtic form of worship. Although archaeologists and anthropologists can put together convincing theories about druidry based on surviving physical evidence, folk tales and customs, it''s damned near impossible to conclude anything with certainty.

After all, the ancient Celtic societies relied on oral communications rather than written records. We have yet to uncover any trace of what druids might have said about themselves, how they might have explained their rituals, or what their role in society truly was.

Probably our most persistent image of druidry as nature priests comes from writers in the 15th and 16th centuries. It may--or may not--be coincidental that it was during this same time that Europeans were making contact with Native Americans and beginning to develop the image of the "noble savage." Illustrations from the late 1500s of both Native American and ancient Celtic warriors are uncannily similar. One would assume they are equally fanciful, as well.

We know for sure that writers like Thomas Malory took myths and folktales about old, near-barbaric warriors, wenches and wizards and turned them into the noble knights and ladies of the modern King Arthur myth.

It''s out of this romantic period that we start developing our current picture of Celtic druids as scholars, priests and court advisors to the clan chiefs, the kings and queens of their day. Wise in the way of nature, these druids, part scientist and part mystic, catalogued the history of the tribe, interpreted the stars, healed the sick, presided over community rituals, and foretold the future. How accurate that picture may be is open to question.

Green Spirituality

Even when we get closer to the source of our limited knowledge about the ancient Celts, the information is suspect. Caesar and his Roman legions had first-hand knowledge of the Celtic people, but we have to wonder about some descriptions from that era.

But it''s from the mixed, perhaps muddled, interpretations of the past that contemporary druidry has fashioned its own identity.

"You have to think of druidry as having its roots in a spiritual tradition rather than a physical tradition. If you think of it that way, it kind of makes a lot of sense," says Freeman. "Modern druidry is a green spirituality that helps us connect with who we are, with the earth and with other beings."

Freeman says she first embraced druidism when she was a 9-year-old English schoolgirl. A documentary titled The Four Corners of the British Isles was shown in her classroom, and when the film depicted Scottish women working in a fish plant and singing traditional songs, Freeman felt as if she was transported to Scotland. Freeman says she went home and told her mother that she was Scottish, wanted to wear nothing but Tartans, and started teaching herself the Gaelic language.

A couple of years later, Freeman says she began taking a train to the countryside, searching out sacred sites and groves over the years. By the time she was 15, she had read Robert Graves'' The White Goddess.

After moving to the United States in the late ''70s, Freeman lived in upper Carmel Valley for about 12 years. Maybe it wasn''t quite the same thing as living isolated in a dark forest, but it was close. After her stint in the near wilderness, Freeman went back to school and got a degree in psychotherapy in 1992.

Since then, Freeman''s life and work has been a curious admixture of mysticism and logic. While using her college degree as a psychotherapist to counsel folks, she also has done psychic and astrological readings for other people. In fact, Freeman says, the two approaches to life are complementary and says that astrology has been useful in helping to gauge the problems--and find solutions--for clients who have come to her seeking more conventional therapy.

Three-Step Program

According to the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD), there are three stages in becoming a full-fledged druid: The first stage is that of becoming a bard, the storyteller/musician who is the keeper of a culture''s history. The second stage is that of being a seer, a mystic who can pierce the veil of the physical world. The final step is that of being a druid, someone who can interpret the meaning and purpose of the world and people around them.

It took 19 years to train the ancient druids, claims OBOD. OBOD''s Website states that "most members taking the course reach the druid level of training in about three years, although it is possible to achieve this in just over two years." The temporal slimming comes about partly because modern druid teaching focuses on druidry without having to include training in less esoteric practices like reading, writing and ''rithmetic.

In addition to being a member of OBOD, the Archdruidess of the Druid Clan of Dana, Freeman has recorded two tapes of Celtic folk tales and recently published her first book, Kindling the Celtic Spirit: Ancient Traditions to Illumine Your Life Throughout the Seasons. Commissioned by Harper San Francisco and released last December, the 400-page book is filled with folk tales, explanations of Celtic gods, and suggestions for seasonal rituals designed to help practitioners re-connect with the natural world around them.

The way Freeman sees it, the book was released just in time. She figures she has her work cut out for her during the next four years. While Bill and Al were relatively green leaders, she expects "Dubya" and Dick will be less environmentally friendly.

And if the country''s new leaders live down to Freeman''s expectations, she figures there will be a lot of spiritually aware environmentalists in need of counseling and comfort from someone rich in earth wisdom.

Someone like a practicing druid.

Someone like Freeman.

Mara Freeman will discuss and sign her new book at Thunderbird Bookshop on Tuesday at 7pm. She also leads a one-day workshop focusing on the Festival of Brigid on Saturday, 1/27, in Carmel Valley. For more info on Freeman''s work, click on www.celticspirit.org. For more info about contemporary druidry, click on www.druidry.org.