Druid Traditions

Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids (OBOD) – based in Great Britain

OBOD was founded in 1964 from members of the Ancient Druid Order. (The Ancient Druid Order developed during the early years of the last century out of the Druid Revival which began about three hundred years ago. The ADO traces its origins to 1717- for a history go here.) From the OBOD website:

“The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids is a spiritual group dedicated to practicing, teaching, and developing Druidry as a valuable and inspiring spirituality…

The Order is essentially a Mystery School and community, and the term ‘order’ is derived from the tradition of magical orders rather than from the tradition of religious orders. Neither the Order nor Druidry is a cult. A cult revolves around a personality, a charismatic leader, or a particular deity or saint. The Order and Druidry have none of these characteristics…

Membership of the Order is open to followers of all faiths and none, regardless of gender, sexual orientation or ethnic origin, and there are currently over seventeen thousand members in fifty countries.”

Training: For 20 years OBOD has offered an excellent three part training course, and a mentor will be assigned if desired. The fee for the course can be shared, and an introductory package is available.

Resources: general Resources page, Library

Groups info: list of those groves and seed groups (those that choose to be public)

Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA) – based in the United States

AODA received a charter from their ‘parent’ organization in England, and was founded in 1912 as the Ancient Order of Masonic Druids in America. They draw inspiration and many teachings from the Druid Revival of the 18th and 19th centuries, and describe themselves as a Druid church of nature spirituality. From their website:

“AODA understands Druidry as a path of nature spirituality and inner transformation founded on personal experience rather than dogmatic belief. It welcomes men and women of all national origins, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and affiliations with other Druidic and spiritual traditions. Ecological awareness and commitment to an earth-honoring lifestyle, celebration of the cycles of nature through seasonal ritual, and personal development through meditation and other spiritual exercises form the core of its work, and involvement in the arts, natural sciences, and traditional esoteric studies are among its applications and expressions.”

Training: three degree training program. The First Degree training program has been compiled into a book titled The Druidry Handbook, by John Michael Greer.

Resources: list of articles

Groups info: list of groves, seed groups, and home circles (new May 2016)

REFORMED DRUIDS OF NORTH AMERICA (RDNA) – based in the United States

Reformed Druidism was formed at Carelton College in Northfield, Minnesota in 1963 as a protest to the college’s requirement that all students attend a certain number of religious services or meetings per semester. Surprisingly, this loose knit, irreverent group spoke to a real need and in addition to their own adherents has spawned many other groups. The two basic tenets are:

1. The object of the search for religious truth, which is a universal and a never ending search, may be found through the Earth Mother, which is Nature; but this is one way, yea, one way among many.

2. And great is the importance, which is of a spiritual importance, of Nature, which is the Earth Mother; for it is one of the objects of Creation, and with it we do live, yea, even as we do struggle through life are we come face to face with it.

However, most Druids can’t even remember this, much less recite them clearly, so we nowadays sometimes use a shorthand:

1. Nature is good.
2. Likewise, Nature is good.

Training: no formal program- see Unofficial Welcome Pamphlet

Resources: Reformed Druids of North America, Carleton College Grove, A Reformed Druid Anthology, and the International Druid Archives at the Carleton College Archives, The Reformed Druids (and Their Spin-Offs too!), A Druid Missal-any A Free Un-Official On-line Newsletter of some Reformed Druids

Groups info: list of Groves

Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF), based in the United States

ADF Formed in 1981, as an offshoot of RDNA. A Neopagan organization, it focuses on Indo-European culture, and with a defined liturgy/church structure. (For information on Neopaganism go here.)

From the ADF website:

“The full name of our organization is Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship, Inc. The first part, pronounced arn REEokht fane, is modern Irish for “Our Own Druidism” (or “Druidry” or “Magic”) and that’s what we are — an independent tradition (denomination) of Neopagan Druidism. Since many people have trouble pronouncing and spelling our Irish name, we usually just say “ADF.”

ADF is working to combine in-depth scholarship with the inspiration of artistry and spiritual practice to create a powerful modern Paganism. We’re researching and interpreting sound modern scholarship (rather than romantic fantasies) about the ancient Indo-European Pagans — the Celts, Norse, Slavs, Balts, Greeks, Romans, Persians, Vedics, and others. Upon these cultural foundations we are working to build a religion that these ancient people would appreciate and understand yet one which has depth and power for modern people. We’re developing genuine skills in composition and presentation in the musical, dramatic, graphic, textile and other arts. We’re bringing together people trained in ritual, psychic skills and applied mythology to bring the remnants of the old ways to life. We’re creating a nonsexist, non-racist, organic, flexible and publicly available religion to practice as a way of life and to hand on to future generations.”

Training: Dedicant Path as a prerequisite, then options of Guild, Clergy Training Program, Initiaite’s Program, and Generalist Study Program- here for info

Resources: articles, Oak Leaves Journal

Groups info: list of Groves and Protogroves

Reformed Druids of Gaia (RDG), based in the United States

Formed in 2006, RDG follows the basic 2 tenets of RDNA (‘Nature is good’ and ‘Nature is very good’). The Reformed Druids of Gaia is intended to be an international expression of the RDNA.

From their website:

“The mission of the Reformed Druids of Gaia is to invoke a web of knowledge, mythos and experience that provides a framework for reconnecting with the Earth Mother, and re-gathering her progeny through tribal collectives consecrated to responsible conservatorship and progressive cognizance within the evolving tradition of Reformed Druidism.”

TRAINING

     First Degree: RDG has online steps for obtaining the first degree.

     Second Degree: they offer a self study course (download) for their Druid Path (second degree).

     Third Degree: they offer a download of the Druidism 202 course, with other requirements.

RESOURCES –  Druid’s Egg online magazine, The Reformed Druids Bibliography of Essential Druish Knowledge

GROUPS INFO – Groves list

Fellowship of Druidism of the Latter Age (FoDLA) -based in the US

FoDLA is a fellowship following the religious path we call Draíocht Nua or Neo-Druidism and offering Druid clergy training for those seeking to serve the community. (FoDLA is an American Neopagan organization; however, it is not an off-shoot of the RDNA above.)

     Resources and Rituals
     Mother Grove of Fellowship of Druidism for the Latter Age (FoDLA)- serving Southern CA

The Henge of Keltria, based in the United States – reported as no longer active as an order.

Henge of Keltria gave up it’s non-profit status, is no longer accepting members, and has ceased as an organization. Initiates may still teach. The HoK website has been down since before 2017, so links here have been removed. You can contact some members on their Facebook group, and purchase some old copies of their magazine Keltria Journal at MagCloud.

History: The Henge formed in about 1986. As a spin-off of ADF they have dropped the Indo-European quest and focused specifically on reconstructing ancient Irish pan-Celtic religious beliefs. They had study and research in 3 levels- Bard’s Path, Seer’s Path, and Druid’s Path.

Resources: Henge of Keltria Book of Ritual, by Tony Taylor (5th edition, Feb. 2016), Keltria Journal. The Book of Keltria: Druidism for the 21st Century, by Henge of Keltria, 2015.

Ord na Darach Gile (Order of the White Oak), based in the United States – unknown status

The Order of the White Oak formed in 1997, is recognized by some as an offshoot of HoK. A Reconstructionist Druid organization, their beliefs and practices are based on what is known of the original faith and practices of the pagan Celts of Ireland, Scotland, Cornwall, Wales, Isle of Man, and Brittany and Continental Europe. (The old order website has been inactive for some years.)

From their private Facebook group page:  “The Order of the White Oak (Ord na Darach Gile) is a Reconstructionist Druid organization whose aim is to apply the ethical insights derived from the ancient Celtic past to contemporary concerns.”