Clergy Training Program
Baseline Training
ADF Structure, Customs and Policies
Marc Meadows
1. Explain why public, inclusive ritual is important to ADF.
ADF believes “that eventually Neopaganism is going to become a mainstream religious movement...”. (Bonewits, The Vision of ADF) However if we as its members fail to allow the communities in which we live to see us or to join us in our spirituality, or prevent them from seeing who and what we are, then ADF will never find its place in that movement. We have the ability to reduce hate and promote understanding. It is not a misrepresentation to say that in today's society paganism is treated with at best a distant curiosity and at worst hatred and prosecution. If we are ever going to change that feeling toward us, and gain acceptance on the same level as other world religions then the world requires exposure to our spirituality. We must include them and let them see for themselves how and why we do the things we do. Nothing undermines hate and builds friendships as quickly as understanding and education. With the understanding comes the ability to affect change on many of the political, environmental and social playing fields currently active in our world.
Energy. “The second, equally important goal is the connecting of each of the worshippers with the primal Powers of Earth and Sky. One of the key patterns of Celtic and Druidic Magic is the Two Currents - Underworld Power and Upper World Power and their union in the body of the worshipper and in all the manifest world. Their presence informs and empowers each participant individually and the whole Grove collectively. (Corrigan, Magical Skills in Druidic Ritual) While in this statement he describes the relationship between the worshipper and the primal powers, the relationship extends to those being worshipped as well. The relationship between mortals and deities is based on energy. We build energy and send it to the deities to illicit an outcome. That energy feeds and strengthens the deities; it provides them the sustenance and belief needed to exist. In return they use part of that energy to strengthen our spirits and attempt to affect a positive change in our lives. Now it can be said that solitary ritual accomplishes a similar effect and that is mostly true. Any worship will have an effect. However, if you stand in a completely dark warehouse and light one candle, you brighten a small area. If you add a hundred more candles you light up so much more. Public open inclusive ritual brings people together, builds and concentrates larger amounts of energy.
Lastly, it promotes the growth of our spirituality. We provide access for individuals seeking something other than the main stream religions. “Quite often, ADF Groves will be the only Pagan group in town that provides open, public worship, and many people need that.” (Dangler, Commonly Asked Questions)
Describe the duties and function of Clergy in ADF.
The Clergy are the front-line leadership of the ADF and are responsible to provide the functions of its contemporary partners. They are spiritual advisors and councillors to the membership, dealing with matters of faith and ritual. They provide training and oversight of liturgy and “… ensure that sacrifices are made at the proper times and in the proper way.” (ADF, The Role of the Priest in ADF) They establish, provide and train ADF prison ministry. Above this they act as the ambassadors for ADF in the community where they “…provide an educated resource to the greater community as well as other spiritual leaders…” (ADF, Clergy Council Bylaws) In doing this they must strive to provide a framework that is not specific to one particular hearth culture, while maintaining recognition by all members despite cultural variance. ADF priests, “Maintain the training program for ADF clergy”, “Determine ADF Liturgical Standards” and “Research, write and publish works based on ADF Druidry”. It should be noted as well that all ADF Order must have one ADF Clergy as an advisor.
Explain why ADF has an Indo-European focus, and why we use the term “Druid” in our name.
ADF has an Indo-European focus due to the fact that there is no direct lineage of Druidism that can be traced back to the Paleo-Druids. Information on the schools of training, what they believed, how they lived and function can only be speculated for the most part. However, by casting our scope of research wider to the spectrum of Indo-European cultures we are able to look for commonalities and compare them to archaeological evidence. “Everything west of the Urals was pretty much dominated by a loosely interlinked conglomeration of related cultures, each of which was a mixture of the PIE culture and that of the previous holders of its territory. The largest group of cultures north of the Roman borders was that of the Celts, and the second largest that of the Germans (some scholars consider the Germans to be so closely related culturally to the Celts as to be practically a subset, at least in archeological terms)”. (Bonewits, Indo-European Paleolaganism and its Clergy) However if we were to accept the entire spectrum of pagan cultures under our banner we would lose any thought of an identity. “Our Focus on IE cultures helps us move from having an incomprehensibly huge focus to having a somewhat smaller focus” (Dangler, Commonly Asked Questions)
Also, as ADF was founded to include more than just a Celtic base of worship, therefore the ability to pan the IE spectrum allows other groups to be included under the Neo-Druidic Banner. Inclusion of these other paths will allow the growth of ideas while staving of stagnation.
We have Druid in our name. I believe we use the term in our name to make a statement of our intentions on the pagan scene. The founder of ADF, calling on the aspects of druidism that value excellence – physically, intellectually, artistically and spiritually. (Bonewits, The Vision of ADF) Also, as the first druids filled many positions of distinction within the tribal community, as well as spending years of study, I believe the term Druid denotes a level of professionalism, dedication and commitment expected of those that wish to pursue the various levels within ADF.
Describe the Guilds, SIGS, Orders and Kins of ADF
Guilds.
Within ADF, Guilds are established under the oversight of the Council of Lore, to facilitate studies, training, and the free flow of information relating to a specific topic or craft. In order to function each guild is responsible to create training that is specific to the topic, which will educate and support its membership. (ADF, Subgroup Charter Manual) This training is then subject to the approval of the Council of Lore. With this training the guild can then support its membership, and if resources are available, ADF in general. All members in guilds must be ADF members. Each guild will have a “Guild Chief” who is responsible for governing that specific guild and submitting the required reports, as well as a “Guild Preceptor” who oversees the training programs. (ADF, Guilds) There are currently twelve active Guilds within ADF, and one example would be the Brewers Guild. In this guild, they have a set of bylaws as well as a progressive training system that includes: “First Circle”, “Second Circle” and two subsequent specializations for their third circle work. (ADF, Brewers Guild)
Kins.
Where guilds in ADF were focused on a specific topic or craft, Kins are groups whose function relates to a specific Hearth Culture such as Asatru or Celtic for example. (ADF, Kins) As in the case with guilds, members in Kins must be current ADF members and each Kin must have at a minimum seven members at all times. Within ADF there are currently eight active Kins.
Kins are responsible for creating “Culturally Specific spiritual traditions”. From this the Kin, will establish training for its members as well as communication and guidance within it membership and ADF membership on the whole for those that follow the same hearth culture. It will also act as a resource for ADF in matters relating to the hearth culture in question. Each Kin must have established bylaws for the group, however unlike the guilds, Kins have no preceptor, so leadership in this sub-group is only one office.
Orders
An Order is a group established “… to provide rituals and training to ADF members in a specific Indo-European mythic or symbolic complex” (ADF, Subgroup Charter Manual) Unlike other subgroups which fall under the Council of Lore, Orders are governed under the Clergy Council. For this and advisor will be included in the leadership of the Order, and will be an active ADF priest. As with other subgroups there will be a leader for the group appointed or removed in accordance with the bylaws for the order. Order must have at least nine current ADF members who have completed and been approved under the DP program.
Training within an order may only be commenced upon completion of the DP, and training in a particular order does not equate to clergy training. Orders may however “support” members in completing the DP.
Each order is required to publish a home shrine ritual specific to that order, they must create a joining ritual that follows the established Core order of Ritual and must publish at least one liturgy each year. There are currently six active Orders within ADF.
SIGS
SIGS or Special Interest Groups are the last of the current subgroups. They act as the catch-all for any group that does not fit neatly into the above three. They are similar to both the Guild and Kin in that they fall under the Council of Lore, but operate on a very basic level. However, they are not required to have established bylaws. Leadership in SIGs is by “… simple majority vote of SIF members” (ADF, Subgroup Charter Manual) Leaders in this group will report (quarterly) membership numbers, financial activities and any elections within the SIG. Organizers will remain in office until they step down or are replaced.
The SIG will “…support its membership in activities related to the focus area” and “Provide networking for ADF members interested in the SIGs focus area”. There are currently sixteen operational SIGs within ADF.
The official ceremonial calendar follows a solar / agrarian cycle. That calendar is as follows: “November 1st (cross quarter), December 21st (Solstice), February 1st (cross quarter), March 21st (equinox), May 1st (cross quarter), June 21st (Solstice), August 1st (cross quarter) and finally September 21st (equinox)”. (ADF Constitution) Local congregations may celebrate within one week either prior or after these dates. I believe ADF purposely chose to recognise these as dates specifically in order to avoid confusion and disrespect. As ADF contains various traditions, using one specific naming convention may be seen as a slight to others or exclusionary. Also by giving just the dates the worshipper / grove can makes its own cultural connections.
Within Nova Scotia any organization wishing to establish itself as a religious body under the law, must provide a copy of the scheduled days of worship. (Vital Statistics, Requirements for Recognition of a Religious Body)
I believe this follows a number of very valid reasons. Firstly, it allows a common framework for working with people from other pagan disciplines. Since ADF is all inclusive, the ritual calendar should be reflective of a pan IE view. Secondly, in my opinion it harkens back to a time when we were more connected to the world around us. We raised crops and livestock, harvested and slaughtered, planned and preserved foods for winter. The ritual cycle lends itself to bringing spirituality back to that mentality. We rest, plant, tend, harvest, and prepare. Interspersed into this cycle are the eight high days. These allow us to come together, worship together, praise and give offerings together, celebrate, and bond to both the land and the deities in a meaningful way that brings our Stuart ship of the world into focus. Finally, I believe we have eight in order to facilitate the growth of the spirituality itself. We set aside these days in our calendar and make them special; we give ourselves to the task of ritual. The more we do it the stronger in it we grow, and the better our bonds with the kindreds become.
In his article, Mr. Bonewits, presents his spectrum as Law, Policy, Tradition and Customs to describe the behaviour and focus of Neo-pagan druidism. (Bonewits, Law, Policy, Tradition, and Custom within A.D.F) However as I see it, the scale is slightly out of order. We look to our Paleo-pagan ancestors to see the customs they followed. These are the roots of our spirituality. These customs after several generations of use became traditions. The teachings and methodologies that were passed down to us. From there we look at how both our lifestyles and world view have changed from our ancestors and enter into the mix the corporate structure. This structure scans both the IE landscape and the Neo-pagan to see what traditions are similar, what binds us all together and from this creates policies and directives to give the organization a common framework. The framework remains flexible yet rigid enough to promote mutual understanding. Eventually most of these policies will adapt and change, however the ones that stand the test of time and use and remain common and consistent will become our laws. Therefore, I see the spectrum as follows:
Customs – Traditions – Policies – Law
In the paragraph on the “Laws of ADF” there is a seemingly contradictory section regarding punishment and membership. In the article is states that, “The commission of other felony crimes-with-victims (murder, rape, ...) is also forbidden and will reap appropriately similar consequences.” for example, dismissal from ADF. However, a felon who is incarcerated may have committed such crimes, but by denouncing his/her ways can attain membership in ADF under a lifetime probation.
I noted there is a slight difference between the document and the Grove Organizers Handbook on the matter and ADF SOP, with regards to the requirements for new provisionally chartered grove are allowed a three closed to the public high days before their first open to the public ritual. The SOP and GOH make no mention of this time-period, which leads me to believe that while it would have originally been there to allow new groves to hone their ritual skills prior to going public, it has since been removed.
The remainder such as our emphasis on polytheistic rather than monotheistic, being inclusionary, the calendar of High days, the goal of making Neopaganism mainstream and a commitment to excellence in the various aspects of our Druidry have all remained very much the same. As well the custom of holding gatherings open to other Druidic and Druid friendly groups.
Dumezil's tripartition theory postulated that IE culture was divided into the three segments of the Sacral, the Martial and the Economic. (Trifunctional Hypothesis, Wikipedia.org) In more rounded terms the Leadership, the Warriors and the producers. The Leadership was divided between the mundane day-to-day governance of the tribes as well as the spiritual leadership.
In ADF, this is mirrored where the Mother Grove is the administrative body. It will handle the maintenance of structure, the application of rules and regulations (via the Bylaws) and all corporate requirements. To assist this function ADF has set up regional Druids, which handle the bulk of issues from the Groves and Solitaries, monitor both groups, and reports back to the Mother Grove. While the Directors do not have to be Clergy, the Arch Druid chairs the Clergy Council. In conjunction with the Mother Grove is the Clergy Council which administers to the spiritual guidance and needs of the organization. The Clergy council will ordain, train, and supervise all clergy, establish and conduct prison ministry and ADF distinctive faith work.
The second group was the military class. While ADF does have Guilds dedicated to Military outreach or Warrior ways, we do not have a group that directly corresponds to this segment of society. The Job of Military in the IE culture was to defend its lands and people, expand its territories and attain wealth through warfare. ADF has never expanded through the use of force, nor used military means to defend itself. Even in ritual we make offerings of appeasement to those beings we hold as detrimental (Outdwellers).
Finally, we have the producers. These were the people that made products, tilled land, and were the workforce and general economic base of the tribe. In ADF this would be the members both solitary and groves. They pay the membership dues, research and create ritual, organize on the base level and form the guilds and subgroups within ADF. They are the body and the hands of the organization. They provide the limited wealth that the organization has.
Explain the difference between Orthodoxy and orthopraxy. Where do you believe ADF Falls?
In the study of religion, orthopraxy is correct conduct, both ethical and liturgical, as opposed to faith or grace etc. This contrasts with orthodoxy, which emphasizes correct belief and ritualism, the use of rituals. (Orthopraxy vs. Orthodoxy, About Religion)
In this I believe that orthodoxy is concerned primarily with “Correct Belief”. Here are the tenants we believe follow them to the letter. It is a requirement to follow what is laid down strictly and in many instances without question. I believe that the term orthopraxy however is primarily concerned with correct action or practice. Yes, we have scripture, but act in a manner that it ethical in all things.
ADF straddles both these concepts and employs them in our operation. ADF has researched and developed many structures and methodologies that it requires its members to use, such as the Core Order of Ritual, or the Bylaws of organization. However, of even merit to this is its requirement that its members always operate in an ethical manner, as demonstrated by the weight placed in the nine virtues. ADF combines these seemingly opposed concepts to produce a hybrid of both. We follow the COoR and bylaws, conduct our rituals in proper manner at the times set forth in ADF calendar while at the same time conducting those rituals and interactions with members and the public at large in accordance to the nine virtues of right action.
9. Describe why we make Praise Offerings, how they are made, when they are made, and who they are made to. Be sure to describe this in both solitary practice and in two or more Groves' practices.
Every culture has some experience with making of offerings in a ritual or spiritual context. These offerings have been made to specific deities marking points in the agrarian cycle or ceremonial calendar; they have been made to our personal or clan ancestors, perhaps to a deity of a specific place such as a river or hill. Essentially we make offerings to those we wish to form relationships with or need assistance from.
Originally these offerings or sacrifices came in the form of praise or prayers but in many cultures, have progressed to include tangible items. By definition, sacrifice “is a loss or something you give up, usually for the sake of a better cause.” (Sacrifice, vocabulary.com) You do without in order to make something better occur. In this manner, it very much resembles ADF, “Ghosti”, a reciprocal relationship where we give so that the deities may give. (Pagano, Ghosti and the Return Flow)
These offerings are made in many methods. Simple praise or prayer to the deities can be made easily during ritual whether solitary or grove-centric. However, some forethought should be given when using material offerings. If you are planning on offering things that are consumable by fire then, what are the local ordinances with regards to open fires, and will the offering fully consume. Some thought on the safety of those conducting the offering should also be made. Food items can be great offerings however make sure if they are to be left out that they do not pose potential harm to either domestic or wild wood friends. Offerings can be made to natural sites such as rivers and crevasses. Again, consideration to the natural environment should be given.
Within the Core Order of Ritual (Member # 3838, An Overview of the Core Order of Ritual) we would make these offerings during stage eight, to the deity of the occasion, however in broader terms we also make offerings to the well, tree, and fire as well as an offering to the out-dwellers, this last one more of a distraction / bribe for leaving us in piece. As part of our daily devotions we are free to make praise offerings to a variety of deities / kindreds depending on where we are in our lives or times of crisis or growth.
In a solitary practice offerings, can be made as part of daily devotionals or solitary ritual. One example in my own solitary ritual experience would be on November 11th I make a special offering of prayer for my Grandfather that fought in World War Two.
In the Grove of Nova Scotia Druids, we make it clear in the ritual primer who is the deity of the occasion so that members may make offerings specifically to that deity. For our Nos Calan Gaeaf rituals we make offerings of pine nuts, cured meats, and whisky to the Goddess Morrigan, while on Alban Eiler we give praise to Brigid for the spring plantings as well as success and inspiration in the many crafts that our members produce. From Three Cranes Grove (ADF), I am informed that “...we nearly always have two rounds of praise offerings in a public ritual. The first round is to the Three Kindreds in general, when attendees make an offering to whoever they wish. Then in the second round we make offerings specifically to the being of the Occasion.” (Avende, Three Cranes Grove)
10. Describe ADF's administrative structure.
ADF is constructed on three main levels. Primarily there is the Local level. This level consists of the solitary members as well as the local groves. It is at this level that the majority of the inter-communication within ADF as well as day-to- day spiritual and religious practices occurs. (Member # 728, ADF Organizational Structure) Proto-Groves are groups of two or more voting ADF members within a geographic area who are attempting to form a grove and have provided a publishable name and mailing address. A grove however must have at a minimum 3 voting ADF members, must meet at a minimum of twice per lunar month for the purposes of study or to practice druidism and are chartered by the mother grove.
Above this group is a National Level (“…at the level of nations”). At the national level, much of the policies and directives of ADF are formed. This level does the day-to-day oversight of the local level, and provides services and guidance. It also ensures that the local levels are adhering to ADF policy.
In the ADF Subgroups organizational Chart posted in 2007, there are demonstrated six main organizational areas; the Administration Committee, The Council of Lore, Council of Senior Druids, Council of Regional Druids, the Clergy Council and the Mother grove.( Thompson, ADF Subgroups) The Administer of the Administrative committee is appointed by the Mother grove and is then empowered to appoint the members of the committee such as the List master, Chronicler, Regalia manager, Webmaster and Office manager. These are the people who keep our communication streams flowing. The Council of Lore is led by the Preceptor who again is appointed by the Mother Grove. This body oversees the Guilds, SIGs and Kins. The Council of Senior Druids is composed of Senior Druids and Grove Organizers. It oversees the Senior Druids and the Grove organizers for groves and proto-groves, as well as the Grove Coord Committee and Grove Organization Committee. The Chief of the Council of Senior druids is a member of the Mother Grove Board of Directors. The Council of Regional Druids is formed from the current and past Regional Druids and the ADF Archdruid. The Chief of the Council of Regional Druids is a member of the council elected by that council. This body oversees all groves and proto-groves in its area and reports to the Mother grove. The Chief of the Council of Regional Druids also serves as a director on the Mother Grove Board of Directors. The Clergy Council is composed of both the Archdruid and the Vice Archdruid as well as any former Archdruid and all ADF priests, Consecrated priests and Senior priests. The Chair of this group is the Archdruid.
At the level above both of these is the Mother Grove. The Mother Grove is the incorporation of the organization. It is similar to other corporations as it has a board of directors that are responsible for the over-reaching structure and organization of ADF itself. The board of directors is made up of seven or more members, Archdruid, Vice Archdruid, Secretary, Treasurer, Member's Advocate, Chief of the Council of Senior Druids, Chief of the Council of Regional Druids and any Non-Officer-Directors as are currently active.
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