ADF Structure, Customs, and Policy
Laura Fuller (Snow)
1)
Explain why public, inclusive ritual is
important to ADF. (200 words min.)
There are several reasons why
it is important to have open, public, inclusive rituals.
First, ADF from its inception
was intended to look like a mainstream church and give lay-members the same
sort of experiences that they would be able to get from a mainstream
church. This is an important step in
making neopaganism in general and Druidry in particular an accepted religion in
our society (1, 2). One of the
expectations of a mainstream church is that it would have regular and public
rituals for members and those curious in membership to attend. With that as a guiding principle and hope for
the future, other reasons come into play (3).
Second, having open, public
rituals gives solitaries and the curious a chance to experience a ritual. This is important to give the former a sense
of community and the latter a taste of what we are about in the hopes of
growing the community and the organization.
An open ritual might be a solitary’s only chance to engage in and
practice an ADF Core Order Ritual. It is
a chance for training to occur for those who do not have a grove or cannot
attend regular grove functions (4).
Third, paleopagans
participated in community rituals. For
them, community was important and paleoDruids were the leaders of the religious
life of the community. If we as an
organization are serious about recreating the traditions of the past, then we
must offer open and public rituals as scholarly evidence supports that druids
engaged in such (1,2).
2)
Describe the duties and function of clergy in
ADF. (100 words min.)
Clergy play several roles in
ADF. First, they are the leaders of the
organization. They do this by
“[formulating] and [articulating]” (CC Bylaws) both the theology (beliefs) and
liturgy (practices) of ADF. What I take
this to mean is that they both create (formulate) these important functions of
a church and explain (articulate) it to the lay members of the
organization. This makes them
responsible for the vision of the organization as well as demanding that they
be good at not just communicating, but teaching.
As if this isn’t a daunting
enough task on its own, the clergy must also act as spiritual advisors to the
members of the organization, providing them with support and counseling when
they face difficult decisions of a religious or spiritual nature. While both of these skill sets are generally
expected of religious leaders in other religions, these skills (lead, teach,
and counsel) are not necessarily practiced with the same ease by all members of
the clergy, and so while they must provide these skills to the laity, they must
also be able to provide them to teach other.
Further, ADF clergy act as
advisors and leaders of the various smaller groups (SIGs, Orders, etc) within
ADF and having a clergy member is required to become a fully chartered grove.
Specific responsibilities of
the Clergy Council as assigned by the organization include the following:
- Determine
ordination standards for ADF Clergy. This allows members and the public to be
assured that ADF Clergy credentialing is a real and meaningful process and
that if someone is ordained, that they have the skills desired to
represent ADF as a Priest.
- Maintain
a training program for ADF Clergy. This allows clergy to fulfil on the
promises above.
- Subject to requirements of ADF study programs
determined by the CoL.
- Determine
ADF liturgical standards. Maintain standards for ritual practice
for the orthopraxy of ADF.
- Evaluate
requests to vary from such standards by subgroups. In
cases where subgroups wish to change the format of a ritual, determine if
it is appropriate and still keeps the spirit of ADF practice.
- Represent
ADF Druidry in theological matters outside ADF. Act as
Ambassador to other groups, both mainstream and not.
- Research,
write, and publish works based on ADF Druidry. Increase
the body of available scholarship for those seeking help on the path.
- Maintain
a prison ministry for incarcerated ADF members. This
requires working with both the ADF system and the various systems of the
county/state/and federal levels to be sure that prisoners are able to
practice as is their right without causing undue burden or harm to other
inmates.
- Train, authorize, and supervise all ADF prisoner
ministers.
- Define and administer groups within a prison
environment to fulfill the spiritual needs of incarcerated members. Said
groups shall not be referred to as 'Groves' or in any way present
themselves as representing ADF as a whole.
- Govern
all ADF Orders. All ADF Orders must be headed by an ADF
Clergy member. (5)
3)
Explain why ADF has an Indo-European focus, and
why we use the term "Druid" in our name. (200 words min.)
ADF has a pan-Indo-European
focus because having such a broad base allows us to use various forms of
comparative studies in our recreation of what ancient paleo-pagans held as
their beliefs and practices.
Understanding that many of the practices and beliefs go back before the
Indo-Europeans began their migrations lets us also weed out (or at least
acknowledge) which beliefs grew as a response to local pressures. Those local pressures could have been from
indigenous people already living in the locations the Indo-European peoples
were moving into, or could have been from local spirits/deities. Regardless, focusing on the common structures
of all IE cultures allows us to use that lens in creating our modern druidry
(6).
The best I could reason about
why we use the word druid in our name is because our founder came to create
this organization out of his experiences with the Reformed Druids of North
America and his frustrations with them and their denial of what they were doing
as a pagan religious experience. Because
that was his background, it made sense for him to use that as the title, even
if we are embracing a pan-IE model of spirituality and religion. In his interview in Hopman’s Being a Pagan(1),
Bonewits talks about these early experiences, but he also talks about how the
core group of founders were drawn from Wicca and Asatru, giving them both magic
and a tribal structure. Additionally, he
talks about how many of the practices of the ancient priestly PIE class
survived until this past century behind the Iron Curtain in the former
USSR. Even with this broad base of
adherents, when looking at the past, Bonewits states in his article Indo-European
Paleopaganism and Its Clergy that “only the western Celtic clergy (the Druids) seem
to have had any sort of organized inter-tribal communications network. Most of
the rest of the IE clergy seem to have kept to their own local tribes. Among
the Germanic peoples, the priestly class had weakened by the early centuries of
the Common Era to the point where the majority of ritual work was done by the
heads of households.” This, when
combined with his own background, makes for a logical choice as Druid as a
title for a member of an organization that was and is to be a model for public
paganism as a mainstream religion. Fox
sums this up by saying that we call ourselves druids because the ancient druids
were the priestly class who valued excellence in all things, and we wish to
emulate them by doing the same (7). Why
not Excellence?
4)
Describe the Guilds, SIGS, and Kins of ADF in
general, their function within the organization, and the goal of the Guild,
SIG, and Kin systems. (150 words min. for each type of subgroup)
Guilds: Guilds are subgroups formed
to promote “study, learning, and training in a particular focus area” (5).
The guilds offer a framework
of learning and support. Not necessarily
for learning the basic skills, but rather for learning to use them in the
context of community and worship. They
serve as a place to engage in conversations about the arts and the place of
those arts in ADF and how those arts can serve as a conduit to the divine. They also offer a framework for recognition
of one’s learning and efforts in an art form and a way to track progress and
willingness to share one’s gifts with the greater community.
Guilds have two leaders. The Chief is responsible for reporting on
activities of the Guild to the Council of Lore.
They also represent the Guild with the Council of Lore. The Preceptor also represents the guild with
the Council of Lore. They are responsible
for all Guild training activities. (5)
SIGs: SIGs, or Special
Interest Groups, are places for those who share an interest in a common topic
to engage in discussions and learning around it when that interest does not
fall within the scope of one of the other subgroups (5). Some of the SIGs are subgroups of a broader
hearth culture, such as the SIG interested in the Morrighan. Some focus on lifestyle choices, such as
being a parent or in a poly relationship.
Regardless of their focus, SIGs offer members a place to discuss how
their identification with a specific minority group (be that gay, in the
military, or choice of deity) impacts their lives and their relationship with
druidry. They offer a chance for members
to network around these issues as well, sharing what works for them in their
practices. Finally, SIGs give back to
ADF by helping to define what areas we as an organization need to spend time
on. If there are a lot of people
interested in one of these Special Interest groups, clearly it is something the
organization as a whole should at least consider in the broader picture. The SIGs help to provide ADF with some
understanding of what topics are important to the membership and what tools
need to be made available or created to support the needs of the group.
A SIG is led by an organizer
who can be anyone who is a member of ADF.
They can be removed by a majority vote of the SIG, and elected the same
way. They are responsible for submitting
quarterly reports to the Council of Lore (5).
Kins: Kins are groups within
ADF where those that wish to align their practices with a certain hearth
culture can share ideas about their experiences working with specific
Indo-European pantheons. Currently,
there are eight Kin Groups. One of the many
functions of the kin groups is to develop resources and provide information to
those who are beginning to build a relationship with the kindreds as practiced
by a particular culture. They are an
invaluable resource to new and old members alike because the insights and
relationships to the various world-views expressed in the Indo-European
Diaspora can vary greatly between cultures.
Whether it’s discussion about language, kindreds, or ritual practices,
the Kins are a place to turn for aid in building a ritual or a practice that is
meaningful to the member. The goal of
the kin system is to further research in the various traditions that make up
ADF and make them accessible to the members at large.
Kin leaders are elected and
removed as specified by the by-laws of the Kin.
Kin Charters are governed by the Council of Lore (5).
5)
Describe ADF's official ceremonial calendar, and
discuss why it was designed in this way. (200 words min.)
The official ceremonial
calendar follows a solar calendar, with our high days set as the longest day
(summer solstice), shortest day (winter solstice), the two days in the year
when day and night are of equal length (spring and fall equinox), and the four
points half way between these, much as one would find on a compass rose.
While we won’t try and
perpetuate the myth that druids built Stonehenge, we do recognize that a number
of ritual practices had to do with measuring the length of the days. As a keeper of knowledge, this would be part
of the tasks of the paleo-pagan clergy.
As for why it was designed in
this way, I believe this is two-fold.
First, many of those coming to ADF are coming from other pagan
pathways. Designing the calendar this
was is both familiar, as the dates correspond to religious holidays in most of the
IE cultures as well as in Wicca, as well as practical for an organization that
wishes to bring into the fold multiple cultures. Which I believe is the second reason this
calendar makes sense. By choosing holy
dates based on solar occurrences rather than on ‘traditional holidays’ of one
of the many groups represented, it does not privilege any one particular IE
cultural tradition. Not all cultures had
a festival for all of these dates, but by using this calendar, we have
something close for most of the cultures, and individuals or groups within ADF
can pick and chose which traditional practices work best for them.
Groves are responsible to
hold public rituals for each of these high days, however they are given some
leniency on the date the ritual occurs, so long as it is within a week on
either side of the actual date. The
Calendar and the requirements for grove rituals are laid out in the ADF
Constitution, Section 4. (8)
6)
Compare Isaac's original "Law, Policy,
Tradition, and Customs in ADF" article with how you see ADF today.
Describe what is still true and what is no longer accurate in that document.
(300 words min.)
It is always interesting to
read a historical document and see whether the visions and hopes for the future
came into fruition. That is especially
true when the vast majority seems to have held up to the test of time.
It seems that most of the
points he illustrates have remained the same through the years. The things that were forbidden are still
forbidden. The laws have apparently remained
consistent. From what I have seen, the
policies section is also unchanged, although I have not seen or heard mention
of the ‘Good Neighbor Policy’ in the currently Handbooks and doing a search on
the site only gave me this article.
Therefore, I assume it’s no longer in affect. I believe I’d heard something about a policy
that used to be in place regarding a minimum distance between Groves, and this
seems a likely candidate for what this policy is referring to. However, I was told that policy is no longer
in place. I would be unsurprised if
there are changes to policies regarding Tax Status, but that would more than
likely be due to changes from the IRS rather than from ADF.
One change I did note was
that this article mentions that a new Grove doesn’t have to start public ritual
right away, but the Grove Organizer Handbook says differently (9). I can only assume that was changed at some
point so that Protogroves have that option, but if you are ready for a Charter
to be a grove, then you need to be ready to offer ritual.
I have not seen much change
in the traditions and customs. If
anything, this is the area that seems to have grown the most, which is likely
what was intended given Isaac’s statements at the beginning of the article
about this being a framework to allow for the growth of a healthy organization,
and that a healthy organization has to have some flexibility to it so that
people can make their groves and the organization their own.
It seems that ADF has done a
good job of remaining true to its founding principles while still allow the
organization to grow and blossom. With
that in mind, there is hope that we will see the ultimate flowering of Isaac’s
vision, a mainstream druidry!
7)
Describe ADF's utilization of Dumezil's
"tripartition" and its affect on ADF's structure, study programs, and
the religion of ADF members in general. (200 words min.)
Tripartition is a concept
created by French sociologist Dumezil (or at least, is much read in sociology)
that theorized that society had three classes and each of these classes filled
a specific and necessary function.
The first class is the
priestly/ruling class. This class is the
keepers of knowledge and the performers of ritual, both from a religious and a
legal standpoint. In fact, in many
paleopagan cultures, religious and legal melded (6 Serith Chapter 2)). Thus, the king was often the priest at
celebrations that impacted the entire country or community and his advisors
were priests who were the keepers of knowledge (21. Bonewits 1984)
This is clearly evident in
ADF’s structure. Our leaders and our
clergy are largely synonymous. Our Advisors
for our Orders must be Clergy (5) The
Subgroup Charter Manual, under the Clergy Council Section Point 4, subpoint 7
says that Clergy govern all ADF Orders.
While the Board of Directors do not have to be members of the Clergy
Council according to the by-laws of ADF (they only have to be members) (10),
the Archdruid Chairs the Clergy Council (5).
To date we have not had an Archdruid who was not also a member of the
Clergy. It is unclear whether that is
possible, based on the conflicting messages of those two documents. Technically, the by-laws outrank the Subgroup
Charter, and neither specifically says that the Archdruid must already be a
member of the Clergy, only that they will Chair the Clergy Council.
The second class was made up
of the warriors. Some also include
merchants in this class. They were the
ones who brought wealth into the tribe and supported (or had a reciprocal
relationship with) the king.
Though less obvious, this
matches with memberships in the various guilds and orders. The artists, bards, brewers, and other
‘skilled laborers’ who do work that supports the clergy in their ability to
carry out the mission of the organization.
The third function was the
farmers/laborers/thralls. They were the
producers, rather than the defenders.
They were the largest part of society and also held the least power, yet
without them, society would have collapsed for lack of food and raw materials.
The third function is filled
by those who are general members, but less active in the community and the
various programs available to them.
This is important to ADF
because each of these classes developed different relationships with the gods,
and often with different gods. Priests
and Kings were more likely to form relationships with gods concerned with the
tribe as a whole, with law and knowledge, and with the other functions of
kingship. Warriors were more likely to
worship a warrior god. Farmers were more
likely to pray to the land spirits, their ancestors who would be concerned with
their continued well being, or to gods concerned with agriculture and weather.
Because of this, we have
significantly more information on the gods, practices, and beliefs of the
kingly and priestly class. They had
power, and thus they were what were told about in stories. The bards were of this class, and so were
most concerned with their interests. On
the reverse, there is a lack of information outside of folk tales about the
beliefs and practices of the common man (or woman).
The second important point
with Dumezil is that it’s not a perfect system.
For example, Thor was a god of both warriors because of his role in
protecting Midgard from the frost giants, and a god of the common man because
he protected the crops and fields as well.
Goddesses also are hard to fit in this tripartite system. Still, understanding this system gives us a
way of looking at IE cultures to make comparisons and to help us understand why
some information might be lacking when it seems as if it should be available
due to its importance to the majority of the people.
8)
Explain the difference between
"orthopraxy" religions and "orthodoxy". Where do you feel
ADF falls? (200 words min.)
An orthopraxic religion is
one that has set standards of practice, of action. An orthodox religion is one that has set
standards of belief, usually in the form of a creed. Religions or denominations of religions can
be one, both, or neither.
I feel that ADF is fairly
orthopraxic. We have the Core Order of
ritual, we have expectations of our Groves that they do community service, that
they have meetings, that they have public rituals that follow our Core Order,
all thirty-seven steps. While other
religions, such as the Catholic Church I grew up in, were further on the
spectrum of orthopraxy than ADF, we do have certain expectations about what
will happen when we hold a ritual. (11)
Isaac and others have
discussed why this is. Even the most
liberal of mainstream religions have a certain level of orthopraxy so that
members visiting from other locations feel comfortable. There is regularness to having specific
practices defined and performed the same way that is comforting to humans who
on a core level are trying to mitigate the chaos in their lives (12).
However, ADF is not as
orthopraxic is other religions. Again,
using the Catholic Church as an example, no matter what parish you are in on a
Sunday morning (or at any mass for that matter), you will hear the same
readings. They are dictated by Rome and
every church will use the same ones. The
homily will be on a similar topic, also dictated. Youth education will use the same resources
no matter where you go. This level of
orthopraxy I hope we never see in ADF.
Part of the beauty of our organization is that members and groves are
free to express themselves, their hearth cultures, and their beliefs in ways
that are important to them.
Orthodoxy is having a set
standard of belief. While ADF does have
some basic tenants of belief, defined most clearly in our cosmology, we are
hardly a staunchly orthodox organization.
People are free to choose their own culture, their own patrons, or
none. They are not taught a creed to
memorize, but rather given training to ask questions to learn. This is healthy, because it encourages deep
and meaningful relationships between each other and the kindreds. (13)
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. (300 words
min.)
Praise Offerings are
offerings made to the various kindreds for the purpose of forming or
strengthening relationships. IE
religions all have some concept of a gift for a gift, meaning that we give
gifts either for blessings we have already received, or for blessings we hope
to get in the future. (11, section on Ghosti)
Praise offerings can be made
in many ways. Intangible offerings can
be performed at the altar or outside.
Physical gifts should be taken out of the human realm. This can be done through fire if it’s
something burnable, or through breaking it and burying the pieces. Depending on the setting and what the
offering is, it can just be left out or thrown into a stream or lake if there
is a link between the recipient of the offering and some such location. It’s important not to dispose of the
offerings by throwing them in the trash, as they are not trash. And care should be taken that if it’s left
outside or on an inside altar that it isn’t something that will harm local
wildlife or pets (tobacco or chocolate come to mind as favored offerings that
can hurt animals).
Praise offerings are made
during step 8 during a core order ritual.
Because of the relationship building aspect of offerings and its
importance in all PIE cultures, this is the most important part of the ritual. Outside of a ritual, they can be made as part
of a daily devotional or, really, any time with proper preparation. (14)
Praise offerings are made to
any entity we wish to strengthen bonds of relationship with. This can be with the deities we worship, or with
local nature spirits or the ancestors.
Usually during a core order ritual, the main offering is made to the
deity of the occasion, although sometimes other guests may also receive an
offering. (14)
Solitaries have an easier
time of making offerings as they don’t have to coordinate others when trying to
find the proper location for disposing of their offering. On the other hand, it is the most important
part of the rite and solitaries might find it hard to give it the proper
gravitas when there is no one else adding to the offerings. Providing a proper offering alone can also be
difficult when seeking inspiration. (14)
In Whispering Lakes Grove’s
Harvest Tide 2009 (15) Ritual, they specifically name that Praise Offerings may
be brought forth for the Norns. This
makes it clear who is being offered to, to keep the confusion at bay, but also
gives people a chance to make their offering if they desire. The Norns were the Deity of the
Occasion. There is no mention in their
writing if people spoke when making their offerings.
Sassafras Grove had people
make their praise offerings in silence during their Samhain Rite, 2006. (16).
Though the implication in the ritual text was that praise offerings were
to be for the Deity of the Occasion, when made in silence, such things must be
done on the honor system.
In Anthony Thomas’s Beltane
Rite, like the rites I have personally attended to date, Praise offerings were
made to all three Kindreds by whomever wished to make them. (17).
Groves might share the duty
of who provides the offering or offerings, giving newer members a chance to
participate and get a feel for a very important aspect of ritual. In public ritual, however, there can be
difficulties when people invoke deities who are not a planned part of the
occasion (or even the pantheon the occasion is designed for!). Another possible difficulty is the potential
length of time for this section, giving everyone who wishes to make an offering
a chance to do so. It is difficult to
plan in advance in a public offering, but it seems that multiple formats work
and it is more a matter of making expectations clear in advance to keep the
ritual running smoothly.
10) Describe ADF's administrative structure. (150
words min.)
Administratively, ADF is a
combination of congregational and episcopalian structural forms. The national organization and its recognition
and structured training programs are Episcopalian (3). Decisions and credentialing is done by the
Mother Grove. Reports on all grove
activities are sent to the Mother Grove.
Charters and tax paperwork is conducted through the Mother Grove. All of this sets in place a structure of top
down authority.
That said the groves
themselves are left more or less alone to elect officers and make decisions
about what they will do to fulfill the requirements placed on them by the
mother grove. For example, we are
required to do community service, but the form that takes is left up to
us. We are required to hold high day
rituals, but the deities of the occasion, the hearth culture, none of that is
dictated to us. Further, members
directly elect all of our officers both in the grove and for the national
organization, making it congregational in nature and giving it flexibility and responsiveness
to the needs of the membership that is lacking in most top down organizations
in general, but especially in religious ones (3).
ADF is directed by the Board
of Directors, like any non-profit, although internally we refer to them as the
Mother Grove. The Mother Grove is made up
of the Archdruid (the President), the Vice Archdruid (The Vice President), the
Scribe (Secretary), the Member’s Advocate (Ombudsman), the Chief of the Council
of Regional Druids (Regional Druids are representatives of multi-state
regions), and the Chief of the Council of Senior Druids (Senior Druids being
the Presidents of Groves). There are
also four non-officer members of the board.
The board meets once a quarter.
Each director has a vote, excepting the Member’s Advocate, and
two-thirds are required for a quorum (18).
Groves have a representative in the form of the Chief of the Council of
Senior Druids, however Solitaries do not have an official vote on the
board. Solitaries do, however, have a
SIG, or Special Interest Group (19). As
a SIG, they file reports to the Council of Lore, which is chaired by the
Preceptor (5) which is also not a voting position on the board. That leaves them to contact their regional
druid, and request their help in going through the Chief of the Council of
Regional Druids if they feel they have something that needs to be discussed by
the board.
In addition to the Board,
there are three other officers. The
Pursewarden (Treasurer), the Preceptor (in charge of Study Programs), and an
Administrator. All are appointed by the
Board of Directors (20).
Works Cited
1) Hopman, Ellen E and
Lawrence Bond. Being a Pagan: Druids,
Wiccans, and Witches Today. 1994. Isaac Bonewits interview.
3) Gold, Peter. 1997.
What I Expect From My Church. https://www.adf.org/articles/identity/expect.html
4) Gold, Peter. The Necessity On Doing Public Ritual. https://www.adf.org/articles/identity/pubrit.html
6) Serith, Ceisiwr. Deep Ancestors: Practicing the Religion of
the Proto-Indo-Europeans. 2007.
7) Adelmann, John “Fox”. Neopagan Druidism Today: Concepts and
Organization https://www.adf.org/about/basics/npd-today.html
9) Grove Organizer’s Handbook
Section on Required Activities For Your Group https://www.adf.org/members/groves/starting/goh/required-activities.html
11) Dangler, Michael. Nine Central Tenets of Druidic Ritual. https://www.adf.org/articles/cosmology/nine-tenets.html
13) Wyndham, Jeffrey. Core Ideas In Druid Theology. https://www.adf.org/articles/identity/core-theology.html
14) Core Order of Ritual
Tutorial, Section 8. https://www.adf.org/members/training/dedicant-path/articles/coortutorial/step-eight.html
15) Whispering Lakes
Grove. Harvest Tide Ritual, 2009. https://www.adf.org/system/files/members/guilds/liturgists/yearbooks/2009/mann-NorseAutumnEquinox.pdf
16) Sassafras Grove. Samhain, 2006. https://www.adf.org/system/files/members/guilds/liturgists/yearbooks/2006/SamhainSassafras.pdf
17) Thompson, Anthony. Beltane Rite, 2006. Irish-Celtic.
https://www.adf.org/system/files/members/guilds/liturgists/yearbooks/2006/Beltane2006.pdf
18) ADF Bylaws, subsection on
the Board of Directors. https://www.adf.org/about/org/bylaws.html#article_5
20) ADF Bylaws, Section on
Non-Director Officers. https://www.adf.org/about/org/bylaws.html#article_7
21) Bonewits, Issac. Indo-European Paleopaganism and Its Clergy. 1984, Druid’s Progress 1.
https://www.adf.org/articles/identity/ieclergy.html
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