FOLLOWING THE PATH OF

DRUIDRY
Membership & The Orders Training Course

But we shall never understand Druidism, unless we

grasp the fact that it was recognised that all
knowledge must be sought in two directions: one, by searching the outer world Science; and two, by searching the depths of the human soul and the secrets of the
human body - Art.
Eleanor Merry The Flaming Door

The practice of Druidry used to be confined to those who could learn by visiting a Grove or Druid
in person. But over the years the Order has developed an experience-based course which can be
followed by anyone wherever they live. Thousands of people of all ages and educational
backgrounds have taken this course, which works with the ideas and practices of Druidry in a
thoroughly practical, yet also deeply spiritual way.
The course includes membership of the Order and is divided into three stages or grades that
correspond to the three traditional divisions of the ancient Druids: those of the Bards, Ovates and
Druids. Each grade has its own initiation which can be performed alone at home, or with others in a
Grove.
The Bardic grade takes you on a journey through the cycle of the year, and introduces all the basic
concepts of Druidry - showing you how it is a living Way that can be practised in the modern world,
bringing a greater sense of connection with all of nature, and with the ancient heritage of the Druid
wisdom-tradition.
The aim of the course is to help your life flourish and blossom - to help your Soul express itself
fully in the world. It does this by helping you discover the sources of your creative power, so that
their gifts can flow fully in your life. In addition, it teaches the fundamental skills and techniques
of Druid spirituality - the use of ritual, of sacred space, of the circle, the directions and elements.
During the first year you are taught thirteen rituals in addition to the eight Druid seasonal
ceremonies. These rituals help to attune you to the natural world, to the rhythms of the earth and
moon, the sun and stars. And as they do this, they help you to access your Deep Self - your Soul
- that part of you which feels at One with all life.

More Information about The Orders Distance-Learning Course

The course is presented in the form of Gwersu - a Welsh word meaning lessons. Each month you
receive four Gwersu, together with a copy of the monthly magazine Touchstone, and
supplementary material, such as audios and booklets.
To see if the course is right for you, you can request just the introductory package to begin with.
In this you will find two booklets Wild Wisdom An Introduction to The Order and The Sacred
Grove. In addition you receive the first two Gwersu of the course - to give you a feel for what
they are like. They combine seed-thoughts, exercises, poetry and teaching material, which are
designed to help you to truly walk the path of Druidry, rather than simply read about it.
If you feel the course is for you, and you decide to take it, then you can order the rest of the
course, which begins with an initiation ceremony. You then start to follow a path laid down,
initially probably thousands of years ago, and which has been encoded in an old story about a
young boy who becomes the finest Bard in the land - Taliesin.
To help you on this journey you are offered a tutor or mentor who you can consult whenever you
wish, by mail or email. Some members consult their tutor often - others hardly at all. You are
also sent The Book of Ritual, which includes the eight seasonal ceremonies, and The Bardic
Companion - a resource book for the course - and audios
to help you with pronunciation and meditation.
Supplementary Gwersu deal with such topics as The Art
of Story-Telling, and The Relationship of Druidry to
Wicca, Shamanism and Magic.
Because the course is experiential rather than academic,
members from a wide range of educational backgrounds
find the course helpful and inspiring.

The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids

PO Box 1333 Lewes East Sussex BN7 1DX England
Tel/Fax 00 44 (0)1273 419129
Email [email protected]
Website http://druidry.org

Online Mentors and Groups

The course at the first level in the Bardic Grade is self-directed, and at any
time you may suspend your studies, either completely or for a time, and you
are free to correspond or not as you feel appropriate, with your mentor who
is allocated to you at the beginning of the course (on-line mentors and and
on-line groups are available too!)

University Degrees
Members who complete all three levels of the course receive a Completion
Certificate, and are entitled to credits that can be used towards a Bachelors,
Masters or Doctoral degree from Westbrook University in the USA. Westbrook
offer distance-learning degrees in subjects highly compatible with the training provided by the
Order, such as Esoteric Studies, Jungian Psychotherapy, Transpersonal Psychology, Natural Health
Sciences, Mythology, and Metaphysics.

Membership
Membership of the Order and taking the course are synonymous. Once you enrol on the course
you also become a member of a worldwide community - a Fellowship of Druids (Cairdeas Mor
Shaoghal nan Druidh in Gaelic) and over the years this fellowship has grown to include groups and
individuals in over a dozen countries. How you choose to relate to this community is entirely up to
you. Many members say that they are not the joining type - they dont belong to clubs or
associations, and prefer studying on their own. But if they do come to a meeting - a camp or
workshop for example - they are often amazed to find themselves amongst a group of people who
feel the same way as they do - and who are relaxed and friendly, and interested in the same
things.

Groves and Seed-Groups

There are over fifty groves and seed-groups around the world that meet to celebrate the festivals,
and at other times, and a list of these is sent with the first course package. You can start a seedgroup whenever you like and a booklet tells you how to do this.

The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids

PO Box 1333 Lewes East Sussex BN7 1DX England
Tel/Fax 00 44 (0)1273 419129
Email [email protected]
Website http://druidry.org

Assemblies, Retreats and Workshops

In Britain we hold an Assembly once a year at Glastonbury. We meet together and hold separate
grove meetings and ceremonies for each of the grades. We hold a colourful ceremony atop the
Tor, and have a big supper party and Eisteddfod on the Saturday evening. The next day we go to
Stonehenge for a Summer Solstice ritual amongst the stones.
In Holland each spring we hold an Assembly over a weekend in the country - with rituals,
workshops, meditations, feasting and Eisteddfod. Members come from all over Holland and
Belgium to take part.
In Australia each spring we hold an Assembly too, which moves every year around this vast
continent. So far we have had Assemblies in New South Wales, South and Western Australia.
As the books and the course are translated into other languages, and as the membership grows,
there will probably be assemblies held in other countries. They are organised with the initiative
of local members, and any member can offer to organise one.
In addition to grove and seed-group meetings and assemblies, retreats are often held on Iona
(Isla na Druidneach - the Isle of the Druids) in Scotland, and workshops and other events are
offered by members and announced in the Events section of the website and Touchstone.
To help members get the best out of the course, we have also developed a number of one-day
workshops, on subjects such as Ritual and Meditation, which are held in different locations.
Members of the Druid Grade can learn how to give these workshops, to offer them in their
locality.

The Healing Network and Druid College of Healing

There is a Healing Network which any member can join,
which publishes a Register of Healers, and which acts as
a forum for members interested in healing. The Network
has its own section on the Orders website, and The
Druid College of Healing offers a training programme
and Healing Retreats.
If you are a healer you can submit your details to our
Register of Healers which is published on the Orders
website.

The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids

PO Box 1333 Lewes East Sussex BN7 1DX England
Tel/Fax 00 44 (0)1273 419129
Email [email protected]
Website http://druidry.org

The Orders Internet Community

The Order also offers an Internet community to any member who
wants to enjoy cyber communication with other members. A
private web site, with biographies, photos, archives and more is
available to assist and support members, and nine different
discussion groups offer the opportunity to communicate with
others on both a social and academic plane.

Harpists & Storytellers

Members have formed a Harpists group, which has held meetings in Austria and in the forest of
Broceliande in Brittany. And other members hope to form a Storytellers groups to support each
other and share in their passions and experiences.

Druid Camps
Over the years Druid camps have become an exciting and vital part of the Order - giving us an
opportunity to truly live the teachings and the philosophy of Druidry out in Nature. Some
Groves arrange weekend camps for their members, and there have been longer camps held in
California and upstate New York.
In Britain, we hold three camps a year, usually near the White Horse of Uffington in
Oxfordshire. We have our own yurts, benders and equipment - including a hot shower, sauna,
and giant mega-bender - and an enthusiastic crew who help to make each camp a magical
experience for everyone. Young and old, single people and families all contribute to make the
camps a success. We put on plays, have storytelling and music-making around the fire, hold
ceremonies and create magical adventures. Weve developed a way of exploring and entering
into the old stories and myths, so that they become exciting and educational games that take
place across two fields and in the woods. We hold Druid sweathouse rituals and initiations, and
big communal ceremonies under the stars. (see Druid Camps Section on the website).

The Order is in ongoing consultation with English Heritage, the custodians of Stonehenge and
other national monuments, The National Trust, The Pagan Federation, The Council of British
Druid Orders and LOrdre Druidique Mondiale.

The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids

PO Box 1333 Lewes East Sussex BN7 1DX England
Tel/Fax 00 44 (0)1273 419129
Email [email protected]
Website http://druidry.org

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT THE COURSE

Where do the teachings that make up the course come from?

Many people believe that the teachings of the Druids were lost with the coming of Christianity,
and that we couldnt possibly be teaching authentic Druid wisdom. But we believe that we are.
The teachings given in the course are made up of five strands:
The first, and most important, comes surprisingly to many from very far back in time, and
almost certainly to the teachings of the Druids before the coming of Christianity. We believe
these teachings were entrusted to future generations by being encoded in certain ancient
stories. Within these stories we can find embedded entire programmes of Druidic training,
which form the core of the teachings that we present in the training of the Order. In addition
to this material, we draw on the wisdom of the Druidic triads, which were recorded by
Christian clerics but which reflect much of the wisdom of their pre-Christian ancestors.
The second strand has its source in the much later period of the Druid Revival, which began
over three hundred years ago, at the end of the seventeenth century. Our Order traces its
lineage to this period, and from this source of teachings we have inherited certain ritual forms
and teachings. Some of these we have discarded as inappropriate to the modern age, but
others have been kept, not only for their beauty and relevance, but because they too might
well derive from earlier sources, or draw their inspiration from them.
The third strand comes from a more recent time, about forty years ago, when the previous
Chief of the Order, Philip Ross Nichols, together with a group of fellow-druid members of the
Ancient Druid Order, formed The Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids, still honouring its
connections through the Ancient Druid Order back to its founding in the time of the Druid
Revival, but taking the decision to incorporate more study of Celtic source material, and to
include a celebration of the four Celtic fire festivals. Ross Nichols was a friend of Gerald
Gardner, the founder of the modern Wicca movement, and the evidence of the intellectual
cross-fertilisation that occurred between them can now be seen in both Wiccan and Druid
teachings. Nichols edited Gardners first book on Wicca, and contributed material to his second
book.
The fourth strand comes from the contribution of the present Chief of the Order, Philip CarrGomm, to the teachings. Having trained with Ross Nichols, and having trained in psychology
and psychotherapy, (in particular Jungian analytical therapy and Psychosynthesis) Philip was
asked to lead the Order in 1988.

The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids

PO Box 1333 Lewes East Sussex BN7 1DX England
Tel/Fax 00 44 (0)1273 419129
Email [email protected]
Website http://druidry.org

The fifth strand comes from the contributions of many contemporary scholars and specialists
in Druidry and Celtic spirituality, who over the last decade or more have offered their
insights and writings to the world, and in some cases specifically to the Order, to help build a
body of teachings that are truly relevant and helpful to students of Druidry in the modern
world. These include, amongst others, Professor Ronald Hutton, Dr Graham Harvey, John &
Caitlin Matthews, Mara Freeman, Vera Chapman, Gordon Cooper, Erynn Laurie, Cairistiona
Worthington, Philip Shallcrass, Emma Restall-Orr, Nicholas Mann, Maya Magee Sutton, Frank
McEwen Owen, John O'Donoghue, Robin Williamson, and John Michell.
These five strands have contributed to creating a body of teaching that over the years has
proved to be inspiring and helpful to very many people.

Do I have to complete the Bardic course in a year?

Not at all. Many members find a year is sufficient time for them to follow the course, but many
also take longer - 18 months to two years or more. There is no pressure to complete the
course, and each student is encouraged to follow the course at their own pace.

How can I become a Druid in such a short time when the classical authors
said it took nearly twenty years to become a Druid?
In ancient times it took nineteen years to become a Druid, but this course of training included
many of those subjects that we learn today at school. And nineteen years is also a symbolic
length of time: it represents a Metonic cycle: a calculation of the time between two almost
identical eclipses, and a calculation which also succeeded in uniting the solar and lunar
calendars. And so nineteen years symbolises the time it might take for someone to unite the
sun and moon, the Masculine and the Feminine, within their beings.
Today it still takes a long time to achieve this union in the depths of our souls, and the study
of Druidry is a lifetime pursuit for many. But we no longer need to train for nineteen years
before we can call ourselves a Druid. In fact the term Druid has now come to denote, for
many, the type of spirituality they follow. And as for training, we have found 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 Order of Bards Ovates & Druids

PO Box 1333 Lewes East Sussex BN7 1DX England
Tel/Fax 00 44 (0)1273 419129
Email [email protected]
Website http://druidry.org

Is there a lot of course work - will I be able to manage?

Although we do mail you quite a lot of material, we believe you will find it easy to work with.
Over the years we have received hundreds of letters from members saying how they have
found following the course feels like coming home to them, and how it has changed their
lives. They find the Gwersu simple and yet at the same time profound and inspiring. Even with
a busy life, most people find the time to work with all the material we send them. And your
tutor is always available to help you.

Can a friend or partner follow the course with me?

Yes - but we do ask that they write to advise us that they are working with your material and
that they send a registration fee as a contribution towards costs and tutoring (20 UK, 32
Europe, USD$30 USA & Rest of World). By registering on the course they will be entitled to
their own tutor, and will be able to progress through the Grades, provided they fulfil the
criteria as laid out in the course.

How much does the course cost?

You start off by sending for the first package, which gives the first months work of the course,
together with details of the Orders Sacred Grove Planting Programme and Campaign for
Ecological Responsibility. This costs 10 UK, 19 Europe, or USD$25 USA & Rest of the World.
After sampling this material, if you feel the course isnt right for you, you can either keep the
materials, or send them back to us and we will refund your money. But if you decide you
would like to follow the course, we will send you a package each month for the next twelve
months. Each package contains four Gwersu to study, and a copy of Touchstone - a monthly
magazine which contains articles and poetry, and gives details of Groves and Seed-Groups,
Contact Addresses, Members Notices and news of forthcoming events, workshops and other
items of interest.
Through the year we will also send you The Bardic Companion, audios of the Sacred Grove
and Light-Body exercises, and of Gaelic Pronunciation, and The Book of Ritual with full
ceremonies for each of the eight seasonal festivals.
In addition to the material that you receive each month, you may correspond about your
experiences with the course with a tutor who is personally allocated to you.
The cost of the course is 3.46 a week, 180 in total in Britain, 295 Europe, US$310
(airmail) for the United States and the rest of the world. We are very aware of the fact that
finances can sometimes be difficult for members, so we offer a staged payment plan, so that

The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids

PO Box 1333 Lewes East Sussex BN7 1DX England
Tel/Fax 00 44 (0)1273 419129
Email [email protected]
Website http://druidry.org

you pay for the course in two or four instalments over the year (or in monthly payments by
Standing Order if you live in the UK).
We do not want financial hardship to prevent people following the course, so if you really find
that even with the easier payment methods, you still cannot afford the fees, please write to us
explaining your circumstances. Bursaries are often available for retreats and workshops in the
event of financial difficulties.
We allocate a proportion of the fees to tree planting, to compensate for the number of trees
felled to make the paper that is used to print the course and Touchstone. With the advice of
ecologists, we use recycled paper and chlorine-free paper from managed forests.

How much does it cost to complete the other Grades?

The fee structure is calculated in the same way as the Bardic Grade, and a similar amount of
material is sent during the Ovate and Druid Grades. Different binders for each of the Grades
are also available. Each Grade is complete in itself and takes about a year to complete. You
must start with the Bardic Grade.
It is not necessary to progress from one to the other, and some members choose to remain as
Bards or Ovates.

How come it costs this much to receive the course?

We send you a great deal of material and it all costs money to produce, and everything is sent
airmail to prevent delays. If we could find a way of reducing these costs we would, but in the
meanwhile offices, computers, postage, printing and so on all need to be paid. We are
exploring the possibility of offering the course online, but part of the benefit of working with
the course lies in receiving physical materials to work with including audio recordings. We
believe the amount requested is very fair considering all the benefits of membership and the
amount of material we send, and that you will agree with this when you see all that we send
you in the introductory package. But if you dont, or if you feel it isnt right for you, just send
it all back to us and we will refund your payment in full.

Is the course available in other languages?

The course is now available in a German language edition, and will be available in French and
Dutch editions in 2003.

The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids

PO Box 1333 Lewes East Sussex BN7 1DX England
Tel/Fax 00 44 (0)1273 419129
Email [email protected]
Website http://druidry.org

10

How do I apply to join and receive the course?

If you would like to receive the introductory package which includes the book Wild Wisdom
introducing the Order and Druidry, a book entitled The Sacred Grove, sample lessons of the
course, a copy of Touchstone, and details of the Campaign for Ecological Responsibility, you
can do this online or by mailing or faxing the enrolment form given at the end of this
document.
You cannot enrol on the whole course and join the Order right away you need to receive the
Introductory package first to see whether it is really right for you. Full details on how to enrol
on the full course come with the Introductory package.

Read what others have said about the course:

"The greatest value of the OBOD postal course is this: it exists. It is available. Precious
insights are being passed along. The mysteries are being shared. Thanks to all who have
made this course possible!" V.C. Vermont.
A great gift from Druidry is that when I am in a natural place, meadow, forest, sea side or
desert, I am aware of the spirits that share this place with me. Until Druidry had given me the
language for this, I had felt some terrible yearning, a frustration with no means for
communication. Now I acknowledge spirit wherever I am. I see and hear, able to participate in
the language of trees, plants, stones, earth and breezes. I know the hawk and when he will
circle above me in the sky.
I have come to realize it is the connection between humans and land that speaks to my heart.
I love the stone walls that ramble through meadows and woodlands. They are lines of poetry
that tell of the people whose hands carried these stones and the energy of the earth that was
marked in this ancient way, first by the Indians, and later by white farmers. Once again I can
see some of those old people as when I was a child. I remember the dark woman in the plum
coloured dress who I watched, as she wandered in the ferns near a stream in back of my
house. Now I am that woman who can travel between the worlds of the living and the dead.
The work of the course is so well designed that while studying trees, I meet the ancestors of
the land and while meditating on ancestors, I realise I am descended from trees and stones
and stars. S.F.Boston
"For the renewed presence in my life of this sense of spiritual, magical intimacy with the world
of matter, I am deeply grateful. It takes me back to my roots in more way than one; it
connects me deeply to the earth of my nourishment, to the magical realm of the living world. I
have also learned so much about myself, about choice and about freedom." S.H.London.

The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids

PO Box 1333 Lewes East Sussex BN7 1DX England
Tel/Fax 00 44 (0)1273 419129
Email [email protected]
Website http://druidry.org

11

"The first thing that impressed me about the course, was the total lack of religious dogma in
the context of overall spirituality, which is, I believe very true to the historical evidence
suggesting that the ancient Druids were neither exclusionary nor elitist about their 'gods'. And
the second profound impression was the ability of OBOD to integrate the spiritual needs of
humans with the realities of living a physical existence. I know of no other way of thinking
that so naturally integrates what most religions see as the great opposites of existence: the
body and the spirit. And via OBOD, this is much more than just a philosophy or a way of
thinking - it is a way of living! I believe the Order is a wonderful tool for reintroducing so
much of what we have lost. Thank you fo the gentle insight and knowledge, the sense of
community and connection, and the opportunity to experience life more completely." J.S.
Colorado.
"How is it that every time a question is in my mind, I turn the page of the Gwers and the
answer is before me? It is as if whoever compiled these teachings anticipates the logical mind
and then also its inner workings. I am nearing the end of the Bardic grade, and I can honestly
say that never in my life have I needed such guidance as in the last few months. I feel there is
hope for us all if we continue to strive for harmony with Mother Earth." P.B. Sussex.
"The last five months have been ones of
tremendous growth and change. I have
realised at least two life ambitions; my
intellect along with my creativity has become
sharper and clearer and more productive than
ever before, and I feel more at peace with
myself as my mind has become more
balanced with my emotions." L.N. Reading.
"The last year has been one of exceptional
professional development and success for me
and, as I have criss-crossed the world, the
ability to find a sanctuary of peace and creative reflection in the Grove has proved truly a life
saver." R.H. London.
"Many of the changes in me I believe are due to a sense of peace and of purpose given to me
by working through the studies of the Bardic grade. These inner changes have in turn
provoked more visible external changes. This course has most definitely answered a call which
has been with me for as long as I can remember." D.L. Manchester

The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids

PO Box 1333 Lewes East Sussex BN7 1DX England
Tel/Fax 00 44 (0)1273 419129
Email [email protected]
Website http://druidry.org

12

ENROLMENT
If you feel you might like to join the Order and follow the course, you can receive an
introductory package on a trial basis. If after studying the material you feel it is not right
for you, you can if you wish send it back, and we will return your payment in full. If,
however, you find it answers an inner call, then you will be most welcome to keep the
package and begin a journey that we feel sure you will find both exciting and rewarding.
The Introductory Package is 10 for the UK, 19 for Europe, US$25 for the rest of the
world. The cost of the rest of the course is 3.46 a week, 180 in total in Britain, 295
Europe, and US$310 (airmail) for the United States and the rest of the world.
We are very aware of the fact that finances can sometimes be difficult for members, so we
offer various ways that payments can be staged. These arrangements vary according to
the country you are in. In the UK you can pay by monthly standing order, or paying-in
book if you dont have a bank account. In the rest of the world (and also the UK) you can
stage your payment in two or four equal amounts over a year if paying by credit card.

You can join and enrol online at http://druidry.org or you can mail or fax the
enrolment form to us at the OBOD office PO Box 1333, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1HB
England (Tel 01273 419129, country code 44).
US users dial 011-44-1273-419129.

The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids

PO Box 1333 Lewes East Sussex BN7 1DX England
Tel/Fax 00 44 (0)1273 419129
Email [email protected]
Website http://druidry.org

ENROLMENT FORM FOR THE INTRODUCTORY

PACKAGE OF THE BARDIC COURSE OF
THE ORDER OF BARDS OVATES & DRUIDS
Name
Address.
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POSTCODE...COUNTRY
Email (optional)...
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Date of Birth (DD/MM/YY)...

Please send me the Introductory package

(10 for the UK, 19 for Europe, US$25 for the rest of the world)

I enclose a cheque (made payable to The Oak Tree Press) /cash/International Postal Money Order
or please charge my card

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Signed..Date..
I look forward to receiving my package soon!