Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship, Inc. (otherwise known simply as ADF) is a non-profit religious organization dedicated to the study and further development of modern, Neo-pagan Druidic practice. Neopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism, meaning New Paganism) is a heterogeneous group of religions which attempt to revive ancient, mainly European pre-Christian religions. ... In the Celtic religion, the modern words Druidry or Druidism denote the practices of the ancient druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic societies through much of Western Europe north of the Alps and in the British Isles. ...

Synopsis

Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF), pronounced "arn ree-ocht fane", means "our own Druidism" in Modern Irish. ADF, also known as A Druid Fellowship, was founded in 1983 and incorporated in 1990 as a U.S. 501(c)3 non-profit organization by Isaac Bonewits. ADF is a Neo-druidism organization practicing a unique tradition of Neopagan Druidry and is mostly U.S. based, with members and groups in most states and several other countries also. Isaac Bonewits (born October 1, 1949) is an author and occultist involved in American Neo-druidism. ... Neo-druidism is an attempt to reconstruct the ancient religion of druidism. ... Neopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism, meaning New Paganism) is a heterogeneous group of religions which attempt to revive ancient, mainly European pre-Christian religions. ... In the Celtic religion, the modern words Druidry or Druidism denote the practices of the ancient druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic societies through much of Western Europe north of the Alps and in the British Isles. ...

Despite the Gaelic name, ADF Druidry is actually focused on all Indo European religions, which means that while most of the organization is focused on Celtic practices, there are also Norse, Hellenic, Roman, Slavic and even Vedic religious practices in ADF. In that sense, ADF uses the term Druid as "Indo-European priest" or even more broadly "worshipper of Indo-European gods and goddesses". Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies The existence of similarities among the gods and religious practices of the Indo-European peoples suggests that whatever population they actually formed had some form of polytheistic religion. ... The word Celtic can refer to: the European Celtic people, ancient or modern the Celtic languages, spoken by these people and their modern descendents the Celtic (Lusitania), Celts from the Alentejo. ... Norse is related to Scandinavia, and may mean: Ancient Norse mythology Medieval Norsemen, i. ... Greece, formally called the Hellenic Republic (Greek: Ελληνική Δημοκρατία), is a country in the southeast of Europe on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula. ... Roman or Romans has several meanings, primarily related to the Roman citizens, but also applicable to typography, math, and a commune. ... Slav, Slavic or Slavonic can refer to: Slavic peoples Slavic languages Slavic mythology Church Slavonic language Old Church Slavonic language Slavonian can also refer to Slavonia, a region in eastern Croatia. ... Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies The Vedic civilization is the earliest civilization in Indian history of which we have written records that we understand. ... Druid can refer to: a priest of the religion of the ancient Celts, see Druidry. ...

History

Isaac Bonewits founded ADF with the goal of "researching and expanding sound modern scholarship about the ancient Celts and other Indo-European peoples, in order to reconstruct what the Old Religions of Europe really were." Isaac wanted such a focus on scholarship as a reaction to more "wishy washy" types of Neopaganism, such as those claiming direct descent from a "Great Matriarchy" of pre-historic times (see James Frazer's The Golden Bough). Isaac Bonewits (born October 1, 1949) is an author and occultist involved in American Neo-druidism. ... Neopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism, meaning New Paganism) is a heterogeneous group of religions which attempt to revive ancient, mainly European pre-Christian religions. ... The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion is a broad comparative cultural study of mythology and religion by Scottish anthropologist Sir James George Frazer (1854-1941). ...

Related to the focus on scholarship, Isaac started the ADF Study Program with the goal of producing credible, knowledgeable Neopagan Clergy, or actual Druid "priests" able to fulfill all the expectations of modern clergy for other Neopagans, such as birth, marriage, and death rites. Similarly, ADF's motto of "Why not excellence?" is an expression of the desire to create a bona fide religious tradition, rather than a small group that few would take seriously and which would not be around in a few years. Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. ...

ADF was also a reaction to many of the cultish pseudo-religions (Neopagan or not) which Isaac was familiar with and (in a few cases) experienced (http://www.neopagan.net/ABCDEF.html). Therefore, one of his first "dogmas" was the "Dogma of Archdruidic Fallibility", which means that even the Archdruid (leader of ADF) can make mistakes. This article is on dogma in religion. ...

Beliefs

ADF promotes a kind of Neo-druidism in which worshippers perform rituals honoring three kinds of entities: gods and goddesses, ancestors (honored dead), and nature spirits. Examples of gods and goddesses worshipped include Lugh, the Morrigan, Thor, Freya, Apollo, Athena, Vesta, Ceres, and many ancient, pre-Christian deities. Ancestors usually refers to the direct blood ancestors of the worshippers, but can include other honored dead (friends, mythological heroes, etc.) too. Nature spirits includes general animal (totem) spirits as well as whatever spirits are present in the place of worship, such as a local river spirit. As may be apparent, most ADF rituals occur outdoors. Neo-druidism is an attempt to reconstruct the ancient religion of druidism. ... Lug or Lugh is an Irish sun god and king of the Tuatha Dé Danann whose name means light or brightness. His epithets include Lámfhada (long hand), for his skill with a spear or sling, and Samildánach (multi-talented, skilled in many arts). He is handsome, perpetually youthful... The Mórrígan (Morrígan, Morrigu, Mór-Rhioghain) (great queen or phantom queen), is an Irish goddess of war and destruction. ... This article is about Thor, the god of Norse mythology. ... Freyja in Wagners operas See Freya radar for German World War II radar. ... Apollo in art In art, Apollo is usually depicted as a handsome young man, almost always beardless, and often with a lyre or bow in hand. ... Athena from the east pediment of the Afea temple in Aegina After a sculpture of Athena at the Louvre. ... Vesta may refer to: The goddess Vesta in Roman mythology equivalent to Greek Hestia The asteroid 4 Vesta, named for the Roman deity. ... For other uses, see Ceres (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Native American term. ...

In ADF terms, the triad of deities, ancestors, and nature spirits is called the "Three Kindreds". There are other triads in ADF practice, such as the "three realms" of Underworld (associated with the ancestors), Upperworld (associated with the gods) and this world (associated with the nature spirits); these are similar to the Norse realms of Niflheim, Asgard, and Midgard. There are also three areas of this world, or Land, Sea, and Sky. Norse is related to Scandinavia, and may mean: Ancient Norse mythology Medieval Norsemen, i. ... Niflheim (Mistland) is the realm of ice and cold in Norse Mythology. ... This article is about the realm of Norse Mythology. ... For other things of this name, see Midgard (disambiguation). ...

All of these triads are based on the common and pervasive theme of "threes" found in ancient Indo-European (and particularly Celtic) cultures. Similarly, ADF uses the common Indo-European themes of a sacred tree (e.g., the Norse Yggdrasil), a "gatekeeper" or opener of ways (e.g., Norse Heimdall, Celtic Manannan mac Lir, Hellenic Hermes), and a treaty with hostile entities (e.g., Norse Jotuns, Celtic Fomorians). In these ways, ADF religion is an attempt to reconstruct earlier Indo-European beliefs and practices by using the records we have of ancient Indo-European cultures and looking for commonalities among them. Yggdrasil In Norse Mythology, Yggdrasil (also Mimameid and Lerad) was the World tree, a gigantic tree (often suggested to be an ash, an interpretation generally accepted in the modern Scandinavian mind), thought to hold all of the different worlds, such as Asgard, Midgard, Utgard and Hel. ... Heimdall returns Brisingamen to Freya Heimdall (ON Heimdallr, the prefix Heim- means world, the affix -dallr is of uncertain origin, perhaps it means pole, perhaps bright) is one of the gods in the Norse Mythology. ... In Irish mythology, Manannan mac Lir was a sea and weather god. ... For other meanings see Hermes (disambiguation) Hermes bearing the infant Dionysus, by Praxiteles Hermēs (Greek: Έρμης: pile of marker stones), in Greek mythology, is the god of boundaries and of the travelers who cross them, of shepherds and cowherds, of orators, literature and poets, of athletics, of weights and measures... In Norse mythology, Jotuns, Jötunn or Jotnar of Utgard, Jötunnheim were the race of Gods called giants (thurs), separated into categories such as frost giants (rime giants, hrimthurs), fire giants, sea giants and storm giants. ... In Irish mythology, the Fomorians (Irish Fomóire, Fomórach) or Fomors were a semi-divine race who inhabited Ireland in ancient times. ...

ADF practice straddles the difficult middle ground between pure reconstructionism (attempting to recreate ancient practices exactly) and the much more recently-created Neopaganism (a blend of traditions starting in the early to middle 20th century, the most popular of which is Wicca). Thus, it attempts to be as authentic as possible given the realities of modern life. For example, ADF forbids any form of blood sacrifice because even if it were appropriate for one's ancestors (who lived in agrarian societies and regularly killed their own food), it is clearly not appropriate in modern industrial society. Neopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism, meaning New Paganism) is a heterogeneous group of religions which attempt to revive ancient, mainly European pre-Christian religions. ... For the book series Wicca see Sweep (book series) and Circle Of Three. ...

Organization

Local ADF congregations are known as "groves" (like groves of trees), and while group rituals are arguably more powerful than rituals performed individually, ADF also has many solitary members, some by choice and some because there are no groves within easy traveling distance. There are also ADF "protogroves", which are usually one or two people who would like to start a bigger grove, so by forming a protogrove are able to appear on the list of ADF groves and so attract potential new members.

One of ADF's cornerstone principles is the notion that it is a public form of Neopaganism. Again, this was partly a reaction to the secretive religious groups Isaac was familiar with, such as closed covens which were limited in size to 13 members. In addition to promoting cult-ish behavior, such secretism in a larger sense only promulgated the "underground" (occult, hidden) nature of Neopaganism. By making ADF a public tradition, Isaac hoped to both prevent ADF from ever becoming a cult and also further Neopaganism's acceptance in broader society as a credible and sane family of religions. Neopaganism (sometimes Neo-Paganism, meaning New Paganism) is a heterogeneous group of religions which attempt to revive ancient, mainly European pre-Christian religions. ... Coven or covan was originally a late medieval Scots word (c1500) meaning a gathering of any kind according to the Oxford English Dictionary. ... The word occult comes from Latin occultus (hidden), referring to the knowledge of the secret or knowledge of the hidden and often meaning knowledge of the supernatural, as opposed to knowledge of the visible or knowledge of the measurable, usually referred to as science. ...

As a result of all this, ADF groves are required to have eight open-to-the-public rituals (or "High Days" such as Beltane, Lughnasadh, and Samhain). ADF groves are also required to perform some kind of public service on a quarterly basis (cleaning up parks and other ecological activities are popular). Also, anyone may join ADF, as membership is open to the public. The ADF web site (see External Links) has more information about ADF, including how to join. Beltane or Beltaine (from Irish Bealtaine or Scottish Gaelic Bealtuinn; both from Old Irish Beltene, bright fire from *belo_te(p)niâ) is an ancient Gaelic holiday celebrated around May 1. ... Lughnasadh (or Lughnasa; modern Irish Lúnasa) is a Gaelic holiday celebrated on 1 August, during the time of the harvesting. ... Samhain (pron: sow-Ain) is the winter season of the ancient Celts. ...

See Also

Neo-druidism, Druidry, OBOD Neo-druidism is an attempt to reconstruct the ancient religion of druidism. ... In the Celtic religion, the modern words Druidry or Druidism denote the practices of the ancient druids, the priestly class in ancient Celtic societies through much of Western Europe north of the Alps and in the British Isles. ... The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids or OBOD is a Druidic order based in England. ...

External Links

• Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship, Inc. (http://www.adf.org)
• Isaac Bonewits' Website (http://www.neopagan.net)