Interest in Druidry

[New-Seeker]

Awesome! I can't wait to get my introductory stuff. So far I've been looking for books to help me learn while I wait. I am really looking forward to learning what OBOD has to say. And teach.

What changed your mind, if you don't mind me asking?

 
I was feeling drawn to ceremonial magic and gave it a go. It didn't feel right for me and made me realise that the sort of teaching OBOD offers is the way I want to go

Have you found any good books?

[New-Seeker]

I just pulled the trigger (so to speak) today and signed up for the entire course.  I really enjoyed the intro package and I'm looking forward to continuing the course.  There is also an OBOD Grove about three hours from me, which isn't too bad of a drive.  I was thinking about contacting them when I get further into the course.

 
That's great! Did you go for the audio / text or both? I'm trying to decide...

I'm going to email a grove near me and maybe meet with one or two of them informally, then maybe go along to rituals etc once I'm more experienced.

[Sophia C]

I just pulled the trigger (so to speak) today and signed up for the entire course.  I really enjoyed the intro package and I'm looking forward to continuing the course.  There is also an OBOD Grove about three hours from me, which isn't too bad of a drive.  I was thinking about contacting them when I get further into the course.

 
Welcome to OBOD! (And the same to Mountain Cat and New-Seeker, if you do decide to join. )

I thoroughly recommend getting involved with an OBOD grove if you're doing the programme (assuming that you're not the sort of person who hates groups too much). It made a lot more sense of the material for me, being able to discuss it with others who were working through it. And the rituals make a lot more sense in a group than done alone, honestly.

[NightQueen]

That's great! Did you go for the audio / text or both? I'm trying to decide...

I'm going to email a grove near me and maybe meet with one or two of them informally, then maybe go along to rituals etc once I'm more experienced.

 
I also had trouble deciding between just the text version and both that and the audio.  I decided to go with both, because I really liked listening to the audio version that came in the intro package.  I think they're really well done-everything works: the music, the speakers voice, etc.  The second reason is I thought it might be more immersive to read along while listening.  And thirdly I did it because I drive a lot and I thought I could listen to certain sections in the car.

It's cheaper to do just the text and I'm sure that just the text version is great, but I figured I might as well get the most out of it that I can.  Plus I put it on a credit card, so I can rationalize the extra money as getting extra points :whis:.

[NightQueen]

Welcome to OBOD! (And the same to Mountain Cat and New-Seeker, if you do decide to join. )

I thoroughly recommend getting involved with an OBOD grove if you're doing the programme (assuming that you're not the sort of person who hates groups too much). It made a lot more sense of the material for me, being able to discuss it with others who were working through it. And the rituals make a lot more sense in a group than done alone, honestly.

Thank you for the welcome.  I think I will get in touch with the grove nearest to me.  I think I would get much more out of the rituals by doing them with others than if I were doing them solitary.  It would also be nice to hang out with like minded people in real life (not that you guys here online aren't great), since that is currently sorely lacking in my life at the moment.

[Melian Brythonia]

Thank you for the welcome.  I think I will get in touch with the grove nearest to me.  I think I would get much more out of the rituals by doing them with others than if I were doing them solitary.

Another OBODie here - I completed the bardic course a few years ago, currently working through Ovate. I absolutely loved the bardic course! OBOD is a great fit for me - it offers you structure if you want it, but the freedom to explore other ideas/beliefs if you are drawn to them. The Gatherings are great too, although they are of course held in the UK.

I hope you all enjoy the bardic course and that it helps you to find what you seek.

[New-Seeker]

Another OBODie here - I completed the bardic course a few years ago, currently working through Ovate. I absolutely loved the bardic course! OBOD is a great fit for me - it offers you structure if you want it, but the freedom to explore other ideas/beliefs if you are drawn to them. The Gatherings are great too, although they are of course held in the UK.

I hope you all enjoy the bardic course and that it helps you to find what you seek.

 
It's replies like this that make me sure i'm choosing the right path. How long do you expect the full course to take you?

[New-Seeker]

It's cheaper to do just the text and I'm sure that just the text version is great, but I figured I might as well get the most out of it that I can.  Plus I put it on a credit card, so I can rationalize the extra money as getting extra points :whis:.

 
This made me laugh

I think almost everyone I've heard from recommends the audio and text version - probably a lot to do with the exceptional production values of the OBOD materials

[Melian Brythonia]

It's replies like this that make me sure i'm choosing the right path. How long do you expect the full course to take you?

How long is a piece of string? The bardic course took me 3 years to complete. I'm currently at about 3 with Ovate as well. The minimum amount of time OBOD recommend is a year for each grade, but I found that it took me, personally, much longer. It's experiential so it really depends on the person who is having the experience of the course.

[Keri]

The bardic course took me 3 years to complete. I'm currently at about 3 with Ovate as well. The minimum amount of time OBOD recommend is a year for each grade, but I found that it took me, personally, much longer.

I'm OBOD and BDO (British Druid Order) and live in America. The bardic course took me one year and I started the Ovate course in May and suspect it will take much longer. I'm told the average completion time is 3 years and many take much longer. The great thing with OBOD is there is no pressure to hurry and it's fine to take as long as you want.

The Bardic course teaches a lot of skills and involves a lot of introspection and personal work. Some of this work puts you in touch with the order on a spiritual level so there is a sense of belonging even if you are solo. (I'm solo because there is no grove in my area).

The Ovate course then really expands on everything and encourages one to create their own path based on the knowledge acquired. I found this to be extremely valuable on my personal spiritual journey because it allows me to practice Druidry in the here and now and to put an emphasis on my natural surroundings in Minnesota while still spiritually tapping into the magic and mystery of the Irish and British landscapes.

The BDO course I find very complimentary to OBOD. it has expanded my horizons and given me different ways of looking at things and different ways of doing things which still fit very nicely with the OBOD. Both are very much develop ones own intuitive spirituality.

I came to all this after being with ADF for 7 months. ADF turned out to be too strict for me and I didn't want to be so hemmed in and told what to read and what not to read and told what my sacred hallows needed to be and what they couldn't be etc. And I just had a nagging problem with the worship of deities and the required offerings made to them---something just rubbed me wrong with that and I was never able to really feel or develop a relationships with the any gods or goddesses so I simply quit ADF before finishing their Dedicant program.

One thing that really influenced me to make the change to OBOD and BDO was this: I was driving home from work and Led Zeppelin's song Kashmir came on the radio. One verse is "father of the four winds...." and it hit me...that's the sort of "deities" I connect with. Spirits of the wind, of the mist, perhaps ancient powers that are unknown and unknowable and don't go around with names like Thor, Zeus, and Brigit. I am drawn to the spiritual essence of trees, of animals, or rocks and flowing water. And if this describes you to some extent, OBOD and/or BDO are the places to be because they will put you on a path to develop a structure to relate to and work within this spiritual realm.

As for cost....I look at it as about a dollar a day instead of the lump sum that can appear rather daunting. But as pointed out above, once the three courses are done you never have to pay another cent beyond the yearly fee for the monthly newsletter if you want to continue that. But it's not like it is over either once the tree grades are done--so many new interests will be created as you go through the lessons that you'll have a reading list for the future that will last you to the end of your days (may that be a very, very long time from now).

[Mountain Cat]

I'm OBOD and BDO (British Druid Order) and live in America. The bardic course took me one year and I started the Ovate course in May and suspect it will take much longer. I'm told the average completion time is 3 years and many take much longer. The great thing with OBOD is there is no pressure to hurry and it's fine to take as long as you want.

The Bardic course teaches a lot of skills and involves a lot of introspection and personal work. Some of this work puts you in touch with the order on a spiritual level so there is a sense of belonging even if you are solo. (I'm solo because there is no grove in my area).

The Ovate course then really expands on everything and encourages one to create their own path based on the knowledge acquired. I found this to be extremely valuable on my personal spiritual journey because it allows me to practice Druidry in the here and now and to put an emphasis on my natural surroundings in Minnesota while still spiritually tapping into the magic and mystery of the Irish and British landscapes.

The BDO course I find very complimentary to OBOD. it has expanded my horizons and given me different ways of looking at things and different ways of doing things which still fit very nicely with the OBOD. Both are very much develop ones own intuitive spirituality.

I came to all this after being with ADF for 7 months. ADF turned out to be too strict for me and I didn't want to be so hemmed in and told what to read and what not to read and told what my sacred hallows needed to be and what they couldn't be etc. And I just had a nagging problem with the worship of deities and the required offerings made to them---something just rubbed me wrong with that and I was never able to really feel or develop a relationships with the any gods or goddesses so I simply quit ADF before finishing their Dedicant program.

One thing that really influenced me to make the change to OBOD and BDO was this: I was driving home from work and Led Zeppelin's song Kashmir came on the radio. One verse is "father of the four winds...." and it hit me...that's the sort of "deities" I connect with. Spirits of the wind, of the mist, perhaps ancient powers that are unknown and unknowable and don't go around with names like Thor, Zeus, and Brigit. I am drawn to the spiritual essence of trees, of animals, or rocks and flowing water. And if this describes you to some extent, OBOD and/or BDO are the places to be because they will put you on a path to develop a structure to relate to and work within this spiritual realm.

As for cost....I look at it as about a dollar a day instead of the lump sum that can appear rather daunting. But as pointed out above, once the three courses are done you never have to pay another cent beyond the yearly fee for the monthly newsletter if you want to continue that. But it's not like it is over either once the tree grades are done--so many new interests will be created as you go through the lessons that you'll have a reading list for the future that will last you to the end of your days (may that be a very, very long time from now).

 

Thanks for all the great information!

I just got my OBOD intro package on Friday and I've read through it a few times. I listened to the CD, as well.

I think I am going to give it a chance. It looks like the kind of thing that I would like and I always knew I would have to kind of do a lot of... I'm not sure of the words I'm looking for here. There were parts that made me cringe and wonder if I could keep reading and there were parts that were so lovely and inspiring that I felt so full of hope, as though I had finally found what I was looking for. I guess I'm trying to decide if the cringe-worthy parts are overridden by the inspiring parts. Then I worry that if I had more in-depth historical, archaeological and anthropological information would more things be cringe-worthy or would more things make sense?

Gah. I'm not making sense. I think I'm worried that I'm too much of a skeptic with too much of a scholarly background to accept the OBOD teachings.

Then again, I got hit on the head a few days back. Maybe my reading comprehension has been impaired. Is there anyone in OBOD that would be willing to answer a question, privately, if necessary, to help me clear things up (Insert question mark here. I just did something weird to my keyboard and the question mark is something french now.)

[NightQueen]

Thanks for all the great information!

I just got my OBOD intro package on Friday and I've read through it a few times. I listened to the CD, as well.

I think I am going to give it a chance. It looks like the kind of thing that I would like and I always knew I would have to kind of do a lot of... I'm not sure of the words I'm looking for here. There were parts that made me cringe and wonder if I could keep reading and there were parts that were so lovely and inspiring that I felt so full of hope, as though I had finally found what I was looking for. I guess I'm trying to decide if the cringe-worthy parts are overridden by the inspiring parts. Then I worry that if I had more in-depth historical, archaeological and anthropological information would more things be cringe-worthy or would more things make sense?

Gah. I'm not making sense. I think I'm worried that I'm too much of a skeptic with too much of a scholarly background to accept the OBOD teachings.

Then again, I got hit on the head a few days back. Maybe my reading comprehension has been impaired. Is there anyone in OBOD that would be willing to answer a question, privately, if necessary, to help me clear things up (Insert question mark here. I just did something weird to my keyboard and the question mark is something french now.)

I'm not sure what parts of the gwersi you had issues with, but I think the key is to remember that something doesn't need to be 100% historically accurate to be true.  If that makes any sense?  OBOD isn't reconstructionist.  Religion and spirituality have always (to me at least) being about using myths and stories to convey a fundamental truth about ourselves or the world around us, not necessarily giving us an accurate account of what really went on.

On the other hand, if something really doesn't feel right to you, maybe it's not the best fit for you.  No shame in that.  I spent a long time trying to squeeze myself into a box I didn't fit in, and while I don't regret it, I acknowledge now that it just never was the right path for me.

Hopefully someone who has completed the course (or is at least father along than I) can answer your questions though if you'd like to discuss the first couple gwersi you can PM me.

[Sophia C]

Thanks for all the great information!

I just got my OBOD intro package on Friday and I've read through it a few times. I listened to the CD, as well.

I think I am going to give it a chance. It looks like the kind of thing that I would like and I always knew I would have to kind of do a lot of... I'm not sure of the words I'm looking for here. There were parts that made me cringe and wonder if I could keep reading and there were parts that were so lovely and inspiring that I felt so full of hope, as though I had finally found what I was looking for. I guess I'm trying to decide if the cringe-worthy parts are overridden by the inspiring parts. Then I worry that if I had more in-depth historical, archaeological and anthropological information would more things be cringe-worthy or would more things make sense?

Gah. I'm not making sense. I think I'm worried that I'm too much of a skeptic with too much of a scholarly background to accept the OBOD teachings.

Then again, I got hit on the head a few days back. Maybe my reading comprehension has been impaired. Is there anyone in OBOD that would be willing to answer a question, privately, if necessary, to help me clear things up (Insert question mark here. I just did something weird to my keyboard and the question mark is something french now.)

Yes, very happy to. I've completed the bardic grade. You can PM me if you prefer.

I can relate to the process of cringing at some things and loving others. For me, it was the new agey stuff that made me cringe - but I kept at it, because the way OBOD works with myth and magic works very well for me in other places. It's a very broad course, aimed at a wide audience of people, so no one will like everything about it. Joining a grove really helped me there, as there was a lot of joking around about the course, as we were all releasing our tensions about it. It also showed me that no one takes all literally or seriously, and how to be sceptical about it all while also getting the most out of it.

[Keri]

Is there anyone in OBOD that would be willing to answer a question, privately, if necessary, to help me clear things up (Insert question mark here. I just did something weird to my keyboard and the question mark is something french now.)

 
You can email or pm me. I originally struggled with authenticity versus revival Druidry, thinking I wanted the authentic variety--thinking at the time there was an authentic version. But there is very little authentic evidence out there as to what Druids believed and what they did. And when I looked at what evidence there was for Iron Age pagan practices, I found much to dislike. I decided that was then, this was now, and there was no shame in adopting a space age Druidism.

Every religion was born at some point in time and was brand new--some are just a little older than others. Realizing that went a long way to my being able to embrace revival Druidry versus insisting everything be as close to the Iron Age as possible. We can revere and respect the old ways without having to consider ourselves in thrall to them. So it doesn't matter if something was a 17th century invention--all that matters is that it works for us and strengthens our expressions of Druidry.

[Mountain Cat]

Religion and spirituality have always (to me at least) being about using myths and stories to convey a fundamental truth about ourselves or the world around us, not necessarily giving us an accurate account of what really went on.

 

I think this is something I've been missing about the OBOD druidry. I'm not sure which myths and stories they use to convey their truths and I don't know enough about Celtic history to find the stories for myself. That's something I'll have to do, is learn the myths and stories. Thanks for mentioning this.

I've been feeling really scattered since I got the intro package and I'm not sure what I've been needing to do. I keep coming back to this thread wanting to ask questions, but my thought process is going so slow that I can't figure out what I want to say. Just doing a very careful reading of these responses is helping me sort things out.