Post by jadedsage on Aug 10, 2004 14:04:17 GMT -5
Composed By: Damh the Bard
Email: damh@obod.co.uk
History
The Druid/Pagan world in the early 1960s, when the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids (OBOD) was created, was very different than it is now. Occult exploration was directed very much by ideas and rituals developed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the Theosophical Society which, over the course of a very short time, helped to define the Western Mystery Tradition. At this time, 'Druid' and 'Freemason' were almost the same thing, with the dominant Druid groups being more like 'Friendly Societies,' mainly made up of men, and with very little spiritual direction. One of these groups would begin their meetings by placing a Bible on a table, and then banning the mention of religion. This was the Druid world in which Ross Nichols, the founder of the OBOD, began his life-long love of the Druid tradition, and all things Celtic. So how did Druidry get from this to become the dynamic and thriving spirituality we have today?
Ross had become friends with Gerald Gardner (who many now view as the father of modern Wicca) at the utopian Naturist resort of Speilplatz near St. Albans, Hertfordshire, and it is probably here that the foundations of the modern Pagan movement were laid. Between them, they set about creating the now familiar 'Wheel of the Year,' the cycle of eight seasonal festivals that divided the year up into approximately six-week parts. Each festival celebrated the changes in the agricultural and celestial worlds, which symbolically represented the dance between the Pagan God and Goddess of the Land. At that time Druids only celebrated the two Equinoxes of Spring and Autumn, and the Summer Solstice. Gardner introduced the wheel into his then-fledgling Wicca almost immediately. Druidry, on the other hand, had to wait until Ross formed the OBOD.
In 1964, when Ross was 62, three of the main influences in his spiritual life died. These were Gerald Gardner, the Ancient Druid Order's Chief Macgregor Reid, and the Archbishop of the Ancient Celtic Church. Ross did not get on with the new Chief of the Ancient Druid Order, so took this opportunity to leave and start a new Order, one whose focus would be on re-introducing spirituality back into modern Druidry. So in 1964, the OBOD was born, and modern Druidry began the first steps that would lead it towards the Druidry practiced today.
Ross spent the next 11 years of his life exploring, developing, and creating. During the years that Ross spent as Chief of the OBOD one of his students was a young man named Philip Carr-Gomm. Ross had a great love of the energy of young people, and regularly included them in the open rituals performed by the Order at places like Primrose Hill in London, and Glastonbury Tor. Philip was a keen photographer, and Ross asked him to help create a photographic archive of the Order's activities. Then, in 1970 at Beltane, Philip was initiated into the OBOD on Glastonbury Tor. At the time the OBOD was still a small group, and when Ross died suddenly in 1975 the Order almost went with him; for 13 years it slept. Then, in 1984, during a meditation, Ross appeared to Philip. He told him that the way of the Druid would become more and more important, that the teachings of the Druids would be of great relevance to our future, and that Philip should make them more widely available. So, for the next four years, Philip searched for anything that Ross had written down, finding the original manuscript of the Book of Druidry, much of his teaching material, and through a series of amazing coincidences, managed to piece together enough material to begin to create a teaching program. Continuing Ross' structure of the three 'grades' of Bard, Ovate and Druid, the material was also so divided, which helped people to sustain a focus, and travel through a personal experiential journey. Then, in 1988, Philip was asked to re-form the Order, and to be its Chosen Chief.
It was the teaching program Philip created, and the method chosen to teach it, that would be responsible for the incredible growth of the OBOD in the late 80s and 90s. Now, in 2004, the OBOD is the largest and one of the most dynamic Druid organizations in the world.
The OBOD Now
Core Beliefs:
The OBOD Druid tradition reflects the teachings of the ancient Druids; it helps provide a way to develop a deeper and more meaningful relationship with the Spirits of the Land and our ancestors. It also addresses a driving need to open up our inner creativity - to learn to see the world through the eyes of a poet. It also teaches the arts of seership and divination. There are no 'thou shalt nots' within the OBOD teachings. Each member is encouraged to discover their own individual relationship with the Divine, in whatever way it shows its face to them, be that through God, Goddess or Great Spirit. All the time with the knowledge that, although they develop this personal relationship, they have others who Walk the Path beside them.
Organization of Groups:
Since the first people joined the Order in 1988, thousands of members have walked this path, creating a network of Druids with over 80 Groves and Seed groups around the world, and providing the basis of a real Druidic community. These groups are autonomous and are individual groups in their own right. However, what links the members of these groups together is the OBOD course - they have all walked a path that has been tread many times before, by many other people. This kinship is a bond between members of the Order. One of the benefits being that it avoids the intrusion of the ego. In the end, all members, if they wish, can move through the grades (or schools), and as each grade teaches different skills, the Bard is not inferior to the Ovate, nor the Ovate inferior to the Druid.
As a part of the natural growth of this community, the OBOD also hold camps and assemblies in the UK, Europe, North America and Australia.
Although the OBOD's structure is divided into 'grades' they are more like 'schools' - each one teaching different skills, each one building on the other in a journey of spiritual discovery.
To provide a training that works on both the surface and at a far deeper, inner level, members are offered the support of a personal mentor. Members can request a tutor from a network of over 70 worldwide, who they can correspond with about their experiences with the course. The mentor's role is not to 'teach' but to 'walk the path' with the member as tutor and friend.
The OBOD course takes its inspiration from the ancient Druids, but for it to be of value to us today, Druidry cannot simply be re-enactment. We need to allow ourselves to look at how the ancient teachings can help us grow and become more at one with the Natural World in our modern age. Druidry is not a 'revealed' religion, and therefore has no dogmatic 'thou shalt nots' - instead it is a living, breathing, thriving spirituality that the world needs now, more than ever before.
Email: damh@obod.co.uk
History
The Druid/Pagan world in the early 1960s, when the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids (OBOD) was created, was very different than it is now. Occult exploration was directed very much by ideas and rituals developed by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn and the Theosophical Society which, over the course of a very short time, helped to define the Western Mystery Tradition. At this time, 'Druid' and 'Freemason' were almost the same thing, with the dominant Druid groups being more like 'Friendly Societies,' mainly made up of men, and with very little spiritual direction. One of these groups would begin their meetings by placing a Bible on a table, and then banning the mention of religion. This was the Druid world in which Ross Nichols, the founder of the OBOD, began his life-long love of the Druid tradition, and all things Celtic. So how did Druidry get from this to become the dynamic and thriving spirituality we have today?
Ross had become friends with Gerald Gardner (who many now view as the father of modern Wicca) at the utopian Naturist resort of Speilplatz near St. Albans, Hertfordshire, and it is probably here that the foundations of the modern Pagan movement were laid. Between them, they set about creating the now familiar 'Wheel of the Year,' the cycle of eight seasonal festivals that divided the year up into approximately six-week parts. Each festival celebrated the changes in the agricultural and celestial worlds, which symbolically represented the dance between the Pagan God and Goddess of the Land. At that time Druids only celebrated the two Equinoxes of Spring and Autumn, and the Summer Solstice. Gardner introduced the wheel into his then-fledgling Wicca almost immediately. Druidry, on the other hand, had to wait until Ross formed the OBOD.
In 1964, when Ross was 62, three of the main influences in his spiritual life died. These were Gerald Gardner, the Ancient Druid Order's Chief Macgregor Reid, and the Archbishop of the Ancient Celtic Church. Ross did not get on with the new Chief of the Ancient Druid Order, so took this opportunity to leave and start a new Order, one whose focus would be on re-introducing spirituality back into modern Druidry. So in 1964, the OBOD was born, and modern Druidry began the first steps that would lead it towards the Druidry practiced today.
Ross spent the next 11 years of his life exploring, developing, and creating. During the years that Ross spent as Chief of the OBOD one of his students was a young man named Philip Carr-Gomm. Ross had a great love of the energy of young people, and regularly included them in the open rituals performed by the Order at places like Primrose Hill in London, and Glastonbury Tor. Philip was a keen photographer, and Ross asked him to help create a photographic archive of the Order's activities. Then, in 1970 at Beltane, Philip was initiated into the OBOD on Glastonbury Tor. At the time the OBOD was still a small group, and when Ross died suddenly in 1975 the Order almost went with him; for 13 years it slept. Then, in 1984, during a meditation, Ross appeared to Philip. He told him that the way of the Druid would become more and more important, that the teachings of the Druids would be of great relevance to our future, and that Philip should make them more widely available. So, for the next four years, Philip searched for anything that Ross had written down, finding the original manuscript of the Book of Druidry, much of his teaching material, and through a series of amazing coincidences, managed to piece together enough material to begin to create a teaching program. Continuing Ross' structure of the three 'grades' of Bard, Ovate and Druid, the material was also so divided, which helped people to sustain a focus, and travel through a personal experiential journey. Then, in 1988, Philip was asked to re-form the Order, and to be its Chosen Chief.
It was the teaching program Philip created, and the method chosen to teach it, that would be responsible for the incredible growth of the OBOD in the late 80s and 90s. Now, in 2004, the OBOD is the largest and one of the most dynamic Druid organizations in the world.
The OBOD Now
Core Beliefs:
The OBOD Druid tradition reflects the teachings of the ancient Druids; it helps provide a way to develop a deeper and more meaningful relationship with the Spirits of the Land and our ancestors. It also addresses a driving need to open up our inner creativity - to learn to see the world through the eyes of a poet. It also teaches the arts of seership and divination. There are no 'thou shalt nots' within the OBOD teachings. Each member is encouraged to discover their own individual relationship with the Divine, in whatever way it shows its face to them, be that through God, Goddess or Great Spirit. All the time with the knowledge that, although they develop this personal relationship, they have others who Walk the Path beside them.
Organization of Groups:
Since the first people joined the Order in 1988, thousands of members have walked this path, creating a network of Druids with over 80 Groves and Seed groups around the world, and providing the basis of a real Druidic community. These groups are autonomous and are individual groups in their own right. However, what links the members of these groups together is the OBOD course - they have all walked a path that has been tread many times before, by many other people. This kinship is a bond between members of the Order. One of the benefits being that it avoids the intrusion of the ego. In the end, all members, if they wish, can move through the grades (or schools), and as each grade teaches different skills, the Bard is not inferior to the Ovate, nor the Ovate inferior to the Druid.
As a part of the natural growth of this community, the OBOD also hold camps and assemblies in the UK, Europe, North America and Australia.
Although the OBOD's structure is divided into 'grades' they are more like 'schools' - each one teaching different skills, each one building on the other in a journey of spiritual discovery.
To provide a training that works on both the surface and at a far deeper, inner level, members are offered the support of a personal mentor. Members can request a tutor from a network of over 70 worldwide, who they can correspond with about their experiences with the course. The mentor's role is not to 'teach' but to 'walk the path' with the member as tutor and friend.
The OBOD course takes its inspiration from the ancient Druids, but for it to be of value to us today, Druidry cannot simply be re-enactment. We need to allow ourselves to look at how the ancient teachings can help us grow and become more at one with the Natural World in our modern age. Druidry is not a 'revealed' religion, and therefore has no dogmatic 'thou shalt nots' - instead it is a living, breathing, thriving spirituality that the world needs now, more than ever before.