Definitions, Criteria and Disclaimer

Criteria for Directory Listing

Listed in this Directory are Druid Orders, Groves, Gorseddau and other groups, which together express the wide spectrum of beliefs and practices within the international community. (For links to non-Druid groups, check our Weblinks page.) In order for a Druid group to be listed in the Directory, we ask that it abides by the following simple criteria :

  • The group must practise Druidry in a form that is recognisable as Druidry by the Directory's co-ordinator.
  • Even if a group is not seeking new members, it must supply contact information. If the contact information supplied by a group becomes unusuable (eg dead urls and email addresses), the group will be removed from the directory, but will be very welcome to reapply with their new conatct details. The co-ordinator will make every reasonable effort to avoid having to unlist groups.
  • The group must not bring Druidry into disrepute. An application from any group with a verified reputation for violent or anti-social beliefs or behaviour will not be accepted. Rumours are not enough; the Druid Network's Directory co-ordinator must be satisfied that any negative accounts are justified in this regard.
  • An entry must only seek to inform enquirers of the group's services and membership. It must not seek to promote itself or its leaders as being better than other Druid organisations, or defame other individuals or groups.
The Druid Network reserve the right to refuse to include any group based upon their understanding of these criteria. Any queries should be taken to the trustees of The Druid Network, whose decision will be final and clearly explained to the applicant.

Birch LeavesApplication to be Listed

If you would like to apply to be listed in the Directory, we ask you to provide the following, sent to the Directory by email or through the Druid Network office. Only the group name and some point of contact are required, the rest are optional:

Group Name(s)

Preferred Abbreviation (if you use one)

Type of group (e.g. egroup, grove, gorsedd etc)

Your focus (e.g. Celtic, Christian, philosophical, study,)

Primary Email address (others can go in your group description if required)

Main Website url (others can go in your group description if required).

Other contact details – telephone numbers, postal address.

Your location at whatever level is most relevant – town, country, internet etc. Unless you have no geographical base, please include your country, and avoid abbreviations because the co-ordinator may not know what they mean.

Do you hold open rituals?

Do you offer training or courses?

Are you part of a larger group/order/network? If so, do you require your members to be part of said group/order/network?

Please include a paragraph describing your group in more detail. You may want to include information about your history, membership requirements, an expansion on any of the details listed above, your aims and objectives, your understanding of Druidry or anything else relevant.

You are welcome to include a small logo if you have one. New entries are typically added within a week.

Disclaimer

The Druid Network holds no responsibility for any actions taken by groups listed here. Each entry is written by the group themselves and does not in any way reflect the policy of The Druid Network. Any complaints about groups listed here should be sent to us by email.

Definitions

Because each entry is written by the group itself, within this Directory we do not attempt to define the words 'Grove', 'Order', 'Gorsedd' or any other term used by a group to describe itself. On the whole, however, it is worth taking note of the following rough definitions.

  • A Druid Order usually presents a particular set of beliefs or style of practice in terms of Druidry, sometimes offering a specific service. It may be that the Order is geographically, politically or theologically defined, or formed (for example) in order to protect a forest, disseminate a series of teachings, or explore a particular mythology or ancestral heritage. Members of an Order sometimes do not meet face to face, solely interacting with an office administrator, or communicating across the internet. Orders can be as small as two or three people who share a vision, or can have members in their thousands.
  • A Grove can also be small, with just a handful of people, the largest tending to be no more than 40 or 50 people who meet up to share ritual, teachings and celebration. Groves are often devoted to a local environment, area or ancient sacred site, or meet to share devotion to a particular deity or pantheon.
  • Although the term strictly means a throne, high seat or court, the word Gorsedd (plural: Gorseddau) in modern Druidry now generally refers to a gathering of Bards or Druids who offer a ritual open to the public. Some of those listed here were inaugurated by the British Druid Order or The Druid Network, some were inspired by the same source and its original ritual, and some are independent. Check the Public Rituals page.

NOTE :

'A Druid Directory', the third edition of which was edited by Philip Shallcrass and Emma Restall Orr, and published in 2000 by The British Druid Order. Although the book's listing is now fairly out of date, the book contains a valuable and comprehensive guide to the history and practice of Druidry. To buy a copy of 'A Druid Directory', at £5.95 including postage and packing (Europe: £7.50 or €12.50; Rest of the World: £8 or US$16), please get in touch with The British Druid Order, PO Box 1217, Devizes, Wiltshire SN10 4XA, UK or go to the BDO website.