Black Mountain Grove
Black Mountain Grove is a Druid Sanctuary that meets on occasion near Black Mountain, North Carolina. Mostly though, we meet online. We have members from throughout Western North Carolina and Upstate South Carolina. We occasionally have get-togethers in Black Mountain, Lake Lure, Spartanburg, Asheville and other locations. As yet we have no fixed location and meet where time and convenience permit.
There are two major schools of thought in modern Druidry. One believes that Druids should try to be as authentic as possible in reconstructing the original Druid path by painstakingly studying history and archaeology for clues. The other is more experiential and believes that Druidry is a more inner, individual path. This school teaches that whatever is true for you as you walk the path is the 'true' Druidry.
Since the 'True Druidry' of our ancestors is lost to antiquity, neither of these schools of thought can lay claim to representing true historical Druidry. In this sense, we are all Reconstructionists.
Black Mountain Grove strives to strike a balance between these two schools of thought by learning from the past while focusing on the future. Our philosophy is to try to remain as free of dogma as possible. By doing so we allow for new experience and insight. We use the tools and knowledge of the past to find our way to the future. It is our belief that if the gods are real, then they will guide us as we recreate Druidry; and if the gods aren't real, and we're just making this up as we go along, then what was done in the past doesn't matter anyway as long as the rituals have meaning for us now.
Black Mountain Grove strives to strike a balance between tradition and experience. We wish to remain open to new ideas while looking back to remember where we've come from and where we've gone in the past. Ours is a living tradition with room for new thoughts, ideas and experiences.
We never want to become dogmatic in our approach. You can be a Druid and worship a god or a goddess. You can be a Druid and be a Christian, a Muslim or a Hindu, or even an Atheist. What brings us together is our commonalities as seekers. Our differences make us unique, but they don't need to divide us from each other.
While some people do well without a structure, others need ritual, rules and familiarity to guide them. Whenever a group of people with a common interest come together for fellowship, rules have been established, whether those rules are spoken or unspoken. Our Grove is no exception. Our rules and procedures are designed to make our coming together function smoothly as we enjoy and learn from each other.
Black Mountain Grove is liturgical in the sense that our Sabbats have an established structure.
Again we will be challenged to strike a balance. Our goal is to provide enough rules so that we may have a structure that everyone is comfortable with, without becoming dogmatic and rigid in the process.
To this end we have established a Council of Elders who act as a governing body for the Grove. Ultimately it is their responsibility and duty to create a structure that will make our gatherings a productive and spiritually rewarding experience.
Black Mountain Grove tries to hold eight formal meetings per year, on each of the eight Druid Sabbats . All of these follow an established liturgy but also have room for personal expression by all members of the Grove.
We also have informal get-togethers as members are willing and able, as well as workshops on Druidry. We don't currently have an established sanctuary Grove site, but are in the process of searching for one. At present we meet in public parks or on private land with the owner's permission.
There is no fee for membership in Black Mountain Grove. We sustain ourselves on donations from members at present on a voluntary basis. We do usually charge a small fee for workshops, to cover expenses, especially if books are required.
We have members from Asheville, NC to Spartanburg, SC and places in-between. At present we try to rotate our meetings so that at least one a year is convenient for our widespread members.
If you'd like more information about membership, please contact us!
Contact: Aedan Tremaine aedan [at] blackmountaingrove [dot] org
www.blackmountaingrove.org
