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 not ‘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.
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.
The Bardic grade
The Bards were the shaman poets of the Druidic caste, and much of the knowledge we have about the ancient Druids comes from the old Bardic tales. One of these tales is the story of Taliesin, the Primary Bard of Britain. The OBOD Bardic grade uses the skill of Bardic teaching through story and poetry, so we take the same journey as Gwion Bach (Little Innocent) so that through the experiences of the story, we can gain insight into the Wisdom of the Bards. So often people see spirituality as a way of escaping the world. But the Bardic course helps us become rooted in the Natural World that surrounds us, opening our eyes to the wonders that are there, just waiting to be discovered.
The Ovate grade
If the Bardic grade teaches us of the wonders of the Natural World, then the Ovate grade takes our hand, and leads us into the deep forest. The Druids and trees are inextricably linked, and it is here, in the Ovate grade, that the work with trees and herbs begins. The Ovates were the Druidic seers, so it is within the safety of the forest that we begin to work with the skills of divination, healing, and the magic of the Earth. Exploring our relationship with our ancestors of blood, and of spirit, stepping into the dark Grove of Yews, to commune with them, and learn the wisdom of the night, and of the moon.
The Druid grade
After the re-enchantment of the Bardic grade, and the deep discovery of the Ovate grade, the Druid grade then guides us towards an exploration of the mysteries of the stones and stars, and of those powers symbolized by the Dragon - deepening our learning and experience of Druid philosophy and magical practice. It will have taken at least two years to reach this point, and we will have journeyed to many places, both within and without. Our experiences will have taught us much, and it is here, within the Druid grade, that we might be inspired to step into some form of service to the Druidic tradition.
Organisation 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.
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.
To find out more about the OBOD their website is: www.druidry.org. Or write to them at OBOD, PO Box 1333, Lewes, E. Sussex, BN7 1DX. Or call 44-(0)1273-470888
