Content formerly at SolitaryDruid.org was licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License. Even here, on The Druid Network’s site, it remains under that license. In a nutshell, this means you’re free to do anything with it as long at you give proper attribution, don’t try to sell it, and license it the same way.
About this Page
We managed to cobble together most of what you see here from the Web Archive Project which luckily took copies of SolitaryDruid.org in mid 2013 and we’ve taken the steps to build these pages because the original site vanished with little warning and the liturgies were very well written. We hope you think so too. Should the original site ever be revived we will assist the new owners in whatever way we can to help restore this treasury of words and intent.
Everything below here is original content – changed only to show past tense where appropriate.
What the Solitary Druid Fellowship was:
The Solitary Druid Fellowship was an experiment in Pagan liturgy, and an exercise of congregation in solitude.
The Solitary Druid Fellowship (SDF) was an extension of Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF), an independent tradition of Neo-Pagan Druidism. It was organized to provide solitary Druids, as well as any solitary Pagan in the general public, with an opportunity to engage more deeply with their ritual practice, while at the same time forging spiritual bonds with other solitaries through the adoption of a shared liturgical form.
The Fellowship, founded by Teo Bishop, author of the blog, Bishop In The Grove, and was organized by Kristin McFarland. Kristin McFarland has been a member of ADF since 2010, when she practiced as a solitary in the rural mountains of northern New Mexico. Raised a Catholic, Kristin found a new spiritual home in ADF, and the organization’s dedication to ritual and liturgy–as well as its commitment to excellence–continues to inspire her work.
Membership was not necessary in order to participate in SDF’s shared worship. The Fellowship provided free liturgies for each of the Eight High Days of the Pagan Wheel of the Year, each based on ADF’s Core Order of Ritual. SDF sought to create opportunities for solitaries to experience ritual celebration through a shared form with other solitaries across the globe.
Congregation in Solitude:
Solitaries face unique challenges. Our practice must be self-directed, self-motivated, and many times self-designed. We have books to guide us, and websites to reference, but we often lack a sense of direction around our practice.
The Solitary Druid Fellowship sought to provide a new way of engaging with solitude. Those who join us in a liturgical practice are, in effect, experiencing congregation in solitude. We are entering into the silence with the awareness that others in different physical locations join us in a similar, sometimes identical practice. Each of us brings our own sensibilities and style to our worship, but by joining one another in shared practice we experience a new sense of belonging and community.
Solitude is not a liability. In solitude we develop a deeper connection to our own inner voice and to the voices of the Kindred within us. In solitude we may become contemplative, centered, and discerning.
Solitude is the staging ground for real, transformative change.
So enter into the silence, and we will enter with you.
Liturgy and Devotionals:
(Scroll down for the free downloads)
Modern Pagans, sometimes called “Neopagans” to distinguish us from our Paleopagan and Mesopagan ancestors, share a seasonal calendar of eight major festivals days, or High Days. These High Day celebrations attune us to the movement of the seasons and the cycles of life and death on the land.
From a religious perspective, these High Days form a liturgical calendar. A liturgical calendar, as you will see below, orders the year around a series of important religious celebrations.
The High Days of the Solitary Druid Fellowship’s liturgical calendar (also called the “Wheel of the Year”) are those recognized by ADF, and fall on or near the following days:
- Cross-Quarter (Samhain) = November 1st
- Winter Solstice = December 21st
- Cross-Quarter (Imbolc) = February 1st
- Spring Equinox = March 21st
- Cross-Quarter (Beltane) = May 1st
- Summer Solstice = June 21st
- Cross-Quarter (Lúgnasadh) = August 1st
- Autumn Equinox = September 21st
For each of these important days, a specific liturgy can be created. A liturgy is a form of worship, most often performed publicly, that is built on and informed by the traditions of a religious community.
In the case of the Solitary Druid Fellowship, our High Day liturgies are informed by ADF’s Core Order of Ritual, and by our own experiences and perspectives as solitary Druids.
In addition to building a liturgical practice around the High Days, the Solitary Druid Fellowship is introducing daily devotionals for solitaries of the Fellowship. These devotionals will be published periodically to this page as free downloads.
By participating in this shared practice, you have the opportunity experience unity through liturgy, and congregation in solitude.
FULL LITURGIES
Download All Purpose, Simple SDF Liturgy
An all-purpose, abbreviated liturgy for use at any occasion where a brief ritual is called for.
Download December Solstice High Day Liturgy
Download February Cross Quarter High Day Liturgy
Download Equinox High Day Liturgy
Download May Cross Quarter High Day Liturgy
Download June Solstice High Day Liturgy
Download August Cross Quarter High Day Liturgy
Download September Equinox High Day Liturgy
SEASONAL DEVOTIONALS
Download Winter Solstice Devotional
Download Imbolc Devotional
Download Spring Equinox Devotional
Download Equinox Devotional
Download Beltane Devotional
Download Summer Solstice Devotional
Download First Harvest Devotional
Download Autumn Equinox Devotional
Download Samhain Devotional
MORNING
Download Morning Devotional 1
EVENING
Download SDF Evening Devotional 1
LUNAR
Download Full Moon Devotional