Ár nDraíocht Féin is an independent Neopagan Druid church, originally founded in 1983. We are registered in the United States as a tax-exempt Nonprofit Corporation (501c3). ADF began as a network of independent scholars interested in the research of ancient Indo-European religious practices and has grown to have members on six continents and in countries all across the globe. We strive to provide a framework for public pagan worship and scholarship. Our vision is that the Gods and Spirits are served in the modern world through:
Public temple worship with a skilled priesthood
Accessible religious training for all
A spiritual relationship with the Earth
Sustainable Pagan institutions
A flourishing family and community Pagan culture
ADF members are working to revive the best aspects of the Paleo Pagan beliefs and practices from the ancient Indo-European people adapted to modern scientific, ecological, and cultural contexts.
Neopagan Druidry is a group of religions, philosophies and ways of life, rooted in ancient soil yet reaching for the stars. We are part of the larger Neopagan movement, one of the world’s most vital and creative new religious awakenings.
Like much of that movement we are polytheistic nature worshippers, working with the best aspects of the Pagan religions of our predecessors within a modern scientific, artistic, ecological and holistic context using a non-dogmatic and pluralistic approach.
Indo-European is a term that defines a large family of languages spoken throughout Europe and Asia as far north as India. This grouping includes: Albanian, Anatolian, Armenian, Baltic, Celtic, Germanic, Hellenic, Indo-Iranian, Italic, Slavic and Tocharian languages, and their descendants. Indo-European is a purely language based categorization and is not a cultural or racial concept.
The simplest answer is that we look to the ancient Druids for inspiration for our own spiritual path and build upon their work and ideals. The ancient Druids fulfilled many roles within their communities. They were the spiritual leaders of their people, the wise-ones, the law-makers, and a living library of art and science. They were the seers, mediators, and healers. We strive to uphold those ideals ourselves through spirituality, scholarship, and community.
You don’t have to be. Despite the Irish name for our organization and the use of the term Druid, our members come from a wide variety of ancestries. We are explicitly non-sexist, anti-racist, and inclusive in our practices. If you’re sincerely interested in any of the ancient Indo-European cultures and its practices, arts, and customs, then you’re welcome in our organization.
ADF as an organization does not have any set dogma, orthodoxy, or required shared beliefs. Instead, our focus is upon shared practices (orthopraxy) and values. Our practice is based around the idea of reciprocity: we give our gifts to the Gods and Spirits and in return we receive blessings from them. Public ADF rituals do have a specific format requirement, known as the Core Order of Ritual, which is further described later in this guide. However, there are no requirements for your personal practice outside of those public rites.
We value:
Commonality of ritual practice
Honoring the Earth Mother
Scholarship and research
Reciprocity with the Gods and Spirits
Respect for others through living our virtues
Service to the community, land, and the Kindreds.
While we do not have a standard set of beliefs that are shared between our members, we do have specific expectations for behavior from our members. Ár nDraíocht Féin is committed to upholding all members in a warm and welcoming environment. We are dedicated to providing a safe space for all of our members no matter their race, sex, gender, age, ethnicity, sexuality, or experiences.
ADF seeks to build a community that encourages, understands, appreciates, and accepts diversity. We work proactively to cultivate an environment where differences are embraced and the diversity of human expression is valued.
ADF believes that our community is stronger when all members have a voice and are encouraged to contribute. Additional expectations for member behavior can be found in our Code of Conduct and Moderation Policy.
As a member of ADF, you gain access to a network of hundreds of other members who share your interest in modern Druidry. You have the option to join our mailing lists, subgroups, and members-only social media groups.
You also gain access to the Dedicant Program, which is a year-long introductory course which encourages you to explore your spiritual path from the perspective as an ADF Druid, whether you are brand new to Paganism, or have been Pagan for decades. Once you’ve completed the Dedicant Program, you are welcome to apply to any of the other Study Programs that ADF has to offer.
If you are near a local grove or protogrove, you can also join them in their rituals and community service projects. If there are none near you, after six months of membership you are eligible to start your own Protogrove.
ADF members are also given the opportunity to vote for regional and organizational leadership in the Annual Election, including members of the Mother Grove and Regional Druids. Each member is given one vote upon joining, and then gains one additional vote for each year of consecutive membership, up to ten total votes.
The short answer is “No”. As an organization, we are not following Wiccan traditions, teaching about Wicca in our study programs, or performing Wiccan rituals in our public Core Order of Ritual rites. However, as we have described before, ADF does not have any required beliefs, dogma, or practices for our individual members so some members within our organization may also identify as Wiccan or follow Wiccan traditions in their personal practice, and that is fine with us. Our only “requirements” for practice are focused explicitly on public ADF rituals.
Within ADF, we follow the Neopagan Wheel of the Year for our holidays. We observe eight “High Days” each year including the solstices, equinoxes, and the halfway points between them:
November 1st – Cross-Quarter
December 21st – Solstice
February 1st – Cross-Quarter
March 21st – Equinox
May 1st – Cross-Quarter
June 21st – Solstice
August 1st – Cross-Quarter
September 21st – Equinox
Individual members and groves also celebrate at other times through the year, including various phases of the moon, recreated ancient festivals, or the beginnings and endings of months and seasons.
An ADF grove is any group of three or more voting members of ADF over the age of 18, who live in the same general geographical area, who gather together to study and practice Druidism within the context of Ár nDraíocht Féin. Our Groves are chartered by the Mother Grove (the Board of Directors) of ADF as a local congregation. An ADF grove provides public rituals for all eight High Days, and may also provide additional activities, such as study groups, volunteer opportunities, fellowship, hard work, and lots of fun.
We are a legally recognized nonprofit organization registered in the state of Delaware. We have also received recognition of our tax-exempt status from the IRS. There are no historical Druids left, but spiritually we believe that we are following the paths once walked by those people.
Our website has a wealth of information, and we know that can be overwhelming, so below are a few popular items to help you get started.
You can find rituals and articles about liturgy on our Explore page.
You can gain access to our discord, forums, and social media information through our Connect pages.
If English is not your primary language, we have mailing lists for members to communicate in German (adf-deutsch), Spanish (adf-espanol), French (adf-francais), and Portuguese (adf-portugues). We are always willing to add more language lists on demand if we have members who are interested in them.
You can join our discord and forums to have conversations with other druids following the ADF path.
You can check out our Study Programs, which begin with the Dedicant Path.
You can see any upcoming events and festivals on our Events page.
You can volunteer within the organization to use your real world skills to help others.
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