Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids

The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (English ' Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids ' ), called OBOD, is a neodruidischer Order with headquarters in England. He has become one of the liveliest Druids associations with members in all parts of the world. The present members constituent is by his own admission and the publication in the magazine " Touchstone " and the teaching booklets currently 10,000 members worldwide.

History of the Order

It was founded in 1964 by Ross Nichols, a poet, artist and historian, who is chairman of the company founded by Dr. Wentworth Little from a gathering of Freemasons in 1874 'Ancient Druid Order' ( Ancient and Archaeological Order of Druids) a successor to the AOD was and whose lines to London, can be tracked back to the year 1717 meeting in the ' Apple Tree Tavern ' in Covent Garden. This was the same tavern where to be traced back and the Masonic lodges and other druids. The ADO has since led exclusively with the Druids of the Universal Bond (An Druidh Uileach Braithreachas, or ADUB ) at Stonehenge ceremonies and this right applies today. After the death of ADO Chairman Robert MacGregor in 1964 and the division of the ADO Ross Nichols took over part of the Order and molds it into a religious community.

Nichols was a friend of Gerald Gardner, and while Gardner was working on the introduction of Wicca in the modern world, Nichols turned the practice of modern Druidism to. He led the merger of Celtic mythology and art a bard, as well as celebrating all eight annual festivals in addition to the training for the initiations in the three degrees a, in accordance with classical forms of tripartite division of the priests degrees. In 1988, the order was taken over after the death of Philip Carr- Gomm Nichols. The training courses have now been planned as distance learning and distributed to members throughout the world. A network of tutors was built, which were responsible for each of the three levels of Bard, Ovate and Druid. Members meet at parties and so-called camps all over the world and thus there exists a global network of ' seedgroups ' called learning groups and ' groves ' as communities.

There is also a public website and private pages of the groups and the Order, several Internet forums, the monthly magazine ' touchstone ' and quarterly magazines in Dutch and in the Australian region.

List of Chairman from 1717 to today

  • John Toland 1717 -1722
  • William Stukely 1722 - 1765
  • Edward Finch Hatton 1765 - 1771
  • David Samway 1771 - 1799
  • William Blake 1799 - 1827
  • Geoffrey Higgins 1827 - 1833
  • William Carpenter 1833 - 1874
  • Edward Vaughan Kenealy 1874 - 1880
  • Gerald Massey 1880 - 1906
  • John Barry O'Callaghan 1906 - 1909
  • G. W. MacGregor -Reid 1909 - 1946
  • Robt. A. F. MacGregor -Reid 1946 - 1964
  • Ross Nichols 1964-1975
  • Phillip Carr- Gomm 1988 - today

Objectives of the Order

Over the years, the OBOD has successfully developed his doctrine of Druidism. Students are long passed over a year as a ' journey ' through ancient bardic stories that introduce you to the ancient rites and mysteries. The course uses historical, mythological and psychological studies to the individual students in their spirituality and inner faculties introduce. At a certain degree of self-discovery arises quite naturally an attitude, a way of seeing things that want to work towards the earth, the cosmos and preserved as sacred ( God- connected, gottentsprungen and therefore per se as divine) to view and pay therefore.

The virtues of a former Masonic lodge remain, constituents of the religious branch of the OBOD, this also according to the contents of the Barddas and the writings of the Pherrylt ( probably resemble that of Culdeer ), directed.

In meetings, members enjoy the storytelling of the Bards (old legends and myths, as well as modern songs and stories inspired by the corresponding context ), for example, accompanied by harp, guitar, and bodhrán. Not infrequently, are seated the participants around a campfire. They hold ceremonies and workshops also meet there on tutors and Head of the Order or the Groves. A member mutatis mutandis once said: " We invented a way of exploring and ' immersion ' in old stories and myths, so that they and were actually a fun game This all happened between two fields and a forest, we keep druidic Schwitzhüttenrituale and. initiations from and large communal ceremonies under the stars ".

Untypically, in comparison to many other druids of OBOD members accepted regardless of their religion, which for example means that even people of Christian faith can become a member there, without necessarily otherwise druids "typical" faith elements such as Reincarnation to conform. In this respect, Druidism must be in accordance with the teaching of the OBOD understood not necessarily as a religion in the true sense, but may vary according to personal preference more or less be assumed, for example, rather than attitude or way of life far.

Mystery religion Culdees
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