Awen’s Light Grove is an official Grove of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, (www.druidry.org) established in January of 2007 in Central NC.

Most of our participants are OBOD members, (enrolled or have completed one of the three grades) in the OBOD course.  Membership in OBOD is not required to attend Meetup events. However, anyone who wants to be a voting member who helps set the organization’s structure and finances, must be a member in OBOD.  Membership also requires paying $30 annual dues through our not-for-profit financial arm, Friends of the Grove.

The goal of ALG is to:

– support the modern druid in his/her spiritual growth through the OBOD path
– help make a difference by honoring our ecological values, and
– celebrating the Wheel of the Year through druid ceremony and ritual.

WHAT IS DRUIDRY?
Druidism, or Druidry as it is often called, is for some a spiritual path, for others a religion.

As a spiritual way or philosophy, Modern Druidism began to develop about three hundred years ago during a period known as the ‘Druid Revival’. It was inspired by the accounts of ancient Druids, and drew on the work of historical researchers, folklorists and early literature. In this way Druidry’s heritage stretches far back into the past.

Read different authors’ views on What is Druidry?:

“What does it mean to be a Druid today? Above all else, Druidry means following a spiritual path rooted in the green Earth. It means participating in a living Western spiritual tradition drawn from many sources, including surviving legacies from Celtic wisdom teachings, but embracing the contributions of many peoples and times. It means learning from archaic traditions, from three centuries of modern Druid scholarship, and from the always changing lessons of the living Earth itself. It means embracing an experiential approach to religious questions, one that abandons rigid belief systems in favour of inner development and individual contact with the realms of nature and spirit.” John Michael Greer, Druidry – A Green Way of Wisdom

“It’s an attitude, an understanding, an exquisitely simple and natural philosophy of living. For a great many it is a rich and ancient religion, a mystical spirituality. For others it’s simply a guiding way of life. It is absolutely open and free for anyone to discover.” Emma Restall Orr, Druid Priestess

“Rather than being an organised religion, Druidry offers a personal individual life path that can become part of a modern urban existence as easily as a rural life. It connects us instinctively to the life-giving energies of the earth beneath the pavements, and the sky above the highest office or apartment block.” Cassandra Eason, The Modern-Day Druidess

“What is Druidry? A Spiritual Path, a way of life, a philosophy, Druidry is all of these…Druidry today is alive and well, and has migrated around the world forming a wonderful web of people who honour and respect the Earth and the sacred right to life of all that is part of the Earth. Like a great tree drawing nourishment through its roots, Druidry draws wisdom from its ancestral heritage. There is a saying in Druidry that ‘The great tree thrives on the leaves that it casts to the ground’. Druidry today does not pretend to present a replica of the past, rather it is producing a new season’s growth.” Cairistiona Worthington, The Beginner’s Guide to Druidry

Druidry, as with most Earth-Centered traditions, is based on exploration of your own personal spirituality. It is by its nature, an experiential journey. You only get out what you put into it.

By reaching out to an Earth-Centered spirituality you are connecting back to the origins of your soul. Many feel this to be a ‘home-coming’ event in their lives.

Regardless of whether you resonate with druidry, or perhaps find a home in wicca or other spirituality, I truly hope that you keep seeking. But do so, not in the attempt to find something you lack, but rather experience the true nature of being one with the Earth and knowing her for the first time.

If you would like to attend our next meeting, please join our meetup.com presence.

Bright Blessings,

Ken
OBOD Druid, Founder of ALG