| 1) THE THREE CATEGORIES |
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| FIRST CATEGORY OF DRUIDS : THE D.O. |
| The Grand Masonic Lodge of England was founded in June 1717. In September
the Irish freethinker John Toland called together the delegates of ten counties
of the United Kingdom and Ireland as well as delegates of Brittany in order
to set up a federation of the "Bosquets" of the Ancient Druid Order. |
| At that time there were druidic or bardic "circles" which were extremely
exclusive, and now there still are groups known as "family or clan tradition"
groups whose customs are passed down inside a same Celtic family. |
| The idea was clear, a return to the basic life of the Celtic civilisation,
as opposed to the puritanism of the Christian religion that was imposed. |
| John Toland was the leading druid from 1717 until he died, then William
Stukeley became the leader in 1722. He can be regarded as one of the fathers
of contemporary druidism. |
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| SECOND CATEGORY : THE A.O.D. |
| It was created on the initiative of the carpenter Henry Hurle, who
founded the Ancient Order of Druids in 1781. This society had been set up
to gather people. Any debate on a political or religious issue was forbidden. |
| A ceremonial that was very ritualistic and close to freemasonry was
instituted. The order was led by a council of seven members. |
| In 1833, the coming out of divergent opinions caused a split and those
who left created a new group called the United Ancient Order of Druids (U.A.O.D). |
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| THIRD CATEGORY : THE GORSEED OF THE BRITISH ISLAND |
| This third category was created in London by the Welsh. New cultural
Welsh associations with a bardic tradition were founded from 1789 onwards,
and they undertook to organise annual eisteddfodeau in the Welsh country. |
| In 1792, with John Toland's druidic meeting, Iolo Morganwg gathered
a few bards for the first modern druidic Gorseed. |
| In August 1899, twenty Breton key figures were invited to the eisteddfod
of Cardiff. As soon as they came back from Wales the new initiates decided
to create an assembly of Bards and Druids on the pattern of the Welsh one.
The Breton bardic association was not officially registered until November
1908 under the name of Gorsedd Barzed Gourenez Breiz Izel. |
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| 2) THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SOCIETIES |
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| There are four different types of contemporary initiation societies
: |
| - The societies which are druidic by definition |
| - The traditionally paganizing groups |
| - The esoteric groups |
| - The Celtic neo-Christians |
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| DRUIDIC SOCIETIES |
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| These societies provide an initiation that claims to have its roots
in druidism. |
| - The Druid Order (D.O.) London |
| - The Universal Druid Order (U.D.O) London |
| - The Ancient and Archaeological Order of Druids (A.A.O.D) London |
| - Mount Nuada of the Ancient Order of Druids Hermetists (A.O.D.H) London |
| - The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (O.B.O.D) London |
| - The Ancient Order of Druids (A.O.D) London |
| - The United Ancient Order of Druids (U.A.O.D) London |
| - The International Grand Lodge of Druidism (I.G.L.D.) London |
| - Gorsedd Beirdd Fnys Prydain (Assembly of bards of the British Island)
Wales |
| - Breuriez Barzed Breiz (Fraternity of the bards of Brittany) Brittany |
| - Breudeuriezh Drouized Barzhed hag Ovision Breizh (Fraternity of the
druids, bards and ovates of Brittany) |
| - Gorseth Kernow (The gorseed of Cornwall) GB |
| - Le Grand Collège Celtique de la forêt des chênes de Brocéliande (Grand
Celtic college of the oak forest of Broceliande) Brittany |
| - Kenvreuriezh Predouriel an Drouized (Philosophical brotherhood of
the druids) Brittany |
| - Le collège Bardique des Gaulles (Bardic college of Gaul) France |
| - La Fraternité universelle des Druides (Universal fraternity of Druids)
France |
| - Le Collège Druidique traditionnel (Traditional Druidic College) France |
| - L'ordre monastique d'Avallon (Monastic order of Avallon) France |
| - Kenvreuriezh Drouized Kornog (Fraternity of the Druids of Occident)
Brittany |
| - Kredenn Geltiek (Celtic Faith) Brittany |
| - Le collège des Druides, Bardes, Eubages et Ovates des Gaulles (College
of Druids, Bards, Eubages and Ovates of Gaul) France |
| - Le collège d'études celto-druidiques (College of Celtic-druidic studies)
France |
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| THE TRADITIONALLY PAGANISING GROUPS |
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| These groups were created with isolated individuals who had benefited
from authentic ancestral traditions. Some of these lineage begot the sorcerers,
healers and midwives of our villages. |
| - Hereditary Witchcraft with a family tradition |
| - Gardnerian Witchcraft GB |
| - Alexandrian Witchcraft |
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| THE ESOTERIC GROUPS |
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| These esoteric societies are influenced by Celtic customs |
| - Societas Rosicruciana in Anglia (S.R.I.A) London |
| - Golden Dawn London and Paris |
| - Stella Matutina (Star of the morning) |
| - The spiritualist circles |
| - The International Movement of the Grail (and the numerous societies
"of the Round Table") |
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| THE CELTIC NEO-CHRISTIANS |
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| These initiation societies are clearly linked to the Celtic custom,
but they take the form of Christianism, guilds, scout movements, freemasonry
or the ecological movement. |
| - Patriarchate of Glastonbury (Orthodox Church of Britain) GB |
| - Eglise Celtique (Celtic Church) France and Belgium |
| - The Breton scouts Bleimor and Fianna |
| - Forever Forest (American environmentalist group) |
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| 3) THE INITIATION RITES |
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| Most of the groups hold their rites "facing the sun",
the rites can take place outside or only inside as it was done in the Ancient
Order of Druids. |
| The presence of circles of stones or of a dolmen is
not always absolutely necessary. |
| The trees do not play a part in the actual initiation,
though they are included in some ceremonies (mistletoe picking for example). |
| The rite of the bandeau or of the veil on the eyes was
relatively abandoned. |
| In some rites the rose can be replaced, during winter,
by honey. |
| The fire is a real wood fire or merely torches or candles.
These items do not always have the same meaning, but the main one here is
purification. |
| Only the Druidic College of Gaul and the Ancient Order
of Druids use a sickle. |
| The rite that consists in taking the cloth is present
in almost every case. |
| The laying on of hands seems to be the most common rite
to pass on the initiation. |
| The giving of a new name also appears to be a widespread
custom. |
| All groups demand the oath. The priestly aspect of the
initiation is not always really asserted. |
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| 4) THE DIFFERENT INITIATION PHASES |
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| REGRESSION PHASE |
| The regression phase consists in an "initiation death", this stage
is distinguished by the following rites, according to the societies : |
| Isolation, going away, waiting outside, fasting, undressing,
blindfolding oneself or wearing a veil, meditating, walking under a dolmen,
death rite. |
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| REBIRTH PHASE |
| It is the recognition by the host group. |
| Choice or acceptance by the group, entering the circle
or the triangle, cleansing by earth, air, water, fire, sun, the laying on
of hands, a new name, clothes (cape, veil, bandeau, stole). |
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| REVELATION PHASE |
| It comprises the passing on and the reception of a spiritual
knowledge that enable the integration of the initiate in a world he should
be able to master from then on. |
| Receiving a tradition, a filiation, a knowledge, the
Book of Druidic Knowledge, symbols, taking the oath for the Order, an oath
of secrecy, an oath for the use and control of powers, a blood pact. |
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