Our grove meets to celebrate the seasons and to support those working on the OBOD study courses. It is important to understand that a seed-group, although it welcomes non-OBOD members and guests, is primarily intended as a contact point for members of the Order.
The grove's name is Scots Gaelic for White Oak, which is our patron tree in honor of the great oak savannah that once covered the southeastern part of Minnesota and the Mississippi River valley. In practicing Druidry we honor the trees as our elders, our brothers and sisters. We honor and respect all animal and plant life and receive our inspiration from the seasons, the Sun, Moon, and stars, the winds, rivers, and lakes.We embrace the power and beauty of the human imagination. We look to the ancient Irish druids and Welsh bards to mold a modern spirituality for our times. Many of us honor the Irish, Welsh, and Scottish pioneers, explorers, traders, miners, and engineers who built the culture and civilization of Minnesota. We also honor the native tribal peoples who were so violently supplanted by Eurpean and Yankee settlers. The Lakota, Dakota (Sioux), and Anishinabe (Ojibway) peoples are the principal tribes of Minnesota. The Ancestors of our blood, our spirit, and our land are all important to our Druidry. You don't need to speak Gaelic or have Celtic ancestors to join us. You only need to love Nature and seek a spirituality steeped in the beauty, magic, and wonder that is all around us.
Since the only way to take the Order's course of study is independently via distance learning, the Grove does not provide teaching in OBOD Druidry, except by example. In our order there are no "Druid 101" classes because the order's courses focus on your own inner development, not just learning rituals or donning robes. The study is highly personal and contemplative and it is structured so that members of the order can work at their own pace. Each step in the process of self-development must be taken when it is right for you -- not under the impetus of peer pressure or the schedule of a teacher. So, if your desire is to learn more about the order and Druidry, the first step is to read through the OBOD web site and order the introductory package to get a taste for the gwersi. Click on the OBOD link at left for more information on the order and its teachings.
Geal-Darach Grove meets for most of the eight high festivals of the modern Pagan calendar -- on the solstices, equinoxes, and fire festivals (though we usually don't meet for Alban Arthuan in the winter because people are too busy with their families). These festivals are times we traditionally join together to attune to the cycle of the Sun and the cycle of Life. Members are welcome to organize other meetings at more frequent intervals for other ritual work, talks, study, meditation, storytelling, poetry, feasting, and field trips. All members of OBOD, their guests, and children are always welcome. Our rituals are kid-friendly and relaxed occasions. In the Summer the grove usually meets for two or more weekend camping holidays.
OBOD's Study Programs
The Bardic, Ovate, and Druid grade courses were originally written by Philip Carr-Gomm, John and Caitlin Matthews and other members of the order when it reestablished itself in the 1980s. Much of the material was drawn from the writings of Nuinn (Ross Nichols), the founder of the order. The study program draws upon Celtic myths and lore, and upon the writings of Iolo Morganwg and other Revival druids of the 19th century. These writers drew on oral and manuscript materials in Wales which were dated to the Middle Ages. No one these days makes any serious claims to a historical continuity between Revival Druidry and the lore and practices of the ancient Celts of Caesar's time. It is possible that much of druid philosophy and theology was preserved but it is more likely that it was incoporated into Christian culture than that it was preserved as a secret family tradition. A few druids in Wales, Scotland, and Ireland do claim to represent family traditions, but OBOD does not make that claim. OBOD's course engages Revival druid writings and the scholarly work of historians, linguists, and archaeologists up to the present. Celtic Studies is a relatively young field and is always changing, which makes Druidry on the whole a very dynamic and exciting philosophy. Both the Bardic and Ovate grade courses have been thoroughly revised and expanded in the past few years. They are now available on CDs as well as in the print version.
Most OBOD members share an interest in ancient Celtic culture, neolithic archaeology, Celtic paganism, and Celtic Christianity in the medieval period, particularly the Arthurian Romances and the Welsh triads and tales. Most also share an interest in Nature and the latest in scientific understanding of the natural world, the present ecological crisis, and what we can do to live more harmoniously and sustainably on our Earth. Some OBOD members are political activists, but the order as a whole is not among the more "political" druid orders such as the Glastonbury Druid Order, the Insular Order of Druids, the Loyal Arthurian Warband, or the Secular Order of Druids -- all of which were founded around issues of access to ancient sacred sites in England -- particularly Stonehenge. Thus, the OBOD courses do not focus on polytheism or on political action, but upon self-transformation and enlightenment through Celtic myth and spirituality in dialog with Nature. The lessons nurture the individual's growth in spiritual power and integrity, and in relationship to the land.
The OBOD study course is not offered face-to-face, so do not expect members of the grove to tell you about its contents, except in a general way. This is not done out of arbitrary secrecy or theatricality, but because the course is designed to be an individual exploration of the Self and Nature. As such, it is not an experience that can be accomplished in a group setting. This aspect is very different from some Neopagan religious groups where the emphasis is on public or private group worship of deities, or upon group magical workings.
Moreover, the Order does not want grove chiefs collecting money for the order or getting embroiled in the inevitable ego-temptations of being a religious leader. The only way to study OBOD Druidry is to join the order by paying for the Bardic grade course. It is up to you then how far you want to progress on your path of discovery. Many members remain satisfied to complete the Bardic grade, which is the foundational work. Once you have joined the order, you are a member for life. There are no dues to pay. You can choose to subscribe to the order's monthly newsletter Touchstone (a free subscription of which is included in the study courses).
Links at the left will take you to more information about Geal-Darach Grove, about OBOD and about our past and future gatherings. The link to our Yahoo group will take you to our calendar. Register there, if you want to receive email notices of upcoming events. If you want to have tea, discuss OBOD, or inquire about visiting a grove meeting, write via e-mail to Alferian -- alferian@bardwood.com
Please note that we discourage visitors from just dropping in on our meetings without having met anyone in the grove. You should introduce yourself in person to one of the grove members and receive an invitation. This is just common courtesy. OBOD druidry is not at all interested in prostelytizing or expanding the membership of the grove for its own sake. Nor is the grove's mission to recruit members to OBOD.
Alferian Gwydion MacLir - Chief Druid of the Grove
Alferian is the druidic name of James W. 
Maertens, M.A., Ph.D. Alferian is a Druid Companion of the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids, and also a member of ADF and the AODA. He is also a Master Mason, Knight Rose Croix, and Master of the Royal Secret 32° in the Ancient Scottish Rite of Freemasonry. James has studied and practiced ceremonial magic, sorcery, and druidry for over 20 years. He is a wandmaker and master of Bard Woodcrafts Wandery. He lives in Minneapolis with his wife, daughter, and numerous pets. In addition to wandmaking, he keeps house (Steward of Bardwood Lodge), and serves as Chancellor of the Avalon Center for Druidic Studies a scholarly center under development as a school of magic and mysteries inspired by druid philosophy.
Sean Nilsen, Pendragon of the Grove (foreground at right)
The Grove Pendragon is the Secretary-Treasurer and Swordbearer. Sean is beginning the Ovate Grade of OBOD. He and his wife Gypsy are both active members of GDG and live in Bloomington, MN with their four boys.
Ray Hayward, Herald of the Grove (background at right)
The Herald is the Master of Ceremonies, in charge of organizing ritual and all the various properties and candles and bits and pieces that we need for our celebrations. Ray is a Freemason and Knight Templar, and a past master. He lives in St. Paul and works as a Ta'i Chi master, and also is completing the Bardic Grade and beginning the Ovate Grade soon.
©2006 The Bardic Institute
You are laid under a binding geas to ask permission before quoting material from this web site. I mean it. You don't want to break out in boils, do you? I didn't think so.