Since the first Druidic lessons were offered by the OBOD in 1988, thousands of members have followed this path, creating a network of Druids with more than 80 groves and seed groups around the world, and providing the foundation for a real Druidic community. Although it consists of’ grades,’ they are more like’ colleges,’ each educating distinct abilities, each building on one another in interpersonal ways.
The OBOD course is inspired by the old druids, but it’s important that it’s more than a simple re-enactment of the paths that our ancestors took. We must allow ourselves to examine how the old doctrines in our modern age can assist us develop and become more at one with the Natural World.
Druidry is not a’ disclosed’ religion, and therefore has no dogmatic ‘ thou shalt nots,’ but it is now more than ever a living, talking, flourishing spirituality that the globe now requires. Following the path of the druids doesn’t mean giving up worldly belongings and passions, such as online blackjack, but rather learning to co-exist with the natural world.
The Bardic Grade
The Bards were the Druidic caste’s Shaman poets and much of the information we have about the ancient Druids stems from the ancient Bardic stories. One of these stories is Taliesin’s tale, Britain’s Primary Bard.
The fresh OBOD Bardic grade utilizes Bardic’s learning skills through tale and poetry, so you can take the same path as little Gwion Bach (Little Innocent) and achieve understanding into the Wisdom of the Bards through the story’s tales.
So often individuals see spirituality as a manner to escape from the “obvious” universe. But the course of OBOD Bardic enables us to get further anchored in the natural world that surrounds us, opening our doors to the many wonders that can be found.
The Ovate Grade
If the Bardic grade shows us the natural world’s wonders, then the Ovate grade takes us further into the depths of the natural world, and leads us to to greater spiritual meaning in our lives.
Druids and plants are inextricably connected, and this is where druids will begin working with the many different herbs and plants that are important to the belief system in the Ovate grade. The Ovates (or Vates) were the Druidic Seers, so it’s within this grade that we begin to learn about the power of nature and how we can look after it and vice versa.
The Druid Grade
Following the re-enchantment of the Bardic grade and the profound introduction of the Ovate grade, the Druid grade brings us out into the sunshine again to operate with the earth, the gods, and the Dragon.
It’s going to take at least two years to get to this stage, and you’re going to travel to many locations, both inside and outside. Your experiences will provide you with plenty of training, and you may be motivated to enter into some sort of service to the Druidic tradition within the Druid grade. This could take many types, from open rituals to starting a druid grove, planting trees, or you might just want to stop and reflect on the trip, and just ‘be.’
