Joining the Ancient Order of Druids in America

On the morning of the Summer Solstice, I completed my initiation into the Ancient Order of Druids in America.

The timing of this worked out quite perfectly; my application to the Order was accepted four weeks ago, and it took me about that long to submit my Candidate studies curriculum and prepare everything that I needed for the initiation ceremony, just in time for the Solstice.

Truly, I couldn’t have chosen a better day for my initiation than Midsummer — a time of abundance, vitality, prosperity, gratitude, and celebration, and one of the pagan festivals that feels most magical and meaningful to me.

As someone who has always shied away from joining pagan circles, witches covens, and other spiritual organizations, this was a big moment for me. As much as I love connecting with likeminded souls online, I have always preferred to keep my spiritual practices solitary.⁣

But the first time I visited the AODA website, I had that rare intuitive feeling of “these are my people.” The more I read, the more I felt that the teachings of the AODA were what I needed to help me deepen my earth-based spiritual practices and my connection with the living Earth.⁣

I am excited to welcome Druidry into my threefold spiritual path, alongside Norse Heathenry and magic. I feel that each one of these practices flows so beautifully into the next, and part of my work will be weaving them together in a way that feels intentional and personal.⁣

I am certain that I will have plenty to share as I spend the next year journeying along the Order’s Earth, Sun, and Moon Paths and exploring the Ovate, Bardic, and Druid branches.

I hope everyone enjoys following along.

“What’s needed in the crisis of the present age is a path that brings nature and spirit together in the here and now, in the world we actually inhabit. What’s needed is a spirituality that offers effective tools and practical guidance for the hard, but necessary, task of transforming ourselves and our world. Druidry offers such a path.” – The Druidry Handbook