The Druid Network aims ...
to act as an ethereal framework, making tangible the spirit-web that is the global community of the Druid tradition and other natural philosophies and Paganisms.
The Network is not a Druid Order: it makes no attempt at defining or teaching one interpretation of Druidry, ancient or modern. Instead, like a sacred well, it aims to offer a rich and clearly wakeful blend of inspiration and information, yet not only from words presented as articles and ideas; for words written can gently lose their poignance and relevance. In the spirit of the oral tradition of our ancestors and our heritage, like any gathering ground, the exquisite power of the Druid Network is in the encounters it enables between individuals, soul to soul, mind to mind : people walking in company upon the same road.
The open pages of our website are an essential part of the focus of the organization. They offer information, resources, contacts and ideas which we hope will inspire those seeking to learn more about Druidry, not only from words written, but from other people.
A poignant motivation in terms of what manifested the Network, however, was the database of members. We wished to create a resource based on the richness of waking, thinking, eagerly learning, actively living, sharing humanity, interested in the ancient roots and today's practice of this tradition we call Druidry.
Not simply a conceptual web, then, The Druid Network reaches out and stretches in the vibrant dance, singing with the magical power that is this natural spirituality of Druidry in practice. As a way of connecting people, each thread comes together at a juncture, each juncture being an individual, a Grove, a spiritual group, Order, coven, hearth, lodge, event or temple gathering. Furthermore, at the very core of the Network is its own magical centre, humming with the energy of the earth and our heritage: the Druid Order of the Yew.
The foundation upon which The Druid Network stands is entirely pagan. For some that is a word still soiled, having been hurled into negativity and confusion by monotheistic religions; yet for a rapidly increasing number of people around this globe, the word expresses a philosophy that is a celebration of life, a reaching to understand the power of nature with respect and sensitivity. Based on the conscious support of individuality, community, local diversity and environmental sustainability, the aim of the Network is to promote awareness of the sanctity of nature, creating a world beyond unnecessary consumerism and political paranoia.
We are a Druid organization, and one that is based upon Pagan principles, but we are not here to advertise or evangelise Druidry; to do so would be anathema within any pagan tradition. The Network therefore, while not diluting its essentially Druidic principles of honour and respect, is open to people of all beliefs, all over the world, who are seeking understanding about the Druid tradition, about other world Paganisms and indigenous nature religions, as well as those following the paths of simple unlabelled natural spirituality and clear ethical healthy living. We ask simply that people interact in a way that is overtly respectful.
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The Aim of our Website ...
is to offer a beautifully simple and clear environment within which people can explore. Bearing in mind that many people don't have fast modern computers, our hope is that no page takes long to download, and moving around the site is easy for everyone. Although most of our services are available through the Network office and staff, the website offers people interaction in a way which is both autonomous and paper-free.
As an organization ever in the process of growth and development, there are still many ideas coming into fruition within our website. It continues to expand its range of articles, events diaries and courses, local news from around the international community, the directory of Druid groups, ethical consumer guides, news on environmental projects. We are in the process of creating a new system of discussion groups, an ethical Market place and much more. The page called Project Areas will give a clearer idea of what is on offer and what we hope to create.
Members of the Druid Network are not only free to browse the open pages, but also have access to the Network database itself. Here members can find other members, using the simple search facility, seeking by name or locality, or skills and interests shared. The web of affiliated groups (Orders, Groves and Gorseddau) are listed in more depth in this area, and there are topic-oriented forums for questions and discussion. The pages of the Order of the Yew are found here too.
All these Members' pages are held behind a secure wall (we have friendly hackers constantly checking our security), and each person has their own password access.
We are, however, an organization that encourages action. Come and see what we have on offer, but don't stay on the computer too long: there's a world out there to honour and to celebrate. And where there is pain, conflict and pollution, we can always make a difference.
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Our Ethics and Vision
In every way possible, the Network aims to exist in a state of ethical awareness, those ethics being based on the Druidic pagan principles of honour, respect and responsibility for life. With regard to the environment within which we live, locally and globally, the Network actively promotes and supports campaigns for peace, racial and religious harmony, reduced consumerism, conservation, reforestation, organic agriculture and fair trade, recycling, encouraging holistic health and personal responsibility.
It is established in the Network's Constitution that the organization and its office should run on environmentally ethical principles. A statement on how the office is run can be found by clicking here.
Our aim within the Druid Network is also to encourage honourable relationship. As a result, we work on the basis of honesty, clarity and respect, nurturing strong and successful relationships with other organizations. These include a great many Druid Orders and Pagan groups around the world; for being involved in The Druid Network in no way distracts or negates membership of other magical or spiritual organizations. Indeed, our hope is that the Network will be a medium through which a wider community can thrive, offering its deep well of human wit and wisdom to everyone, whether solitary practitioners or members of Orders or Groves, covens or hearths, those taking their first steps into the old traditions, and those already working within the mysteries and the priesthood.
In Britain, we have honourable relationships too with organizations such as English Heritage and the National Trust, who own and care for most of our ancient and sacred sites. We are well connected with woodland and forestry organizations, interfaith bodies, the Church of England, the police. At times, it is necessary to fight for change and justice, for a voice to be heard, but in tune with the tenets of Druidry we have respect for the magical power of words. Through honour, exchange, honesty, and personal relationship, a great deal can be accomplished. When a demonstration is, however, clearly needed in order to bring attention to some injustice, we make our stand in peace, through presence, expressing wakefulness.
Welcoming individuals from all walks of life, all socio-economic backgrounds, all races and colours, genders and sexualities of humanity, the Network also acknowledges and welcomes those whose physicality provides limitations. Our Deaf Access Policy and Disability Access Charter can be found on our website, giving a clear understanding of our aims and policies.
The Druid Network itself also aims to operate within honourable, honest and respectful relationships, its team of voluntary staff all contributing on this basis. Information on the Structure of the Network, terms and conditions for working for the Network, and a list of those folk actively contributing to the Network, can be found on these About pages.
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The Inception of the Network
On 4 December 2002, as the darkness of a solar eclipse moved across the Earth, in the stone circle near her home in the north Cotswolds of England, Emma Restall Orr called to the ancestral spirits who had guided her to Druidry, and to the British Druid Order nine years earlier. Knowing that great changes were already flowing fast in the current beneath her, she made prayers for inspiration. It was during that rite that The Druid Network was born, the idea being presented and accepted by the ancestral spirits of the tradition.
With the guidance and support of those ancestors, astrologers and fellow Druids, at Imbolc, 1 February 2003, the inauguration rite of the Druid Network was made at the same circle. Standing in the heartland of Britain, upon ley lines connected to the ancient site of Rollright, within a moated ring of stones, with snow upon the ground and soft clear sunshine, the offerings, prayers and vows were made, bringing The Druid Network into manifest existence.
The Birthchart of the Network
It was the magical work at the core of these rituals that inspired the Druid Order of the Yew, which lies at the heart of the Network.
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