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Q:
What is the relationship between
the Order of the Mithril Star and the Reformed Druids
of Gaia? |
A:
OMS
is the teaching order of the RDG.
Our mission, vis a vis the RDG, is to diseminate information
on the Reformed Druid tradition, and helping to spawn
new groves of the RDG, as well as to correct some of the
half-truths and distortions that have grown up about the
Reform in recent years.
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Q:
Does the OMS speak for the RDG? |
A: YES, even "officially."
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Q:
"Grok?" "We are Gods?" "Waterbrothers?"
What's up with that?
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| A: This comes from Robert A. Heinleins
novel, Stranger In A Strange Land
(SiaSL). To briefly summarize the book, it's
 about
a human born on Mars and raised by Martians who returns
to Earth as an adult, becomes a messiah and starts his
own religion. The main sacrament of that religion
is water sharing, and the initiates
are known as water brothers.
We
are one of a handful of Pagan groups somewhat inspired
by SIASL,in what has come to be known as The
Heinleinian Tradition.The Order practices water sharing
as a sacrament, encourages poly
fidelity as a lifestyle, and recognizes that deity
resides in each and every one of us ("Thou art God.")
In our Reformed
Druidism101 course we require students to read the
novel (and they are tested on it).
Our embrace of Stranger In A Strange Land is unique
within the RDG - we're the only group within the Reform
that does this.
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Q:
How can we take a group based upon
a science fiction novel seriously? |
A:
OMS is not the first spiritual group to be INSPIRED
BY (not BASED upon) that novel. The Church
of All Worlds, Inc.(CAW), and the broader, "Heinleinian
Tradition" were both inspired by SiaSL. David Fisher
(a founder of the Reformed Druids of North America) said
(regarding some of the sources of Reformed Druidism):
"I must admit we were all readers of science fiction
or science fantasy."
Scientists read science fiction. Many of them get a lot
of inspiration from science fiction. A case in point is
James Lovelock who authored the Gaea Hypothesis.
This single hypothesis, the idea that the planet we live
on is a single, interconnected organism, is the basis
not only for the way science today looks at the planet,
but for much of Pagan spirituality. Lovelock's biographer
says that not only was he inspired by science fiction,
but he read Stranger In A Strange Land many times.
OMS is, however, inspired by more than just that one book.
It also contains elements from Reformed Druidism, Faery
Wicca, Discordianism, Ceremonial Magick, Shamanism, and
Metaphysics - all blended together into a unique expression
of spiritual practice.
Besides, the AWEN /|\ can come to us in a myriad of forms,
and who is to judge that one form is any more or less
legitimate than another?
Should any of these groups be taken seriously? We
can't speak for CAW, but we of the OMS would be appalled
to know someone was taking us seriously. "That
way leads to the dark side." --Obiwan Kenobe
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Q:
Why do you use Heinlein's novel, Stranger In A Strange
Land in your Reformed Druidism course? What has it got
to do with Druidry anyway? |
A: This novel spoke to the founders of the Order
of the Mithril Star, to whom the idea of a community of
men and women bound in perfect trust and perfect love
(through the symbol of water), and the discovery of our
own God-ness was a very compelling one. So
the founders set about to create just such a commuity,
and brought many of the theological, philosophical
and liturgical ideas from the novel into their new construction.
SiaSL has nothing whatsoever to do with Druidry, rather,
the ideals of the novel have been integrated into a new
interpretation of Druidry, very consistant with
the spirit of the Reformed Druids -- The Order of the
Mithril Star.
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Q:
I've read elsewhere on the web that you disparage Libertarians
and in fact, embrace a Socialistic world view. How can
you be such fans of Robert Heinlein then? |
A: Let's see: humans are interdependant
part of Gaia. If one part of Gaia suffers, then the whole
system suffers. We are God (or you could say that we are
drops of water in the ocean that is God). Is that socialistic?
Maybe. As for Heinlein: just because you admire someone
doesn't mean you have to agree with everything that person
believed. Heinlein was human. He made mistakes. He also
wrote great fiction.
Libertarianism, Randism and Objectivism are political
cults, and operate pretty much the way all cults (and
fundamentalists) operate. So we reject them for the same
reasons we reject Scientology. Besides, these BS' (belief
systems) are based on observable falsehoods: 1) Man is
not independant from the rest of the world - man is interdependant.
2) Individualism is not the natural state of human beings,
rather, tribalism (or collectivism) is. |
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Q:
Are Druids polytheists or pantheists?
Monotheists? |
| A: Yes. All of the above. None of the
above. It's not really that cut and dried.
The ancient Celts seem to have been
polytheists. There are many gods and goddesses identified
with the Celts. After the Gauls, Belgae and Britons were
conquered by the Romans, there were hybrid forms. Or,
at least, there were inscriptions pairing the names of
a Roman god and a Celtic god. Also the type of belief
varies e.g.: are the gods real or are they metaphors?;
is faith authoritative or individual?, etc. This can be
a very sensitive subject. Agnostic types and true believer
types can hurt each other's feelings without even meaning
to.
Mithril
Star Druids believe "Thou art God." We are all God and
God is all of us. We categorize the Gods into three divisions:
The Archetypes - those Gods of old who we know from mythology;
The Old Ones -- Gods who once lived on earth in human
bodies (a deceased uncle or aunt might well be one); and
US - you, me, and everyone else. |
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Q:
What does it mean, "Thou art
God"? |
A: The word "God" designates the supreme being (or
corporate beings) of a given pantheon and really
means "deity." Thus, "Thou art God" means "Thou
art deity". This (BTW) is a higher designation than
"namaste" or the Quaker concept of "that of God in all
men" (where again, "men" includes women). Because
it's not that you have a bit of God in you, it is that
you are God. You are the beginning and the end. The
first and the last. The Alpha and the Omega. The universe
revolves around you, and you are the universe. You
are love, and he who abides in love abides in you
and you in them.
At the same time, everyone you meet is God too, and so
are all the animals, all the plants, all the tiny organisms
that have life: all is God, God is all. We eat God everyday,
in every way. We eat and breathe and wear and make love
and manipulate and function within and as God.
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Q:
What is your relationship to the
RDNA? |
A:
We are one of the "special," or "side"
orders of the Reformed Druids of North America, and function
as a teaching order for the same. We are listed in the
ARDA as such. |
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Q:
We heard that you in fact schismed
from the RDNA some time back. How can you then still be
a "special" order within the RDNA? |
A:
Past Matriarch Ceridwen Seren-Ddaer had indeed
proclaimed us in schism on September 4th 2003. This was
done to make peace with some members of the RDNAtalk Yahoo
group who objected to certain practices which we promote.
However, after a year or so of careful study, the schism
was recinded by the OMS mother grove, since two things
were discovered: 1) Most, if not all, of our detractors
were in fact members of the N-RDNA, which itself was in
schism from the RDNA. 2) There is no one person or body
that has authority to speak for the RDNA. So decisions
as to who is or is not a member of the RDNA are strictly
left to the individual Groves and Orders, which are all
autonomous colectives, so the shism was declared null
and void. No official declaration was ever made, and the
majority of us still do not participate in the online
Yahoo group, but the mother grove did file a constitution
with the Archdruid of Carleton at that time, which remains
in effect today. |
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Q:
What is the relationship between
the RDG and the RDNA? |
A:
The Reformed Druids of Gaia is intended to be
an international expression of the RDNA. Members of
the RDNA are considered "de-facto" members
of RDG, but we do require registration for one to be
counted as such. The first three Orders taken by RDNA
members are transferable straight-across as degrees
in the RDG. So if you are a 3rd Order in the RDNA, when
you register your membership in RDG, your 3rd Order
becomes the 3rd degree. We have no desire to force anyone
to jump through the same hoops twice. It should
be noted here that the same reciprocity may or may not
be true for those RDG Druids who join an RDNA Grove.
Since
the main requirement for membership in the RDNA is acceptance
of the two tenants, technically, all members of RDG
are in fact members or RDNA as well, and all members
of RDNA are also technically members of RDG.
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Q:
What is a Grove? |
A:
A Grove is a group of trees, oftentimes with a
clearing in the center. It is known that the ancient Druids
once frequented woodland groves, presumably for worship.
Modern Druids adopted this term (with a capital G) to
refer to a group of Druids. A Grove, then, is a group
of Druids of like mind who come together regularly to
celebrate the seasonal rites, to worship, and/or to perform
Druid magic and healing. |
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Q:
What is a "Nest"? |
A:
A Nest is a polyfideletous "group marriage"
(or in Kerista terms a "BFIC"). The term comes
from the novel, Stranger In A Strange Land. In the OMS
vision, every Grove will have a Nest at it's core, whose
members will also function as the Groves council of elders.
In much broader terms, the entire Order is a Nest, since
we are all bonded in water-brotherhood anyway. |
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Q:
In the old days they say it took
nineteen years to train a Druid, how can you do it in
19 weeks? |
A:
Actually we don't. The Druids education begins
when he or she decides to be a Druid. From that point
it never ends. The world has changed a lot over the last
few thousand years. In ancient times it took nineteen
years to become a Druid, but this course of training included
many of those subjects that we learn today at school.
And nineteen years is also a symbolic length of time:
it represents a Metonic cycle: a calculation of the time
between two almost identical eclipses, and a calculation
which also succeeded in uniting the solar and lunar calendars.
And so nineteen years symbolizes the time it might take
for someone to unite the sun and moon, the Masculine and
the Feminine, within their beings.
Today it still takes a long time to achieve this
union in the depths of our souls, and the study of Druidry
is a lifetime pursuit for many. But we no longer need
to train for nineteen years before we can call ourselves
a Druid. In fact the term Druid has now come to denote,
for many, the type of spirituality they follow. |
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Q:
How do you become a Druid? |
| A: Do you believe that "Nature is good?"
Then you already are one. Forget all the nonsense about
studying for 20 years. It may be that the Druids of old
did so. It is not how the Druids of today think (well,
a few nay-saying curmudgeons say it HAS to that way, but
thankfully, reasonable people prevail). The fact is that
the study begins when you become a Druid, and never ends.
Actually
there is one more way to become a Druid: take a hike or
camp (or better - both) in the forest, particularly the
redwoods. Spend a week at least if you can spare it. Talk
to the trees. Touch them. Hug them. Meditate with them.
Stay up all night with them. View the stars through their
canopy. You'll learn more that way then from all the online
classes we could ever come up with. |
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Q:
So you charge dues. Isn't that unethical? |
| A:
Not at all. A lot of Pagans have this bias
against charging money for anything. We have found though
that the mere mention of dues becomes an effective screening
mechanism. People who are too selfish to give of themselves
will not make good Druids, as Druids are first and foremost,
servants to the Pagan community and to Mother Earth. People
tend to put their money where their heart is.
There
is also precedent within the Reform. Dues are allowed
for in the template Constitution that many Groves use
when they join a body of the Reform (RDNA, NRDNA, HDNA,
RDG, etc.,).
The
fact is though, that almost
all Druid groups charge dues. We're not exceptional
in that regard.
There
are some within the NRDNA who feel that only wealthy Druids
should lead Groves or Orders, and that any expenses they
might incur from hosting events should be borne by the
organizing Druid, and thus those events would be, "technically"
free. It's an interesting idea, but in actual fact doesn't
really hold water. Even if you were to pay all the expenses
for, say a big Druid gathering at a State or National
Park, there would at least be the entrance fee due upon
arrival (Usually $10 to $15 depending on the Park). Suddenly,
the event is no longer "free" is it?
OMS
has co-hosted events in the past. Normally, we charge
(for camping for example) EXACTLY what the campground
would charge for an individual campsite. If we're lucky
we will break even. If we're really lucky we can use the
excess to pay for a big name Pagan leader to come and
teach, or perhaps a Pagan music group to entertain us. |
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Q:
This doesn't seem all that consistent
with the Reformed Druids. |
| A:
Actually it's very consistant. All groups
within the Reform are autonomous. They are allowed to
add, subtract, change, rewrite, etc., pretty much anything
they wish, so long as they include the two tenets in their
general philosophy.
This
means that new ideas, and precedents, are encouraged,
and even traditional. For example, when OMS joined the
RDNA back in 2002 as a group, that set a new precedent,
as a large group had never before joined the RDNA that
way before. This is how the Reform has evolved beyond
it's beginings as a student protest at a small midwestern
college. This tradition of embracing new precedents is
one of the beautiful things about the Reform. The RDG
continues this tradition of "doing religion the
old fashioned way: we're making it up as we go!"
For that matter that is exactly what he ancient Druids
did as well, which is of course no different than any
other religion, spirituality, or philosophical path.
The
Reform is largely Discordian in orientation: "A
non-prophet, ir-religious, dis-organization,"
you might say.
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Q: You don't really seem very
Celtic oriented. |
A:
You're rignt. We're not trying to be. We just
don't see that as being very important. If you are looking
for a really Celtic centric group, you should probably
go elsewhere. We are "Celto-philic, which is to say
that, generally, we like Celtic stuff but we're not Celt-centric.
We feel that if the Druids of ancient times had survived
into our time, and assuming they would have migrated to
the New World, that over time they would have become more
Americanised in the same way that Reformed Jews aren't
all that true to Jewish culture. Rituals would be conducted
in American, not Welsh or Gaelic for example. They would
have probably adopted some of the spiritual disciplines
of other groups as well. They would have added those things
which help people to grow closer to Nature and to the
Gods, which is the real purpose of Druidism anyway. Much
of what passes today as Celto-centrism is nice and all,
but it's mainly a lot of pomp and circumstance; "fluff."
Ok and even fun in an of itself, but a distraction from
the real work of Druidry. |
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Q:
Well then, ok, so how do I join? |
| A: Click
here. |
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