While it may appear early or even unseemly to take or make an oath, and while I have generally avoided these sorts of things under the guise of needing more information or data or a feeling of not being ready to commit, the powers that be in ADF (Ár nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship) suggest it is time for one.
This is a personal commitment to Druidry, and while I have practiced spiritually and religiously as a Druid in one form or another since 2009 initially as a Fwd: Checking inmember of OBOD and then as a member of The Druid Network and the Ancient Order of Druids in America (both TDN and AODA I remain committed to and involved in), it seems high time to take this step. ADF suggests it fitting to do this early during the Dedicant Path, one that is made between the student and his or her own Gods and Spirits, and since I have long been committed to the path of Druidry, now is the time.
This First Oath involves a pledge the Three Ways core to ADF work:
- Virtue: to do right and live well – this seems fair, and even a good thing to be virtuous.
- Piety: to keep the customs and work of the Pagan Way – why not be pious if we recognize there are greater spiritual forces beyond ourselves?
- Study: to seek to increase Pagan knowledge and skill – I live for intellectuality, so this makes perfect sense to me as well.
OK, nothing outrageous there or beyond my ability to do at this time, so onward I go. I did this on Sunday, August 26, 2018. I have been a member of ADF for a couple months now, but here is my First Oath, one that happened amidst a short ritual which I did on the roof of my building. Druidry can be expressed in cities just as strongly as it can in remote groves or henges.
Before this assembly of Shining Ones, Ancestors, and Nature Spirits, I declare myself to be a Druid, a seeker of the Old Ways, a worshiper of the wonders of nature, and student of those before us who celebrated Pagan ways. May I build upon these into the future.
With this holy oath I set my foot upon this path, the Druid’s Way, and I vow to make my dedication plain and clear.
I vow to seek virtue in my life, to do right by my community.
I vow to make my Druidry real, by keeping the rites and works that call to me.
I vow to deepen my understanding of the Ways through study, to fill my mind with truths revealed in the Elder Paths.
These things I swear to the Gods, the Ancestors, and the Spirits of Place. So be it. Awen
OK, here we go. Onward and Upward!
Well done, F-A. May this path that you now wallk with the gods, ancestors and spirits of the land be challenging and enriching, bring you solace and strength, and may you learn about and yearn for ever more deeply the ways of Druidry in these troubled times.
Many thanks, Aurora. The good thing about this ADF path is that it complements my current path of TDN and AODA. I try not to include elements that interfere with those things that already work in our lives 😉
!!
Congratulations, Jeffrey! I can’t remember my First Oath, only the Final One. But your oath is really well written, not overly dramatic, just the way I like it. And on my birthday, too. Nice coincidence 🙂
Thanks for your kind words and for celebrating them with me on your birthday. What better way is that to mark a personal oath!!
May that positive energy show us both into the new year!!