#sdna

[minnesotadruids]

Do druids ever actively recruit to let people know they can join?

Short answer: In the Reformed Druids of North America (RDNA) you're not supposed to recruit members. Some other druid orders promote recruiting.

There was a time in the 1970s when a member of the RDNA priesthood was actively recruiting people as fast as he could in order to bring them into the Council so that he'd have a majority in his favor to pass his legislative ideas. He was specifically targeting people in the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism) crowd.

His actions were a bit alarming to the members of the Council of Dalon Ap Landu as his proposals included major departure from the original spirit of Reformed Druidism. One of the Chairpersons emeritus of the Council suggested granting veto power to every member of the Council over any piece of legislation they deemed un-Reformed. They figured it would be too difficult to implement given that it would be an obvious move to prevent power grabs.

Luckily, there were many "recruits" who were in fact more sympathetic to the true spirit of Reformed Druidism, and the idea to get a supermajority was ultimately a failure. That led to the scheming member of the priesthood breaking away and form the New Reformed Druids of North America and the Schismatic Druids of North America. The latter served as the inspiration for the foundation of Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF) which today is a neopagan branch of druidism that is a business and does actively recruit members.

Reformed Druidism still says that we should not recruit others, but to passively let them join because they want to of their own free will. However we are allowed to make ourselves discoverable through social media, indicating who we are without pushing for a call to action. That's tricky though, since groups under the RDNA (including Oakdale Grove) are accepting new members. We can't just say "join us!" So instead I word it something like "we are open to new membership" which is more neutral.

[teehewz]

Lewis and I wish you a happy spring break/easter holidays/ whatever you celebrate currently

[addontdieonme]

How's your other OC ?

which one? xD 

Weirdly enough, ADDDOM only has two characters. I live a very secluded life so it feels perfectly natural to me xD (Unless you meant, what’s Johan up to in the Vampire story but rest assured, you’ll find out soon enough!)

Lately I’ve made some changes in my second most played story, SDNA - broke up a couple and introduced a new love interest for my main character. There’s a lot of thinking and planning and I’m enjoying every minute of it

Speaking of my painting and other oces, that’s them. They were originally celestial beings but currently I’m just playing with human AU because that’s more fun. I have a sneaking suspicion it’s easy to spot the anime protagonist main character.

Left to right:  delivery man, tailor, cashier, cashier, phd student, landlord/conman

[minnesotadruids]

What are druid marriages like as far as ceremony? Can it be done anywhere?

With the spiritual diversity among druids, there is also the diversity and freedom to customize and embellish liturgical scripts for druid weddings as well. In the Reformed Druidism (RDNA), there was early resistance to establishing a standard wedding ceremony script, since most of the RDNA ceremonies don't even have a mandatory basic outline (but they do have hallmarks that are common between most of the extant scripts). However, a handful of wedding ceremonies have been offered and used in an RDNA style by members of the priesthood.

Most of them have been written as modern handfastings. Traditionally handfastings were once trial marriages lasting a year and a day and were generally nonbinding. However, these days handfastings are usually used as the legal ceremonies, complete with signing a Marriage License or certificate. The iconic hallmark of a handfasting is when the spouses-to-be have their hands tied together with ribbons, and are expected to remain tied for a whole day (I doubt anyone stays bound for a full 24 hours though).

The RDNA wedding scripts from the mid 1970s generally look similar to the Common Order of Worship format, where the betrothed both have sacrifices which are offered to the Earth-Mother in exchange for a blessing, and they partake of the Waters-of-Life from the ritual chalice.

A strange ritual written in 1976 for the Schismatic Druids of North America (SDNA) has some elaborate expectations added in. SDNA Groves are already supposed to have both a priest and a priestess. The betrothed are expected to be skyclad or wear white, green, or brown robes. Just before the middle of the ceremony, the attendees begin the wedding feast. During this time, the betrothed are "emphatically expected" to go off somewhere private and have ritual sex with the priest and priestess, and then with the members of the opposite's wedding party (i.e., the groomsmen then mate with the bride and the bridesmaids mate with the groom after the priest & priestess mate with the bride & groom, respectively). Then the betrothed are expected to come back and consummate in front of the attendees while the priest and priestess do the same "as representatives of the god and goddess."

After this segment, the sacrifices are offered, the vows are exchanged, a written contract is signed in quadruplicate (one for each spouse, one for the Grove records, and one to be sent to the gods through the sacred fire). At this point the rings are exchanged and the betrotheds' hands are bound by ribbons. Then the Waters-of-Life are consecrated and shared and the betrothed are declared to be married. The other members of the wedding party are expected to serve the spouses and the priest & priestess for the remainder of the feast.

It is uncertain if the SDNA script was ever actually used, though part of it was inspired or based on the wedding of Morning Glory and Tim Zell. Fortunately, there are currently no SDNA Groves out there. I have conducted one RDNA style wedding which has a few variations that differ from the original scripts, and I designed it in a modular fashion so that the betrothed can select which segments they want to use, the types of blessings they prefer, and how they want to deliver their vows. I also utilize two chalices for the Waters-of-Life and have the betrothed consecrate the contents unto each other. Then they intertwine their arms to drink from their own cups at the same time followed by a kiss (an interactive gesture called brüderschaft which is German for brotherhood but anyone participates in it). I keep my scripts safe for all audiences though, so there's no ritual sex.

[teehewz]

Season's greetings

I am not feeling very cheery, my head is filled with anxiety and my heart with grief. But let's make the best of it, have a rest and try to find a little joy in this grey world.

[teehewz]

My nonbinary child celebrated his birthday on the 19th but I was a doofus and didn’t manage to draw anything on time. Sorry, Lewis! 

Also this is his homemade strawberry dress, he didn’t have any tulle and crap at home so it’s a lot simpler :U

[teehewz]

A cute spread of Lewis’ OOTDs because I felt like drawing more than my shitty unwanted comic every (other) day. Knowing my luck this will bomb even more than my comic but OH WELL it was a lot of fun nevertheless

[teehewz]

Something that’s been on my mind for awhile. The evolution of Lewis.

(Technically middle one should be 16 because Three Cheers came out the month he turned 16 but I don’t care and the previous album’s cover is not as fun :P) 

textures 1,3,4 from cloaks@dA