In time long past, the Druids and folk of the Tribes gathered in earth and stone mound or round-house dwellings not unlike the hobbit houses of modern literature. In the center of each dwelling burned the hearthfire around which the tribes folk gathered to share meals, tell tales by the winter fires, guest visitors, and take counsel of their Elders... For those fortunate enough to walk the path with their spiritual kin in Grove, it is much the same today; but for many, limited by distance or finances, the closest kinship to be claimed is through cyber
In the time of the ancestors, even the Druid was once a babe dandled on her mother's knee, raised in the ways, rhythms, lore, and tales of the Tribe. Visiting strangers were also given tasks to bring them into the community's ebb and flow. Spiritual community remains the vehicle of manifestation for Avalon's power in our lives even today, for Avalon's power derives from Love and Love's source springs from the home hearthfire.And so with us...The only way to know a people is to live amongst them. The same is true of a worldview, and especially of a Druid worldview. Only a few will cross the threshold to live with us on the Holy Isle; most of our visitors will remain in the Vale that forms Avalon's outer perimeter. The Vale is also a place of learning, for it offers us the opportunity to test our mettle and see how we respond. Are we able to follow through on our commitments or do we make excuses and blame others for our failures? Can we accept traditional teaching or do we feel impelled to change or adapt it? Can we adapt to this Avalonian spiritual community? Will modern conditioning keep us forever outsiders? The only way to know is to try, and honestly observe how we respond. To this end, we invite you into the Vale...It is always wise to acquaint ourselves with local law and custom before settling into a new place. Our Laws and customs are found in our governing documents, publications, on this website, and in the agreement below. As a condition of access, our guests and visitors are also bound to follow them. Come you in, then, and find your place by the hearthfire; for by this blaze shall you come to know your place and purpose here. Rest, then, and enter into the heart of the eternal flame...The Forum is the home of the ADO e-community and provides a place where members and nonmembers with an interest in Avalonian Druid community may gather. Here, members share the fruits of their labours and experiences and guests gather to share their emerging memories of the Holy Isle. Members volunteer time and energy to maintain and moderate this resource; in exchange, regular and substantial participation is a requirement for all Forum participants. Rules for Forum participation are given below and in the Forum itself. The Member Events Calendar now resides within the Forum, providing information on ADO events, gatherings, training opportunities, and Grove celebrations, as well as reminders about important dates for administrators. In the interest of making our guests feel welcome and comfortable, we also provide Public Events Notices. To receive the notice simply join the "Events" mailing list by clicking the "Events Mailing List" icon (the crane) below. (If the link fails, please send a blank email, subject header "Events Mailing list" to the email address below and a staff member will add your address manually.) ADO events are confirmed once they meet the minimum enrollment, so please confirm the event status, admission prices, and arrange payment by inquiring at: events@avalondruidorder.org, subject header: "Confirm (Event Name)", before making travel plans. We look forward to meeting you one day soon!For a modern spiritual community we have very few actual rules. Some rules have been added to the Traditional requirements because the habits of modern people have proved them necessary, but mostly the same rules are repeated in different ways to address different situations and circumstances. To be a member, is to be given freedom to intimately explore the customs, beliefs, and spiritual practices taught within the Order; therefore ADO Lifetime Members are expected to accept personal responsibility for the consequences of their own words, thoughts, and actions, and honoured guests and visitors are expected to do the same. This means that as a condition for using ADO resources you personally agree to conform to ADO rules, requirements, and expectations, including all Laws, customs, beliefs, and practices associated with the Tribes, our Druids, and our spiritual community as published by ADO.Please give your most careful consideration to the information provided on our "Bylaws/Belief Statement/Codes of Ethics & Conduct", "Mentoring Agreement / Basic Requirements" (and for ADO members, the "Nine Measures"), published at this website, as well as in the Site Policy and User Agreement and Addenda at our Forum's public area. Your choice to use ADO resources constitutes your legal agreement to abide by all of these beliefs, expectations, rules and requirements.For those who would rather meet face-to-face, our events mailing list and the information provided by the Hedgerow School provide an easy reference to ADO events, training, and other opportunities. The Gate to the cyber community is below. When you have read and understood the Agreement and feel you are ready, may it serve you well. To Begin Participating: For 'Guest' (non-member) access, simply post to the embedded Forum below. ADO Members please proceed to the Members' Hearthfire, located directly below this Forum.
We thank you for making the commitment to actively participate in the life of our spiritual community. Our Order can only be as exciting, nurturing, and spiritually satisfying as each of us chooses to make it. By choosing to actively participate, you are choosing to be one of those who make ours a truly inspiring spirituality!From time to time ADO may also host other gathering places such as social networking and e-list sites. When we do, we make every effort to open a portion of them to the public, so that visitors and Seekers may share ideas and experiences of Avalon and get to know us a bit better. Links to these locations will also be provided (below). Rather than be led by hearsay, rumour, illusion, and innuendo, we encourage you to avail yourself of every possible venue through which you may directly learn about our Order and interact with its members; only in this way may your opinions and decisions about Avalon and ADO may be informed by your own experiences and observations.All text, original art, and graphic images ©2000 to Present by Morgaine, for use by ADO. All rights reserved. Photographic images © as credited. Used with permission. No part of this document or work may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, copied, quoted, performed, or distributed in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the author and copyright holder. For more information, please contact the ADO Midwife. We are obliged by copyright laws to take action to protect our own rights. Please do not oblige us to prosecute you. Requests for written consent or other questions may be directed to our webmistress at the link below. Thanks in advance for your cooperation.Other people's rights are also important to us. We create as much of the art for our site as possible using freeware, however we do use some images provided "free for individual or nonprofit use". Copyrights on clipart and other web images are difficult to track and mistakes will inevitably occur. If your original work is displayed here without your permission and you wish to have it removed, or if you wish to grant consent for use and receive credit for your work, please contact our webmistress with proof that you are the copyright holder. Per your request, upon receiving your information we will either remove your work or add your credit and link to the appropriate web page(s).
