Becoming a Member

The Three Paths into the Tribes

Everyone comes from somewhere else. We came or our ancestors came and established us in the places we now think of as "ancestral ground". The origins stories of native peoples all describe how their far ancestors came to settle in the places they now call "home". These stories continue to evolve as people move and settle in new lands. One becomes a native of a place by living there; places become ancestral ground the moment an ancestor is buried there. The ancestors' memories are our memories, living on through us in our mitochondrial DNA. But if we could travel back in time to rejoin an ancestral community, would we find ourselves eternal outsiders?

In the distant past, there were three ways to become a member of one of Avalon's Nine Tribes. One was a Tribes member by:

• Birth (being born to a mother of the Tribes);
  

• "Marriage" (establishing a long-term, intimate relationship with a Tribes member); or
  

• Fosterage (being fostered by Tribes parents as a child or sponsored by a Tribes member as an adult).
  

However different the process may appear, these remain the only ways to become a Tribes member today -- with some minor differences, in consideration of our very different societies and cultures. The ancestors could count on the fact that even a stranger would share certain basic assumptions about the nature of reality and the proper ways to show respect for the indwelling Spirits of Place. They knew that the members of their communities would put the Tribe's welfare first in every situation. But we no longer count on the support of our loved ones to help us stay true to our chosen spiritual paths, and even the most loyal Seekers often put other considerations before the welfare of their spiritual communities. Different areas of our lives often seem to make conflicting demands upon us, and how we will choose we cannot always say with perfect confidence until the moment of choice arrives. These unique survival challenges demand unique remedies, but despite this fact we have stayed remarkably close to the bone even as regard so simple a process as joining our membership.

The Ways of Birth and "Marriage"

As often as possible, ADO hosts family events, where Tribes members and their spouses, children, and close friends who are not ADO members can meet and learn more about us without feeling pressured to "convert" or "join". These events are not open to the general public, but provide special access to spouses, families, and friends; through inclusion we hope to offer loved ones a more natural, Traditional passage into the membership, should this be their choice. It is our way of honouring the paths of birth and "marriage". It also helps us to reintegrate our fractured lives, bringing the most important elements together while still respecting each person's right to make their own choices. The Order supports members in staging such events by providing sample planning timelines, fliers, schedules, advice and final approvals on content. Wherever possible we send Core Members to attend, so that families have opportunities to meet us, ask questions or state their concerns. Except for the great gatherings, these events are designed, planned, and carried out by average members of local ADO Learning Circles and Groves, and it is they who determine their frequency and location.

The Way of Spiritual Fosterage

By far the commonest way for modern people to become Tribes members is by Spiritual Fosterage through sponsorship by an ADO Lifetime Member. This is the process we now call "Aspirancy".  Aspirants are provisional members who are being given the chance to explore the Tradition and assimilate to modern "tribal life" here in our spiritual community. In time long past, the usual route to Aspirancy was by approaching local Tribes members. In those times finding Avalonians was easy. Today, our Tradition is re-emerging from the wilderness. Local members and groups are often hard to come by, so for the present most Aspirants "meet" us through this website.

Ancient Custom

"Courtship"

There is a saying that "you don't marry a 'spouse'; you marry a whole family". The ancestors considered birth, marriage, and fosterage formal, intimate, binding relationships not with individuals, but with the entire Tribal community. Anyone seeking entry into the Tribe was considered a "suitor", and like suitors Aspirants were set a number of impossible seeming tasks to test the depth of their desire to belong, their willingness to adopt Tribal ways, and their reliability and fidelity when faced with challenges or danger. Amongst the Tribes, Elders and Sponsors suited their tests to the unique character of each suitor. If  Aspirants passed these tests their petitions to join the Tribe were granted. Because we cannot meet and closely observe each Aspirant in person in order to devise unique, individualized tests, our tests of character are presented through the challenges in our Aspirant Course, Lessons and Forum. Those who successfully meet these challenges become Lifetime Members of our community.

The "Dowry"

The Tribes did not recognise the concept of personal ownership; personal possessions were limited to a few articles of clothing and dedicated ritual tools. Everything else was communally provided and held. When new people came into the community, it was assumed they would do their share of labour in exchange for an equal share of the communal resources. In recognition of this fact, suitors paid a dowry -- not to individuals, but to the whole community by gifting the communal "fund". Today, we frame this dowry in different terms, asking you to pay an "Aspirant or Service Fee" to help offset community operating expenses, but the concept remains the same.

Aspirants may choose to pay this Fee upfront or wait until they become Novices.  Those who elect to pay later receive the coursework and the Book of Tribes, but they do not receive a tutor or access to additional cyber resources and may not request Leaves of Absence.  (Additional help may be requested at the Aspirant thread of the Forum or in Learning Circle with ADO members.)  Those who elect to pay the Fee upfront receive the coursework, the Book of Tribes, and are assigned a Tutor to sponsor them within the Order.  Tutors provide guidance and advocate for them during the assessment process when the Elder Council is deliberating about whether to affirm them as Lifetime Members. The Tutor is the Aspirant's guide through community life and spiritual practice, and they retain this role to some degree for the life of the member.

The "Honeymoon" Period

The term "honeymoon" derives from the custom of giving new couples enough honey mead for one "moon" or "month", which made the first month of life together the sweetest. The "mead moon" was originally the community's gift in acknowledgement of the unique talents that new members, through their knowledge and participation, bestow upon the community. We still exchange the priceless gifts of our time, our effort, and our labours today. As in time past, the first month of membership is often sweetest, for we are living out our dreams, and time has not yet sullied them with the cares of everyday life. But any lived spirituality must eventually become everyday life; therefore, we must each learn how to make everyday life sacred again. To manage this requires a drastic shift in habits and worldview. It is during our efforts to make this transition that the "honeymoon" often comes to an end.

We think we know what it means to change, but change doesn't limit itself to what we feel prepared to do and often comes in forms we never imagined. We imagine making change without giving up anything we cherish, yet change always demands a sacrifice. At the very least, we must sacrifice who we were in order to become who we will be. The honeymoon ends when we are forced to face our unrealistic expectations and our resistance to change. We must each choose whether to walk away or enter into more satisfying relationship through a deeper level of commitment. As in our other relationships, the benefits of making a full commitment are not always immediately apparent. Sometimes it requires a leap of faith. In order that you may better gauge your leap, we encourage you to talk with senior members who have faced these challenges. We are all "walkers between two worlds", straddling the mainstream world and the Dreaming world of our spiritual community.  The more questions we ask, the more ideas we will likely have about how to negotiate our own journeys.

Why Join?

There are as many reasons to join Avalon Druid Order as there are people in the world. Some join for the lifetime membership. Others join in hopes of finding a local group, or because they live in remote areas and hope to find a teacher and share their experiences with others of like mind. A few desire only to explore our nine-month Home Study, "Kindling the Sacred Hearthfire", and the lessons presented in our Member's Handbook, The Books of Tribes, and some join as a way of supporting something they feel may be of benefit to everyone. All of these very special people become part of Avalon's "tribal community" as it is in this time, in this moment.

There are many benefits to membership, including:

• Access to members-only services, events, and publications.
  

• Guidance and support in starting or joining an ADO Learning Circle or Grove.
  

• Fellowship of other Avalonians drawn to the native form of Druid community.
  

• Opportunities to explore traditional scholarship and worship.
  

• Tradition centred on the roots of family and spirit-based community.
  

Membership, community, and even spirituality itself are only what we make of them. Your membership will be most enjoyable when you take an active part, sharing your unique experiences of our spirituality with others in our community.

Who Can Join?

ADO has an international membership. To become (and remain) a Lifetime Member you must: (1) Be of legal age (or submit a signed, dated, and notarized parental consent or COPPA); (2) Be proficient in spoken and written English; (3) Submit a completed Member Application-Home Study Enrolment Form; (4) Successfully complete the required orientation course within the appointed time; (5) Be approved for membership by the Elder Council; (6) Abide by all ADO member requirements, now and in future; (7) Support and serve our spiritual community by tutoring new Aspirants, co-mentoring with Lifetime Members, posting at our forum (or equivalent), attending chats and gatherings, and volunteering in our members community.

Spiritual Fosterage or Aspirancy

Like all religions and spiritualities, ADO requires all members to know and to follow its beliefs, customs, tenets, and articles of faith, laws, and spiritual practice. The harmony of our spiritual community depends upon the compatibility of its members with the Tradition, the Order, and its goals. While most people are familiar with the tenets of mainstream religions,  those of traditional (or 'minority') faiths are no longer remembered by most people today; thus new members cannot be expected to know them, but must be trained in the basic tenets before beginning their spiritual practice.

For this reason, you must pass the required nine-month orientation course to be considered for Lifetime Membership.* This applies to both new and returning members. Paid Aspirants may briefly pause in your studies (through a "Leave of Absence") and all Aspirants may stop permanently (by written withdrawal) at any time, but you must finish and pass the course and be approved by the Elder Council to be eligible for Lifetime Membership. Aspirants who are under the age of majority (i.e. "minors") must be at least thirteen years old and have the written consent of both parents or guardians to enroll (see "COPPA" form). Children of members are held to the same standards when applying to join; however, they may request that the course requirement be waived if they are able to demonstrate to the Elder Council's satisfaction that they already possess the knowledge, skills, compatibility, and discernment which the course imparts. Waiver requests are approved at the sole discretion of the Elder Council.

* NOTE: Aspirancy is a form of provisional membership granting limited access to specific member resources. A payment plan is available for those who wish to pay now, and who are in need. Aspirants who do not pass the course the first time may retake it up to two (2) more times, if necessary, at no additional cost. Aspirants who fall more than two lessons behind or who fail to communicate with their tutors and / or participate within the community will receive no more lessons and may be withdrawn or have their Aspirancies terminated at the sole discretion of the Elder Council. Regrets, but there are no refunds on early terminations or withdrawals, for unfinished coursework, or for Elder Council denial of ADO membership. Failure to pass the course or denial by the Elder Council will result in denial of member application without possibility of re-applying. Lifetime Membership is contingent upon your continued compliance with all ADO member requirements, both present and future.

Assessments are made by assigned tutors and the ADO Elder Council on the basis of Lesson assignments (progress reports), compatibility, and active, appropriate participation within our spiritual community. The ADO Elder Council determines a candidate's progress and attainments using both objective and subjective criteria. ADO reserves the right to refuse any applicant (or to revoke Lifetime Membership) based on submission of unverifiable or false information, failure to pass the required introductory course, and/or apparent incompatibility with its beliefs, customs, laws, spiritual practices, and/or purpose. Your application and/or request for reinstatement constitutes your affirmation of this process as valid, your acceptance of the authority of the ADO Elder Council to make such determinations, and your agreement to abide by its decision.

Aspirants are responsible to know and to follow all current requirements of membership (including Bylaws, Codes of Ethics and Conduct, Philosophy, and Site User Policy & Agreement) as published at the ADO website, Forum, and in ADO coursework and literature. The Elder Council retains the right to test Aspirants on their knowledge of these requirements as part of reaching final determinations on candidacy for membership. Changes to these terms and conditions will be announced and posted to the Member Forum and / or sent by email or as a letter to Aspirants and members by post. Your choice to remain an Aspirant or Lifetime Member constitutes your legally binding agreement to adhere to these requirements. Aspirancy and / or Lifetime Membership may be canceled at any time by either the Aspirant / member or the Order without prior explanation, notice or warning. Leaving the membership does not absolve Aspirants or members of their legal, moral, or ethical obligations with regard to ADO copyright and intellectual property or terms defined in the Site User Agreement.

Returning members must meet all the requirements of an Aspirant, in addition to:

• Repaying any outstanding debts to the Order or to other ADO members to the debtor's satisfaction;
  

• Resolving all outstanding member violations to the satisfaction of the Elder Council or its appointed authority;
  

• Resolving any other outstanding disciplinary actions or violations of member requirements identified by the Elder Council or its designated authority to the Council's satisfaction; and
  

• Resolving any safety concerns that the Council may have to its complete satisfaction (e.g. treating and / or resolving drug or alcohol dependence, spiritual 'attachments', etc., where such issues are identified as serious problems).
  

Lifetime Membership

Avalon Druid Order (ADO) is a registered nonprofit religious charity founded for the purposes of learning, sharing, and perpetuating our specific Druid spiritual tradition or faith. Members make a long-term commitment to each other through ongoing participation in our spiritual community, just as the Order makes a long-term commitment to us by providing the resources through which we may attain these goals. To share this commitment, we must first share certain basic assumptions, such as definitions of terms, beliefs, spiritual practices, customs, ethics, and social guidelines. To achieve this is a lifetime process; thus we have instituted a lifetime membership.

Free Lifetime Membership is awarded to those who take and pass all currently required introductory coursework and are approved by the Elder Council as possessing attitudes, ethics, values, goals, and beliefs appropriate to and compatible with those of the Order. Aspirants and members must be proficient in English. Membership, once awarded, is maintained by continuing to following the spiritual tenets of the Tradition, actively participate, and meet all current ADO member requirements. There are no guarantees. Membership is a relationship between you and the Order, in which each party remains free to end the arrangement at any time should it prove untenable. For those suited to the rigors of our spirituality, Lifetime Membership provides a place in a stable community of like-minded people who are all embarked upon the same Path, in pursuit of the same goals. The Tribes are our most precious resource, giving life to our Druid Way, meaning to our endeavors, and purpose to our ancestral legacy.

Upon taking oath as an ADO lifetime member you may proceed with further studies at your own pace and in a traditional manner of your own choosing: Learning Circles and Groves provide continuous, essentially free training to members; our e-community provides a cyber hearthfire around which paid members may share and explore ADO spirituality at a distance, while preserving the cultural, spiritual, and historical context through which we open ourselves to the lessons contained within Avalon's Sacred Story Cycles. The skills learned from basic practice also provide a basis for the more advanced, Druid studies. Yearning for a more intensive immersion in Avalonian belief and culture? Consider tuitioned group study (workshops, intensives, or immersions) or customized individual training under an ADO Elder. Though Avalonian Druidry is demanding, the spiritual toil is made sweet by the company of others along the Way. Though such a long-term commitment is rare in modern spirituality, the continuity and disciplined practice it promotes are absolutely vital to honing the discernment and skill required for powerful, profound spiritual work.

Thus, to accept Lifetime Membership is to enter into an intimate relationship with Avalon through the bonds of spiritual community: the deeper the roots of your commitment the stronger your spiritual tree; the stronger your tree, the sweeter the fruits it will bear and the better it will endure a sudden frost. Ours is not a spirituality designed for solitaries; for even as the tree draws strength from the grove, so we believe that our faith grows stronger and deeper when expressed collectively and collaboratively. If you do not live near an existing circle, we encourage you to consider starting your own; the Way is much easier and more pleasurable when we walk it with others.

Lifetime Members are eligible for member discounts (where applicable) and to attend ADO member moots, gatherings, and Gorseddau (cultural celebrations) locally and around the world. As we grow together, you may even connect with other members or Groves when you travel. The opportunities to meet and explore Avalon with other members are limited only by your own imagination and your willingness to go forth.

What Members Do

What members do depends in part upon three things: (1) the individual, (2) the collective of members with us at any given time, and (3) the needs of Tradition. The landscape of modern spirituality is a restless one with many drifters, dabblers, and observers passing through it; factors which make for an ebb and flow in our membership. Gain or lose even a few members and you change the whole group experience. We cannot tell you how the community will feel at any given time. We can only say that it will be whatever you help to make it; we hope you will find it inspiring and that you will help to enliven it!

Our community thrives on action and reciprocity; thus the ideal ADO member is someone who is a dedicated, disciplined, and active participant. Active participants enjoy many opportunities to strengthen spiritual bonds with other members. These experiences are deepened through shared study and spiritual practice. There are three aspects to life as a member of an Avalonian Druid spiritual community, and each is equally important:

• Personal: Encompasses the private aspects of our daily spiritual practice. We keep our personal spiritual practice active by observing daily spiritual ablutions, breathwork, contemplation, and study of Avalonian myths (story cycles) and songs.
  

• Local: Encompasses group experiential study and activities in Learning Circle and Grove. We keep active locally by attending and participating in circle studies and activities.
  

• Collective: Encompasses experiential study and activities within the international ADO membership community. We do this by attending annual Tribes Gatherings and training, through correspondence, and by regularly participating in the ADO cyber community (currently chat lessons and the ongoing explorations at our member Forum).
  

Active participation means keeping current and active on all three levels of our spiritual community. Members co-mentor one another as a way of staying grounded in our spiritual beliefs, customs, and practices.

Mentoring

(Provided based on member participation and mentor availability)

Without personal understanding and experience one cannot follow Avalon's Druid Way. As a branch of Faery Druidry we attain this wisdom through traditional learning: via the spoken word, direct observation, and personal practice. No one comes to the Tribes or to Avalonian Druidry by reading, intellectualizing, or discussing alone. You must do and redo the suggested explorations and projects, consistently participate in member gatherings, and maintain a regular personal and group spiritual practice if you are to reap the full benefit. Aside from the required Home Study and the continuous training provided within its Groves, the Order does not promise free training to every member. Mentoring Elders invite members to apprentice with them based on their own availability and the member's demonstrable readiness and service to our community. In addition, from time to time the Order may offer online chat sessions in support of individual study and practice, but provision of this service relies upon member participation and the availability of a reliable, free, and generally accessible chat client. When these resources are unavailable the service will not be provided. At such times the onus for study will remain with the individual members; the option to join or found a Learning Circle or enroll in tuitioned studies is ever there for you, should you choose to avail yourself of it.

Tradition teaches us not by 'giving us answers or explanations', but by questioning in ways that direct one's attention down paths of inquiry that may be fruitful. Whether the questions succeed will depend upon what one does with them; it is by your journey (and not ours) that you will arrive at wisdom. To benefit from traditional training you must be able and willing to see and experience traditional mentoring as a compassionate provocation to discovery, rather than as a struggle for power or authority. It is not enough to know this in your head; it must come naturally to your heart. If it does not, you may not experience the spiritual healing and self-empowerment that is central to our spiritual focus. To better understand, we encourage you to make a thorough study of the information at the links below. It is important to us that those who join are those for whom our Tradition will be most beneficial and satisfying.

Be assured that if you follow your intuition the right path will find you. Consider your feelings at this moment: If anxiety is already creeping into your belly and second thoughts are whispering in your ear -- honour them. There is a reason for your discomfort and it should be respected. If you are a good independent learner, enjoy solving puzzles, are not intimidated by being asked questions for which you cannot possibly have an answer, do not resent occasionally hearing hard truths, and if the idea of meeting these challenges kindles your sense of excitement and adventure, then this path may be perfect for you!

Ready to Continue? ...

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