Not all OBOD Groves wish to be listed on a public site, but those that do can be found here, with links to their websites and email contacts. For more groups in Europe see the Seed Groups in Europe page.
Austria
Danu Grove, Vienna c/o Siggy Massenbauer and Kate Farmer email facebook
We are based in Vienna, Austria and we welcome Bards, Ovates and Druids (and also others who are still searching for their path) from all over Austria and from the neighbouring countries to our events and festivals. We would also love to meet OBOD members passing through Vienna on their journeys. Danu was founded in 1993 and named for the river Danube which runs through the heart of Vienna. The Danube takes its name from the Celtic goddess Danu (known in Ireland as Anu), a goddess of the flows of the cosmos, the Milky Way, and the life giving rivers of the earth. We are a bilingual grove, conducting our ceremonies in a mixture of German and English, according to the participants.
Danu ist eine Grove von OBOD (Orden der Barden,Vaten und Druiden). Wir sind in Wien, Österreich zu Hause und laden Barden,Vaten und Druiden aus Österreich und Nachbarländern zu unseren Zeremonien ein und auch jene,die noch nach Ihrem Weg suchen. Auch freuen wir uns ,wenn sich durchreisende Obodies bei uns melden. Die Donau hat ihren Namen von der keltischen Göttin Danu (in Irland auch Anu), einer Göttin der nährenden Ströme des Kosmos (Milchstrasse) und der lebensspendenden Flüsse auf der Erde. Seit 1993 feiern die Mitglieder der Danu Grove in Wien regelmäßig die keltischen Feste. Wir sind eine zweisprachige Gruppe,die ihre Zeremonien auf Deutsch und Englisch (je nachdem wer anwesend ist) halten
France
OBOD France, website
Obod-France est une association, créée par quelques membres de l’OBOD, qui permet de maintenir le site web obod.fr, de diffuser notre journal français le Menhir et d’organiser un rassemblement annuel pour les francophones. Nous sommes le point de contact pour les membres francophones de l’OBOD.
Sterenn ar Rho Du, c/o Annick Jacq “Dianann”, Morbihan, Bretagne email website
“Nous sommes une Clairière de l’Obod basée dans le Morbihan en Bretagne. Nous célébrons les 8 fêtes sur des lieux sacrés et accueillons les membres de l’Ordre qui désirent célébrer avec nous, ainsi que ceux qui désirent découvrir notre druidisme. Nous organisons des ateliers, des rites de passage et des cérémonies familiales telles que les mariages, “baptêmes” … N’hésitez pas à prendre contact avec nous”
Germany
Brans Kinder – Children of Bran Grove, Solingen area, ℅ Saga Grünwald Email
Erlenhain am Donnersberg, c/o Stefan Kaiser email website
Lindovicer Grove, Engen, c/o Wolfgang Pietzek email
Nemeton Cruciniacum Grove, c/o Gunter email
Nemeton Dearraich, Frankfurt/ Main area c/o Volkert Volkmann email website
For as long as time can remember, people in our region have been fascinated by the culture of our Celtic ancestors. From an early childhood age many of our members have discovered their own roots while spending their time outside. The landscape is full of ancient monuments. During the last 30 years archaeologists have made numerous excavations and made the most astonishing discoveries, for example the Celtic Oppidum Glauberg, one of the most important early Celtic centres in Europe.
About 30 years ago a group of people met and founded a pagan circle. They were eager to know more and travelled to other Celtic countries such as Brittany, Ireland, and the British Isles to learn about our native Religion. During that time first contacts were made with other practitioners of Druidism in Scotland and Brittany. In 1982 a pagan non-profit organisation was founded by Volkert Volkmann. In 1996 Volkert started an OBOD Seed Group and in 2002 the Nemeton Dearraich became an official OBOD Grove.
While our group has no leaders, the organisation of meetings and the preparations for rituals is mostly done by four people in the OBOD Druid Grade. Everybody is actively involved in the rituals though. All participants should be able to speak freely from their heart without any written notes. We usually have live music as part of our rituals, and sometimes long walks are required to reach the forest sites we use for our celebrations. Most rituals are open to members only.
Rituals are always open-air but the Nemeton has a specially prepared place for indoor meetings with a small smithy and a spiral-shaped herbal garden attached. Our members mix their own essential oils, make drums, masks or carve Ogham sticks, God(dess) figures and other magical items.
Part of our mission is to enable people to experience our native religion during the cycle of the year and celebrate together with others. We have been doing so for more than 30 years. We have contributed to several music productions, resulting in the release of the CDs ‘Runasöngr’, ‘Music of the Ogham Forest (see OBOD audio course), ‘Edda’ and ‘Heidentag Live’. 17 years ago we started a reforestation programme which has so far led to the planting of several thousand trees. We organize an open house every two years, the so called ‘Heidentag’ (for more info go to www.KultURgeister.de). Visitors can see different art projects, listen to the music of our bards, experience a spiral labyrinth, lectures, meditations and a big autumn equinox ritual. We have also organized several Gabhar Teine fire-walking rituals and Eisteddfodau. Visitors are welcome, but please make an appointment.
Waldlaufer Grove, Munster NRW, c/o Tahira email
Italy
Belenus Grove Sicily and Calabria, C/o Duirin Claudio Bongiorno and Filtiarn Raffaele Soria, email or email website tel
Clan del Nocciolo, Toscana (Fi) c/o Stefano Alessi Taran email website
The Clan del Nocciolo is a circle open to all those who wish to share the sacredness of the wheel of the year, the values of Friendship and Sharing with Love. We practice a spirituality rooted in love for Mother Earth and in the service of life and people. We offer initiation and rites of passage and organize workshops and events in person and also online.
Some members have been active in Druidry for a long time and offer their expertise to all who wish to join us. We work with the knowledge and traditions of our land through ceremonies, visits to sacred places, songs and shamanic experiences. We also weave our knowledge from other paths of wisdom and beauty.
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Il Clan del Nocciolo è un cerchio aperto a tutti coloro che desiderano condividere la sacralità della Ruota dell’Anno, i valori dell’Amicizia e della Condivisione dal cuore. Pratichiamo una spiritualità radicata nell’amore per la Madre Terra e al servizio della vita e delle persone.
Offriamo iniziazioni e riti di passaggio e organizziamo laboratori ed eventi in presenza e anche online.
Alcuni membri sono attivi nel Druidismo da molto tempo e offrono la loro esperienza a tutti coloro che desiderano unirsi. Lavoriamo con il sapere e le tradizioni della nostra terra attraverso cerimonie, visite a luoghi sacri, canti ed esperienze sciamaniche. Tessiamo la nostra conoscenza anche da altri percorsi di saggezza e bellezza.
Il Biancospino e la Quercia OBOD Grove, Roma c/o Daniela email facebook Il Biancospino e la Quercia OBOD Grove is situated in Rome and welcomes obodies and non-obodies and also members of various religions into one harmonious group that moves on a common ground of understanding, joy and peace. We organize festivals and small camps because we have a nice private wood. We also organize ceremonies for participants and friends.
Il Bosco dell’Awen, Piemonte/Lombardia (North of Italy) c/o Hagal Renato Mancini email
The Awen Grove was officially opened in March 2010 with the intention of spreading the knowledge of Druidism and the path of OBOD. Today the ‘active’ members number eleven. The grove meets for the eight festivals of the Wheel of the Year and the celebrations of the full moon. The members are from different parts of Italy, with a higher concentration in the North. The Grove plans events such as conferences, workshops, and various activities that are open to everybody.
Some members have been active in Druidry for a long time (10-15 years) and for others this is all quite new. All active members are members of OBOD. The headquarters of our grove is in Piemonte.
Il Cerchio Di Anu, Nord Italia (Trento and Lodi) c/o Paolo Veneziani and Mirella Porcelli email website The grove “Cerchio di Anu” meets together to celebrate the eight seasonal festivals and also the celebration of the full moon. We offer initiation and rites of passage and we also intend to organize workshops and events. New members are welcome, and those interested are invited first to a seasonal festival ritual to meet the existing Group. Our main location is in northern Italy near Trento, but we meet in various other locations. We also have the opportunity to be in a closed space near Milano. The Grove is run on democratic lines, with decisions being taken by collective discussion. One of the intentions of our grove is the healing of our land”
Iperico Druid Grove, Isernia, c/o Monica Zunica e Patrizia Locaputo, email facebook
Netherlands
De Stenencirkel Grove, Grootebroek, c/o Remco and Femke, email website facebook group facebook page
Remco and Femke are organizing Grove meetings on a regular basis. Bards, Ovates and Druids are most welcome. During the meetings we celebrate the festivals of the year in the traditional way. Every participant is invited to share something about being a Bard, an Ovate or a Druid. You can think of sharing a poem, telling a story, playing music, showing something that you have made, brewed or something else. OBOD’ies and pagan friends are most welcome
The Grove of Mŏr, DenHaag c/o Robbin (Wilma Helena) Diepstraaten email
Like ‘Mŏr’ in the Ogham
which we know as the sea!
Honoring the ever changing universe
the tide that moves us all
always and everywhere we are or travel to
inward or outward…by star and by stone…
as above so below…by air, fire, water and earth…
and the love of the god and the goddess…
with peace to the quarters…
because without peace no work can be done!
To this day we celebrate all the festivals in a simple but profound way,
mostly at my allotment garden with a wooden cabin. Here we have celebrated a lot of ceremonies and rituals these past 15 years. Always looking into our own personal lives and what is mirrored there as a reflection of the ever-turning of the seasons… (so without so within and vice versa 🙂
We create and honour our grove as a safe place and a possibility for all (benevolent) existences who are in search of a sacred place and home to travel to when there is need to do so;
In freedom they can come and in freedom they can go within the cast circle of our love and inspiration;
and that which we believe in and which we can make real; we work together and exchange our present state of being.
In such a way that it will touch, move and inspire all, in order to lighten the way we (apparently) have to go…
We sometimes celebrate the festivals with other groves or OBOD members or travel to the English camps and/or Gatherings, and some of us are part of the team that organizes the international OBOD Dryade camps.
It is and has been our place of transformation sharing our day-to-day lives and mingle them with the unspoken laws and beauty of Druidry…sometimes with children, friends, family, dogs…creating rites of passage; facilitating handfastings; personal rites and Mŏr…
Grove de Dassenburcht (Badgers Burrow), te Renkum 13/02 C/o Annemarie van den Broek Email: dassenburchtgrove@gmail.com
Badgers Burrow Grove consists of about 15 ‘regulars’: OBOD Druids, Ovates and Bards. They celebrate the eight festivals in the region centre-east of the Netherlands, mostly around Wageningen.The four fire festivals are celebrated with grove members only, however for the solstices and equinoxes they welcome others to join them.
Apart from the festivals they hold some workshops and social activities, a yearly ‘open celebration’ during a Harvest Fair, and for some years they have celebrated midwinter in a castle. Some ‘Badgers’ help with national OBOD activities. New members are first invited to the ‘open’ ceremonies with us, and after that we check within the group if anyone has objections before inviting them to full membership.
Modron Grove, c/o Judith Triemstra email
It’s September, the time of Alban Elfed where Domnu reigns in the element of water, the water that transforms. Spirit is challenging me to live from my heart and inspires me to a new path.
By a centuries-old forest I walk, surrounded by the creatures of the forest and the dryads. From different parts of the forest, four wise women meet and together we go on a journey. We descend to the depths of the Earth, to the darkest dark, where the walls are studded with amethyst and lapis lazuli, To the cave of Ceridwen. There, in the depth, where the cauldron is simmering over the fire, four forces come together. The desire, the will, the vision and the decisiveness. It is there where we found the inspiration and power to give life to The Modron Grove.
Walking the path of the Druid, is our own path to experience and to walk. It is our believe that we can contribute to each one on their path through Druidry, Shamanism, Paganism or Celtic Spirituality, by experiencing assistance on practical matters in all grades. such as Herbal workshop, Woodcarving, Elements work etc. But also with several ceremonies; like name giving, birth, death and divorce. Or mediate by conflicts in the groves.
Hereby a quote from Philip Carr Gomm’s annual review;
“In the Order we hold to a model of ‘radiance’ – in other words we want the ideas and inspiration that we work with to radiate out into the world. We don’t want to create a monopolistic monolithic culture or organisation – that’s the old way that has led to such destruction of our environment and our heritage. ‘Small is Beautiful’: hiving off, starting new independent initiatives, feels the best way forward, in sympathy with the organic unfolding nature of life, and with the Spirit of the Times which encourages empowerment, community and cooperation. And so it’s wonderful to see all the Orders and groups and courses that OBOD has helped to seed or inspire, and it’s wonderful to see too the number of events, talks and workshops being organised – too many now to mention in each annual review –“
Out of the Modron Grove we will give support on your spiritual path e.g. workshops and trainings. With this, we don’t just want to draw from our own experience, but carry it out wider. That is the reason for us to launch “The Cauldron” project.It is our desire to deepen and widen, by a clear setting, with carefulness, full of inspiration, work with the senses, to act, to learn, to turn over, share on a base of equivalence. We collect knowledge, skills and invite you to contact us if you feel and think you can contribute in facilitating e.g. a workshop.
Marjolein van ‘t Noordende, Marjon Leeftink, Nicole Maessen and Judith Triemstra