A message from the Chief of the Order
Greetings!
When you join the Order, a wonderful adventure lies ahead of you! You will receive great teachings and insights, and a wide range of resources to support and inspire you.
When I joined the Order in 2003, little did I know what an amazing journey I would be taking – of magic, learning, community, friendship and so much more! I very much look forward to welcoming you!
Go n-éirí an bóthar leat (May the road rise with you)!
Míle Beannachtaí (Many Blessings)
Choose your format & JOIN OBOD today!
• Enrol today to join OBOD, access all member resources, The Druid Hearth and the Bardic Course.
• Please choose the format below in which you would like to receive your Bardic Grade course-work.
All options are available in monthly installment payments
Join OBOD and access The Druid Hearth, and receive the original full version of the Bardic course in printed booklets (including the Introductory Pack for free) mailed monthly to you. By the end of the year you will have received:
+ 51 Gwersi Booklets
+ The Sacred Grove Booklet
+ The Bardic Companion
+ The Book of Ritual
+ 8 Festival Ritual Booklets
+ A Meditation and Pronunciation Guide
MOST POPULAR
Online
Join OBOD and access The Druid Hearth immediately, and access the full Bardic training course online with full audio-visual content, in incremental modules over 12 months containing:
+ All 51 Gwersi in modules
+ Access to resources online
Including:
+ The Sacred Grove Booklet
+ The Bardic Companion
+ The Book of Ritual
+ 8 Festival Ritual Booklets
+ A Meditation and Pronunciation Guide
Print & Online
Join OBOD and access The Druid Hearth immediately, and enjoy the benefit of both online access to rich audio-visual content, and printed copies of the material for easy ongoing future reference:
+ All Gwersi in online modules & booklets
All online resources and physical copies of:
+ The Sacred Grove Booklet
+ The Bardic Companion
+ The Book of Ritual
+ 8 Festival Ritual Booklets
+ A Meditation and Pronunciation Guide
The Online version of the course also comes with the benefit of having audio contributions of music, storytelling and song from many contributors, including Loreena McKennitt, Robin Williamson, and Damh the Bard. Listen to a sample of the audio below:
Want to sample the materials first?
Explore everything the Order offers before making the commitment to join.
The Introductory Pack contains material from the full course, which includes the first two course lessons, and the Wild Wisdom booklet, plus a mini-poster. If you find this introduction answers an inner call, then you will be welcome to enrol on the full course.
INTRODUCTORY PACK PRICE – FROM £12.00 GBP
What is Druidry?
The Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids works with Druidry as a spiritual way and practice that speaks to three of our greatest yearnings: to be fully creative in our lives, to commune deeply with the world of Nature, and to gain access to a source of profound wisdom.
Each of these yearnings comes from a different aspect of ourselves that we can personify as the Singer, Shaman and Sage.
The Bardic teachings help to nurture the singer, artist or storyteller within us: the creative self. The Ovate teachings help to foster the shaman, the lover of Nature, the healer within us. The Druid teachings help to develop our inner wisdom: the sage who dwells within each of us.
Why join OBOD?
Join a thriving community of like-minded people
Connect with our worldwide community – a Fellowship of Druids (Cairdeas Mor Shaoghal nan Druidh in Gaelic). Over the years this fellowship has grown to include over 300 groups and over 30,000 individuals in fifty countries on four continents.
As soon as you join, you can access our online community site The Druid Hearth.
In the Hearth there are many opportunities to gather together for friendship, support and exchange with like-minded members who share the values of Druidry.
Learn an ancient tradition and train to become a Druid
When you join the Order you are given access to the Druid training, that starts with the Bardic teachings. In following the training, you discover the sources of your creative power, and learn how its gifts can start to flow more fully in your life.
The training course works with the teachings of the ancient Druids and appeals to those who might be searching for a way to develop a deeper and more meaningful relationship with the Spirits of the Land and their ancestors. If you have a driving need to open up your inner creativity – to learn to see the world through the eyes of a poet, or you are being drawn to learn the arts of seership or divination, or follow a path of earth-based spirituality, then the path of Druidry may well be for you.
When you join the order you will receive access to the following:
Online Community
From the moment you join, you gain access to The Druid Hearth – our online community where you can gather round the fire to share your thoughts, feelings and experiences, and connect, listen and learn from friends and companions on the Druid path.
Druid training
When you join, you can access the Druid training, starting with the Bardic Grade course, and you can choose to take the course online, have lesson materials mailed to you, or both. If enrolled onto the course online, you can access it via The Druid Hearth.
Events
Some members are not the ‘joining type’ but still feel drawn to join the Order. Others like gathering together for friendship and support. Around the world there are gatherings, camps, workshops and ceremonies, and in The Druid Hearth there are special interest groups, discussion forums, live-stream events, podcasts and meet-ups.
Festivals, Ceremonies
& Rituals
At the heart of Druid spiritual practice lies the celebration of eight special times of the year: the solstices and equinoxes, and the four ‘Cross-Quarter’ days of the Celtic Fire Festivals. The Bardic teachings explain these in detail and offer ceremonies you can use or adapt. Groups celebrate together both online and in nature.
Seed Groups & Groves
There are over 300 Groves & Seed Groups of the Order around the world. Any member can start a Seed Group, which in time may grow to become a Grove. A Grove can be not only a sacred clearing in the forest but also a group of Druids. You can search for Seed Groups & Groves near you using the directory in The Druid Hearth.
Personal Mentor
When you join the order and start the training, you are entitled to an OBOD Mentor. OBOD Mentors are invited members of the Druid grade who give their time voluntarily to connect with you one-to-one about your experiences on the course, and are there to help guide you on your spiritual journey if you wish.
Touchstone Magazine
You can read the Order’s monthly magazine Touchstone, and access all the back issues in The Druid Hearth. Touchstone is full of fascinating articles, stories and poems from our members, and you are welcome to submit contributions. The Order’s French and German language magazines can also be found in The Druid Hearth.
Circles
In The Druid Hearth you can join discussion forums called Circles, where you can talk with others, share thoughts and experiences and post photos, videos and documents. Some circles cover broad topics, like the Bardic teachings, others are more focused on special interests, such as the Healing Circle, and the Mental Health Professionals Circle, which has over 600 members and holds monthly zoom meetings.
Member Resources
If you are currently studying, or have completed your studies in the Druid training, there are a number of additional materials for you to access. These range from audio MP3 files, PDF files, course add ons and replacement printed materials and CDs.
Learn more about the three grades
The Order’s teachings are conveyed in three grades that correspond with the three traditional schools of the Bards, Ovates and Druids. Each one teaches different skills in a journey of spiritual discovery that starts with the school of the Bards. Because the course is experiential rather than academic, members from a wide range of educational backgrounds find the course helpful, and inspiring.
Grade progression:
The Bardic grade takes you on a journey through the cycle of the year, and introduces all the key concepts of Druidry – showing you how it is a living Way that can be practised in the modern world, bringing a greater sense of connection with all of nature, and with the ancient heritage of the Druid wisdom-tradition. The Bards were the sacred poets, storytellers, the keepers of the Mysteries, and much of the knowledge we have about the ancient Druids comes from the old Bardic tales. One of these tales is the story of Taliesin, the Primary Bard of Britain. The Bardic grade invites you to take the same journey as Taliesin, and through the experiences of the story, you will gain insight into the wisdom of the Bards, and access your own wellsprings of creativity. You will also learn thirteen rituals in addition to the eight Druid seasonal ceremonies. These rituals help to attune you to the natural world, to the rhythms of the earth and moon, the sun and stars. And as they do this, they help you to access your Deep Self, your Soul – that part of you which feels at one with all of life. Find out more about Bards here or continue reading this page to find out more about joining The Order.
The Bardic grade opens you to the wonders of the Natural World and your own creativity. Then the Ovate grade takes your hand and leads you into the deep forest. The Druids and trees are inextricably linked, and it is here, in the Ovate grade, that the work with trees, herbs, plants and animals begins. The Ovates were the Druidic Seers, so it is within the forest that you begin to work with the skills of divination, healing, and the magic of the Earth: exploring your relationship with your ancestors of blood, and of spirit, stepping into the dark Grove of Yews, to commune with them, and learn the wisdom of the night, and of the Moon.
After the re-enchantment of the Bardic grade, and the deep discovery of the Ovate grade, the Druid grade takes you out into the light once more, to work with the stones, the Gods, and the Dragon. It will have taken at least two years to reach this point, and you will have journeyed to many places. Your experiences will have taught you much, and it is here, within the Druid grade, that you might be inspired to step into some kind of service to the Druidic tradition. This could take many forms, from celebrancy to facilitating a Druid Grove, to teaching workshops or planting trees, or you might like to just pause and reflect on the journey, and simply ‘be’.
Not sure wether to join?
Try our introduction materials for FREE!
Explore what the Order has to offer before making the commitment to take the full course by trying our online introduction materials and quiz for free. The online Introductory Pack contains: ‘Wild Wisdom’ – an introduction to The Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, as well as material from the full course which includes the first two course lessons and a fun quiz at the end to see whether the path of Druidry is the right one for you! If by the end, you find this introduction answers an inner calling, then you will be welcome to enrol on the full course and begin your journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have a query about Druidry, you will find a Frequently Asked Questions section in our free introductory pack above. Or for questions about the course itself, you can also read our Course FAQ’s here >
What members say about the course:
For the renewed presence in my life of this sense of spiritual, magical intimacy with the world of matter, I am deeply grateful. It takes me back to my roots in more ways than one; it connects me deeply to the earth of my nourishment, to the magical realm of the living world. I have also learned so much about myself, about choice and about freedom.
– S. H.
(OBOD Student from London, UK)