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Why I am involved in ADF
I'm involved in ADF because I strongly believe in the ADF vision of a public Neopagan Druid religion that is open and inclusive to all. Before joining ADF, I spent years searching for a group but found that most groups were too busy being secretive and important to be open to outsiders. When I encountered my first ADF grove, though, I was very impressed by the openness of their public rituals and meetings—something I discovered is true of ADF as a whole.I also believe that Neopaganism in general and Druidry in particular is as valid as any "mainstream" religion, and perhaps even more relevant due to the increasing stress that modern industrial societies place on the Earth, an Earth our children will inherit from us. That's one reason I believe Neopaganism and Druidry deserve a place among the mainstream religions, open to all who choose to hear the call of our Earth, our Ancestors, and the Gods.
What I do in ADF
In my thirteen years with ADF I've worn many different hats, including several terms on the Board of Directors aka Mother Grove (as Secretary, Administrator, Preceptor, and Non-Officer Director), Webmaster, Listmaster, Information Manager, Office helper, Dedicant Path Mentor, and member of several Guilds.
I'm presently ADF's Secretary, a position where I have brought my long experience in ADF together with my skills in managing and disseminating information, to foster greater communication among Mother Grove members and the membership at large. I also served as the Election Officer for the 2006 and 2008 elections.
I really see my role in ADF as a combination of archivist, marketer, administrative support, technical support, communicator, etc. Basically, I use any and all of my skills to further the organization however I can, usually concentrating on increasing new members and retaining current members by making them as satisfied as possible with ADF.
One way I do this is by trying to capture the magic and wonder of Our Druidry and share it with current members and prospective members who are just checking us out to see if we're solid and the real deal. This often involves converting articles from our publication Oak Leaves, putting solitary and grove rituals on the site, writing the Wikipedia article on ADF, showing off some of our sacred space, etc.
It also involves behind-the-scenes stuff such as reorganizing the groves section to better accommodate our growing presence outside the U.S., enabling credit cards for new and renewing members, answering e-mail sent to the ADF Office, supporting our publication team's technical needs, automating renewal reminder e-mails, setting up a virtual book lending library for Dedicants, etc. If you're an ADF member, you can view my current "to do" list in the ADF Wiki :)
Finally, it involves leading a local congregation (grove) of my own, Ocean's Tide Protogrove, ADF in Rhode Island. Starting a grove to serve its members and the larger Neopagan community is one of the most challenging and rewarding things one can do, and I heartily recommend it to other ADF members. We have a fantastic mentoring and support system in place so if you're a member and on the fence, go for it!
In fact, with the Google maps project I'm actively encouraging clusters of members to connect with each other to form new groves :) In any event, it's truly nice to bring things full circle from my first days in ADF finding the friendly local grove, to founding a friendly local grove of my own new people can similarly feel welcome in!
What I do outside of ADF
In my non-ADF life, I spent many years in information technology but made a career change to real estate in 2004. I have a Bachelors degree in Psychology, a Masters in Information Systems, and a Masters in Real Estate Finance. I am also a practicing astrologer (see anthonyrthompson.com) and do Reiki healing work on a semi-regular basis. For fun I often go out to goth/industrial music events, and I still read comic books :)
My personal vision for ADF's future
My personal vision for ADF's future is that we achieve what our founder Isaac Bonewits had as our goal from the beginning, namely that we become a mainstream religion and religious community which provides quality worship and training services to our members and the larger Neopagan community. This includes filling traditional needs like blessings and life transitions (births, rites of passage, marriages, etc.), but also less traditional needs like healing, divination, etc.
Providing training and general religious support for our members and the larger Neopagan community has always been one of the pillars of ADF. I believe we can continue to excel at this by making our religion an integral part of our lives, providing examples of daily devotional rites, putting on festivals where we meet and learn from each other, supporting a way of life that helps heal the Earth Mother instead of worsening her problems, and in general helping our members live more closely and harmoniously with the Earth, our Ancestors, the Spirits, and the Gods.
We've been doing this pretty well for the past twenty years, and I look forward to being part of doing it even better for the next twenty!
Feel free to e-mail me if you have any questions about this page!
View all articles written by Anthony R. Thompson
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nDraíocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship, Inc.
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