http://www.adf.org/articles/ Announcements of new articles and features of the Ar nDraoicht Fein: A Druid Fellowship (ADF) website. 2009-11-19 http://www.adf.org/rituals/explanations/Concentration-In-Ritual.pdf?rss=1 This paper describes and teaches the concept of the Circles of Concentration employed in ritual to allow celebrants to exist in all worlds and lead ritual without losing focus. 2009-11-19 http://www.adf.org/rituals/explanations/Well-Trained-Ritualist.pdf?rss=1 This paper explains and teaches the presentational skills needed by any good ritualist to lead effective rites. 2009-09-23 http://www.adf.org/forums/social-networking.html?rss=1 This is a page collecting links to ADF's presence on a variety of "social networking" sites like Facebook, Twitter, Myspace, Ning, LiveJournal, etc. 2009-09-18 http://www.adf.org/articles/organization/military-chaplain-handbook.pdf?rss=1 An article written for inclusion in the US Military Chaplains' Handbook, it gives a brief synopsis of ADF's history and founding, basic tenets, practices and ethics, structure, and many other things in a concise and clear format. (This article is a 174 KB .pdf file) 2009-08-25 http://www.adf.org/articles/working/initiatory-current.html?rss=1 For several years the ADF Clergy Council has worked to create the ADF Initiate Program, a course of training into the ways of magic, seership and trance for ADF, and with it a current of spiritual initiation. The culmination of this training would be an actual ritual of initiation. Such an initiation would require some sort of spiritual current that the student could tap into – a current that would unify all ADF Initiates and help provide some of the 'juice' they would need for their work. So how could ADF, relatively young and new, start such a current? Read on and find out. . . 2009-06-05 http://www.adf.org/rituals/general/rite-for-sol.html?rss=1 To go with her article on "Adopting the Core Order of Ritual for Solitary Use," Melissa offers an outline for our solitary members who are looking for a simple, efficient rite they can do that follows the Core Order of Ritual. . . 2009-06-05 http://www.adf.org/articles/solitary/coor-for-sols.html?rss=1 There are several challenges specific to Solitaries when it comes to completing the Dedicant Path. One of the largest is performing at least four High Day Rites following the Core Order of Ritual, which includes all of the minimum requirements for a rite to be considered ADF in style. If you are new to ADF and have never seen a full rite using the Core Order of Ritual, or COoR, this can be quite daunting. . . 2009-04-20 http://www.adf.org/articles/cosmology/nine-tenants.html?rss=1 In order to fully explain why we do the things we do, it's important for us to look at the entire vision of the cosmos: what are the assumptions we make about ritual, and how do they play into the eventual development of a "core order" or an outline of what we plan to do? This article works through a set of nine central tenants of Druidic ritual: things that every ritual assumes to be true, so that the cosmos we (re)create in every ritual can stand on its own. . . 2008-05-28 http://www.adf.org/articles/cosmology/nature-of-sacrifice.html?rss=1 When modern people use the word 'sacrifice' today, they usually mean something negative and uncomfortable, such as when we refer to the 'ultimate sacrifice' when speaking about the deaths of our soldiers in war. But the word had a quite different meaning in the religious lives of the ancients. . . 2008-03-28 http://www.adf.org/rituals/meditations/2powers-active.html?rss=1 Begin by standing with your feet shoulder width apart and arms down by your sides. Close your eyes. . . 2008-03-28 http://www.adf.org/rituals/general/anywhere-devotional.html?rss=1 Here is a very short rite for daily devotions, designed especially for traveling, staying at friend's places, riding on a bus or plane, and so forth. It makes every effort to accommodate varying settings, social situations, time constraints, and availability of materials for offerings. It should be doable in the space of a smoke break. Yet it also follows the full Core Order of Ritual. . . 2008-03-28 http://www.adf.org/rituals/hellenic/sp-eq-solitary.html?rss=1 A Hellenic rite using a number of modified Orphic Hymns as evocations and callings. . . 2008-02-21 http://www.adf.org/podcast/?rss=1 ADF's first ever podcast is now available! Selections include articles, music and meditations. 2007-12-29 http://www.adf.org/rituals/videos/romanrite/?rss=1 The impromptu Fontanalia ritual performed at the Three Realms Festival in 2006 is now on the ADF website. It comes in both 56k/dial-up and ISDN/Cable versions. Have a look! 2007-08-20 http://www.adf.org/rituals/chants/land-sea-sky/blessings-honor-worship.html?rss=1 A new chant by Ceisiwr Serith for the land/sea/sky section of our liturgy, complete with MP3 as recorded at Desert Magic Festival 2006. 2007-08-02 http://www.adf.org/articles/nature/urban-pagan-reflections.html?rss=1 Deciding to follow a nature-based religion if you live in the midst of a city can be a challenge. Those of us who are surrounded by concrete and live shoulder to shoulder with neighbors must make a conscious effort to ignore the pressing humanity and feel the rhythms of the Great Mother pulsing through our days... 2007-07-01 http://www.adf.org/articles/working/divination-for-public-ritual.html?rss=1 "I'll begin with the purpose of the Omen in the ADF liturgy. It seems that we began with a purpose that was connected to the Kindreds' reception of the offerings we've given. However, after over twenty years of public worship, this purpose has evolved and grown..." 2007-06-10 http://www.adf.org/rituals/videos/woodlandblessingrite/?rss=1 This video is of a blessing rite performed by three people in a woodland setting. It demonstrates how easy it can be for folks to carry in simple tools and perform a rite on a hike. 2007-04-18 http://www.adf.org/rituals/videos/blessingrite/?rss=1 This is a blessing rite performed in ADF style by the Sonoran Sunrise Grove, ADF in January, 2007. It is in the Irish Celtic hearth culture and is led by Rev. Kirk Thomas. 2007-02-27 http://www.adf.org/articles/gods-and-spirits/general/skyfather.html?rss=1 As ADF Druids, we are not unfamiliar with the illuminating magic and creative spark of Sky power for we attune to it frequently, but pay little attention to the source of this power. As modern polytheists, we worship deities of the Sky, those of the storms, of the sun and of the moon, yet we make no mention of a Sky Father. This, however, was not always the case.