http://www.adf.org/members/ Announcements of new articles and updates to the Members section of the ADF website. 2008-03-28 http://www.adf.org/members/training/dp/articles/dual-trad-devotions.html?rss=1 One of the things that attracted me to ADF was the Dedicant Program. So, upon joining, I dove straight in, until I got to two things: meditation and hearth cultures. It is through my struggles with the meditation requirement, though, that I discovered a challenge and a potential solution for the problem of hearth cultures. . . 2008-03-28 http://www.adf.org/members/training/dp/articles/bungee-2powers.html?rss=1 "Begin, o seeker of wisdom with your breath." Then the roots go down into the earth seeking the really nice cavern, kind of a long way that. Then you have to look up and find your very own star and grab some of that energy as well. Oh yeah, don't forget those cauldrons that need filling. By now it's next Thursday, and you have forgotten why you started this in the first place. . . 2007-07-08 http://www.adf.org/members/org/mg/minutes/2007-AM.txt?rss=1 These are the minutes from the ADF Annual Meeting on 5/27/07 held at the Wellspring Gathering. At the top of the minutes is also a link to an audio/MP3 recording of the minutes. 2007-07-02 http://archives.adf.org/festivals/wellspring/2007/?rss=1 In this section are MP3 audio files for some of the workshops presented at the 2007 Wellspring Gathering, including classes by Michael Dangler, Bardd Dafydd, Archdruid Emeritus Fox, Kirk Thomas, and Linda Costello. Also present is an audio recording of the ADF Annual Meeting. 2007-07-01 http://www.adf.org/members/guilds/liturgists/yearbooks/2006/?rss=1 The texts of rituals (or parts of rituals) actually performed by ADF solitaries and Groves in 2006... This was the year that the ADF Clergy Council modified the basic Core Order of Ritual used in all ADF High Day rites. However, since this occurred later in the year, some of the High Day rites on this page may vary from the Core Order. 2007-05-01 http://archives.adf.org/festivals/desert-magic/2007/?rss=1 In this section are MP3 audio files for some of the workshops presented at the 2007 Desert Magic Festival, including classes by Ceisiwr Serith, Ian Corrigan, Francesca Hedrick, Kirk Thomas, Sue Parker (Liafal), Linda Costello, and Illious. 2007-05-01 http://www.adf.org/members/guilds/seers/9x9/?rss=1 This is a new divination system created by Ian Corrigan and first presented for "alpha testing" at Desert Magic Festival 2007; see the Desert Magic audio files at http://archives.adf.org/festivals/desert-magic/2007/ for the accompanying workshop. 2007-02-01 http://www.adf.org/members/account/no-election-paper-info.html?rss=1 This page describes the new "no paper election mailings" option you can set so that we will ONLY e-mail you ADF election mailings, saving the Earth some trees and ADF some money. Instructions are given for how to see if you've already opted out of paper election mailings and if not, how to do so. 2007-01-12 http://www.adf.org/members/training/sp/completions/index.html?rss=1 This is a list of folks who have completed parts of the various ADF Study Programs. 2007-01-12 http://www.adf.org/members/training/dp/completions/?rss=1 This is a list of the folks who have completed the ADF Dedicant Program. 2006-12-16 http://www.adf.org/members/wiki/?rss=1 The ADF Wiki has been integrated into the rest of the ADF website so it now has the same look and feel as the rest of the site. Also, the two search boxes were unified into one smart search box at the top of the page. 2006-11-02 http://www.adf.org/members/training/dp/articles/first-oath-chant.html?rss=1 An oath is an important thing, but it is all too easy to forget. I knew this might be the case with my First Oath. How could I keep it at the fore of my attention, as I progressed through the Dedicant Program? How could I internalize the triad of Virtue, Piety, and Study, which my oath emphasized? How could I get beyond the words of it, and get under the skin? 2006-11-01 http://www.adf.org/members/training/dp/articles/first-oath.html?rss=1 No one is born into Neopagan Druidry. Even as we work to build long-term, organic Pagan traditions and institutions, we must accept that each and every person who chooses our work must do exactly that. Even children raised by their parents in our ways will at some time in their lives make a conscious decision either to take up our work as their own, or to leave it for other ways. We all must consciously and individually decide first to identify ourselves as Pagans and, more importantly, to actually perform the deeds that will give that identification meaning. . . 2006-09-09 http://www.adf.org/members/groves/starting/goh/?rss=1 The big PDF of the 2005 edition of the Grove Organizer's Handbook - which has information for protogroves, provisionally chartered groves, and even fully chartered groves - has been broken up into more accessible web pages. Also included are some gems from the previous edition we just couldn't let go! 2006-09-02 http://www.adf.org/members/training/dp/manual/?rss=1 At last, a web version of the ADF Dedicant Program manual, which for a long time has only been available in a big PDF file; this new area of the Members section makes each chapter its own page for easy access and reference. 2006-04-28 http://www.adf.org/members/training/dp/articles/bead-devotional.html?rss=1 In August of 2005, Sisters of the Silver Branch had an arts day making various prayer beads. One of the sets I made was to be for morning or beginng-of-the-day prayers based on the Nine Virtues found in ADF's Dedicant Program... 2006-09-01 http://www.adf.org/members/training/dp/articles/spirit-on-winds.html?rss=1 In 1999, I met a frail-looking woman who had come to Ohio State to give a lecture and demonstration of something she called "ecstatic body postures." I was fortunate enough to be enrolled in the class she was to lecture in, and had my first real experience with an otherworldly journey. 2006-09-01 http://www.adf.org/members/training/dp/articles/dorm-room-druidism.html?rss=1 By far, the largest "occupation" listed by Pagans is "student." According to one recent study, the number rests at 16%. I've also noticed a large upswing in the number of students (college-aged and non-traditional) in ADF. Despite this, we tend to look at our membership as if they're established in their careers and with a few restrictions on their worship. This is, perhaps, understandable, as it seems to be a new trend within our membership; doesn't mean we should continue to ignore it, though. 2006-08-31 http://www.adf.org/members/training/dp/articles/ecstatic-trance.html?rss=1 So what is Ecstatic Trance? Ecstatic Trance is an altered state of consciousness that results in heightened awareness outside of oneself; one could say, a passage into non-ordinary reality. 2006-08-31 http://www.adf.org/members/training/dp/articles/nature-journaling.html?rss=1 After a long taxing day at work you are stuck in traffic. Your patience is about to end when you look up and see a bird flying over the street. The sight makes you instantly feel better. You are sitting on your porch and see a squirrel. You've never had squirrels in your yard before and you wonder if it is passing through or has moved in. What do you do with these experiences? Do you let them pass and never think about them again? Is it possible you may want to remember the joy a small bird gave you on a bad day? What if squirrels are uncommon in your area and have changed their habitat for some reason? These are two examples of why you may want to start nature journaling.