Official 2009 High Days

In Neopagan terms, a High Day is a day that holds significant religious meaning, especially as applies to the turning of the year, during which special ceremonies, activites and/or rituals are held. High Days are made up of the Solstices and Equinoxes, as well as the mid-point between each of these astronomical dates. High Days usually coincide with the changing of the seasons.

Larrea Tridentata Protogrove, ADF holds High Day rituals eight times a year on the Thursday closest - or most convenient - to the actual date of the date of the High Day. While rituals may be held for other reasons throughout the year such as for life events, High Day rituals are the most formal.

Below are the officially reconized High Day dates for 2009:

Date		High Day Holiday
November 1st		Samhain
December 21st		Winter Solstice
February 1st		Imbolc
March 20th		Vernal Equinox
May 1st		Beltainne
June 21st		Summer Solstice
August 1st		Lughnassadh
September 22nd		Autumn Equinox

L arrea Tridentata Protogrove, ADF is a local congregation of Ár nDraiocht Féin: A Druid Fellowship (ADF). We were founded as a Dedicant Study Group January 8th, 2009, and were officially recognized as a sub-group and probationary Grove of ADF serving Las Vegas and southern Nevada on April 20th, 2009.

We are polytheistic, hold public rituals and seek to better our world and ourselves. Though ADF uses the term 'druid' to describe the form of religion we practice, we are not limited to the Celtic or Irish path in our practices, nor are we reconstructionists limited by the practices of the ancients. Instead, Larrea Tridentata is a modern neopagan grove who addresses two separate but similar cultures, Hellenic and Irish, splitting our ritual year evenly between them.

Public meetings are held weekly on Thursday nights at 7:30pm.

Public rituals are held nearest the standard Neopagan High Days but usually on Thursdays as well.

Check our Calendar for upcoming events and our Forums for more information about meetings, events and activities. Use the menu on the left to learn more about Druidry and our grove.

You may also wish to check out our presence on Meetup.com:

Click here to check out The Druids in Las Vegas & Southern NV!

There are three kinds of membership in Larrea Tridentata Protogrove, ADF.

A Friend of the Grove is any person who is supportive of the grove, who attends rituals and meetings as often as fits within their other life commitments, and who is unable or unwilling to make the Formal Commitment of Membership. Friends of the Grove are a valued part of our community who are welcome at all events, and may participate in any grove discussions. A Friend of the Grove can be easily identified during a ritual by the white tabard they wear.

A Grove Member is any person who is supportive of the grove, attends the specified minimum number of meetings and rituals in a year, provides physical and/or financial support for rituals as needed and has made the Formal Commitment of Membership. Grove members are a valued part of our community who are welcomed at all events, may participate in all grove discussions, and may vote in general grove elections. A grove member can be easily identified by the green or blue tabard they wear during rituals.

A Voting Grove Member is a Grove Member who also holds a current membership in our parent organization, Ár nDraiocht Féin. In addition to all of the responsibilities and advantages of Grove Members, Voting Grove Members may vote in grove officer elections and are eligible to hold a grove office. Voting Grove Members also wear a green or blue tabard during rituals.

All rituals are open to the public, as are almost all meetings and classes. Membership does not affect access to these. Like most all groves in ADF, though, the success of Larrea Tridentata Protogrove relies completely on the generous involvement and volunteerism of its members. To succeed, every member must contribute and do so reliably. Members who fail to meet the absolute minimum membership requirements within two consecutive quarters will be removed from the membership roster and listed as a Friend of the Grove until such time as they are once again willing and able to meet their commitments to the grove.

To learn more about the Formal Commitment of Membership and current members, check out the links to the left.

To the best of our knowledge, a druid was a member of a class of ancient Celtic society which included priests and other educated professions such as alchemists, magicians, seers, philosophers, astronomers, physicians, historians, judges, poets, and storytellers. We say "to the best of our knowledge" because the first ever mention of such a class of people within the Celtic society comes from a lost manuscript which most later Roman scholars quoted when referring to the Celts. According to Caesar's reports, these druids wrote none of their knowledge down, insisting it all be memorized - which could take up to 20 years to accompish! However, since not one certifiably ancient scrap of knowledge has come down to us from these druids, beyond the reports certifying that such a class of people existed, we know little to nothing about them.

In an Ár nDraiocht Féin (ADF) context, a druid is a modern neo-pagan who studies the current sciences to draw out what little we can know for certainty about the past. Archeology, anthropology and literature all play an important role in informing ADF druids. We use this knowledge to create a modern approach to worship of the old gods which is meaningful in today's world. ADF druids are polytheistic, addressing the gods and goddesses of old as distinct individuals rather than aspects of a singular whole. An ADF druid is not excluded based on gender or any other class of people; men, women, old, young, gay, straight, rich and poor are all welcomed alike.

ADF embraces the term 'druid' not because of some allegiance to a particular culture such as the Irish or Celts, but because ADF wishes its members to aspire to the depth of knowledge of the world around us to which the original people by that title are attributed to having achieved. Research and study of the gods and the people who worshiped them is an integral part of Our Own Druidry.

 

Ár nDraiocht Féin (ADF) and, by extension, Larrea Tridentata Protogrove, ADF has a very specific format which all of their rituals must follow. This format, called the Core Order of Ritual, is a prescribed list of steps based on a set of ideas which, through research and practice, have become the core of how we worship the gods.

Some of the ideas and observances that are part of ADF's liturgy include a polytheistic approach to worship of the gods, a deep reverence for the Earth Mother and specific honors paid to her during rituals, a recognition of three types of Other-beings known as the Kindreds (Gods, Nature Spirits and Ancestors), a Gatekeeper whose magic aids our worship, and a three part hallows (usually fire, well and tree) which represents and connects to the Realms of the Kindreds (upper, middle and lower Realms), to name just a few.

Larrea's rituals include singing and chanting and the offering of substances to the Kindreds by way of the fire and well, including alcohol, food, paper and precious metals (usually silver). Since the ADF ritual format is designed to connect worshipers with all of the spirits and the universe at once, a circle is never cast, nor are celebrants restricted from entering or leaving the ritual space after the rite has begun (though common courtesy in doing so is expected).

To the left, you can find links to an overview of the Core Order of Ritual as we apply it in Larrea Tridentata PG as well as previous ritual scripts used for our High Day rites, and an excerpt of the chants used during rituals.

 

Core Order of Ritual
Chant Sheet
2009 High Days

Ritual Scripts
2009 Vernal Equinox (Mar)
2009 Beltaine (May)
2009 Summer Solstice (June)
2009 Lughnssadh (Aug)
2009 Autumn Equinox (Sept)

 

Formal Commitment of Membership

Grove Members
Beej (voting)
Claudine (voting)

Friends of the Grove
Kirsten
Ashley
Stacey

• Attend at least ONE meeting between each of the High Days, for a total of 8 meetings a year
• Attend at least half of all of the grove's High Day rituals, for a total of 4 High Days a year
• Participate in at least ONE grove related community service event per year
• Provide Ritual Support for all rituals attended. This may include any or all of the following:
• Make arrangements for a ritual location
• Help set up the ritual space
• Help tear down/clean up the ritual space
• Purchase supplies for a ritual such as items for offerings
• Act as a greeter to newcomers
• Take a part in the performance of a ritual
• See to any other needs that will ensure a smooth and successful public ritual

Commitment

To make a commitment means to make a pledge, to place an obligation upon one's self. When we ask someone to make a commitment to the success of the grove, we are asking them to pledge to do all within their means and ability to aide the grove in growing and meeting its obligations as a representative congregation of Ár nDraíocht Féin (ADF). This commitment is in no way exclusive. A member of our grove may also be a member of any other religious organization that is not directly at cross-purposes to ADF's by-laws and constitution.

The Membership Commitment Ceremony is always held during a public ritual - usually a High Day - and will take place during the "Workings" step in the Core Order of Ritual. The reason for this is because we recognize that making a commitment in private doesn't carry the same impetus as one done before both your peers and your gods. As well, making a commitment in the presence of your peers and Kindreds obligates those present to aide you in meeting your pledge. This builds community in a way that no other action can.

Ceremony

There are five parts to the Membership Commitment Ceremony:

• Presentation of the candidate(s) - The candidate(s) will be called to the center of the ritual space by the name they wish to be known by within the grove. A very brief history of the candidate(s) as pertains to the grove will be given along with an overview of specific skills or advantages they bring with them.
• Candidate(s) Pledge - The Candidate(s) address the Earth Mother, each Kindred in turn as well as the Deity(ies) of the Occasion and their patron (if they have one), and then address the assembled worshipers. The actual wording of the pledge will be determined ahead of time and may be words chosen by the candidate(s) or the standard wording. An offering is made to seal the commitment.
• Grove Pledge - The assembled worshipers, especially other members, will be called upon to witness the commitment, thereby acknowledging their part in the success of the membership pledge.
• Donning of the Green and Blue - In recognition of the commitment made during this ceremony and as a reminder of that commitment for each successive ritual attended, the newly committed member is presented with a grove tabard.
• Presentation and Welcoming of the Member(s) - Finally, the newly marked member(s) will be presented to the grove and attending worshipers.