Hello from Western Australia

Thank you, Druidsass!



Yes, that's what another friend suggested to me - that ADF were more scholarly. The only thing holding me back was the ritual aspect.... It sounds quite involved, and the thought of harnessing that energy in my home with family wandering through....

How are you finding/did you find the DP?

Sorry for the delay in replying, starlight, I must have missed a notification.

The Core Order of Ritual can seem a bit daunting at first because it's broken down into so many steps, but the thing to remember is that each of them can be as short as a single phrase or a gesture, if that's what works for you. I do Core Order devotionals morning and evening, and each of them takes about ten minutes - and that's with quite a bit more than a single phrase for most of the steps. If I stuck to one sentence for each, I reckon it might take as little as three minutes. I've done a complete handfasting following the Core Order in 20 minutes, for a couple that wanted something simple. Also, there's no obligation to do full Core Order rituals very often, or at all, if it doesn't suit you. If you do the DP, you'll need to either perform or attend at least four, but the DP is not compulsory unless you want to go on to other formal study programs. Plenty of members never do it, even some who run their own groves. You can even work informally on the other study programs without having done the DP - you just can't get them reviewed for credit towards becoming clergy or a bard or whatever other "official" recognition you might want, but you can access all the resources.

Personally, though, I thoroughly enjoyed the DP and recommend it. It provides a really useful introduction to the group and a solid foundation for any of the other study programs you might want to do. It also has a good balance of practical work and academic study. It took me around a year from start to finish. There's an optional study guide called "The Dedicant Path Through the Wheel of the Year" that breaks it down into "weekly" tasks, though of course you can take longer than a week over each of them if you need to. I found that it helped me to do things in a sensible order and not get too overwhelmed by it. There is an email list specifically for people who are working on it that is very supportive, as are the Facebook groups. There's also an international chat on Sundays - it's organised by the European region, so the timing is geared to our time zones (7 pm London time), but we have occasionally had Aussie members manage to drop in :-) DP queries and other study-related questions often get answered there as well.

Oh! That sounds a lot more doable! I can just about manage 3 minutes, I think, if the littlies are outside playing.



That's good to know. I'm actually more interested in the ADF's scholarly approach, all that was holding me back was the DP ritual. But if it's actually quite straightforward to do - and not too heavy on harnessing/calling up energies (which I'd be reluctant to do) - then that's a relief. I am interested in the other courses, and knowing that I have the option to study them informally is good to know!



Thank you so much for sharing this with me. This has put some concerns I had to rest and I will take a closer look at ADF again. I do have an online (fellow Aussie) friend who is a member and she recommended it to me.

Thanks again, Druidsass! Much appreciated.