Thoughts on Keltrian Ritual

I ran into an interesting Blog where the individual talked about looking in to the Henge of Keltria.

thoughts on Druidry and Celtic Reconstructionism « Ozark Pagan Mamma

I read about a group that broke away from ADF mainly for this reason- the Henge of Keltria. I looked into this group, but was disappointed to find that in creating their form of Druidism, they changed too many things from the way they were done in their parent group. For instance, they made ritual even more elaborate than ADF’s– my tendency is toward KISS (Keep It Simple, Stupid). More steps were added to the rituals, and an elaborate system of ritual tools was created. They also made the groups initiatory and closed instead of public and open.

Certainly, the construction of ritual space is a little bit more complex than I recall ADF rituals being, but there isn't much more involved with the rest of the ritual. There are many things in Keltrian Ritual that are optional and, of course, the tools is one of them. Ritual tools in Keltrian Ritual are trappings and are not necessary to accomplish the goal. We often recommend that if you don't have, or can't use a sickle that a cupped hand can be used just as well.

Yes, Keltrian Druidism is initiatory. That said, the vast majority of the rituals are public or semi-public. I use the term public, because some groups can and do rituals where anyone can show up, but the majority of groves hold ritual in privately owned spaces, usually someone's home, where an invite is expected or the individual comes with someone who is known. I personally try to keep the "creep-o's" out of my home and I would never invite a "creep-o" to someone else's home that I wanted to be invited back to. The "Great Eight" Feasts and the Mistletoe Rite are open. Only the Vervain Rite is initiates only. The reason it is closed is that it is a magic working ritual. In working magic it is important for the group to develop group mind and work in unison as well as working with trust. It is difficult to trust someone you have little to no knowledge of and the initiation process provides a framework to garner trust from the other participants. It is also difficult to establish group mind unless the group has worked together on many occasions in a non-magickal way.