Ritual binds ADF together. Ours is a religion not of orthodoxy (shared doctrine) but of orthopraxy (shared practice). For ritual we share a common liturgical outline, called the Core Order of Ritual.
In a moment, we will have a first look at the COoR, and get a feel for its drama. But first, let’s take care of a few preliminary questions.
Why do we use the COoR?
It has been said that a Druid from one grove or area should be able to attend a rite in another, and still have a chance of understanding what’s going on. The COoR gives us that chance.
Specifically, the COoR’s purpose is three-fold.
- First, it defines the minimum necessary steps for a rite to qualify as an “ADF” High Day ritual. Many groves add their own traditions as well, but all must fulfill at least these steps. It is, as its name suggests, the “core” of our rites.
- Second, the COoR sets the sequence in which the minimum steps should proceed.
- Finally, the COoR specifies certain things that are not used, including monotheistic expressions, blood sacrifices, certain Wicca-esque elements, and non-Indo-European motifs.
By the way, we also have the term “Order of Ritual” (OoR) for any liturgical outline. Groves typically have their own OoRs, based on the COoR but fleshing it out with more detail, additional practices, or local grove customs. The COoR is the most universal and basic OoR, and defines an “ADF” High Day ritual.
What is an “ADF” High Day ritual?
An “ADF” High Day rite is one which celebrates one of the eight High Day feasts, and which adheres to the COoR structure. Usually it also avoids mixing pantheons, and otherwise maintains common ADF conventions. Public High Day rituals put on by groves are always “ADF” rites. Solitary High Day rituals may be as well. For Dedicant Path students, at least four of the rituals fulfilling requirement #8 should be “ADF” High Day rituals.
But these are not the only rites performed in ADF. There are also blessing rites and devotionals, both of which are somewhat more flexible. Generally speaking, blessing rites treat needs other than High Day observance. These needs may include rites of passage, magical workings, or community-bonding efforts (e.g. the “Unity Rite,” a.k.a. “Organizational Rite”). Devotionals are small, personal rites, often done on a daily basis. Both blessing rites and devotionals inevitably encounter special needs. Therefore they are more relaxed in terms of following the COoR. These kinds of rites will not be treated in this tutorial. It is the High Day rite for which the COoR was specifically designed, so that is the kind of rite that will be focused on. Henceforth, we’ll just speak of “ADF rituals,” with the understanding that High Day rituals are implied.
How does an ADF ritual work?
Let’s take a moment to understand the basic idea behind ADF rites. They are modeled after the ancient Indo-European principle do ut des, “I give, so that you may give.” Worshippers give gifts to the worshipped, and the worshipped give gifts in return. This is how ADF rituals work.
In essence, worshippers invite the Kindreds to be their guests for a time. This invokes ancient laws of hospitality, which dictate that a guest must give a gift in return to the host. The gods are thus obliged to return the favor. Furthermore, the greater being is honor-bound to give a gift proportionately greater. So our small offerings of ale or incense can be balanced by healing, protection, or other great boons. Finally, two beings that once exchange gifts are forever bonded in an ongoing relationship. The Proto-Indo-European word for this was *ghos-ti, describing those in a guest-host relationship. Through ghosti, we experience communion and bring the divine into our lives.
Is this really how the ancients did it?
As mentioned above, our rites are modeled on ancient principles. We honor our Indo-European ancestors as much as possible. We study their worldviews, and draw inspiration from their symbols. We are not reconstructionists, however. The COoR is a mix of old and new. We make no pretense about that. The old connects us to our ancestors, and the new responds to our modern needs.
The new things mainly concern energy-working and visualization, both common to Neopagans. The prominence of the Earth Mother is another difference, addressing environmental care in our time of overpopulation and pollution.
What we don’t do is claim that something is ancient when it isn’t. We will be looking at parts of the COoR that are ancient and parts that are modern, and we’ll try to be as clear as possible about which is which.
A First Look at the COoR
Now let’s take a look at the COoR itself. Here is the version we use today. The following is reproduced verbatim from the article in which it was introduced.
Core Order of ADF Ritual for High Days
The following is the Core Order of Ritual (COoR) for ADF High Day rituals as approved in late 2006 by the ADF Clergy Council.
This is not a complete re-write of our current Order of Ritual, but rather a clarification of what we’re already doing, meant to answer the questions, “Just what ritual steps are the minimum necessary for a High Day rite to be considered an ADF ritual?” and “In what order should these steps take place?”
Certain actions/concepts below are “suggested”, often listed as “may include” or “is most commonly represented or included”. In these cases, the main heading is required for a rite to be called “ADF”, just not all the choices listed—and there may be other acceptable choices as well that aren’t listed.
However, where the word “must” appears, this is a required action. Remember that there is usually a strong cosmological or theological reason for each part of the rite to appear where it does. Some modifications to the COoR are expected, including additions to the main headings and particularly steps from past Orders of Ritual not specifically listed here, but any such modifications should have a particularly strong justification.
Note also that following the Core Order is a listing of things an ADF ritual does not include.
- Initiating the Rite – May include:
- Musical Signal
- Opening Prayer
- Processional
- Establishing the Group Mind
- Purification – This must take place prior to Opening the Gates
- Honoring the Earth Mother
- Statement of Purpose
- (Re)Creating the Cosmos
- Sacred Center must be established in a triadic Cosmos
- The Three Worlds or Realms must be acknowledged
- The Fire must be included
- Sacred Center is most commonly represented as Fire, Well and Tree
- Opening the Gate(s) – Must include a Gatekeeper
- Inviting the Three Kindreds
- Key Offerings – This will commonly include:
- Invitation of Beings of the Occasion
- Seasonal customs as appropriate
- Praise Offerings
- Prayer of Sacrifice
- Omen
- Calling (asking) for the Blessings
- Hallowing the Blessing
- Affirmation of the Blessing
- Workings (if any)
- Thanking the Beings
- Closing the Gate(s)
- Thanking the Earth Mother
- Closing the Rite
Items that ADF Rituals Do Not Include
- Elemental Cross Symbolism (the 4 Elements)
- Casting Circles in public ritual
- Calling Watchtowers or Elemental Guardians
- Calling the dualtheistic “Lord” and “Lady”
- Acknowledgement of one divine being with power over all
- Blood Sacrifices
- Non-Indo-European mythic and deity motifs
So that’s the COoR. For now, let’s ignore the “don’t”‘s at the end and concentrate on the “do”‘s.
The Do’s
The first thing you will notice is that the COoR is broken down into 18 units, which we’ll call “steps” (they are also called “modules”). Rituals can be written a step at a time, and steps from one ritual can easily be compared with those from another.
A closer look reveals a broad pattern of dramatic movements or phases. The broadest breakdown divides a rite between the sending of energy (steps 1-9) and the return flow (11-18).
The COoR in Two Phases
| steps | phase |
|---|---|
| 1-10 | sending of energy |
| 11-18 | return flow |
In the first half, worshippers send their reverence to the Kindreds. In the second half, the Kindreds send their blessings in return. This is the basic drama of an ADF rite. Gifts are given, then received in return. It expresses the principle mentioned above, do ut des, “I give, so that you may give.” It also binds worshippers and Kindreds together in the bonds of hospitality. These concepts will become clearer as we go on. For now, just remember: power in, power out.
Flow of Energies in a Rite
| —-sending of energy—> | ||
| worshipper | worshipped | |
| <——return flow——- |
A more nuanced five-phase breakdown looks like this:
The COoR in Five Phases*
| steps | phase |
|---|---|
| 1-4 | I. Starting of the Rite and Establishing the Groupmind |
| 5-7 | II. Recreating the Cosmos and Preliminary Power Raising |
| 8-10 | III. Major Sending of Power to the Deities of the Occasion |
| 11-14 | IV. Receiving and Using the Returned Power |
| 15-18 | V. Unwinding and Ending the Ceremony |
*Based on pattern divisions in the 1991 liturgy.
In the table above we can see how a rite gets the group together, gathers energies, and builds toward the climax: the offering. Then the energy flow reverses, blessings return from the Kindreds, and the rite draws to a close.
Here’s another way to look at it:
Rise and Fall of Energy in a Rite
| III. Major Sending | ||||
| II. Recreating and Raising | IV. Receiving and Using | |||
| I. Starting and Establishing | V. Unwinding and Ending |
The Don’t’s
Now that we’ve looked at the prescriptive part of the COoR, let’s recall the proscriptive part. It enumerates seven things that are not part of ADF rites. They mainly concern our Indo-European focus. Points 1-5 describe things arising out of the modern Pagan revival. Our ancestors were polytheistic, not dual-theistic, and tended to do things in threes more than fours. ADF is very much a part of the revival, but in order to maintain our distinct identity and style, we focus on historical Indo-European motifs (summed up in point seven).
The exception is point six, blood sacrifices. Ancient Indo-Europeans sacrificed animals (as did most religions at some point in their history), but we have no interest in reviving that practice. This includes both killing and drawing blood. Such things are forbidden in ADF rites. Human blood-letting, even if only a few drops, is also forbidden.
A Word on “Must”
“Must” is a word that causes a knee-jerk reaction in many people. Therefore, let’s be totally clear about how and why it is being used (if it isn’t apparent enough already).
The COoR “must” be followed for a rite to be an ADF High Day rite, not for it to be effective ritual. In other words, it is a matter of identity, not theology. Worship that departs from the COoR can be both powerful and correct. It just won’t be an ADF rite.
Compare it to music. For a song to be considered “blues,” it must follow the 12-bar structure. Other songs are still great music, they just aren’t blues. In the same way, non-COoR rites are still effective worship, they just aren’t ADF rites. ADF members can and do privately perform High Day rites that do not follow the COoR. For example, they may wish to include non-Indo-European elements or Wiccan watchtowers. Such rites may be beautiful and powerful. However, they cannot be called “ADF” rites. To maintain the integrity of our identity, all High Day rites bearing the label “ADF” follow the COoR.
Within the COoR, the word “must” appears a few times. For example, the Fire “must” be represented. This is the same idea again, expressing what is most vital to the structure of the rite.
That structure, which expresses our identity, has been developed over many years. A brief outline of this development may be in order.
A Very Brief History of the COoR
Research and experimentation leads to revision every so often. Here is a simple chart of the COoR’s history. For simplicity’s sake, it covers only the major revisions introduced by archdruids or archdruids emeritus; it does not reflect the innumerable important contributions made by local groves and individual liturgists.
Development of ADF and the COoR
1983: ADF founded; Isaac Bonewits becomes first Archdruid
1984: First liturgical outline published, with a ritual script to demonstrate, in Druid’s Progress #2; some elements carried over from Reformed Druids of North America (RDNA)
1987: Liturgical outline updated and expanded, and a step-by-step guide published, in Druid’s Progress #4
1991Major revision of the outline in Druid’s Progress #8; cosmology becomes a major component, and most RDNA elements are dropped; from this point on, changes in the outline are mainly re-presentations and clarifications
1996: Isaac Bonewits resigns due to illness; Ian Corrigan becomes Archdruid till elections can be organized
1996: John (Fox) Adelmann elected Archdruid
1997: New presentation of the outline in fewer steps and different language, published as a step-by-step guide in the first Dedicant Manual and in Oak Leaves #3, largely thanks to Ian Corrigan
1997: Liturgists Guild forms
2003: Reformatted outline, using the title “The Core Order of ADF Ritual” for the first time, appears in the Dedicant Manual; meditation moved to pre-rite preparation; back to back with the COoR is the “An Ar nDraiocht Fein Order of Ritual As Practiced In Many Groves In The Early 21st Century”, which elaborates it in more detail; these were later clarified in 2006
2001: Robert Lee (Skip) Ellison elected Archdruid
2004: Skip re-elected Archdruid
2006: Ritual outline clarified to its present state and posted as the Core Order of Ritual by Clergy Council
2007: Skip re-elected Archdruid
2010: Kirk Thomas elected Archdruid
2013: Kirk Thomas re-elected Archdruid
2016: Jean (Drum) Pagano elected Archdruid
2019: Jean (Drum) Pagano re-elected Archdruid
We’ll explore this history further in the next chapter, as we go through each step. For the sake of clarity, we’ll be referring to past versions of the liturgy according to their date. So the major versions include 1984, 1987, 1991, 1997, 2003, and 2006. The term “COoR” we will reserve for only the most recent version, the one adopted in 2006.
Before we move on, two historical facts may be useful to note. The first is that the COoR was originally designed for large-group rites. This accorded with ADF’s mission of providing public worship venues. Since then ADF has come a long way in expanding its scope, but it is still rooted in large-group dynamics. This may be relevant as you contemplate how things are done and why.
The second concerns the use of “liturgical languages.” As you browse ritual scripts, especially older ones, you will find various phrases in non-English. For example, Bíodh sé amhlaidh is Old Irish for “so be it.” The fact is, when ADF began, nearly everything was said in both English and an appropriate non-English language. For example, a rite for Freya might’ve used Old Norse, and one for Jupiter, Latin. It was felt that this forged a closer link to the gods. Today, we have gotten away from this, except for key phrases like “so be it” or “let the Gates be opened.”
In most cases today you will find phrases from only the old tongues. But once in a while you will come across modern Irish or German. For a long time, groves experimented with modern languages for the following reason. Beginning members were more likely to know, or have the opportunity to learn, a modern language, as opposed to an ancient one. Thus, for example, modern Irish did well enough for the time being, acting as a stepping stone toward eventual fluency in the much more obscure Old Irish. Now that we have gotten away from translating everything, fluency is no longer needed and modern languages are rarely used anymore. You are much more likely to hear a few key phrases taken directly from ancient Indo-European vocabularies.
Summary and Tips on How to Approach the COoR
So now we have taken a look at the COoR and gotten a feel for its dramatic exposition. We have discovered its basic principle: give and receive. And we have seen some of its history. Yet you may still have many questions. Why these steps and not others? Why in this order? What do these steps look like in practice, and how do they relate to ancient Indo-European ways? The step descriptions in the next chapter will answer these questions. They will flesh out your understanding on an intellectual level.
Of course, effective ritual requires you to go beyond the intellectual. So, here are some tips for internalizing the COoR on a deeper level.
First, it is recommended that you memorize the order of steps. It’s okay to use note cards for your first few rites. Freedom within the COoR, however, only comes with memorization. The best way is to take it bit by bit, learn it in chunks, and practice daily. Design a devotional that incorporates all COoR steps, and do it daily till you know the sequence like the back of your hand. An example would be “An Anywhere Devotional” in Oak Leaves #37. Another useful technique is to write a poem to help you remember. For example, see “Sean’s Poetic Ritual” by Sean, or “ADF Ritual Order Poem” by Grace.
Second, don’t worry too much about “doing it wrong.” The COoR is not a Holy Writ handed down by an Almighty Archdruid. Rather, it is an ongoing experiment in liturgical development. If you depart from the COoR, the gods won’t mind; you won’t be struck by lightning. And if you make a mistake, laugh it off and figure out how to do better next time. Some mistakes may even turn into things you like, and eventually you will create a liturgy that is tailored to your needs.
Third, remember that effective ritual is more than just a script. Other vital considerations include setting, timing, group dynamics, coordination, props, and so forth. Make sure you envision the COoR within a holistic context involving all these things.
Last but not least, allow yourself to grow through the COoR. It is more than just a liturgical outline, it is an expression of our spirituality. There are many lessons it can teach us. In the Epilogue, we’ll explore a few of these themes.
