OSC Degree Program Frequently Asked Questions
If you are part of a Grove, Chapter, or Circle, please contact your Grove Conductor or Grove Secretary to enter the appropriate degree level. Within Groves, initiations into degrees and oral tests to enter the next degree take place in January. Your Grove Conductor will work with you to ensure you are meeting the degree requirements. Tests are given the following January. Degree certificates for Grove members are awarded at the March Grove meeting following the your successful completion of degree requirements and tests.
If you are a solitary member or part of a triad group, you may contact the OSC High Council at any time to start a degree. Once you have completed the degree requirements including a year of suggested seasonal rituals, you can submit your completed degree checklist and will be awarded a degree certificate upon review and approval of the OSC High Council.
While it is common for many modern Druid organizations to progress through the degrees of Bard, Ovate, and then Druid, it is common among revivalist Druid organizations to progress through the degrees of Ovate, Bard, and then Druid in that order. As a revivalist Druid organization, we have decided to keep that order within our organization.
While many of the core concepts of Druidry within other Druid organizations are likely to be similar, the OSC degree programs are a unique combination of reading, memorizations, activities, and rituals that are designed to familiarize the degree seeker with our unique “flavor” of Druidry. Skipping any of the requirements may leave the seeker with a less rounded view of Druidry from the OSC and Revivalist Druid perspective. However, if you have obtained degrees from other Druid organizations you may petition your OSC Grove or the OSC High Council to allow you to accelerate the degree process. Previous learning, reading, memorization, and practical knowledge may be applied toward advancing OSC degrees at a faster rate.
An advanced solitary degree seeker still must go through one full year of ritual – both Albans and Calans – within the OSC ritual framework for each degree – Ovate, Bard, and Druid. Within a Grove setting, an advanced degree seeker must undergo one full year of attending full grove meetings and participating in the rituals and mystery narratives for each degree – Ovate, Bard, and Druid. Within a Grove setting, the advanced seeker must be able to pass the oral tests given at each level of each degree in order to progress to the next level.
Yes, you can count these toward your degree requirements – though we encourage you to refamiliarize yourself with the readings and concepts, especially if your exposure to these books and other requirements have not been recent.
In most cases, each degree level requires one full year to progress. If you already have degrees in other Druid organizations, see FAQ #3.
We realize that not everyone can meet the degree requirements within a year. Life happens. We all have other life responsibilities. Sometimes we realize we bit off more than we could chew. Each degree requires a minimum of one full year to complete, but there is no maximum time to complete – though we hope you don’t take several years to complete a single degree level. Within a Grove setting, initiations into new degree levels and oral tests required to advance levels only take place once a year. If you miss these, you will have to wait until the following year to progress. This is less of a concern for self-study degree seekers.
OSC requires that all our members progress through the three levels of the Ovate degree. This degree is designed to familiarize members with basic Druid beliefs and concepts, OSC structure and policies, and memorize key Druid sayings and meditations. Members aren’t required to complete the Bardic and Druid / Druidess level degrees, though we hope that you will do so. If you have opted to join a Druid organization, it is likely that lifelong learning is one of your goals.
Supplemental degrees are degrees outside of our three standard degrees of Ovate, Bard, and Druid. These might be degrees allowing further in-depth study in a particular aspect of Druidry such as shapeshifting or astronomy/astrology; degrees focused on a specific demographic of the Druid community such as Druidry from an LGBTQ+ or Women’s perspective; or that present a topic related to Druidry that is not addressed in the standard degrees such as shamanic journeying from a Druid perspective. In most cases, supplemental degrees are self-study and are offered as a one-year degree. Any supplemental degrees offered will be listed as available on the OSC website or in our other materials. Any OSC member who has completed the full three levels of the Ovate degree may undertake a supplemental degree by contacting their Grove leaders or the OSC High Council. As stated previously, only one degree may be taken at any given time. Any member may submit a proposal to create a supplemental degree to the OSC High Council. Such a proposal should include suggested readings, memorizations, and activities required to complete this degree in the form of a degree checklist. Seasonal narratives and rituals for the Calans may be included in the supplemental degree requirements.
The main difference between the self-study program (for solitaries and triads) and the grove program (for groves, chapters, and circles) is that the grove program focuses on in-person participation (where individuals learn and grow in the context of group meetings, rituals, and initiations) and the self-study program requires more reading and movie watching (that includes both non-fictional and fictional portrayals of Druids). This allows initiates to see what Druids are and have been, as well as stretching the imagination of what Druids could be.
Please refer additional questions to your Grove leaders or to the OSC High Council.