Is OSC for you?
OSC is a continuation and rethinking of revivalist fraternal Druid traditions from a neo-pagan perspective. Revivalist fraternal Druid orders were traditionally made up of members with a “liberal Christian outlook” and that outlook affected the practices and viewpoints of those organizations. In OSC, we seek to reclaim our Pagan roots within the revivalist fraternal Druid tradition. OSC strives to merge modern neo-pagan Druid sensibilities with many of the organizational structures and practices of revivalist fraternal Druidry. We welcome respectful seekers of all religious and spiritual backgrounds, including Christians, but a respect for and appreciation of neo-pagan spirituality and practices is needed. Not all Christians (or believers from other religions) will be comfortable with our Pagan practices such as our reverence for Celtic Pagan deities. We do not consider it our place to tell people what to believe, but Pagan Druid imagery and reverence for Celtic Pagan deities is central to our practices, rituals, and workings. Some folks may also consider Druidry more a philosophy than a religion or spiritual path, and that is more than okay.
OSC is structured and hierarchal in ways similar to fraternal Druid lodges that started in the 17th and 18th centuries. Meetings and degree workings are relatively formal and ritualistic — though there is flexibility within the system along with a move to simplify and shorten some of the longer, more complex ritualistic elements.
There is some flexibility in the form a grove may take. We allow for both single gender and co-ed groves. We realize there is validity and tradition in both, and we also allow for both single gender and co-ed LGBTQ+ groves. In these cases, we affirm the right of Transgender folks to choose the group that best fits their gender identities. We are even working on supplemental degree workings specifically for LGBTQ+ folks. We welcome a diversity of members including folks who have felt left out of other Druid organizations and paths.
While we value knowledge, we are not overly scholarly, nor do we hold to strict reconstructionist standards. We believe that Druidry is a living and constantly progressing path. It draws its roots from the ancient Druids, but its branches include the revivalist Druids as well as modern neo-Druids. Its branches include scholarly druids, spiritual druids, philosophical druids, and fraternal druids alike. Revivalist Druidry has a rich, complex history of its own and did not always do or believe strictly as the original ancient Druids did. As the revivalist Druids were inspired by the ancient Druids and living as modern Druids in their own times, we do not automatically dismiss their practices and inventions as illegitimate so long as those traditions and innovations have value to those calling themselves Druids – whether then or now. We do not require folks to learn the Celtic languages, nor do we hold members to college, graduate, or post-graduate standards of study and discernment.
While you don’t need to learn how to read or speak the Celtic languages, you are certainly welcome to do so, but it is not an expectation or a requirement for membership. Unless there is a specific reason for doing otherwise, we generally use everyday English language in our materials and workings rather than elite jargon. Groves in countries that do not speak English as a native language are more than welcome to translate our materials as needed.
We value the earth, nature, and our environment, but respect that not all modern Druids are active environmentalists or New Age hippies living in earth sustainable communes. We feel that we all must do our part to protect the environment and slow down climate change, but we also feel it is a personal choice how you do this and to what extent. It is not our role to dictate the personal choices of our members.
As a Druid organization, our focus is on Celtic / Gaelic (Irish, Scottish,) and Britannic / Brythonic (Welsh, Breton, Cornish) Druidry. This includes the older mythologies such as those of the Tuatha De Danaan, Taliesin, Ceridwen, and the Mabinogion, but also the newer mythologies such those of King Arthur, Merlin, Morgan Le Fay, and the Revivalist Druid traditions. While some Druid traditions seek to include all European mythologies, paths, and practices under the umbrella of Druidry, we consider Druidry distinctly different from Greek Hellenist, Roman, Norse, and other European religions and traditions. While these may have similarities to Druidry, the priests, priestesses, and magicians in these cultures were not called Druids nor did they call their practices Druidry. As an organization, the focus of our studies, rituals, and other materials is on Celtic and Britannic Druidry with a Revivalist Druid flavor. That is not to say that members themselves cannot study, practice, and honor an eclectic mix of traditions, mythologies, and pantheons, only that as a Druid organization we feel our focus should be on those people who actually called themselves Druids – including Ancient, Revivalist, and modern Neo-Pagan Druids, along with their systems, traditions, and beliefs.
OSC is only open to adults over the age of 18. While there is nothing necessarily explicit in most of our practices, a certain level of maturity is expected. If you are looking for something to do with the kids, we are not a good fit.
Full groves with authority to confer full degrees require a minimum of seven members, but we do allow for smaller triad groups of at least three members and for solitary members. Triads serve as informal study groups who might also perform ritual together. Triad and solitary members may advance through a modified self-study degree program.
Full groves are authorized to confer degrees. We hold three degrees Ovate, Bard, and Druid and each of these contains three grades within each degree. Each grade takes a year to complete. There is no hard requirement that a grade be completed within a year. However, entrance and initiations into each degree and grade only take place once per year. If you take longer than a year, you will have to wait until the following year to progress. 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. Progression to each grade and degree within OSC is a combination of memorization, reading, participation, and initiation. We do not require scholarly level projects or dissertations to progress. Instead, we have a checklist of requirements to be met for each level and knowledge of core concepts of each grade and degree is tested as part of the initiation into the next grade and degree. We encourage you to keep a private Druid journal for your own personal reference. We do not expect you to share this with anyone else within the organization.
OSC is dedicated to taking Druidry into the 21st century. While we look to the past of both ancient Druids and revivalist Druids for their knowledge and wisdom, we are also looking for ways to make Druidry relevant for our modern times. One of those ways is by allowing the formation of “Cyber Groves” that meet and practice exclusively (or almost exclusively) online via video meeting and conferencing platforms. We are still working out how to adapt our materials, meetings, rituals, and other structures to an online environment.
OSC was originally founded in the late1990s or early 2000s. As of 2025, the organization has been largely dormant for well over a decade. While we have had some starts and stops and have chartered a few groves and accepted a handful of solitary members within that time, we were largely on hiatus. We expect that many former groves have disbanded, and many solitary members moved on during that time, though we are always happy to welcome former groves and members back into the fold. As of 2025, we are mostly starting again from the ground up. In addition to folks looking to join as solitaries, or to charter a triad or grove, we are also looking for folks to fill organizational positions in the Order. This includes folks willing to serve as regional coordinators, mentors, and even working members of the High Council. If you would like to volunteer or would like to enquire about possible opportunities, please contact us for further information.