Ord Draiochta na Uisnech (Druid Order of Uisnech)?

[DandelionDame]

Has anyone here had any experience with this group? Their web site is www.irishdruidry.org - it looks very, very interesting, maybe even right up my alley. But I don't seem to recall reading of people's experiences and opinions of them, not like ADF, OBOD, or the Henge of Keltria (which is also sort of intriguing), so I'm wondering if there's a reason they're not so well known?

Any info, good, bad, or ugly, would be greatly appreciated!

[_Banbha_]

The site is beautiful for one thing. Thanks for posting it. They've some interesting ideas. I've never heard of them, so I can't help you on that note. They do list ADF, OBOD, or the Henge of Keltria as friends on their links page. The site intrigued me and here are some questions I'd have after reading it and considering a membeship:

Under primary officers:


“High Seer” — Shall oversee the College of Seers. The Ardfa�dh is responsible for the curriculum of all students attending the College of Seers. The Ardfa�dh sits on the Triune Council and has one vote in all matters relating to the Order and its members. The Ardfa�dh shall be the intermediary between this world and the other world.

Yikes. Srsly, for me, a no go. What does that even mean?



Under holy days:


They observed the changing of the seasons and the movement of the sun across the sky as the cycle of life of the Mother Earth and the Father Sun.

This sounds Native American, not Irish. They celebrate the wheel of the year. Just something I'd question further. Especially the lunar names for solstices and equinoxs.

There is the question of fees which they are not explicit about: what you have to pay and when. If it's all at once before you know anything or have access, not good.

For all this, and I hope I wasn't too blunt, I still find them an intriguing group by the looks of the site, more so than many. I don't want to study Druidry but I'm always curious. I'd like to hear if any know more about them as well. :)

[DandelionDame]

Ha! I may have been blinded by the prettiness of the site and their use of actual Irish words here and there, so I'm really glad you pointed those two things out.

Nothing "too blunt" about what you said. I think an awful lot of your opinion on matters like this, so thank you! Very good points to consider!



The site is beautiful for one thing. Thanks for posting it. They've some interesting ideas. I've never heard of them, so I can't help you on that note. They do list ADF, OBOD, or the Henge of Keltria as friends on their links page. The site intrigued me and here are some questions I'd have after reading it and considering a membeship:

Under primary officers:



Yikes. Srsly, for me, a no go. What does that even mean?



Under holy days:



This sounds Native American, not Irish. They celebrate the wheel of the year. Just something I'd question further. Especially the lunar names for solstices and equinoxs.

There is the question of fees which they are not explicit about: what you have to pay and when. If it's all at once before you know anything or have access, not good.

For all this, and I hope I wasn't too blunt, I still find them an intriguing group by the looks of the site, more so than many. I don't want to study Druidry but I'm always curious. I'd like to hear if any know more about them as well. :)

[Meadhbh]

From my overview of the page they look pretty good. I'll have to read more before I can make a final concusion though.

[_Banbha_]

Ha! I may have been blinded by the prettiness of the site and their use of actual Irish words here and there, so I'm really glad you pointed those two things out.

Nothing "too blunt" about what you said. I think an awful lot of your opinion on matters like this, so thank you! Very good points to consider!

Thank you for the compliment and you're very welcome! :D

There is some interesting stuff there. It'll be interesting to see if anyone has first hand knowledge of the group. :boing:

[LadyFianna]

unfortently I have dealt with the group I spent some time getting to know the one who created the order and I will keep my opion about him to myself the group at first was welcoming and warm but quickly turned and the truth came out I was very disapointed to say the least but thats just based on my personal experiance

[skilly-nilly]

They celebrate the wheel of the year. Just something I'd question further. Especially the lunar names for solstices and equinoxs.

I looked briefly at the site, and on this point I think they are indicating that 'mean' is pronounced 'moon', rather than making a lunar connection.
'Méan' translates as 'middle'; but this brings up a couple of my fail-points:
- If you're going to use a language with accents, USE them. They obviously can, since there are fadas in the headings.
- If you use words in a non-English language as meaningful, TRANSLATE them. On the site, they never actually explicate that 'Méan' is 'middle', and they don't explain the other 'names' of the holidays (other than the 'ewe's milk' bit).
- If you're using SOME titles in Irish, ALL titles should be in Irish. So they should be using 'Oiche Shamhna' and 'Lúnasa' OR they should call the Longest Day 'Middle Summer', imo.

Never mind 'Imbolc' (or 'Oimelc') neither of which is in my dictionary. I'm inclined to call it 'Maidneachan Im' ('The Dawn of Butter') myself.


On the whole, the site (at a glance) has the feel of the opinions of a single leader with a strong personality. Maybe the couple that is 'Ardfádh' and 'Priomh-Droi' (or 'Príomh Draoi' if Modern Irish is their intention) since, as Banbha points out, they have Teh Powerrrs. If any talking to the OtherWorld is going on, I'll be talking for myself, thankyouverymuch.

Not that I have any problem what-so-eber with strong opinions, just with them presented as 'The Truf' without any explanations, reasoning, or disclaimers. And IB's cult rules should be stringently applied, and motives questioned in that case.

I use the Wheel of the Year, and when I say that I say something like 'I choose to use' or 'I believe in the more the merrier principle' or 'Although historical support is scanty' rather than 'The Ancient Irish used'.

[Morgaine_cla]

Greetings,

There is a real flaming war going on between some members of this group and some Welsh and American Druids, parts of which I've seen on other e-lists, and which I find totally incomprehensible since the offences to which they refer appear to be tradition ownership issues and personality conflicts stemming from private incidents. Aside from that, the site is beautiful... someone has a real eye for artwork, but that does not mean they are good copy writers.

The best opinion is one that comes from your own observations, intuition, and experience. I tend to be careful about throwing the term 'cult' around. It's a common accusation by disgruntled former members or between competing groups, unfortunately. Also, every group has its detractors and its supporters, many of whom are quite sincere in their opinions, but their opinions don't necessarily define the majority experience. So unless there are some clear red flags I prefer to give people the benefit of the doubt and ask them my questions directly. See what they say. If you are comfortable with their answers then you can always make further inquiries. If you're still interested but unsure about full membership, see what options exist that might allow you to ease your concerns... Are you close enough to attend a public event for instance, where you could observe how they work and what their energy feels like in relative safety? (I travelled hundreds of miles to check out prospective groups and mentors when I was starting my formal studies--and I was dirt poor. I never regretted it.)

If they are a cult, of course run like hell! -- but this is seldom the case. There is a tendency for small groups to become insular in their use of language. Small, intense groups evolve quickly. It's easier than you think to lose touch with how much ground you've really covered and start using what is essentially a private language in public settings. I know because I've done it myself when talking to others or writing for our website. I simply forget that we're not all working from the same basic assumptions or with the same terminology. That's because I spend most of my time being a Druid within our Druid group. Because our group's core members have all evolved together there has been no need to keep restating our definitions of terms to each other; now that new people are coming in I have to force myself to remember how things looked or sounded to me when I was just starting out, otherwise they have no clue what I am talking about. That doesn't mean we're a cult, we're just deeply involved in what we're doing. Maybe the same is true of this Irish group...

So that's my counsel. As with all such advice, take what's of use and ignore the rest.

Be well and be blessed!

[_Banbha_]

I looked briefly at the site, and on this point I think they are indicating that 'mean' is pronounced 'moon', rather than making a lunar connection.
'Méan' translates as 'middle';

That's how I interpreted it too. I was thinking they probably meant "Mean" (sic) to mean "middle" as each solar day (solstices & equinoxes) fell mid between Oiche Shamhna, Imbolc, Lá Bealtaine, and Lúnasa... until you click on the holiday and they title the solstices and equinoxes as "moon"... on specific solar calender days which makes no sense.


but this brings up a couple of my fail-points:
- If you're going to use a language with accents, USE them. They obviously can, since there are fadas in the headings.
- If you use words in a non-English language as meaningful, TRANSLATE them. On the site, they never actually explicate that 'Méan' is 'middle', and they don't explain the other 'names' of the holidays (other than the 'ewe's milk' bit).
- If you're using SOME titles in Irish, ALL titles should be in Irish. So they should be using 'Oiche Shamhna' and 'Lúnasa' OR they should call the Longest Day 'Middle Summer', imo.

I agree! I'd say it's a _Fail-site_ .


On the whole, the site (at a glance) has the feel of the opinions of a single leader with a strong personality. Maybe the couple that is 'Ardfádh' and 'Priomh-Droi' (or 'Príomh Draoi' if Modern Irish is their intention) since, as Banbha points out, they have Teh Powerrrs. If any talking to the OtherWorld is going on, I'll be talking for myself, thankyouverymuch.

Not that I have any problem what-so-eber with strong opinions, just with them presented as 'The Truf' without any explanations, reasoning, or disclaimers. And IB's cult rules should be stringently applied, and motives questioned in that case.

I use the Wheel of the Year, and when I say that I say something like 'I choose to use' or 'I believe in the more the merrier principle' or 'Although historical support is scanty' rather than 'The Ancient Irish used'.

Yeah, strong opinions are cool with me too. The disturbing bits are you have to accept unquestioningly as part of the group and teh POO-ba is the one who has the connection to the gods. :2G: