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 *From:THE DRUIDS PROGRESS, Report #6. The DRUIDS PROGRESS is         *
 *published seminannually (Gods Willing) and is sent primarily to     *
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 *are (C) 1990 by P.E.I. Bonewits. All items created by other         *
 *parties are (C) 1990 by them. All opinions expressed, save those    *
 *specifically attributed to the Board of Trustees, are the opnions   *
 *of the individuals expressing them and are Not official ADF         *
 *policy.                                                             *
 *   Reprint Procedure: Neopagan, Druidic, Midievalist and all        *
 *cultural publications may reprint any material written by P.E.I.    *
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 *to ADF.                                                             *
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       OPEN LETTER TO THE PAGAN AND DRUID COMMUNITY
              By  Ellen Everett Hopman

   In May of 1988 I attended my first Rites of Spring celebration in
Massachusetts. This event came two weeks after my first Druid campout
with ADF Druids from New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts.
 
   At Rites I was asked about my impressions of the gathering by a woman
who had been attending for many years. My immediate response was that
the Pagan folk are some of the nicest, most open and friendly people I
have ever been privilaged to meet. My second observation, however, was
that I really was surprised at the general level of ill-health I was
observing all around me.
 
   Pagans purport to be the caretakers and representatives of the Earth
Mother and claim to worship Her by honoring and respecting Her
resources, beauty and power. How is it possible that pagans are
forgetting the Earth element in themselves?
 
   I've observed a lot of smoking, alcohol consumption, and obesity at
the gatherings I've attended. I have a trained eye, from being an herbal
"healer," and I could see the effects of diets rich in fried foods,
sugars, and animal fat. Faces were pasty with unhealthy skin. At least
half of the population was grossly overweight.
 
   My reaction to all this is to speak out with a grave sense of
urgency. How authentic can our concern for the Earth be if we, who are
the pieces of her who move around, are polluted and sick? If we presume
to heal the Earth shouldn't we start with our won bodies and lives
first?
 
   I have carefully read all the DP's well as innumerable books on
Celtic history and tradition. Most of my concept of Druid spirituality
comes, of necessity, from the writings of Isaac Bonewits. I have looked
to other ADF memebrs to clarify some points as well. As I study the
Celtic deities and work to incorporate their Archetypes and qualities
into my psyche I am pleased and heartened by the experience. Yet as a
member of the ADF community I feel there is one more difficult point I
feel I must address.
 
   In my contact with ADF Druids I continually hear remarks about
"sloppy Wiccan ritual" and "Sloppy magic." Every time I hear this kind
of back-biting it really saddens me. The Pagan community is so small and
fragile, and so vulnerable to attack from outside forces that I cannot
fathom what good these kinds of seperations and disunities can
accomplish.
 
   What I have seen of ADF ritual so far has been an organized and
almost Ecclesiastical forumla that made me feel I was in a Christian
Cathedral. We have much to learn from the energy and abandon of the
Wiccan tradition. I hope that we as Druids are not already on the path
to stodgy Orthodoxy.
 
   Another point about the rituals I have seen : Every participant is
assigned a rile and given a perceived forumla to work with. This sort of
approach may be fine for huge, impersonal public rites, but it tends to
obliterate the unique concerns and needs of individuals.
 
   I have yet to see a group of ADF Druids sit down with each other or
with workshop participants and inquire as to the particular needs and
life changes of the individuals involved.
 
   Ritual is a powerful tool for banishing and awakening powers and
forces inside ourselves. If we persist in trying to stick to a formula
in our rituals we are no different than the average religion that looks
for blind comformity in its adherants and leaves the deep magical work
of transformation to mental health professionals.
 
   My personal conclusion is that I would like to see less emphasis on
alcohol consumption at large gatherings and more of an attempt to look
at who we are, where we are, and how we can use the powerful energies of
the Celtic pantheon to heal ourselves and learn to touch our own
Divinity.
 
   Well, I've probably managed to insult everybody this time! The clan
mother archetype is strong in me these days. Please know that I really
love you all and I wish you health and joy.
 
                              #30#