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TUATHA DE BRIGHID, A DRUID CLANN BOOK OF CUSTOMS
MISSION
VISION
WHAT IS A TDB DRUID?
ETHICS
CALENDAR
MEMBERSHIP
VOTING
ELECTION OF OFFICERS
ADVISORY COUNCIL
ELECTED OFFICERS
APPOINTED OFFICERS
LOCAL GROUPS - Hearths
DISCRIMINATION
RESIGNATION
IMPEACHMENT
AMENDMENTS
ARBITRATION POLICY
MISSION:
In the timeless spirit of Druidry, it is our calling:
To Worship the Holy, in all its manifestations; To Care for the Creation, as its stewards and friends; To Unite the Peoples, in the wonder of their infinite diversity; To Honor the Past, and all it has to teach; To Live the Present, in its richness of experience; To Envision the Future, with its limitless possibilities.
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VISION:
Like a beautiful tapestry, we blend together all non-harmful paths to create a new path of harmony, health and growth. We search for that which brings us together, rather than for that which separates us. We affirm that the path of balance and coalescence is a good, valid and useful road to walk - and we keep each other company on the way.
We recognize that on some level all things are one - and we also recognize that what we call Divine manifests itself in infinitely many ways. The holy lives within and without, and flows like waters that gives us life.
Within our way we offer a lucid cosmological vision that is general enough to accommodate all non-harmful paths, yet defined enough to unite. When we come together, we worship in ways derived from traditions that are the legacy of our ancestors, leaving the interpretations of such traditions for each person to contemplate on their own. Our traditions bind us together, but they are neither static, nor hasty - rather, like a healthy tree, they continue to grow from the roots of our past to the light of the future wisdom.
We embrace wisdom in all of her forms and manifestations, and we encourage the pursuit of wisdom and the excellence contained therein - excellence of out-sight defined by scholarship, and excellence of in-sight, defined by intuition.
We appoint ourselves the keepers and guardians of our planet Earth – for it befits children to honor their mother, and to care for her with love and reverence. We hold ourselves as kin to all of the Earth's children.
In the way of the Ancients, we view ourselves as a Tribe - one people, united by ties of loyalty, honor, and vision, united by love of each other, and the one thing that defines to us the best of all human endeavors - the pursuit of truth. Our Hearths are our families, and The People of Brighid is our Clann.
As a Tribe, these are the things we reject as being inimical to our path and to our very reason for existence:
The idea that any path known to humans may be the one and only true path in its entirety. Any path that holds as its purpose harm to any thing. Prejudgment of any sort - be it racial, sexual, spiritual or philosophical.
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WHAT IS A TDB DRUID?
A Druid is a Seeker of Truth:
In all places
In all times,
In all ways.
As a Sacred Oak is true:
In its roots that reach deep into the Earth,
In its trunk that spans the Worlds,
In its branches that stretch to the Sky,
So is a Druid true:
In the Soul - the Keeper of Holiness,
In the Body - the Celebrant of Creation,
In the Mind - the Seeker of Wisdom.
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ETHICS:
We believe that all things are of the Divine. Thus, we strive, to the best of our ability, to treat ourselves, and all with which we interact, accordingly.
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CALENDAR:
In the Druidic way we honor the eight High Days (quarter and cross-quarter days), beginning with Samhain.
For ceremonial purposes each High Day may be celebrated upon either the legal date, the astronomical date, or upon a date within a fortnight thereof, mutually convenient to the participants of the particular celebration involved.
In addition, Tuatha de Brighid, a Druid Clann Hearths may honor other holidays associated with any religion that does not hold harm to any thing as its purpose.
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MEMBERSHIP:
Persons under the age of 18 must have written, notarized parental consent to be considered for any membership category in Tuatha de Brighid, a Druid Clann.
Tuatha De Brighid has three categories of membership: Friend, Kin, and Folk.
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FRIEND:
A TDB Friend is a member of Tuatha De Brighid Community.
A Friend, as the name implies, is someone who has chosen to declare her/him-self as a Friend of Tuatha De Brighid Clann.
Requirements for becoming a TDB Friend:
TDB Friends have a right to:
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KINFOLK:
Kinfolk are members of Tuatha De Brighid Clann, and are Initiated members of TDB Tradition. All Kinfolk members have a right to append the Clann Name "Brighte" (of Brighid)
to their name if they so choose.
There are two paths within Kinfolk: Kin and Folk.
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Kin are members of the Clann who choose to walk in harmony with TDB Tradition as a significant part of their personal spiritual path. The Kin members are focused on spiritual Kinship with TDB.
It is expected that Kin will show interest and participate in the spiritual life of the Clann, as well as take part in our Community life.
Requirements for becoming TDB Clann Kin:
A TDB Kin member has the right to:
- participate in all TDB education programs;
- found a TDB Hearth;
- hold an appointed office within TDB;
- be informed of, and consulted on, all matters of Tradition and organization within TDB.
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Folk are members of the Clann who choose to make a serious spiritual and practical commitment towards TDB, our Tradition, and our organization. The Folk membership is a path of service towards TDB, and our members. The Folk focus on Kinship with TDB in all aspects, tangible and intangible.
It is expected that the Folk work for TDB to the best of their ability, contributing skill, enthusiasm and energy towards the welfare of the Clann as needed and as possible.
Folk status is not meant to be transitory, but rather a deep and abiding commitment. We consider Kinship to be sacred, and thus every perspective Folk member is expected to meditate on this, and take it into consideration before deciding to take this step.
The Folk function as the governing Council of TDB.
Requirements for becoming TDB Clann Folk:
A TDB Clann Folk member has all the rights of a Kin member and:
- the right to vote;
- the right to hold an elected Office in TDB.
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LOSS OF MEMBERSHIP:
Membership in TDB is based on a Clann model. The Friends are, as the name implies, friends, the Kin are the extended family, and the Folk are the close family. As with any other family, membership is, by default, for life. How well each person fulfills his or her Oaths is between them and their God/s, and not for anyone else to judge.
Members may deliberately give up their membership by formally stating to the Clann that they no longer wish to be counted among us. If a person chooses to return at a later date after having done that, their status may or may not be returned, depending on the Oaths that person had chosen to give in the first place, and the circumstances of the separation.
Because of our emphasis on Kinship, the choice to formally resign membership, just like the
choice to join the Clann, is not to be made lightly or in haste.
There is one, and only one, reason that a member may be expelled – if they indulge in behavior that is named unacceptable in our Vision: dogmatic intolerance, malevolence, and bigotry. In order to qualify for expulsion, this behavior needs to be overt, virulent and unambiguous. A member may be expelled for this cause by the 3/4 majority vote of the Folk present for the vote.
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GRANDFATHERING CLAUSE:
The members who have obtained their status prior to the enactment of this Custom, retain their status with no further requirements.
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This Custom may be changed by the 3/4 majority vote of the Folk present for the vote.
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VOTING:
All ClannFolk shall be considered voting members. Each voting member shall have one vote.
Any Clanfolk may call for and conduct a vote with the exception of election votes which must be conducted by the Scribe, or by one of the Chiefs if the Scribe is absent.
Any proposal eligible to be submitted to the vote, must be made available for discussion by the Folk for at least two weeks.
All votes shall be cast by email on the ClannFolk email list.
The voting period shall be two weeks.
The results of any vote shall be calculated upon the basis of the total votes cast, and decided by simple majority of votes cast unless specified otherwise in these Customs.
It is to be understood that the intent and the spirit of this Custom is to make every effort to achieve reasonable consensus before asking for a vote, and to be as inclusive as possible while conducting a vote. The person conducting a vote is responsible for making reasonable
effort to include currently active Folk in the process.
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ELECTION OF OFFICERS:
All elections shall be conducted by the TDB Scribe, unless the Scribe is running for an office, in which case the Hearth Chief shall nominate an Election Officer to be approved by the Clanfolk.
Any Clanfolk member many nominate him/her self, or another Clanfolk member.
In the event of a tie the runoff election shall be held.
The term for newly elected officers shall begin at Samhain, with the exception of the first officers whose term will begin immediately upon being elected.
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ADVISORY COUNCIL:
Advisory Council (AC)- The advisory Council shall consist of all elected and appointed officers of Tuatha de Brighid, a Druid Clann. Elections for officers of Tuatha de Brighid, a Druid Clann will be held as described above. No elected officer may hold more than one elected office at one time, but may hold as many appointed offices as they wish.
AC shall be responsible for ratifying all policy of TDB by simple majority vote of all members of AC who vote on a given issue. AC shall be responsible for providing the annual state of the Clann report to the membership of Tuatha de Brighid, a Druid Clann.
AC shall conduct all discussion and voting publicly on the Clanfolk email list, and shall report all decisions and reasons thereof promptly. The sole exception to this are situation where member's privacy may be compromised, in which case, upon recommendation by the Members Advocate, deliberations may be conducted privately, and report of the decision and reasons thereof may be made without reference to the names of the parties involved.
All officers are required to have email access and are required to be Clanfolk members in good standing.
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ELECTED OFFICERS:
TRIAD OF COUNCIL (TOC) - a triad of officers, elected by the Folk, who are responsible for administering the functions of the TDB national organization.
TOCs shall hold office for a term of 2 years after the second set of elections. For the first time, HEARTH CHIEF shall hold office for 3 years, BORDER CHIEF for 2 years, and SPIRIT CHIEF for 1 year. TOCs can be reelected an unlimited number of terms.
SPIRIT CHIEF - shall be responsible for administering the religious function of TDB, including, but not limited to: organization of on-line ritual, supervision of the creation of a TDB study program, supervision of a mentoring program for members working on their CER and promoting a sense of community within the organization and integrating new members into the Clann.
BORDER CHIEF - shall be responsible for administering those functions of TDB that relate it to community as large, including, but not limited to: public relations, advertising, new member recruitment, WWW presence, public TDB email lists, relationship with other religious organizations, etc.
HEARTH CHIEF - shall be responsible for administering the internal Clann functions of TDB, including, but no limited to: support of new Hearths, relations between Hearths, inter Hearth organization-wide activities, such as festivals.
MEMBERS ADVOCATE - shall be elected by the membership at large for a term of 2 years. S/he shall be responsible for handling member's complaints as well as preserving the spirit and letter of all customs, traditions and subsequent policies. Members Advocate has the right to be a member of all committees, and is entitled to participate in and be informed about all discussions regarding policy. In case of death, removal from office, or resignation, the TOC shall appoint a substitute to finish the current term of office.
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APPOINTED OFFICERS:
TOCs may delegate functions according to need, and appoint officers accordingly.
All appointments must be ratified by the vote of the AC.
TOC officers are ultimately responsible for the job performance of their appointees and, therefore, will mentor and supervise them.
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LOCAL GROUPS - Hearths:
TDB Hearth is defined as a local sub-group of TDB following the following rules:
TDB Hearth must contain two members of TDB, one of whom must be a Kin member of TDB.
TDB Hearth must commit to holding TDB-style Rites on or about the eight High Days. These Rites must be open to any TDB member wishing to attend, though if a situation arises where a Hearth does not wish to host a particular member, this rule may be revoked upon recommendation from the Member's Advocate.
If the Hearth members are not sure what is and what is not a TDB-style Rite, please contact the Spirit Chief. It should be understood that this rule is to be applied as minimally as possible. TDB Ritual Outline is a recommendation, not a fetter against personal or group creativity, and, in fact, is meant to be just the opposite.
A TDB Hearth must append "TDB" to its name.
A TDB Hearth shall not make any rules, customs or bylaws that are in direct contradiction to the Customs and Tradition of TDB.
A TDB Hearth shall not break any civil laws in its functioning as a Hearth - there are no exceptions.
A Hearth Right is granted by the simple majority vote of the Folk present for the Vote.
A Hearth Right may be revoked by the 3/4 majority vote of the Folk present for the Vote.
A TDB Hearth is entitled to be represented on our Web Site, and offered its own sub-domain if they so wish.
Contribution of work to a TDB Hearth may be considered as applicable to the contribution requirements of the TDB Study Program, upon approval by the Spirit Chief.
It is recommended, though not required, that a TDB Hearth holds some Rites open to the public.
TDB Hearths are to be granted maximum autonomy within TDB Customs and Tradition. Neither the Folk as a body, nor any Officer of TDB, shall interfere with the functioning of a local Hearth unless it comes to their attention that this Custom is overtly broken, or a complaint comes before the Member's Advocate.
This Custom may be amended by the 3/4 majority vote of the Folk present for the Vote.
To apply for a Hearth Right, please contact any of the TDB Officers.
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DISCRIMINATION:
Membership and rank in Tuatha De Brighid, attendance at public or semipublic Tuatha De Brighid activities, and participation in any Druidic study program, shall not be denied to any person on the basis of race, ancestry, color, physical disability (except as mentioned elsewhere in this article), age, gender, or sexual orientation.
Membership in TDB may be denied to a candidate whose personal conduct is proven to be inimical to TDB as defined by the Vision of TDB and upon the unanimous vote of the AC.
Membership in a local group may be denied to an individual at the discretion of said local group.
All organizers of public and semipublic Tuatha De Brighid, activities shall make strenuous efforts to facilitate the participation of differently-abled individuals. Nonetheless, all aspirants to any given rank or position must be able to meet all the relevant qualifications previously determined for said rank or position, unless the Advisory Council shall rule otherwise in a particular instance.
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RESIGNATION:
Members may resign from membership at any time for personal reasons, and will be eligible to rejoin Tuatha de Brighid, a Druid Clann, at a later date.
Any appointed officer who chooses to resign, must submit a letter of resignation to the officer who appointed her/him. The appointing officer shall appoint a replacement, or assume the functions of the office her/himself. In cases when the appointment is made by the Advisory Council, the Hearth Chief shall be considered the appointing officer.
Any elected officer who chooses to resign must submit the letter of resignation to the Hearth Chief. The Hearth Chief will appoint a replacement until an emergency election can be held. In all cases the nominations and election process for the emergency election must be initiated within 48 hours of the submission of the resignation letter.
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IMPEACHMENT:
Any officer, who is deemed to be not doing their job, shall be formally notified by the remaining officers and, if efforts are not taken to continue the function of said office, then, after a review and a vote by the AC, Clanfolk may recall the officer by 75% votes cast in accordance with the voting procedure outlined elsewhere in these customs.
If the impeached officer had been appointed, the appointing officer shall appoint a replacement, or assume the functions of the office her/himself.
If the impeached officer had been elected, the Hearth Chief shall appoint a temporary replacement until an emergency election can be held. In all cases the nominations and election process for the emergency election must be initiated within 48 hours of the submission of the resignation letter.
Impeached officers may remain as regular members, but may not run for any office unless the Advisory Council deems otherwise.
In the case of a person who was declared temporarily or permanently incapacitated at the time of his/her resignation or removal from a position of responsibility, the Advisory Council shall require a reevaluation of his/her competency similar to the process which has declared incapacity, before s/he may seek election or appointment.
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AMENDMENTS:
Amendments to these customs may be made at any time by a 2/3 vote of the entire Clanfolk membership or 2/3 of the 50% quorum votes.
Every nine years the voting members must decide by 2/3 majority vote to retain the current set of customs. Should the results be negative, Hearth Chief will initiate discussion on the email list to produce a new set of customs.
Until the new set of customs is agreed upon and voted in, the old customs will be in effect.
The final set of proposed new customs shall be voted upon as a whole, with a 2/3 majority vote of the entire voting membership necessary for passage.
The quorum for this vote shall be 60% of votes available to be cast. Should a quorum not be available the voting shall take place at the first available quorum under the same governing rules stated previously. The Hearth Chief shall continue proposing new versions of the customs until they are approved by the membership.
Should no revision be necessary the old customs shall continue in effect for the next nine years.
Upon the passing of the new customs they will be dated and all functions will come into effect, completely replacing the old set of customs.
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ARBITRATION POLICY:
If all Clanfolk live by the TDB vision, this policy will not be needed.
In the unfortunate event that a conflict arises, we recommend in strongest possible terms that spiritual aspects of the conflict be discussed with TDB Spirit Chief, Hearth Chief if the SP is personally involved, or another neutral party. In all cases, the party acting as spiritual advisor to the members involved will keep the discussion in strictest confidence.
1. All complaints shall be sent via email directly to the accused party and a copy of all communication from that point related to the issue at hand sent to the Member's Advocate should this attempt fail. The parties involved will work on resolving the issue privately for two weeks. Only after the two weeks has elapsed with no reply or an unsatisfactory reply has been received will the matter be brought to the MA (Member's Advocate).
2. Once all attempts to resolve the issue personally among the involved parties fails, any involved member may ask the Member's Advocate to investigate the issue personally and attempt to resolve the conflict. In doing so, all email related to the issue will be forwarded to the MA. The MA will keep the matter confidential unless his/her efforts at resolution fail. Should the involved parties discuss the issue via email or otherwise with TDB members outside of the immediate parties, MA, SC or other spiritual advisor, the matter will be considered public and step 3 will apply. Should the matter not be resolved to the satisfaction of all involved parties, the MA will recommend the matter be taken to public arbitration. Should the accusing party agree to this forum for resolution, the MA will proceed with step 3. The involved parties will then be allowed to make their case in this public forum. If the accusing party refuses to use public arbitration, the matter will be dropped.
3. Once the Member's advocate has recommended (and the accuser has agreed)an issue for Clanfolk resolution, all complaints, accusations, or questions of honor will be posted the ORG list with all pertinent evidence and discussion. MA will post a summary of the conflict on the ORG list as well as all email communications relevant to the issue, barring any specifically requested to be private. Any communications omitted from the ORG list discussion will not be considered by the Arbitration Board. Once all has been discussed thoroughly and publicly, an Arbitration Board (consisting of the Member's Advocate as Chairman, the Hearth Chief, and three Clanfolk members chosen by the MA) will make a decision in favor of either the complaining party or the defending party. This decision will include an "Honor Price" which can range from public apology to loss of membership, to anything else the arbitration Board can creatively come up with. Should a matter of honor be brought before the Clan, the parties involved will abide by the AB's decision. In case a member of the AB is involved personally, the Border Chief will replace that position on the AB for that issue.
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