Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA)

Founded in 1912 as the American branch of the Ancient and Archaeological Order of Druids, AODA is a traditional Druid order rooted in the Druid Revival of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, offering an opportunity for modern people to experience the teachings and practices of Druidry in today’s world. It doesn’t claim direct descent from the original Druids–the priestly caste of ancient Britain, Ireland, and Gaul, which went extinct around 1,200 years ago–and is skeptical of any group that does make that claim. Instead, like other modern Druid groups, the AODA evolved out of a 300-year-old movement, the Druid Revival, that found the fragmentary legacy of the ancient Druids a powerful source of inspiration and insight and drew on a wide range of sources in shaping a nature spirituality to meet the challenges of today. See also The Gnostic Celtic Church (GCC), an independent sacramental church of nature spirituality affiliated with the AODA.