Cead Mile Failte!
Welcome to the home of Black Mountain Order!
Black Mountain Druid Order was founded in 1997 by former members of Emerald Coast Grove in Pensacola, Florida. The home of the Order now resides in Upstate South Carolina.
Black Mountain Grove became an Order in 2003 when it began training apprentices in the Black Mountain Order of Druidry.
Our primary mission is to foster the growth and development of Groves through Black Mountain Druid Order's educational programs. If you are interested in starting a Grove in your area, please see our educational materials that will guide you through the process of organizing your own Grove.

Black Mountain Druid Order is a Druid Sanctuary
The primary purpose of this website is to educate interested parties in the principles of Druidry as practiced by Black Mountain Druid Order.
There are two major schools of thought in modern Druidry. One believes that Druids should try to be as authentic as possible in reconstructing the original Druid path by painstakingly studying history and archaeology for clues. The other is more experiential and believes that Druidry is a more inner, individual path. This school teaches that whatever is true for you as you walk the path is the 'true' Druidry.
Since the 'True Druidry' of our ancestors is lost to antiquity, neither of these schools of thought can lay claim to representing true historical Druidry. In this sense, we are all Reconstructionists.
Black Mountain Druid Order strives to strike a balance between these two schools of thought by learning from the past while focusing on the future. Our philosophy is to try to remain as free of dogma as possible. By doing so we allow for new experience and insight. We use the tools and knowledge of the past to find our way to the future. It is our belief that if the Gods and Goddesses are real, then they will guide us as we recreate Druidry; and if the Gods and Goddesses aren't real, and we're just making this up as we go along, then what was done in the past doesn't matter anyway as long as the rituals have meaning for us now.

Awen
The major goal of Druidry as practiced by the Black Mountain Druid Order is to always seek the Awen. The word 'awen' has no exact English translation, but it is akin to 'divine inspiration.' A beautiful song, the smile of a child, a glorious golden sunrise, or the kiss of a lover are all moments when the heart and the mind are in perfect balance. Those inspiring moments that take your breath away indicate that the Awen is present in your life.
Black Mountain Druid Order strives to strike a balance between tradition and experience. We wish to remain open to new ideas while looking back to remember where we've come from and where we've gone in the past. Ours is a living tradition with room for new thoughts, ideas and experiences. We are not a religion so much as a philosophy. Our Order welcomes agnostic and even atheist Druids into the fold. The Black Mountain Druid Order recognizes that some see Gods and Goddesses as archetypes, ideas or energies, while others may see them as actual living entities. It is the position of our Order that what is important is the utility of these ideas, and not whether or not Gods and Goddesses actually exist.
We never want to become dogmatic in our approach. You can be a Druid and worship a God or a Goddess. You can be a Druid and be a Christian, a Muslim or a Hindu, or even an agnostic or an atheist. What brings us together is our commonalities as seekers. Our differences make us unique, but they don't need to divide us from each other.
While some people do well without structure, others need ritual, rules and familiarity to guide them. Whenever a group of people with a common interest come together for fellowship, rules have been established, whether those rules are spoken or unspoken. Our Order is no exception. Our rules and procedures are designed to make our coming together function smoothly as we enjoy and learn from each other.
The Black Mountain Druid Order celebrates High Days that have an established structure or framework, but also leave room for personal interpretation and expression. . In our celebration of the High Days we will be again challenged to strike a balance so that we may have a structure that everyone is comfortable with, without becoming dogmatic and rigid in the process.
To this end we have established a Council of Elders who act as a governing body for the Order. Ultimately it is their responsibility and duty to create a structure that will make our gatherings a productive and spiritually rewarding experience.
There are four basic levels of Druidry within the Black Mountain Druid Order. Each one of these levels requires a year and a day to complete. This means that to become a cleric in the Black Mountain Druid Order, you must have a minimum of four years of education. These levels are listed below, with a brief explanation of each. Graduation from one level to the next is at the discretion of the Council of Elders, who follow established guidelines for making such determinations. Upon achieving the Third Degree, a Druid of the Black Mountain Order of Druidry selects one or more specialties. These specialties are: Bard, Ovate and Cleric. The duties of each specialty are described below: