The following are the bylaws established by the Grand Grove of the Ancient Order of Druids in America.
Article I
This body shall be known and hailed by the name of the Grand Grove of the Ancient Order of Druids in America (AODA).
Article II
The Grand Grove shall have jurisdiction over all Groves, Study Groups, Home Circles and members of the Ancient Order of Druids in America within the United States of America, and over Groves and Study Groups chartered by itself and members initiated under its auspices in all other countries not under the jurisdiction of another Grand Grove bearing lawful authority derived from the Ancient and Archaeological Order of Druids.
Article III
The Grand Grove shall consist of its four elected officers, who shall be its sole voting members and shall have such rights and responsibilities as detailed below, and the appointed officers of the Grand Grove and all qualifying former Archdruids of the Ancient Order of Druids in America, who shall have a voice but no vote. The Grand Grove shall be the sole judge of the qualifications of its members.
Article IV
Meetings of the Grand Grove shall take place in such place, time, and manner as the Grand Grove shall from time to time provide. The Grand Grove may meet by conference call, electronic mail, or by any other means it may deem appropriate.
Article V
The elected officers of the Grand Grove shall be the Grand Archdruid or Archdruid of Earth; the Archdruid of Water; the Archdruid of Fire; and the Archdruid of Air. Archdruids shall be elected, when a vacancy occurs, by the remaining currently serving Archdruids, and shall serve for life, except in case of advancement to another position within the Grand Grove, resignation, or removal. A unanimous vote of all currently serving Archdruids shall be necessary to elect a candidate to fill a vacant position, and a unanimous vote of all currently serving Archdruids, except the one subject to removal, shall be necessary to remove an Archdruid from his or her position. An Archdruid who resigns his office shall retain the title and rank of Archdruid and shall qualify for a nonvoting membership in Grand Grove, while one who is removed shall forfeit that title and rank and shall not so qualify.
Article VI
The Grand Archdruid shall be responsible for the day-to-day operations of the Grand Grove and shall exercise general supervision over the Ancient Order of Druids of America. They shall preside over meetings of the Grand Grove, issue charters for Groves and Study Groups of the Order to qualified members, and nominate appointed officers to the Grand Grove. Their decision in all points not provided for in these bylaws shall be final unless reversed by a unanimous vote of the other three Archdruids.
Article VII
The Archdruids of Water, Fire, and Air shall serve as the Board of Trustees of the Ancient Order of Druids in America. Archdruids shall take on duties to ensure the effective functioning of AODA as befitting their skills, including, but not limited to supervision of the study program, the mentoring program, finances and accounts, administrative work, and overseeing the Gnostic Celtic Church.
In the absence or incapacity of the Grand Archdruid, the Archdruid of Water will preside; in the absence or incapacity of both the Grand Archdruid and the Archdruid of Water, the Archdruid of Fire will preside; in the absence or incapacity of the Grand Archdruid and the Archdruids of Water and Fire, the Archdruid of Air will preside.
Article VIII
The appointed officers of the Grand Grove shall be the Pendragon, Almoner, and Herald. The appointed officers shall be nominated by the Grand Archdruid and confirmed by a unanimous vote of the Grand Grove, and shall serve for a three-year term, renewable by the Grand Grove. They will work on projects as assigned by the Grand Grove. Traditionally, these positions have included inner communications, outer communications, and grove management. Appointed officers shall report annually on the affairs of their offices to the Grand Grove and shall make such other reports as the Grand Grove may request from time to time.
The Grand Grove can also appoint additional members to serve as volunteers within the AODA. All volunteers will abide by the same ethical standards.
Archdruids, appointed officers, and volunteers are official representatives of AODA. As such, they are expected to conduct themselves in a manner fitting of their offices (as described in our ethics statement). Any appointed officer or volunteer who does not abide by our ethical standards can be removed by a unanimous vote of the archdruids.
Article IX
The Grand Grove shall establish such committees as it may from time to time find necessary or convenient, and may charge such committees with such duties as it sees fit, provided that all such committees shall be under the supervision of the Grand Grove and shall report to all four Archdruids of the Order. The Grand Grove shall establish such regulations for Groves, study groups, and individual members as it may from time to time find necessary or convenient.
Article X
AODA understands Druidry as a path of nature spirituality and inner transformation founded on personal experience rather than dogmatic belief. It welcomes adults of all national origins, cultural and linguistic backgrounds, and affiliations with other Druidic and spiritual traditions. It promotes tolerance and respect towards our fellow humans and all life. Those who commit hate crimes or belong to hate groups, who commit unnecessary violent acts (e.g., acts not in defense of self or others) toward humans or the rest of the natural world, or who have been convicted of crimes that demonstrate disregard for the well-being of others (human or non-human) do not align with the overall ethics of the organization. We also do not tolerate the harassment of any member or members of the AODA by any other member or members. The Grand Grove reserves the right to review and revoke the membership of any member who fails to align with its overall ethics and/or who demonstrates a pattern of repeated harassment of any member or members of the organization.
For more on our ethics, please see our ethics statement.
Article XI
These Bylaws may be amended at any time by unanimous vote of the Grand Grove.
