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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
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:
bullet The idea that any path known to humans may be the one and only true path in its entirety.
bullet Any path that holds as its purpose harm to any thing.
bullet 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 (in the Celtic Tradition)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.
CLANFOLK MEMBER - is defined as a person who has completed the following criteria:
1. Submission of completed Tuatha de Brighid, a Druid Clann ClanFolk membership application to Tuatha de Brighid, a Druid Clann Scribe.
2. Completion of the Clanfolk Educational Requirements (CER). This requirement may be waived for a particular member upon the vote by the AC.
3. Written approval of applicant's CER documentation by a sponsor assigned by the Spirit Chief, or another duly appointed TDB official, submitted to Tuatha de Brighid, a Druid Clann Scribe.
Clanfolk may vote in Tuatha de Brighid, a Druid Clann elections and are eligible to run for offices. Clanfolk are entitled to be subscribed to the Clanfolk email list.
CLANN FRIEND MEMBER - is defined as a person who has completed criterion 1, but not criteria 2 and 3. Clann Friends may not vote in Tuatha de Brighid elections, and are not eligible to run for Tuatha de Brighid offices.
CLANFOLK EDUCATIONAL REQUIREMENTS (CER) is a program whose aim is to educate perspective members about Tuatha de Brighid vision and functions, and to provide them with an opportunity to evaluate the depth of their commitment to Tuatha de Brighid, a Druid Clann. CER will be administered and periodically reviewed by the Spirit Chief, and all changes to it will be approved by the AC.
GRANDFATHERING CLAUSE:
Founding members will be considered Clanfolk of Tuatha De Brighid without any further requirements.
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VOTING:
All Clanfolk shall be considered voting members.
Each voting member shall have one vote.
Except as otherwise noted in these Customs, a quorum for voting purposes shall consist of those voting members representing 50% of the Clanfolk.
The results of any vote shall be calculated upon the basis of the total votes cast, and decided by simple majority of votes cast.
Votes may be cast by email, phone, or post - as long as they arrive into possession of TDB Scribe before the deadline set in a particular vote.
The Scribe is responsible for conducting the voting procedure, and counting the votes, unless there is a conflict of interest, in which case a special officer may be elected as specified below.
The Scribe shall be responsible for setting consistent and reasonable time limits upon nomination process and voting.
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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 membership at large, 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 (SC)- 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:
1. All local groups associated with TDB will abide by these customs, and furthermore by the local laws and regulations when representing TDB in public, save by the special and explicit permission of the AC.
2. All local Groups are entitled to the maximum amount of autonomy consistent with survival, identity, and well being of TDB as a whole. TDB AC shall not dictate the local group government and membership policies as long as they are within these customs and do not contradict TDB tradition and vision.
3. Advisory Council reserves the right to publicly revoke the status of any TDB group for a good and sufficient reason.
4. Tuatha de Brighid, A Druid Clann will recognize following categories of local groups, and provide them with educational, theological and organizational support as appropriate:
CANDLE: Even a roaring bonfire may start with but a single small flame - a candle in the window unto the world, and a beacon to others who would be warmed by its fire.
A Candle may be founded by a single Clann Folk member of TDB.
To light a Candle Flame is to make it known to the world that a Clann Folk member is looking to found a local TDB family.
HEARTH: The Hearth is the heart of the home. To kindle a Hearth Fire is to found a local, close-knit TDB family.
A Hearth must contain at least three TDB members, at least one of whom must be a Clann Folk member. A Hearth shall not contain more than 15 members.
TRIBE: A Tribe is an extended local TDB family. It must contain at least four TDB members, at least one of whom must be a TDB Clann Folk member. A Tribe may contain one or more Hearths as well as members who are not affiliated with any Hearth.
Local groups shall include "TDB" in their name for the purposes of identification.
Formation of further local and extended groups, such as Solitary associations and others may be considered by the AC upon request.
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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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