How To Start A Grove

1. Collect 3 or more human members, whose temperatures are around 98.6.

2. Choose roles, length of office, responsibilities (if any) and a few basic tenets, which are officially stated:

A. “The object of the search for religious truth, which is a universal and a neverending search, may be found through the Earth Mother, which is Nature; but this is one way, yea, one way among many” (also stated as “Nature is Good”).

B. “And great is the importance, which is of a spiritual importance, of Nature, which is the Earth Mother; for is is one of the objects of Creation, and with it we do live, yea, even as we do struggle through life are we come face to face with it.” (Also stated as “Nature is Good”).

3. Apply for a charter by registering your Grove with us: REGISTER

Upon acceptance of your registration, and your fulfillment of some basic requirements, the RDG Mother Grove will issue you a Charter:

A Chartered Grove is an autonomous congregation of the Reformed Druids of Gaia with all the rights, privileges and responsibilities of a legal church as stated in our Articles of Incorporation and Bylaws. Each Grove must report quarterly to the Mother Grove, both a financial statement and other items of interest. A person of at least 3rd Order status may serve as Arch Druid. In the absence of ordained Clergy, priestly functions may be shared among members.

Proto-Groves are a beginning form designed to give new members a framework on which to build into a full-fledged Grove. At least three people must be RDG members, and they should get together at least once a month. A Proto Grove cannot purchase property, borrow money or otherwise indemnify the RDG. They may open a bank account with which to carry on activities. Proto-Groves may become chartered Groves when they have been in existence for a year and have one 3rd Order Druid, and two 2nd Order Druids.

4. Contact other groves. It could be the start of a beautiful friendship.

5. Download a copy of The Druid Path Self-Study .

6. Arrange a Vigil with a Priest. Perhaps one of your members would like to do the vigil for the Third Order (or again, perhaps no one wants to yet, but you can still be a protogrove.) Contact the closest Third  Order to personally assist you. Afterwards, tell the Senior Clerk, and (s)he’ll record it in the Records of the Mother Grove.
P.S. Your grove can be cross-registered with as many other Druid/Pagan/whatever Groups you wish. (Like being an ADF Grove and RDNA and Keltria and OBOD at the same time. It doesn’t bother us.)