Reddit mentions of Pagan Portals - Irish Paganism: Reconstructing Irish Polytheism

Hi, I'm an AODA member. Sorry I didn't see this post until just now.

1. AODA's suggested rituals are designed with gods in mind, but AODA only requires a belief in something greater than yourself. When I joined, I was atheistic and my belief was in the natural world and universe being far greater than myself.
   
   I'm a polytheist now, but I know advanced-grade AODA members who are not theistic. You'll find some AODA members calling upon land spirits in place of gods, for instance.
   
   In your rituals, you can input gods, spirits, ancestors, or whatever is right for you. JM Greer has created a number of suggestions for observing the wheel of the year, based on Celtic gods and figures from Arthurian lore. He even created a Wheel of the Year for Christo-Druids that assigns each station to a Christian holy day and suggests different archangels and saints to call upon in the rituals. Just to give you an idea of how out-of-the-box you can get.
   
   
2. It takes three years to complete AODA's curriculum, and the fees for the whole shebang come out to $300, I think. So essentially you would never have to pay the organization more than that over your entire membership with them, and it's spread out over quite a bit of time. I think AODA might be the cheapest order, but on the flip side I think it has the least materials.
   
   
3. JM Greer outlines rituals in The Druidry Handbook. Aside from the grove openings and closings, he does it more to demonstrate what rituals can look like rather than to say "AODA members must perform these" or even "should perform these". AODA encourages its members to craft rituals to suit their circumstances and beliefs.
   
   
4. Not a question for AODA, so I'll let the OBODies and ADFers answer that.
   
   
5. This is tricky for any Druid order, as all of them are syncretic and innovative rather than reconstructive. AODA requires reading the Mabinogion as part of its curriculum, and some elements of its suggested rituals are rooted in Celtic traditions. I think the most significant thing it brings to the table in contrast to the other Druid orders are its emphasis on magic and ecology, which in my opinion are key elements that should be woven into any pagan practice that aims to be traditionally Celtic. However, its magical teachings are essentially a Celt-ification of Rosicrucian magic with some added neopagan elements rather than an attempt to reconstruct traditional practices.
   
   Now that I am polytheistic, I am more and more reconstructive in my approach. Without having followed AODA practices and reading JM Greer's teachings, I never would have understood magic or believed in gods, both of which are fundamental to traditional Celtic paganism in my opinion. A lot of people view Druidry and CR as being at odds with each other, but I reject that. I think AODA laid the foundation on which I'm going to ultimately build a more reconstructive practice.
   
   You're right that ADF is the "winner" on this point, but ADF also requires a belief in and commitment to the gods. So you will need to come to terms with polytheism before joining.
   
   EDIT: At the end of the day, I see Druidry as an open and diverse religion that is rooted in Celtic culture and which offers organizations and practices that are effective at initiating newcomers into paganism by giving them accessible and digestible practices they can use right off the bat. What Druidry lacks, though, is that it is not very rigorous about replicating and preserving historical practices. ADF is supposed to be the antidote to that problem, and in many ways it is, but it too is not fully reconstructionist.
   
   There are some advantages to this, but someone who really wants historically-based practices will essentially need to practice reconstructionism on the side (quite a few ADFers do this, actually). For more information about Celtic reconstructionism, you can check out /r/paganacht as well as books like Pagan Portals: Irish Paganism and organizations like Gaol Naofa.
   
   AODA does not have any language learning material that I'm aware of.