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                          The Circle System of A.D.F.
                           (c) 1984 P. E. I. Bonewits
                    Reprinted from "The Druids' Progress" #2 

Some Thoughts on the Training of Neopagan Clergy:

     The ÿoverwhelming majority of religions on this planet require many ÿyears 
of hard study and training before a womanor a man is admitted into the ranks of 
the clergy.  ÿThis study and training usually includes not only the acquisition 
of ÿmagical and religious knowledge, ÿbut also the mastering of skills in ÿsuch 
diverse areas as counseling, teaching, ÿart, music, drama, dance and the basics 
of what each culture has in the way of science and technology.
     Among ÿthe ÿPaleopagan Druids, ÿthis training may have taken ÿas ÿlong ÿas 
twenty ÿyears.  ÿIn the modern western world, ÿoutside of a few ÿfundamentalist 
denominations, ÿÿthis training is done through several years (as many as ten or 
twelve in some groups) of college level classes and experiences.
     However, ÿfor several reasons, ÿthere is no universally (or even commonly) 
accepted system of qualifications for Neopagan clergyhood.  Most Neopagan magi-
cal/religous ÿgroups are outgrowths of the 60's counterculture, ÿand they ÿthus 
have strong egalitarian dogmas.  ÿThe idea that clergy could be "better" ÿÿthan 
the ÿmembers ÿof their congregations, ÿin any way at all, ÿhas ÿbeen ÿrepugnant 
enough ÿto ÿbe ÿnearly "heretical."  ÿThe Protestant Christian ideal ÿof ÿevery 
person ÿ(or at least every man) ÿbeing their own minister has been accepted ÿby 
many ÿNeopagans without examination of the historical or magical causes ÿbehind 
the creation of that ideal.
     As ÿI have mentioned before, ÿNeopagans have a tendency to be strong indi-
vidualists ÿand ÿare often extremely distrustful of both leaders and ÿorganized 
political structures.  ÿMost Neopagan groups ÿprefer to stress informal collec-
tive decision making.  ÿSuch factors are especially prevalent in the more self-
consciously feminist Neopagan groups, ÿsuch as those now calling themselves the 
"Dianic ÿCraft."  ÿThis is understandable, ÿsince the overwhelming majority ÿof 
mainstream religious heirarchies have been grossly male-chauvanistic, ÿat least 
insofar ÿas the extent of overt power has been concerned.  ÿ(Oddly enough, ÿthe 
religious ÿgroups that have been run by the worst MCPs are often the ones ÿmost 
dependent ÿupon ÿthe support of and covert power manipulations by ÿtheir ÿwomen 
members!)
     In ÿany ÿevent, ÿthanks to these and other factors, ÿthe very concepts ÿof 
religious ÿorganizational ÿstructure ÿand ÿof ÿspecialized ÿqualifications ÿfor 
clergyhood ÿhave ÿbeen discarded by many people as male ÿplots ÿagainst ÿwomen.  
Most Neopagan groups, ÿbecause they tend to be supportive of the feminist move-
ment, have gone unquestioningly along with this assessment.
     Most Neopagans who become priests or priestesses do not attain their posi-
tions because they have studied, mastered and then demonstrated specific skills 
relevent ÿto ÿtheir chosen roles.  ÿRather, ÿthey become members of the ÿclergy 
because (a) ÿthey have belonged to the group for a minimum length of time, ÿ(b) 
their ÿhouse ÿis the one everyone meets at, ÿ(c) ÿthey are so nice that ÿnobody 
wants ÿto ÿhurt their feelings by denying them a higher rank than ÿthey ÿreally 
deserve, and/or (d) they have gotten =very= close to the High Priest/ess.
     Although ÿindividual ÿorganizations occasionally have clearly defined ÿand 
strictly ÿenforced standards for their own clergy, ÿthose standards are ÿseldom 
applied outside of such groups.  And having any kind of standards at all is the 
exception, not the rule.
     Does it matter?  For nondruidic groups, perhaps not.  Many Neopagan tradi-
tions ÿseem to get along just fine (or think they do) ÿwithout a highly trained 
clergy ÿat ÿall.  ÿA ÿsurprisingly large number of Neopagan clergy have ÿbecome 
competent through sheer experience (the old "sink or swim" ÿmethod).  Yet being 
a priestess or priest is not an easy task, ÿas most of us have found out.  ÿÿIn 
order to keep up with the demands made upon us, ÿwe wind up needing the ÿskills 
and knowledge of magicians, ÿpsychics, polytheologians, therapists, scientists, 
artists, ÿÿdramatists, ÿÿpoliticians, ÿpublic relations ÿexperts ÿand ÿhealers.  
Juggling all these activities, ÿwhen our training was haphazard at best, ÿmakes 
for a frustrating and difficult "career" in the Neopagan clergyhood.
     Now ÿadd ÿin ÿthe fact that Neopagans currently have ÿa ÿstrong ÿprejudice 
against ÿpaying their clergy any money at all, ÿlet alone enough money to allow 
them ÿto function as fulltime religious workers.  ÿThis forces us to study ÿand 
practice ÿour clergyhood on a parttime basis, ÿusually while holding down full-
time jobs in the mundane world.
     Put it all together, and you have a splendid recipe for creating frazzled, 
scattered, ÿincompetent, but very sincere priests and priestesses who, ÿif they 
take their responsibilities at all seriously, suffer professional burnout after 
only ÿa ÿfew ÿyears.  ÿThey then leave the community, ÿtaking ÿwith ÿthem ÿwhat 
knowledge and training they =have= managed to accumulate.
     I've suffered this sort of burnout myself, ÿand seen several of my ÿfellow 
clergy go down in flames.  I would rather this did not happen with ADF.  It's a 
topic I've been thinking about for many years and which I've discussed at great 
length with my sibling clergyfolk.
     Now here's my plan.....

Going around in Circles:

     To begin with, I'm stealing the idea of using "Circles" of development and 
commitment ÿfrom the old Church of All Worlds, ÿwho in turn got it ÿfrom ÿHein-
lein's _Stranger in a Strange Land_ (see Margot Adler's _Drawing Down the Moon_ 
for ÿdetails).  ÿÿEveryone's familiar with the idea of ÿ"inner ÿcircles" ÿÿthat 
secretly ÿrun ÿsupposedly democratic groups.  ÿIn point of fact, ÿÿevery ÿlarge 
organization ÿis actually run by a small number of people, ÿregardless of ÿwhat 
they ÿmay ÿtell ÿthe general public.  ÿThis is due to factors ÿinvolving ÿhuman 
communication capabilities and varying degrees of dedication, ÿas well as ÿwith 
the commonly mentioned (and less ethical) motives of greed and power-hunger.
     With ÿADF, ÿI ÿwant everything to be as open and aboveboard ÿas ÿpossible.  
We're ÿstarting ÿout ÿby stating that our structure is one ÿof ÿcircles ÿwithin 
circles.  ÿÿThe more hard work, ÿdedication and time a person is willing to put 
into ÿADF, ÿÿthe ÿfurther they will progress towards the ÿinner ÿcircles ÿwhere 
increasing ÿpower ÿand responsibility will be wielded.  ÿBut we will never ÿput 
pressure upon anyone to go further or faster than they are ready to go.
     I could have chosen other symbols for this system.  ÿLadders, for example, 
or ÿeven climbing a tree (that's both Druidic and Shamanistic!), ÿwould provide 
an image that would be very hierarchical.  ÿBut such climbing images also imply 
(a) ÿthat people "on top" ÿare spiritually better than those "below" them, ÿand 
(b) that only a few people can be on any given level at a time.
     Or we could use a pyramidal structure, ÿwhich allows more people to be ÿon 
the lower levels, ÿwith fewer and fewer near the top.  But that symbolism would 
make ÿsome folks think we were running an imitation of the Catholic Church, ÿor 
even (Danu forbid!) a "pyramid scheme."
     The ÿadvantage of using the images of circles within circles is that ÿ=all 
of ÿthe ÿcircles ÿcan be viewed as being on the same ÿhorizontal ÿplane.=  ÿÿAs 
mortals, ÿÿwe all stand upon the same Earth, ÿand no matter how high a tree ÿor 
building we might climb, the stars are just as far above us as they always have 
been.
     It's ÿprobable ÿthat ÿmany ÿpeople ÿin the ÿinner ÿcircles ÿwill ÿbe ÿmore 
"spiritually evolved" than those in the outer circles, at least if our training 
system is doing what it's supposed to do.  ÿBut it's also entirely likely ÿthat 
some ÿpeople will choose to stay in the outer circles for personal reasons that 
have ÿnothing to do with their spiritual development.  ÿFor this reason, ÿwe're 
going to try to avoid referring to "higher" ÿand "lower" circles, even if we do 
use a numbering system for them.  Instead, we'll call them "inner" ÿand "outer" 
circles, and talk about "inward" and "outward" movement between circles.
     Currently ÿI'm thinking in terms of five Circles, ÿthe Fourth and Fifth of 
which are now unpopulated.  ÿThe Circles indicate particular degrees of commit-
ment, of knowledge acquired, of experience gained, and of skills mastered.
     The ÿFirst ÿCircle is composed of people who have dedicated themselves ÿto 
learning about Paganism in general and Druidism in particular.  Most of them do 
not ÿintend ÿto ÿstudy for the clergyhood, ÿbut they do ÿdesire ÿboth ÿNeopagan 
fellowship ÿand a course of Druidic study.  ÿThis is the Circle that, ÿÿten ÿor 
twenty years from now, will constitute the bulk of our congregations.
     The ÿSecond Circle is for those who have decided that they want to take ÿa 
greater role in the affairs of a local grove, or to organize one if none exists 
in their area.  Some of the members of this Circle will be preparing themselves 
to become priests and priestesses through studying for the Third Circle.
     Membership in the Third Circle will be a rough equivalent of having gained 
a ÿBachelor's Degree at a good university, ÿand will also be the minimum Circle 
for holding clergy credentials from ADF.  ÿThird Circle members will be running 
local ÿgroves and performing all the duties of the clergy, ÿincluding ÿtraining 
members of the outer circles.
     Preparation ÿfor ÿthe Fourth and Fifth Circles will parallel ÿstudies ÿfor 
Master's and Doctoral Degrees.  ÿFurther Circles will correspond to ÿ"post-doc-
toral" work.
     (Where ÿdo I fit into this system?  ÿAs an individual Druid, ÿI ÿÿconsider 
myself to be in the Third Circle, with the Fourth still a couple of years away.  
As the Archdruid of ADF, I'm in the unnumbered "innermost Circle" -- but not at 
the Center.  That spot is reserved for the More-than-Mortal.)
     Now it's time for some further details on the training system.  We'll look 
first from the direction of further defining the Circles themselves, ÿand ÿthen 
examine the Study Tracks that run through every Circle. 

Details on the Circles:

First Circle:

     Entry ÿRequirements:  ÿThere are no special requirements for ÿjoining ÿthe 
First ÿCircle, ÿother than a commitment to working with your advisor ÿ(for ÿthe 
time ÿbeing, ÿthat's me), ÿa ÿdesire to learn, ÿand a willingness to work hard.  
Folks ÿwho wish to function in the First Circle should notify me, ÿand ÿperform 
some sort of self-dedication ritual (see elsewhere in this issue).
     Study Program:  consists of (a) keeping a journal; (b) reading and discus-
sing ÿintroductory ÿbooks ÿand attending introductory classes ÿin ÿthe ÿvarious 
Tracks; and (c) beginning practical work in some of the Tracks.
     Minimum ÿDuration ÿ& Testing:  ÿPeople are expected to normally remain ÿin 
this Circle for at least one year, ÿand there is no regular testing period ÿfor 
remaining in this Circle.
     Graduation ÿRequirements:  ÿ(a) ÿachieving satisfactory results on testing 
for all 13 ÿTracks; ÿ(b) ÿmaking an oral or written report on your First Circle 
experiences, ÿwith a self-evaluation of your progress; (c) ÿshowing and discus-
sing your journal; (d) making a formal request for advancement; and (e) working 
with your advisor(s) ÿand group (if any) to create an appropriate Second Circle 
initiation.

Second Circle:

     Study Program:  ÿ(a) ÿmore advanced exploration in the various Tracks; (b) 
continuing your journal; (c) assisting any First Circle members in your geogra-
phical area.  You may choose a Specialty while in this Circle, such as healing, 
teaching, counseling, leading worship, divination, movement awareness, etc.
     Minimum Duration ÿ& Testing:  ÿMembers would normally stay in ÿthe ÿSecond 
Circle ÿfor at least two years.  ÿAfter two years, ÿyou must either retake ÿthe 
tests ÿthat got you into the Second Circle, ÿor else take those for the ÿThird.  
You can try for the Third at any time after this, ÿbut if you choose to stay in 
the Second Circle, you must requalify every other year.
     Graduation ÿRequirements:  ÿ(a) ÿachieving satisfactory results on testing 
for all 13 ÿTracks; ÿ(b) ÿmaking a written or oral report on your Second Circle 
experiences, ÿwith a self-evaluation of your progress; (c) ÿshowing and discus-
sing your journal; (d) making a formal request for advancement; and (e) working 
with your advisor(s) ÿand group (if any) ÿto create an appropriate Third Circle 
initiation.

Third Circle:

     Study ÿProgram:  ÿÿ(a) ÿadvanced study and skill gaining ÿin ÿthe ÿvarious 
Tracks; ÿ(b) continuing your journal; (c) ÿassisting First & Second Circle mem-
bers ÿin your area; ÿ(d) ÿteaching at least one class -- ÿon the topic of ÿyour 
choice -- ÿevery year you stay in this Circle; ÿ(e) ÿleading private and public 
ceremonies, ÿincluding general worship celebrations and rites of passage; ÿÿ(f) 
changing your life's pattern dramatically -- ÿgoing on the road if you've ÿbeen 
settled, ÿsettling if you've been a wanderer, ÿa ÿdrastic change of occupation, 
etc.; (g) choosing a Specialty if you haven't already.
     Minimum ÿDuration & Testing:  ÿMembers would normally stay in this ÿCircle 
for at least three years.  ÿAfter three years, you must either retake the tests 
that got you into the Third Circle, or else take those for the Fourth.  You can 
try for Fourth at any time after this, ÿbut if you choose to stay in the ÿThird 
Circle, you must requalify every three years.
     Graduation ÿRequirements:  ÿ(a) ÿachieving satisfactory results on testing 
for all 13 ÿTracks; ÿ(b) ÿmaking a written or oral report on your Third ÿCircle 
experiences, ÿwith a self-evaluation of your progress; (c) ÿshowing and discus-
sing ÿyour ÿjournal; ÿ(d) ÿhaving successfully run a healthy ÿcongregation ÿand 
having performed all the routine duties of a priest/ess for at least two years; 
(e) ÿmaking a formal request for advancement; ÿand (f) ÿcreating an appropriate 
Fourth Circle initiation.

Fourth Circle:

     Study Program:  ÿ(a) ÿcontinuing advanced study and skills training; ÿÿ(b) 
assisting outer Circle members in their work; ÿ(c) ÿspending at least one month 
in ÿresidency ÿwith ÿyour advisor; ÿ(d) ÿteaching at least one ÿclass ÿin ÿyour 
specialty ÿon ÿa continuing basis, ÿand one other class every year you stay ÿin 
this Circle; (e) continuing to perform the usual clerical duties; (f) intensive 
practice of your Specialty on a professional basis; and (g) ÿhelping to run the 
national activities of ADF, ÿas well as leading and advising one or more groves 
throughout their time in this Circle.
     Minimum ÿDuration & Testing:  ÿMembers would normally stay in this ÿCircle 
for ÿat least four years.  ÿAfter four years, ÿyou must either retake the tests 
that got you into the Fourth Circle, or else take those for the Fifth.  You can 
try ÿfor ÿthe Fifth at any time after this, ÿbut if you choose to stay ÿin ÿthe 
Fourth Circle, you must requalify every four years.
     Graduation Requirements:  (a) ÿachieving satisfactory results on tests for 
all 13 ÿTracks; (b) making a report on your Fourth Circle experiences and self-
evaluation; ÿ(c) ÿwriting or producing a thesis on your Specialty; ÿ(d) ÿhaving 
trained at least one fully qualified successor for your grove(s) into the Third 
Circle; ÿ(e) ÿmaking a formal petition for advancement; ÿand (f) ÿcreating your 
ordination rite for the Fifth Circle.

Fifth Circle:

     Study Program:  ÿ(a) ÿwriting or producing a thesis that ties together all 
your studies, in all 13 Tracks; (b) assisting outer Circle members; (c) practi-
cing your Specialty professionally; ÿ(d) ÿsupervising the activities of several 
groves; ÿ(e) helping to run ADF's international activities; and (f) ÿcontinuing 
to grow.
     There are no minimum duration, ÿtesting or graduation requirements for the 
Fifth ÿCircle, ÿsince the Circles that would be inner ones to this are not ÿyet 
defined.

Details on the Study Tracks:

     Here are the Tracks as I currently conceive of them: (1) Survival and Phy-
sical Health, (2) Therapy and Conseling, (3) Communication, (4) Psi, (5) Social 
Sciences, ÿ(6) ÿPhysical and Biological Sciences, ÿ(7) ÿMovement Awareness ÿand 
Discipline, ÿ(8) ÿArt and Music, ÿ(9) ÿDrama and Liturgy, ÿ(10) ÿPhilosophy and 
Metaphysics, ÿ(11) Comparative Religion and Mythology, ÿ(12) ÿMysticism and Al-
tered States of Consciousness, and (13) Interdisciplinary Studies.
     Be aware that, ÿalthough I'll say "you" ÿthroughout this description, ÿand 
talk ÿabout ÿthe ÿneeds of clergypeople, ÿnot all of these references ÿwill ÿbe 
relevent ÿto ÿevery one of you reading this, ÿsince some of you may ÿchoose ÿto 
remain in First or Second Circles.  ÿRight now, ÿand throughout the early years 
of ADF, ÿa ÿmajority of you are at least interested in studying for the clergy.  
Those ÿof ÿyou who want to stay in the First and Second Circles will ÿbecome ÿa 
higher proportion of the total membership as time goes by.
     You ÿshould also note that as I use the term herein, ÿÿ"exploration" ÿÿcan 
consist of reading books, attending classes, having an apprenticeship, etc.

Track 1 -- Survival and Physical Health:

     First Circle:  you explore your own physical environment (urban, ÿrural or 
wilderness), in at least two fields of study.  You could learn how to do simple 
plumbing, or repair bicycles, or grow a garden, or find edible wild plants. You 
analyze your personal work habits and interests, ÿand explore available ÿoppor-
tunities for developing marketable job skills.  ÿAlso, ÿyou analyze your health 
and ÿnutritional ÿpatterns, ÿand begin some form of regular ÿphysical ÿexercise 
(which can be from Track 7).
     Second ÿCircle:  ÿÿyou ÿexplore a different environment than the ÿone ÿyou 
usually live in.  ÿYou begin efforts to use your job skills to find satisfying, 
ethical and growth-oriented employment (working for yourself or others).  Also, 
you begin to get rid of harmful physical addictions, ÿand continue to ÿexercise 
and practice good nutrition.
     Third ÿCircle:  ÿyou visit a brand new environment and learn its ÿsurvival 
skills.  ÿÿYou earn enough money through right livelihood to take care of ÿyour 
needs, without interfering with the rest of your life.  You continue your exer-
cise ÿand nutritional work, ÿand rid yourself of any remaining physical ÿaddic-
tions.
     Fourth ÿCircle:  ÿÿyou ÿlearn total adaptation to ÿa ÿforeign ÿenvironment 
(through programs such as "Outward Bound," ÿÿfor example).  ÿYou develop suffi-
cient ÿeconomic prosperity to be able to devote most of your time and energy to 
noneconomic activities.
     Fifth Circle:  you take full responsibility for the safety and training of 
others in an environment new to them.
     Purpose:  ÿto make you confident and competent in dealing with the ÿ"Earth 
Plane" levels of reality, whether you are fixing machines, living off the land, 
programming computers, ÿor raising hogs.  Clergypeople should be healthy, ÿwell 
"grounded" ÿand practical, ÿif they expect to be of any value to those who ÿask 
for help.