02 Books of the Apocrypha - A Reformed Druid Anthology.pdf - A Reformed Druid Anthology - YasminLight

PART TWO

THE BOOKS

OF THE

APOCRYPHA

(COMBINED AND EXPANDED)

DEDICATION

To Jan Johnson

The first Reformed Druid to write an epistle.

RYNEMETUM P

P P RESS

RESS

(COMBINED AND EXPANDED)

D RYNEMETUM

P P

RYNEMETUM

THE TABLE OF CONTENTS

New Introduction

New Stuff:

The following Books were chosen from hundreds of letters circu-

lated at large amongst the Third Order members of the Council of

Dalon Ap Landu (although the lower orders are also welcome to

communicate), because they are deemed illustrative. It has always

been our firm intention that every Druid should add and/or subtract

to their own copies of the Apocrypha as they see fit. These selections

are merely a suggested nucleus for such a personal collection. As

with the Druid Chronicles (Reformed), none

New Introduction

Why were Two Separate Apocryphas Printed?

Old Stuff:

Preface to Carleton Apocrypha

Contents of original Carleton Apocrypha

Introduction to Carleton Apocrypha

Introduction to Berkeley Apocrypha

Contents of Original Berkeley Version

Old Stuff:

none of these authors would

ever wish that their words be considered a dogmatic authority, nor

do their words represent anyone’s opinion but their own opinion.

The contents of various books may often seem to be in conflict

with eachother or even unconcerned with Celtic or Neo-pagan is-

sues. This is because many of the Druids felt that Reformed Druid-

ism has a life or message that goes beyond the window trappings of

any one culture or religion; it is more of a perspective. Everything

beyond the two Basic Tenets (Book of Law verses 4-6) should be

considered only as a personal opinion from the author or a local

custom. This includes me. In many ways, the Apocryphas provide

better understandings of how various Reformed Druids have

interpretted the message of Reformed Druidism in their own spiri-

tual lives. Many of these letters were painstakingly composed to con-

vey subtle thoughts, so ponder them carefully when reading them.

Most of these Books have been published before, in one of two

collections, either the “Carleton Apocrypha” or The Books of the

Apocrapha in Part Two of “The Druid Chronicles (Evolved)”. Both

versions had the Epistle of David the Chronicler, The Book of Faith

and The Outline of the Fundamentals. The latter half of both Apocryphas

dealt with various opinions on the “Isaac Affair” of the mid-70s,

when Isaac initially desired to redefine the RDNA as a Neo-Pagan

organization with more interaction (i.e. the Provisional Council of

Arch-Druids) and an effective hierarchy. I have chosen to combine

these two Apocryphal versions (plus adding some letters), because

one version provided only the “Isaac” letters and the other only pro-

vided “The Carleton” letters. Neither version was truly understand-

able without reading the other version. But, together, they can pro-

vide an interesting historical dialogue for the reader.

The issues leading up to the Isaac Affair are complex and are dealt

with in more detail in “A General History of Reformed Druidism in

America”. The end-result was a lot of productive introspection, mu-

tual understanding and an organizational sub-division of the Reform

into three branches. The first branch retained the name RDNA and

was composed of the Carleton Grove, Ann-Arbor Grove and New

York #2. The second branch called themselves the “New RNDA”

(NRDNA), and didn’t wish to label themselves as Neo-Pagan, but

they still wanted more interaction between Groves and a more func-

tional Council of Dalon Ap Landu. The third branch was the Schis-

matic Druids of North America (SDNA), led by Isaac; they essen-

tially abandoned the Council, identified themselves as being squarely

in the Neo-Pagan movement and also spawned the short-lived Hasidic

Druids of North America. After about three years, the original

NRDNA groves had collapsed (along with the HDNA), and the

SDNA relabeled itself as the NRDNA with the understanding that

non-pagan members would be treated equally, but this second ver-

sion of the NRDNA had an noticeable preference for the issues of

the Neo-Pagan movement.

References of a sexist or creedist nature have been left intact, in

order not to spoil the historical value of the various books. I have

broken The Book of Changes into three parts to aid the reader in

following the chronological dialogue. Except for arranging them in

biblical-verse format, no spelling changes or emphasis has been added

to these documents. All words in square brackets have been added

by Michael Scharding for clarification. Longer side-notes were com-

piled in a document called the “Endnotes” and were placed the end

Early Selections:

The Book of Faith

The Epistle of David the Chronicler

The Outline of the Foundation of Fundamentals

Leabhar Toirdhealbhaigh

The Discourse of Thomas the Fool

The Wisdom of Thomas the Fool

Letter to My Brothers

Middling Selections:

The Book of Changes, Part One

The Epistle of Renny

The Epistle of Ellen

The Words of Green

The First Epistle of Isaac

Gobbledegook and Red Tape

The Epistle of Norman

The Book of Changes, Part Two

The Epistle to the Myopians

The First Epistle of Robert

The Epistle of Richard

The Epistle of Midsummer

The Second Epistle of Robert

The Second Epistle of Isaac

The Book of Changes, Part Three

A Cup Filled to the Brim with Druidism

Middling Selections:

Late Selections:

Salutations

The Speaking of Beliefs

The Third Epistle of Robert

The Book of Lacunae

Some Final Thoughts

Discourse on the Selections:

End-Notes

Historiography

none

of the letters; check them out. You may treat the Apocrypha as a

collection of undoctored primary sources. I provide some background

information on each letter in the Historiography section.

Why Were Two Separate

Apocryphas Printed?

Please enjoy,

Michael Scharding

Big River Grove of Saint Cloud Minnesota

Day 1 of Samradh, Year XXXIV of the Reform

May 1st, 1996 c.e.

When the Druid Chronicles (Reformed) were written, as found in

Part One of this ARDA, most people felt that no more books should

be added to the Chronicles. However, they still had the itch to write

and distribute their own thoughts to other people, especially to fu-

ture students at Carleton. The Blue Book was a binder of such past

materials and it was passed from one Carleton Arch-Druid to their

successors. Unfortunately, the Arch-Druids of the other groves did

not have access to this mini-Archive, so Isaac put together “The Druid

Chronicles (Evolved)”, abbreviated as DC(E), to act as a Blue Book for

other Groves. Not knowing where to put the letters into DC(E),

Isaac borrowed Carleton’s idea of an “Apocrypha”, itself taken from

the Christian bible making tradition. The term “Apocrypha”, defined

as being “unofficial accretion”, seems to fit well, except that there are

no “official” materials” onto which they can accrete. Also the defini-

tion of Apocrypha as “writings or statements of questionable author-

ity”, strikes a warm chord in the Druid heart.

Isaac had always intended his printed version of the Apocrypha to

be enlarged by other people adding new selections that they deem

fitI suspect that most of the Carleton letters of the Isaac Affair were

written too late to be included in the printed collection of DC(E).

Richard Shelton in collecting his own Apocrypha, which have many

letters of opposition to Isaac’s reforms, positivley decided not to in-

clude any of Isaac’s letters. I suspect this is because Richard felt that

Isaac had essentially formed or discovered a Neo-Pagan religion, and

was trying to retroactively superimpose it upon the Reform. I don’t

think that Richard ever disliked Neo-Paganism, but he would have

equally opposed similar attempts by Catholics to claim that Reformed

Druidism has always been Catholic, or if Nicheren Zen Buddhists

demanded that we should realize that Reformed Druidism is really

Zen in disguise and that we should adopt mandatory chanting of

sutras and eating pickled radishes. Richard felt that Isaac’s letters

would convince people to become overly concerned with the group’s

existence, and would encourage dogmatic group posturing rather than

encouraging new Druids to work towards their own awareness. Any

animosity between these two Druids was finally resolved at a Carleton

meeting in April of 1994 over a pitcher of beer.

Richard’s reasons for excluding Isaac’s letters, and producing a

“purer” Apocrypha are very tempting to me, because I am very much

one of Richard’s disciples. However, I have decided in ARDA to

throw both versions together and then add a few more letters.

Richard’s “Carleton Apocrypha” will remain an available separate

publication. I personally feel that the resulting Apocrypha displays an

important facet of Reformed Druidism, the communication of ideas

amongst peers. The Reformed Druidism at Carleton today and else-

where is mostly drawing in people with at least a little bit of a Neo-

Pagan background, and I think that these letters will help them to

understand the differences between NeoPagan Reformed Druidism

and old-fashioned Reformed Druidism. This Apocrypha will also show

them how Reformed Druidism can improve or mesh with a NeoPagan

Druidic religion (or any other type of religion), and yet still remain a

quasi-distinct organization.

P.S. I’ve added some new selections to the ARDA version: the Epistle

of Renny, the Epistle of Ellen, Gobbledegook and Red Tape, the

three Epistles of Robert, A Cup Filled to the Brim with Druidism,

Salutations, The Speaking of Beliefs, and the Book of Lacunae.

Good fortune to thee,

Michael Scharding

Day 1 of Samradh, Year XXXIV of the Reform

May 1st, 1996 c.e.

P.S.

Let’s begin with the introductory letters that were

published with the original versions of the Carleton

and Berkeley Apocryphas...

Contents of The Carleton

Apocrypha

Preface to the Carleton

Apocrypha

Preface, 1993

Introduction, 1976

Apocryphal Works

The Epistle of David the Chronicler

The Book of Faith

The Discourse of Thomas the Fool

The Wisdom of Thomas the Fool

Letter to My Brothers

The Words of Green

The Epistle of Norman

The Epistle of Richard

The Epistle of Midsummer

Outline of the Foundation of Fundamentals

Some Final Thoughts

My purpose in printing the writings here collected is (of course)

three-fold. First, I would like to preserve some of the history and

tradition of Carleton Druidism that was not preserved in The Druid

Chronicles (Reformed) or that developed after the Chronicles were writ-

ten. The intended audience here is the Carleton Grove itself. Sec-

ond, in face of the growth of Neopagan Druidism, I would like to

have something to offer those interested in the original nonpagan

variety, something more complete and representative than the

Chronicles alone. And third, I would like to discharge a long-stand-

ing promise to do something about the first two purposes.

This collection is a real hodgepodge, and despite my best efforts

has nothing like the aesthetic unity of the original Chronicles, which

are known to every Reformed Druid. Also it has nothing like the

currency of the original Chronicles, which are known to every Re-

formed Druid. Most of these Apocrypha are known to few, though

every Carleton Druid will find familiar material herein.

Although this is not a complete collection of all Druidic writings

from Carleton, I have tried to keep the selection reasonably catholic,

at least to represent the period from the founding in 1963 to about

1976, when my close contact with the Carleton Grove began to fade.

Most of this material dates from 1976 or before. There are no

Neopagan selections here, since in the early days the Grove was

nonpagan, even arguably Christian. Certainly the founders would

not have characterized Reformed Druidism as one of the oldest

Neopagan groups in America, although on the strength of its found-

ing in 1963 it seems to enjoy that reputation in the Neopagan com-

munity.

In recent years (after the period from which these writings are

drawn) Druids at Carleton have become more interested in

Neopaganism and Native American spiritual practices. Many would

call themselves Neopagans. We “old-style” Druids have no quarrel

with this, for one’s Druidism is one’s own affair, as David taught

from the beginning. I believe Druidism transcends the nice distinc-

tions we habitually make to compartmentalize the variety of the hu-

man spiritual experience, and I hope newer Druids will still find this

material of interest, even, perhaps, of value.

Historical Background (now found in Part 4 of

ARDA)

The Record of the Council of Dalon Ap Landu

What is Reformed Druidism? (1965 pamphlet)

Between-the-lines (footnotes to DC(R) & Apocrypha)

The Druid Calendar (Carleton’s time-keeping)

Richard M. Shelton

Midsummer Day 1993

Introduction to the Carleton

Apocrypha

Gods and Goddesses as personifications of various aspects

of our experience.”

He went on to outline a program for transforming the sleepy orga-

nization of Druidism into a vibrant Neopagan ministry. But it seemed

to many of us that what he proposed for the Reform was very far

from what Druidism was all about. In explaining our opposition, a

good deal of ink was spent in trying to pin down our own concep-

tion of the Reform.

Of the selections included here, only two are from the early Apoc-

rypha: The Epistle of David the Chronicler by David Frangquist and

The Book of Faith by David Fisher, both dating from 1964. From the

later Apocrypha come the Outline by David Frangquist (that quintes-

sential Druidic broadside, dated 6/6/66), Letter to my Brothers by

Steve Savitzky (circa 1970), and the Discourse and Wisdom of Tho-

mas the Fool (a.k.a. Tom McCausland), both from 1970.

The Words of Green and The Epistle of Norman both were responses

to Isaac’s general letter of 1974. The Epistle of Richard dates from a

couple of years later. These three letters have all been heavily edited

in the present version to remove repetitive and irrelevant material.

I began working on The Words of Green almost the instant Isaac’s

letter arrived. It was addressed to the entire Council and dated 14

August 1974. At the time I was a Teaching Fellow at the University

of Michigan, and the most expedient way to generate the requisite

number of copies was to use the math department ditto machine I

was already using to churn out lecture notes, problem sets, and ex-

ams. But I balked at the usual dittoed purple, so in an attempt to

match the color of the letter to its spirit, I used green ditto masters

for the letter—whence it acquired its current title. (Unfortunately,

greenery has proven to be ephemeral: original copies of the letter

have faded almost to illegibility.)

The Epistle of Norman was drawn from a letter by Norman Nelson

to Isaac, dated 10 November 1974. Norman’s response to Isaac was

probably the most charitable, and Norman later spent time with

Isaac, answering questions and eventually turning out Between the

Lines, a set of historical notes on the Chronicles which were incorpo-

rated into the footnotes of Isaac’s book (discussed below).

The Epistle of Richard is a pastiche of material drawn from

two letters to Isaac, dated 26 May 1976 and 18 July 1976. By this

time, Isaac had broken away to found his own group, the Schismatic

Druids of North America, and was in the throes of assembling and

printing The Druid Chronicles (Evolved), a compendium including

much Neopagan material in addition to the original Chronicles and

three of the present selections, as well as material from Between the

Lines. At the time, it seemed possible that this compendium would

answer the need for a new edition of the Druid Chronicles. As an

added attraction, Isaac was also including his updated version of

David Frangquist’s pamphlet What is Reformed Druidism? But he

was writing for a different audience and with a different agenda, and

in the event, the Evolved Chronicles evolved into something most of

us did not find useful.

In June of 1976, toward the end of this period, several Carleton

Druids gathered at Carleton on the occasion of Midsummer Day.

We had hoped to meet Isaac and other members of his Twin Cities

Grove to work out our differences and come to some amicable un-

derstanding, but Isaac returned somewhat precipitously to Califor-

nia a month or so earlier. David and Deborah Frangquist, then liv-

ing in Germany, could not come themselves, but sent in their stead,

The Midsummer Epistle. This letter has special significance for me, as

it articulates what I had come to learn about my own feelings about

Druidism (and religion in general) in the course of the struggle with

Isaac. I hope Druidism will continual to bask in its light, as we

basked in the light of the setting sun of Midsummer Day on the Hill

of Three Oaks!

In the first days, the Reform had no published writings. David

Frangquist (“the Chronicler”) collected and printed The Druid

Chronicles (Reformed) in 1964, and there were originally plans to

update them by adding new material periodically. The mock-Biblical

style seemed to call in particular for the “Acts of the Druids” and an

Epistle or two. Several such works were in fact written. But as the

aesthetic unity of the Chronicles came to be appreciated, it was de-

cided not to add the other works, which naturally became known as

the Apocrypha.

The term apocrypha signifies “things hidden away”, and indeed

almost all of these works remained literally hidden away in the per-

sonal files of the founders until comparatively recently. Some in fact

were withdrawn by their authors. Thus, although they are of inde-

pendent historical interest, these “early Apocrypha” did not contrib-

ute significantly to the development of either the Carleton Grove or

the Reform in general.

When the College’s religious attendance requirement was abol-

ished in 1964, partly—perhaps largely—due to the challenge from the

Reformed Druids, Druidism deepened considerably. With the

Reform’s immediate purpose fulfilled, the founders were a bit non-

plused (David Fisher said he was “frankly stunned”) to discover that

this goal was but a secondary one for many who came to the services

on the Hill of Three Oaks. Although all agreed that coerced religion

was not a Good Thing and did not promote spiritual growth, what

surprised the founders was that they had unwittingly created a set-

ting more conducive to spiritual growth than many Druids had found

anywhere else.

More was involved here than the rebellion against coercion. There

was the spirit of intelligent and critical inquiry in matters religious,

essentially an application of the high intellectual standard encour-

aged by the College in all things. There was the emphasis on the

necessity of each person finding his own path himself, and a strong

dislike for the very ideas of Dogma and Orthodoxy. There was a

mistrust of formalism, a feeling that formalism tends to drive out

meaning. Finally, there was the firm belief in the inseparability of

humankind from its place in nature. These elements, and a vaguely

mystical turn, combined to produce a view of life embracing far more

than spiritual matters—or better, extending spirituality to all matters.

This attitude is what Carleton Druids understand by the term “Dru-

idic”.

In this period (circa 1965-1973) the forms and trappings adopted

by the founders (with an eye toward hastening the death of the atten-

dance requirement) became less important. The liturgy became more

fluid. The turn to mysticism became sharper, and Druidism became

more and more a personal affair. More writings appeared, many

finding their way with some frequency into services, but never really

intended for publication. This second wave of scripture became known

as the “later Apocrypha”.

The Third set of writings represented here stems from the

flurry of letters and activity following proposals of Isaac Bonewits in

1974. Isaac, who came to Druidism via the Berkeley Grove, was the

first Druidic proponent of Neopaganism. In a letter dated 18 July

1974 to the Council of Dalon ap Landu (comprising all Druid Priests),

he suggested that the Reform describe itself in the following terms:

“The RDNA is an Eclectic Reconstructionist Neo-Pagan

Priestcraft, based primarily upon Gaulish & Celtic sources,

but open to the ideas, deities and rituals from many other

Neo-Pagan belief systems. We worship the Earth-Mother

as the feminine personification of Manifestation, Be’al as

the masculine personification of Essence, and numerous

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