Modern Druidry (OBOD, Druid Network mainstream)
Modern Druidry — Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD), British Druid Order, Druid Network. Very low-control voluntary tradition.
CLCI radar
BITE breakdown
0 — modern Druidry mainstream; very low-control reference.
Profile facts
In context
Modern Druidry is one of the lowest-control religious traditions globally. Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBOD, founded 1964) is the largest Druidic order. Druid Network achieved UK charity-status registration in 2010.
Recovery resources
- ICSA (International Cultic Studies Association) — General referral and cult-aware therapist directory.
- INFORM (Information Network on Religious Movements) — LSE-founded UK research-based information service covering new religious movements.
- Freedom of Mind Resource Center — Steven Hassan's organisation; BITE-model resources and family-side exit guidance.
See the full curated list at /resources.
Evidence by BITE axis
- very low-control reference
Timeline
- 1964OBOD founded by Ross Nichols
- 2010Druid Network UK charity status
Evidence matrix
Structured sources cross-linked to the claims they document. Tiered per the source hierarchy. For free-text citations see the Sources section below.
Sources
- Ronald Hutton, 'Blood and Mistletoe' (2009) search ↗
- The Roles of Nature, Deities, and Ancestors in Constructing Religious Identity in Contemporary Druidry — Pomegranate (2009) — https://doi.org/10.1558%2Fpome.v11i1.58 open ↗
- Pathways to Druidry: A Case Study of Ár nDraíocht Féin — Nova Religio (2009) — https://doi.org/10.1525%2Fnr.2009.12.3.40 open ↗
- Old stones, new rites: contemporary pagan interactions with the medway megaliths — Material Religion (2016) — https://doi.org/10.1080%2F17432200.2016.1192152 open ↗
- Modern Druidry and Earth Mysteries — Time and Mind (2009) — https://doi.org/10.2752%2F175169609X12464529903137 open ↗
- The psychological-type profile of practising British Druids compared with Anglican Churchgoers — Mental Health, Religion & Culture (2012) — https://doi.org/10.1080%2F13674676.2012.681483 open ↗
- lire en ligne — https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/religion-and-anthropology/neopaganism-and-the-new-age-movement/7F2DB0E98AE9EACD610BA2C9FBC37803 open ↗
- The Roles of Nature, Deities, and Ancestors in Constructing Religious Identity in Contemporary Druidry — Pomegranate (2009) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1558/pome.v11i1.58 open ↗
- Réflexions sur le paganisme d’extrême droite — Social Compass (2018) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0037768618768439 open ↗
- lire en ligne — https://doi.org/10.1177/0037768618768439 open ↗
- lire en ligne — https://doi.org/10.1080/713676042 open ↗
- Connexions entre le néo-chamanisme et le néo-druidisme contemporains. Étude en anthropologie/ethnologie comparée — Cahiers d’études du religieux (2008) — https://dx.doi.org/10.4000/cerri.161 open ↗
- Ethnographier la fabrique d’une tradition néo-païenne : retour sur une enquête par théorisation ancrée au sein du milieu néo-druidique québécois — Recherches qualitatives (2024) — https://dx.doi.org/10.7202/1112165ar open ↗
- lire en ligne — https://www.academia.edu/101482308/Du_hi%C3%A9rophante_au_druidiste open ↗
- lire en ligne — https://doi.org/10.1093/actrade/9780199539406.001.0001 open ↗
- Old stones, new rites: contemporary pagan interactions with the medway megaliths — Material Religion (2016) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17432200.2016.1192152 open ↗
- lire en ligne — https://doi.org/10.1080/17432200.2016.1192152 open ↗
- La réinvention des pratiques rituelles dans le néo-druidisme — Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses (2017) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0008429817694018 open ↗
- lire en ligne — https://doi.org/10.1177/0008429817694018 open ↗
- Druid Network — https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/druid-network open ↗
- The children of converts: Beyond the first generation of contemporary Pagans — Social Compass (2017) — https://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0037768617704165 open ↗
- Druidry to be classed as religion by Charity Commission. — https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-11457795 open ↗
- Modern Druidry and Earth Mysteries — Time and Mind (2009) — https://dx.doi.org/10.2752%2F175169609X12464529903137 open ↗
We cite sources by name and outlet rather than fabricating links. Where a source includes its own URL, the open ↗ link opens it directly; otherwise search ↗ runs a Google Scholar query for the cited title — useful for verifying academic sources. For news outlets, search the outlet's own archive.
Change history
Substantive edits logged per the score-updates policy.
- 2026-05-29Phase 1 Batch J: per-group recovery resources applied via programmatic palette (closest-fit by category + subCategory + score). Palette: Mainstream-comparator lighter.
- 2026-05-20Score band scheme migrated from 4 bands to 5 (Minimal 0–5 / Low 6–12 / Moderate 13–20 / High 21–30 / Extreme 31–40). No CLCI value changed; the new Minimal band was carved out of the bottom of the previous Low band.
Relevant hubs
Curated entry points on CLCI Hub for situations connected to this group.
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