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.
You may also want to explore
Found something wrong on this profile?
We accept correction requests from anyone — current and former members, researchers, journalists, family members, and the listed organisation. Submissions are reviewed by an editor; we do not auto-publish.