Questions about OBOD's course

[Lily]

hmmm... ripoff?

you pay for paper. what you make of the material can be priceless or meaningless, it all depends on you. I never regretted a penny I spent on that material.

[afallonia]

Lily, you've completely misunderstood my question. I just wanted to know if the we pay the full course price minus the intro pack, considering the fact that the site says the intro pack comes with the first two gwersi. So, then, if we decide to pursue the rest of the course, do we get gwersi 3-52 in the next package or are we repaying for the first two gwersi again?

In no way am I saying the course itself or its contents are a rip off. I just don't see why we would pay for the first two gwersi again, especially if we already purchased them with the intro pack. I don't disagree with the cost of the course and I am fully aware of how much printing and postage costs.

[Selene]

Afallonia, I am sure I've seen something somewhere that if you buy the intro pack separately, the cost is deducted from that of the full course. I couldn't find it just now when I looked on the OBOD site, but I've written the office and asked for confirmation of that policy. I'll post here as soon as I have the official word.

Blessings,
Selene

[afallonia]

Selene, thank you very much for your investigation and I look forward to your reply. Your time is very much appreciated

[LoneWalker]

The intro Gwersi are also not the Gwers 1 and 2 of the course so you do need to start with 1 when it arrives

[afallonia]

Thank you, Lonewalker, for your reply. I was not aware of that, but it makes sense.

[Selene]

OK, here's the way it works: If you order the full course, the Intro pack is included at no extra charge. If you take the "try it before you buy it" route, you pay for both the Intro pack and the full course. However, in the section of the website dealing with signing up for the course is the Terms and Conditions page (http://www.druidry.org/join/terms-conditions), and on that you find this info:

We hope you will be one of the very many people who have found the course materials that we send helpful and inspiring. Here are the Terms and Conditions under which you purchase them:
1. Our full contact details are: The Oak Tree Press, PO Box 1333, Lewes, East Sussex BN7 1DX, UK. Telephone or Fax 00 44 (0)1273 47088 Email: office@druidry.org
2. All materials are mailed to you from this office in the United Kingdom.
3. Materials mailed include books, booklets, leaflets, and audio CDs and are described in detail in the Information panels on the ordering pages.
4. Provided materials are returned to us undamaged within 30 days of receipt a full refund of all monies paid will be given.
5. Packages are usually mailed within 3 days of receiving your order, in exceptional cases (such as holiday times or awaiting new stock) this may extend to 14 days.
6. All transactions are made in UK sterling.

So it sounds to me like you're covered if you decide to order the whole thing but decide it's not for you after you've had a chance to look it over (provided your dog didn't chew on it, or something).

As Lonewalker noted, the Intro pack is not optional...it is an essential part of the course and must be worked through before beginning the regular lessons, even if you ordered the full course.

Hope that helps!

[afallonia]

Thank you so much for hunting down that information, as it was exactly what I was looking for. I simply cannot wait to get my intro pack! The wait is going to kill me

[scopulus]

Be prepared to die quite alot then Affolonia

[afallonia]

Lol, thankfully I believe in a type of reincarnation!

[Aethelflaed]

Hello Everyone

I have recently received the introductory pack and have decided that this is a part of my journey and that I want to sign up for the course (although that will have to wait until the summer as my work is seasonal and things will be tight for the next few months.
My question is about the tutor. If I request a tutor will the one who is assigned to me be chosen randomly or is there some mechanism for matching me to someone who will 'suit' me (and, of course, vice versa) as I would imagine that that would have quite an effect on how I experience the course!
Many thanks,
Jenny

[Lorraine S.]

My question is about the tutor. If I request a tutor will the one who is assigned to me be chosen randomly or is there some mechanism for matching me to someone who will 'suit' me (and, of course, vice versa) as I would imagine that that would have quite an effect on how I experience the course!

Hello Jenny!
Good question about the tutor (aka mentor) assignments. The mechanical instructions on the mechanics of requesting a tutor will be included in the first packet of the course materials. But basically, when you request a tutor, you should include a little about your journey through the lesson materials thus far and, if possible, a little about yourself. While you don’t have to include bits about yourself, it is very helpful if you do. The little bits of information you give help the tutor coordinators to make the best educated guess on which Bardic tutor which might best “suit “ you. They do their best to match you with a tutor that is both challenging and compatible. And the more information you give them (Hi, I’m Lorraine and am 53 and am known to have a really bizarre sense of humor… ) helps them tremendously. The rest is up to the cards, the gods and the stars!

[Dept'y Dawg TC]

Hi there Aethelflaed,

You had a question about how the tutor/mentor is matched with the student. Lorraine is correct that if the student making the request sends us a little bit of information about him/herself (it doesn't need to be lengthy or overly personal), that helps me and Susan choose a tutor/mentor we think the student will enjoy working with. All of the tutors/mentors have completed the Druid grade and are very good at guiding students in their journey, but sometimes it does seem that there's a match that will be especially good.

I hope that helps!
Sara
OBOD Deputy Tutor Coordinator

[AFDruidAlex]

A quick thanks to all who have replied to this and answered questions, and a thanks to the one who asked all the questions! I've ordered my introductory package and I'm currently anxiously awaiting it's arrival. Some of these questions have popped into my mind and well, here are the answers! I'm kind of bummed that I can't actually start the full course anytime soon, so if I like the introductory package a lot then I'll have a pretty long wait because of Basic Military Training (8 and a half weeks).

I'm very thankful for this community, it helps a lot having all of you here to answer questions and discuss material with!

[Aethelflaed]

Hi, Lorraine and Sara,
Many thanks for that, I am looking forward to starting the Bardic course.
Jenny

[nightfire]

I also wanted to express my appreciation for all of the questions and helpful answers on this thread. I too have just signed up for the bardic course and can't wait to receive my first set of lessons. I'll be stalking the mailbox for the next couple of weeks, that's for sure. =+)

Julie
- aka Nightfire

[Saorsa]

hi there ~
I'm a new arrival, with a question, if I may?

I'm not entirely sure why I'm now drawn to consider structured exploration and study of something I've always taken for granted as instinctive connection. Or perhaps I have some idea, but it involves a strange meeting, a question, some stormy weather, a song, and a seal, and makes little sense to me, and likely less to others! But it led me to OBOD and the training offered here.

One thing I notice browsing the introductory articles and audio excerpts here, are the Welsh tales and harp music and groves and robes, and even the species of trees, all giving me a sense of being 'of the south, of southern lands'. Which gives me pause, for I'm normally appreciative of the kinship among Celtic cultures. So I'm hesitating long enough to ask, is there a druidry or pagan tradition of the northern lands, of Scotland or the Islands or even Scandinavia? Of sheepskins and furs, of fires, of harsh landscapes and wild weather and music to match? A lot of what I read resonates, but sometimes in a slightly foreign way with my lived experience up here in the north of Scotland. I'd rather not subtly translate if there a local dialect handy, so to speak. Or is the OBOD course such that smelting my own unique connection and practice within the greater community is one of my tasks along the path?

I realise that southern and northern are very relative terms! and that this is an international community, practicing all over the world ~ which i'm also curious about, in relation to my question.

Harder than I thought to put into words ~ I hope I make sense! I'm grateful for any thoughts on this.

[Gwion]

Presumably you’ve already researched heathenry. http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/paganism/subdivisions/heathenry_1.shtml

It’s interesting that, historically and as far as I can tell, reawakening awareness of and interest in our druidic heritage did not begin with the Welsh but probably with the Germans, then French and from there the Scots. English and Welsh interest followed on but it has been the Welsh heritage in particular that has persisted, following the establishment of the “cultural druid” movements led by figures such as Iolo Morganwyg. I wonder what would have happened if the Scottish academics of those early days had not decided that the druids were “bad” but had pursued and developed them as the Welsh eventually did.

Just as the Celts were more of a culture than a race and encompassed a variety of peoples, I wouldn’t be surprised to find that there had existed a form of druidry that looked to the North and the Scandinavian/Anglo-Saxon myths and gods but it seems the last 300+ years have focussed on the Brythonic Celts. I am aware of those on other druid forums who follow these northern gods but still see their closest links with other druids of the “southern” (to you!) Celts. http://theanimistscraft.wordpress.com/2012/01/10/druidry-and-the-english-tradition/

I’d be interested to hear the views of others on this question.

[Bracken]

hi there ~
I'm a new arrival, with a question, if I may?

I'm not entirely sure why I'm now drawn to consider structured exploration and study of something I've always taken for granted as instinctive connection. Or perhaps I have some idea, but it involves a strange meeting, a question, some stormy weather, a song, and a seal, and makes little sense to me, and likely less to others! But it led me to OBOD and the training offered here.

One thing I notice browsing the introductory articles and audio excerpts here, are the Welsh tales and harp music and groves and robes, and even the species of trees, all giving me a sense of being 'of the south, of southern lands'. Which gives me pause, for I'm normally appreciative of the kinship among Celtic cultures. So I'm hesitating long enough to ask, is there a druidry or pagan tradition of the northern lands, of Scotland or the Islands or even Scandinavia? Of sheepskins and furs, of fires, of harsh landscapes and wild weather and music to match? A lot of what I read resonates, but sometimes in a slightly foreign way with my lived experience up here in the north of Scotland. I'd rather not subtly translate if there a local dialect handy, so to speak. Or is the OBOD course such that smelting my own unique connection and practice within the greater community is one of my tasks along the path?

I realise that southern and northern are very relative terms! and that this is an international community, practicing all over the world ~ which i'm also curious about, in relation to my question.

Harder than I thought to put into words ~ I hope I make sense! I'm grateful for any thoughts on this.

Hiya, Saorsa.

In my experience, there has been a really well thought out attempt in the creation of the material of the gwersi to be inclusive and global. This doesn't pull the material up by its roots; it is all firmly situated. It's definitely not all Welsh, though but sourced from many places. And it always comes with the suggestion to find your own meaning in it or make it personally relevant, or discard it altogether if it doesn't feel right.

Yes, we do have order members from all over the world, from very different backgrounds and living in many different situations. I promise you, your lived (and felt) experience of

sheepskins and furs, of fires, of harsh landscapes and wild weather and music

will fit right in.

[Saorsa]

Hiya, Saorsa.

In my experience, there has been a really well thought out attempt in the creation of the material of the gwersi to be inclusive and global. This doesn't pull the material up by its roots; it is all firmly situated. It's definitely not all Welsh, though but sourced from many places. And it always comes with the suggestion to find your own meaning in it or make it personally relevant, or discard it altogether if it doesn't feel right.

Hi Bracken, thanks for responding. That sounds great, and intriguing.

Yes, we do have order members from all over the world, from very different backgrounds and living in many different situations. I promise you, your lived (and felt) experience of

sheepskins and furs, of fires, of harsh landscapes and wild weather and music

will fit right in.

:p Well I guess my modern version is woodstove, wellies and many-layered handknits, but that's good to hear!