Path: shell.portal.com!svc.portal.com!sdd.hp.com!frankensun.altair.com!nntp.coast.net!news.sprintlink.net!mhv.net!port111.mhv.net!user From: ibonewits@mhv.net (Isaac Bonewits) Newsgroups: alt.pagan Subject: REPOST per Req.: Archdruidic Resignation Date: 8 Jan 1996 06:06:53 GMT Organization: None Lines: 82 Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: port111.mhv.net To: All members of the Mother Grove of ADF, all Senior Druids & Grove Organizers, all Guild and SIG heads cc: alt.pagan, alt.religion.druid, Druid folders on AOL, Compuserve, Genie, eWorld, and Prodigy, selected colleagues. ~From: Isaac Bonewits ~Date: January 1, 1996 c.e. ~Subject: Archdruidic Resignation As I write these words, I am watching the snow fall swiftly outside my windows and am trying to ignore the severe pain cramping my hands and feet. I expect the winter months to come will make my Eosinophilia Myalgia Syndrome worse, diminishing my ability to perform my Archdruidic duties. At the same time, ADF is more than able to function without my personal guidance. It is primarily for these reasons that I have chosen to resign as Archdruid. It is also true that I am tired of fighting to maintain our standards in training and liturgy, of the constant backbiting and gossip that has replaced actual work for many of our members and some officers, of egalitarian campaigns to cripple my office, and of sanctimonious efforts to silence me from expressing controversial opinions. All of these are, of course, common human behaviors for members of all religions. I just don't have the physical and mental stamina to handle them anymore. Given all this, and after a great deal of meditation and prayer, I have decided to spend the little energy I have on my first career, that of a writer. I have several books partially written and would like to take a year or three to finish them. I will also be cutting down on my lecture appearances, to save time and energy for writing and to avoid the physical stress of travel. I hereby resign and retire as Archdruid of A'r nDrai'ocht Fe'in: A Druid Fellowship, Inc., effective immediately. I will forward all records and files in my possession to the office of the national Scribe within the next few weeks. I will continue to keep the 1-800-DRUIDRY line going until the end of January, at which point another officer of ADF may take it over, or the Mother Grove may vote to shut it down. I will assist in making the transition to a new Archdruid as smooth as possible. According to Article 11, Section (3) of the By Laws of ADF, "After the death, retirement, or permanent incapacitation of the initial Archdruid, the Vice Archdruid shall become the Acting Archdruid, and shall exercise all the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of the initial Archdruid until the second High Day following the next annual meeting." According to 11:4, "At said annual meeting, a new Archdruid shall be elected by a two-thirds majority of the available votes held by those members participating, with no quorum required. Should no single candidate win a two-thirds approval, the candidate with the lowest total shall be disqualified, and this process shall continue until only one candidate is left or a candidate has won two-thirds of the votes." Ian Corrigan is now the Acting Archdruid until a new Archdruid can be elected and take office. This resignation notice gives everyone time to nominate and campaign for the Archdruidic candidate of their choice along with those for other national offices to be decided at this year's annual members' meeting at Wellspring. I will remain a Lifetime Member of ADF, and I will continue to write and speak about ancient and modern Druidism, but I will no longer represent ADF in public or private. Therefore, any further efforts to censor my speech and writing will be simply ignored. I retain the copyright on all my lectures and writings which I have created for ADF in the past, but hereby grant ADF permission to continue to publish and distribute them, provided no editing is performed upon them without my cooperation. Those people who would like to be on my personal mailing list for future publications, books, tapes, etc., unconnected with ADF, may write me at P.O. Box 1021, Nyack, NY 10960, or email me at or . yours in the Earth Mother, Isaac Bonewits ********************************************************** Isaac Bonewits = = P.O. Box 1021, Nyack, NY, USA 10960 "I speak for myself!" **********************************************************