A Druid Alone

A Column for Solitary Keltrians

by the Topaz Owl

Greetings and Blessings, my Solitary Friends!

A relatively new member of Keltria recently wrote to me and asked: How old is the Keltria Organization; ie., when did it officially come into existence? Who were the original founding members and why did they found Keltria?

It occurred to me then that perhaps a lot of our newer members, especially those Solitaires with no access to a Grove, would also be interested in the answers to these questions, and that it might be a good start-off for this column. Those of us who have been around a long time tend to overlook the fact that newer members might like a brief history of the organization.

Since I have only been a member of Keltria for eight years or so, I thought it would be best to go to our Archdruid and one of the founders, Tony Taylor, for this information, which he was happy to provide.

"The Henge of Keltria, Inc." was incorporated as a nonprofit religious corporation in 1995 and is the direct descendant of The Henge of Keltria, a religious association, established in 1987. (So the Keltria Organization was established in 1987 and incorporated in 1995.)

It was founded by Tony Taylor and Pat Taylor (aka Sable). It was founded in response to theological differences, administrative goals, and other perceived shortcomings of ADF. Tony and Pat were, at that time, coordinators for Mensa's Pagan, Occult & Witchcraft Special Interest Group and were publishing a generic Neopagan, Druidic Leaning publication called Wodenwood. Ellen Evert Hopman (aka Willow) and David Schaal (aka Iarwain) were among the first to be a part of the newly founded organization.

I'm looking forward to more of your questions about Keltria and Keltrian practice. Send them by e-mail to topazowl* or by snail-mail to Topaz Owl in care of The Henge of Keltria.

This material was first published in Henge Happenings #42. Henge Happenings is the official "members only" publication of The Henge of Keltria, Inc. To join the Henge of Keltria, see our Order Form.