Hello everyone,
We are still accepting articles, poetry, artwork and anything else you’d like to submit. Articles are due by January 1st, 2022. If you have ideas, we’d love to hear them.
Thanks!
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Hi everyone,
I’ve had some qustions about our publishing plans for AODA.
Since The Druid’s Book of Ceremonies, Prayers, and Songs was so well received, our plan at present is to alternate producing a Trilithon and a Druid’s Book every other year. Thus, Trilithon articles will be accepted up till January 1st and Trilithon will be published by the Fall Equinox, 2022. After then, we’ll be putting a new call out for the second volume of The Druids Book* due the following January, with a Druid’s Book produced in 2023.
Trilithon publishes articles, reflections, stories, scholarship, and research from our community. The Druid’s Book is focused on prayers, songs, rituals, ceremonies, etc. So depending on what you have, you may want to submit it to Trilithon vs. the Druid’s book.
I hope this all makes sense–I look forward to seeing your many contributions :).
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I hope that yall havent decided to alternate between the trillithion and druid book. As much as the druid book sounds great I think it would be a great shame to keep from posting the trillithion every year. I wonder if a merger of the two could be had maybe a more condensed version or with 3/4 articles and the rest druid book stuff. Or maybe putting the two out at alternate times of the year? My simple reasoning is that paraphanelia runs rampant in this consumerist society and the newsletter is more informative. There is already so much to read, practice, collect, learn that it is overwhelming at times as a candidate I feel a bit of trepidation at my ability to handle the grades that will be coming and my ability to traverse them. It seems to me that one wants to know as much about the order as one can while finding a home to what they already resonate with. With more books it seems to become a capitalization on the heady air elemental side of things and a venture to becoming a business. Maybe the druid book being more of an earthy practical side of living could still be called the trillithion and it could be published in cycles along with inspirations from the waters and the fires on a perpetual 4 year cycle…example Trillithion 2022 Air Element Edition/Trillithion 2023 Earth element Edition (druid book)/ Trillithion 2024 Fire Edition, or Water Edition, etc…back to Air Edition. Just some thoughts in keeping things simple if youll take my humble offerings on ideas.
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Hi Mesadream,
Thank you for your suggestions! :).
We typically do not have enough articles to effectively release a Trilithon each year, which has been a perpetual problem with the journal since I started running it in 2013. We’ve also tried for themes, but many people want to contribute what they want to contribute, and we haven’t had great luck with themes.
We also have a volunteer staff, and producing one book a year is pretty much what all of us can handle. Producing a professionally edited (both developmental and copyediting) journal with unique graphics, cover graphics, and a professional layout takes a lot of time.
The current plan allows us to continue to produce one outward-facing book a year (which this organization has done successfully since 2013) and this plan will ensure that our members have places to publish their varied work and creative expressions (rituals, poems, articles). It also allows us to offer something unique to the druid community.
Since these books are released free online in addition to people being able to purchase low-cost print copies, there is no money-making intent. AODA is financially healthy and is a registered 501.c.3 religious non-profit organization. We don’t want to make any money on these beyond production costs (our contributors get free copies, and we also have ISBNs and barcodes to pay for). Our intention with both is to get the work out in the world, nothing more.
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If I may add, in regard to having an overwhelming amount of material to read, Trilithon and the Druid’s Book are entirely optional. They’re not part of the curriculum. We hope that people find them useful and enjoy them, but there’s no need to read them if you’re already up to your eyeballs.
When JMG took over AODA, he knew that publishing material was the key to keeping our tradition alive. We have little opportunity for in-person teaching and sharing. Having a lot to read may seem too mental–I get that–but if we don’t record our practices and sources, they will be lost.
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I was initially disappointed that the scholarly journal isn’t yearly anymore, but it makes good sense on a couple fronts.
First, I appreciate the vast amount of work that goes into getting these publications print ready, and that comes after helping non-professional writers prepare their work. Although much of this work happens behind the scenes, I’d like to offer my gratitude to all who are working to help make these publications a reality. Thank you!
Second, splitting the scholarly from the more experiential, and alternating focus also makes good sense. If there isn’t the volunteer labor to do the publishing work, or an appropriate amount of quality material then these publications would be impossible. There is nothing to print if we the members aren’t writing, but writing takes time, clarity, and something to say.
The whole endeavor seems like a labor of love. Idk if folks get enough gratitude for those efforts, so I’m just throwing a bit more at you all with this note. Thanks!
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I just want to clarify that the news letter is different than the Trilithon journal of Druid scholarship, is different than the Druid Book of songs, prayers and rituals. I don’t see where people are suggesting the quarterly news letter won’t be coming out regularly, so there are technically three publications, but only two that go to the publisher, and those are what’s under discussion.
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Thank you, I was certain it had already been thought about with better educated minds than mine but I didnt have all the info you wrote of I didnt know for instance that it didnt come out already every year. Its quite informative as to the amount of materials and of course, at the companion level probably many are a little more shy to contribute to the magazine until they get their feet wet. I will keep that in mind going forward. I already have some things in mind including a great picture of either a pecan or an oak I am uncertain as to which but one I have termed grandfather. It takes at least 3 to 4 people to circle around it and its beautiful! I also have a poem or two I could share that kind of show my early interest in druids before I found AODA. Thank you for your response my lady.
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@Mesadream, we would welcome your contributions! I would love to hear about that amazing grandfather oak/pecan tree (also, post some photos of it and we can help you ID it!)
Poetry would be very welcome in our upcoming Druid’s Book --the call for that will be out at the Spring Equinox and we’ll accept submissions till Jan 1st, 2023 :).
And yes–we will continue producing the quarterly newsletter! That’s necessary for many reasons. Trilithon and the Druid’s Book function really differently than the newsletter.
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