By Aimee Brannon

This Spring, I became a new Non-Officer Director (NOD) on ADF’s Mother Grove after our most recent election. The election was a crossroads for me; the outcome would dictate my future as a leader in ADF, and possibly as a member. 

I recently served a term as Regional Druid (RD) for ADF’s Southwest region. My term was dominated by COVID-19 and everything that happened because of it. Expected trips to regional groves were out, although I did manage to visit the now-defunct grove in Albuquerque, New Mexico during a lull in the worst phase of the pandemic. But by the time COVID-19 had ebbed, my term was over, as were my chances to visit other groves as RD. 

Nonetheless, I planned a trip to visit our Southern California groves and protogrove. The grove in San Diego disbanded just before my trip, but I did get to meet many members of Raven’s Cry grove and Orange Blossom protogrove in Los Angeles, which made my solo road trip from Colorado rewarding and fulfilling. Raven’s Cry had produced excellent videos during the pandemic, and it was a lot of fun seeing and talking to the participants in person.

After a quiet RD term and seeing two Southwest regional groves disband in quick succession, I contemplated my future in ADF, wondering if I wanted to become more or less involved. A member of my own local grove suggested at this critical juncture that I run for NOD in the upcoming election, and I thought I might- but I wasn’t sure I really wanted to.

Much to my surprise, I was nominated by the two required ADF members to be a NOD candidate in the Spring 2024 election, and bolstered by this signal of confidence, I accepted the nomination. Of course, I was shocked when the election results were later announced and I’d been elected for one of two open NOD positions. I took it as a sign that my future rested in ADF, and I’ve wholeheartedly embraced my new position. Holding a NOD position is an honor, one that allows the NOD, working with others equally dedicated, to develop, present, and implement ideas to improve and celebrate our organization and community. 

I like to think that being a Pagan is something of a calling; you have to want to be a Pagan. Hardly anyone just falls into it, unlike many people who follow the dominant religion in their culture. In many places, adhering to a certain religion is not optional, so having the freedom to dedicate your spiritual life to a Pagan organization is a privilege we are fortunate to have as ADF members.

Leading a Pagan life is often about the kindred, and it is also about community. ADF exists to facilitate the joining of like-minded people in honoring the Shining Ones, the Ancestors, and the Land Kin within a structure that allows common action, while empowering the freedom of thought that many Pagans cherish. I know that I would not be part of an organization that dictated what I thought or believed about any aspect of Paganism.

As a NOD, I would like to enhance what’s great about ADF, which is a lot, while minimizing unnecessary bureaucracy and hierarchical structures. Our membership numbers have trended somewhat downward during the last few years; some of that is likely COVID-related, while some has been because of the loss of a person who was doing the bulk of the work to keep things running, and some has been because members’ expectations of community weren’t met in some way. Some, of course, leave simply because a different path than ADF works better for them.

Working on already-underway efforts to increase our visibility and member numbers is at the top of my priorities list as NOD, and I’m looking forward to working with my fellow members of the Mother Grove on these and other issues that are critically important to ADF’s future. As an organization, we have so much to offer the Pagan community, from academic study, solitary practice supported by ADF resources, grove membership and community, the opportunity to become clergy, the Hearth Keeper’s Way, opportunities for leadership and volunteering that will have a measurable impact on the Pagan community, and more, all while offering freedom and flexibility to our members. 

The lack of dogma in ADF is probably the feature I like best about it, but I wonder if that’s actually part of why our membership is and probably will always be fairly small. Striking out on your own, even if you have others around you, is daunting and takes a true Pagan heart- a rare thing in today’s world. For myself, after becoming a NOD, I know which way to take and can confidently walk the ADF road, serving my fellow members and the larger Pagan community in the U.S. and beyond as we guide ADF into its important future.