(As unanimously approved on Samhain 2004 C. E.)
Article 1: Grove Purpose
A. Aware of humanity's harmonious interconnection with the great web of
life upon this planet, conscious of the ideals of our ancient ancestors,
of those who abode in this land in the Elder Days, and of those who in
the Twentieth Century C.E. planted the seeds of the Neopagan revival,
we herein affirm our intent to strive to live as our generation's
harvest of that triadic ideal, to serve in this National Capital area
as a congregation of Ar nDraiocht Fein, A Druid Fellowship, providing
a focus here, along the ADF path, for Neopagan druidic study,
fellowship, community service and open worship.
Article 2: Affiliation and Compliance with Secular Regulations
A. As a congregation of ADF, Red Maple seeks to demonstrate here the
living example of that organization's loftiest spirit and to embody the
effective blending of this spirit and of ADF's practical regulations.
B. Red Maple Grove shall strive to comply with the regulations of
secular government and where the legislation of various levels of such
governments conflict shall accord higher priority to the United Nations,
the Canadian Federal Government, Canadian Provincial Government and
local governments, in that order.
Article 3: Membership
While participation in Red Maple Grove's activities shall be very open,
in accordance with the general philosophy and by-laws of ADF, and while,
in general, an effort shall be made to function harmoniously in
accordance with the expressed consensus of all those interested in
participating in our activieties, officially the members of this grove
are those who are members of ADF.
Non-voting members are welcome to attend all rituals, gatherings and all
meetings not specifically called to deal with ADF policy making,
electoral procedures, or organizational control issues.
No amendment of this article can remove the current requirement that the
the three following officers (Senior Druid, Scribe and Pursewarden) be
members of ADF eighteen years of age or older, and that the election of
these officers be by the Grove's ADF members who are eighteen years of
age or older.
Article 4: Meetings
While members of the Red Maple Grove's congregation are encouraged to
gather informally, and while official meetings of Red Maple Grove and
its components may be held for social, studious, organizational,
community outreach, prayerful and other purposes may occur whenever
appropriately called, we pledge ourselves to strive to ensure one grove
meeting per month, in addition to conducting open worship for the eight
standard Neopagan Holy Days (Samhain, Yule, Imbolc, Vernal Equinox,
Bealtaine, Midsummer, Lughnasad and Autumnal Equinox), plus ADF specific
meetings when necessary to carry on the private business of the Grove.
The official meeting held on or about Samhain (the traditional Celtic, a
common Neopagan and Red Maple Grove's New Year's Day) shall be the Annual
General Meeting.
The Annual General Meeting shall be the occasion for the election of Red
Maple Grove's officers, for the presentation of annual reports by
officers, committees and guilds and for general consultation on these
reports, on the state of Red Maple Grove and on any other matters deemed
by those assembled to merit consideration.
Article 5: Election of Officers
No later than two weeks after the Autumnal Equinox, the Executive Triad
shall appoint an Electoral Triad consisting of three individuals who may
not be candidates, or have a conflict of interest in the election. Those
appointed to the electoral triad are required to be participants in Red
Maple Grove activities, and although the leader of the triad must be an
ADF member, the other two may also, but do not have to be.
The Electoral Triad is responsible for compiling a slate of those
nominated, communicate (including by means of the Grove's e-mail list,
if this is then functioning) this slate to the membership, and conduct
the election, which shall be by secret ballot. Only votes cast in person
shall be valid, neither mail in ballots nor proxies being counted.
In each election the winning candidate will be determined by a
plurality. In the event of a tie, another round of voting will be held
with only those who have received that tied highest number of votes
being on the ballot.
The term for newly elected officers shall begin at Samhain.
Article 6: Administration and Officers
As a spiritual organization whose members are conscious of the ideals of
our ancestors, the highest aspirations of the early inhabitants of this
land and the loftiest motives of the most outstanding examples in the
rich harvest of human history, our administration is based on spiritual,
ethical and practical principles, including: openness, transparency,
accountability, unanimity where attainable, majority vote where
unanimity is unattained, the effectiveness of triadic function
(governance by threes), co-operation, humility, simplicity,
responsibility, service, respect for others, patience, moderation,
prayerful deliberation and the recognition that there is great benefit
in general principles, in accumulated practical experience and in the
realization that not all situations are necessarily recurring or
foreseeable, and that wisdom advises being receptive to dealing with
each situation on its own basis.
The administration of Red Maple Grove is sustained, inspired and
protected by the three orders of spirits (ancestral, natural and
deific), established on appreciation for the sacred nature of service to
the ideals of Ar nDraiocht Fein, conscious of the traditional
understanding that a true leader is both worthy of respect and
possessing a skin seven spans thick so as not to be adversely impacted
by anything that may be said about her or him.
Red Maple Grove is governed by triads, committees of three members or
participants. The Executive Committee (Senior Druid, Scribe and
Pursewarden) must be current members of Ar nDraiocht Fein. Among the
other triads administering the affairs of Red Maple Grove may be: the
mediative, liturgical, praeceptoral, budget, communications, and
community outreach triads. The head of each triad must be a member in
good standing of ADF.
The Executive Triad is responsible for oversight of all Grove affairs,
for sustaining the general welfare of the Grove and the harmonious
functioning of the other grove triads. The Executive Triad, with the
consultation of Grove members at the monthly meetings, shall arrange by
election replacements in the event of a vacant office, and will set,
again through consultation with Red Maple Grove's members and
participants, the precise timing for the marking of the eight Holy Days
and other grove events. Each member of the Executive Triad, as at least
a contact for the other triads, shall be reachable for members seeking
to communicate.
The Executive Triad consists of the following officers:
Senior Druid - The Senior Druid (SD) shares in the responsibility for
the maintainance of the spiritual harmony, vitality and well being of
Red Maple Grove, ensures that general and triadic meetings are held,
that an agenda is ready in advance of such meetings, and this agenda is
in the hands of the Scribe, chairs such meetings in a spiritual manner,
seeking to obtain the unfettered and unforced participation of each
person at such meetings, reviews the reports of the other triads and of
the Scribe and pursewarden, is the primary representative of Red Maple
Grove to other bodies within Ar nDraiocht Fein, the general NeoPagan
community and all other bodies, organizations and publics outside of Red
Maple Grove, oversees all liturgical activities within Red Maple Grove,
as well as any Red Maple Grove educational endeavour and in general to
perform in a spiritual, moral and ethical manner the duties consistent
with the post of president. The term of the office of Senior Druid shall
be two years.
Pursewarden - The Pursewarden is responsible for keeping Red Maple
Grove's financial records according to generally accepted accounting
principles for non-profit organizations, for handling the monies of Red
Maple Grove, for maintaining the bank account(s) of Red Maple Grove, for
providing written financial reports to the Executive Triad and at each
monthly Red Maple Grove general meeting, for compiling a quarterly
financial report to be sent to the Mother Grove of Ar nDraiocht Fein
after review by the members and participants of Red Maple Grove,
including by means of Red Maple Grove's e-list, if such is functioning
at the time. The Pursewarden is also required to complete an annual
report, including financial statements, for submission to the Executive
Triad, ADF, and such government agencies as have reason to request it,
and in general to perform in a spiritual, moral and ethical manner the
duties consistent with the post of treasurer. The term of the office for
the Pursewarden shall be two years.
The Scribe shall be responsible for recording minutes of all general
meetings and of all Executive Triad meetings, for maintaining records of
the proceedings of other triads (to be submitted by each triad), for
compiling, through consultation with the members and participants of Red
Maple Grove (including by means of Red Maple Grove's e-list if
functioning, a quarterly report of grove events to be sent to the Mother
Grove of Ar nDraiocht Fein, and, in general to perform in a spiritual,
moral and ethical manner the duties consistent with the post of
secretary. The term of the office of Scribe shall be two years.
If one of the Executive Triad steps down, or must be replaced for any
reason, an election must be called immediately, providing that the term
remaining is more than two months.
Elections for the Executive Triad slall be held annually, with the
office of Senior Druid being elected in even years, and the offices of
Scribe and Pursewarden being up for election in odd years. With this
single exception, the first annual election shall elect all three seats
of the Executive Triad, with the Senior Druid being elected to a post of
two years, and the Scribe and Pursewarden to terms of one year.
The quorum required for the purposes of voting within the Executive
Triad shall be two of the three members. All decisions of the council
shall be carried by a majority vote. Each member of the Executive Triad
may only cast one vote in any decision, regardless of the number of
offices they hold.
Article 7: Other Triads
Triads may be as ongoing committees for ongoing concerns, such as the
Outreach Triad. These triads may spin off temporary triads for specific
projects, such as a Pastoral Triad to arrange prison visits. Each
temporary triad must be overseen by a member of the original triad and
is responsible to both the originating triad and to the Executive
Triad. At least one member of each triad must be a member in good
standing of Ar nDraiocht Fein.
Article 8: Financial Records
As a non-profit organization, the Grove accounting records are to be
made available by the Pursewarden for review with reasonable notice.
Quarterly Grove financial reports must be compiled and published to the
membership, to the Mother Grove, and to interested government
departments, after the close of each quarter. Annual financial
statements, including a balance sheet, statement of profit and loss, and
an income statement, must be compiled and ratified by the Executive
Triad, before being sent to the Mother Grove, Red Maple Grove members
and such government departments as request it.
Article 9 Resolution of Personal and Other Difficulties
Conscious of the normal human tendency for a clash of personalities,
for a natural presence of contending ambitions, for the ease of
misunderstandings, for a variety of dissatisfactions with the
imperfections of those charged to perform functions and serve on
offices, we outline the following preventative and remedial measures to
maintain, preserve and enhance the internal harmony of Red Maple Grove:
The encouragement of daily personal meditation including a balancing
perspective of our individual worth, honour owed to other humans, and
respect merrited by other life forms;
The encouragement of continued, constant and effective communication
within the grove, including the conscious realization that a first
step in responding to displeasing reports is to verify the accuracy of
such reports and seek the complete context for any seemingly
disagreeable actions or omissions;
Include in any Red Maple's Dedicants' instruction or study sessions the
advice that the virtue of moderation also applies to leadership
ambitions and that the virtue of fertility in this age includes both
recognition of individual contributions and advances towards community
co-operation;
Maintain a triad of mediators specifically charged to ensure through
preventitive measures and through spiritually based dispute resolution
the harmony of Red Maple Grove;
Encourage our mediators to remind us that ADF has a motto, "With the
speed of a growing oak," allowing those aroused to step back, take a
long view, meditate at the Tree Ring or other sacred space, including
the human heart, and refrain from hasty action;
Attempting as a grove not to demand of anyone what may be too difficult
to accomplish, and encouraging each member to be enough in tune with
her/his own situation, feelings, capacity to recognize what is too
difficult to do and to have the feeling of acceptance to be able to
communicate that to the grove.
Article 10: Sanctions
Although Red Maple Grove greatly endeavours to promote the harmony of
various personalities, interests and functions within the grove, we
recognize that human frailty may require sanctions, including possibly
the suspension, expulsion and/or banning of members and participants at
our activities.
Effort shall be taken to ensure that all understand from the beginning
of their entrance into Red Maple Grove's activities which actions
(including murder, rape, theft, discrimination on the grounds of race,
ancestry, gender and sexual orientation) we consider call for sanctions
and an attempt shall be made to provide clear warnings before
sanctioning.
The process of sanctioning, including expulsion and/or banning shall be:
Firstly, the parties involved in the dispute shall be encouraged to work
it out between themselves. Secondly, if this is untenable, the Mediative
Triad may be requested to intervene by either party to the dispute, or
by any other participant or member who feels strongly about the issue.
The Mediative Triad shall begin by attempting to resolve the dispute in
an informal and friendly atmosphere. At this point, whether the
mediation is formal or informal, the Mediative Triad must keep a log of
complaints for recording purposes. Thirdly, should the issue fail to be
resolved informally, formal mediation cannot begin until either the
Executive triad or the Mediative Triad receives a letter of complaint.
This complaint may be written by either party to the dispute, or by any
member who feels sufficiently justified in doing so. Upon receipt of the
written complaint, the Mediative Triad will start an investigation into
the validity of the complaint, with the exact process of the
investigation being decided upon by the Mediative Triad, depending upon
the circumstances of the complaint. Fourthly, an expulsion or ban must
be ratified by the whole grove before being enforced. The Executive
Triad must ratify lesser sanctions imposed.
On the issuance of an expulsion or ban, an attempt shall be made to
communicate what specifically would be required for the lifting of the
imposed sanction, such requirements including the admission by the one
sanctioned that s/he recognizes the prohibited action is not permitted
by Red Maple Grove, and a sincere vow not to confront Red Maple Grove
with it in the future.
Article 11: Resignation
Officers may resign their offices, and members may resign from Red Maple
Grove at any time they so wish, though such resignations shall not
necessarily prevent Red Maple Grove from deciding on the discipline,
suspension, or expulsion of any such individual assessed as warranting
such action. Resignations, properly submitted in writing or by e-mail to
the Executive Triad, may be accepted promptly, or may initiate a
fact-finding and/or mediative process.
Article 12: Amendments
These bylaws may be amended by two thirds of the voting membership
voting to do so, after a thirty-day period of notice informing members
of such proposed amendment. Amendments may be initiated by the Executive
Triad, or may be submitted to the Executive Triad by petition of any
twenty-five per cent of the membership. Of course, as is consistent with
Red Maple Grove's general policy of openness, any individual member or
participant in Red Maple Grove's activities is welcome to proffer any
recommendation to the Executive Triad or any other committee of Red
Maple Grove, and the Executive Triad or any such committee receiving
such a recommendation retains full authority to act on such an
individual suggestion as the Executive Triad or such committee receiving
such an individual suggestion as they deem appropriate.
The preceding by-laws are herein adopted by unanimous approval of the
members of Red Maple Grove as have signed below and by the following
participants in Red Maple Grove's activities as have signed below on
or before this Samhain 2004 C. E.
Submitted by Ian Clysdale on Sat, 29/10/2005 - 7:30pm.