The Sacred Warrior Order of Raven Druids, or SWORD, was Inaugurated on the Saturday following Lughnaghsadh, August 4th, 2007, at Avebury in Wiltshire before a group of invited witnesses.
The five Founding Members became the Council of Elders upon swearing specially-written vows, and under that authority Initiated the first full member of SWORD and appointed her to the position of Scribe, the Order's first Officer.
The Order's Mission Statement and Constitution are as follows:
Mission Statement
The intention of the Order is:
To guard and walk with the Ancestors and Guardian Spirits of this land;
To honour all beliefs and paths;
To work together as one;
To safeguard and care for all sacred sites and burial grounds;
To celebrate the eightfold annual festivals at sacred places in the Isles of Britain.
Constitution:
1. The Order will be called The Sacred Warrior Order of Raven Druids, also known by the acronym of SWORD.
2. The business of the Order will be governed by the Council of Elders, and all decisions made by said Council will be binding upon the Members.
3. The Council of Elders, currently the Order’s founding members, will be elected by a ballot of all full members at the Order’s Annual General Meeting.
4. The AGM will be held at Beltane, either at the weekend of the Free and Open Gordedd of Caer Abiri or at a place mutually agreeable to the members of the Council.
5. The Order will celebrate the Sacred Festivals of the Year at various Sacred Sites throughout Britain, the location of each celebration to be determined by majority vote of the Council.
6. All members will swear an oath, under the Ritual Sword of the Order, to uphold the tradition of Truth, Honour and Justice.
7. Designated Swordbearers are, at their discretion and where appropriate, to wear their Ritual Sword at official SWORD rites. The wearing of swords at any other ritual or ceremony is at the discretion of each individual rite organiser.
8. The Elders and other full members of the Order may, at the discretion of the Council, found Groves of the Order and recruit new members to that Grove.
9. All Groves will be entitled to representation at the AGM and to vote on all constitutional matters, including the election of the Council members.
10. New members are to be proposed and seconded by full members. A majority vote of the Council will decide either entry or refusal.
11. Prospective members must be at least 18 years or older, and may be required to undertake a Year and a Day as a Neophyte before being admitted as a Full Member. Junior members may be admitted at the discretion of the Council.
12. All Full members of the Order will be entitled to wear the Order’s logo on their robes. Non-members or former members may not wear or otherwise make use of our copyrighted emblems, or exploit them in any manner whatsoever.
13. Any full or prospective member who draws his/her sword in anger will be removed from the Order.
