Joining the Order of the Crane is about doing the Work. Let us come together to do this Work with our hands in the reciprocity of hospitality, to put our hearts into the Work so that it is complete and full of integrity, and to put our heads to it in such a way that we do the Work with intelligence and vision.
There are three levels of membership within the Order of the Crane (each is described in greater detail in our Order guidebook, The Call of the Crane):
- Regular Order Members – ADF members who have joined the e-list for the Order of the Crane and stated their intent to begin devotional and service work.
- Dedicated Order Members – ADF members who have completed their Dedicant Path documentation and have oathed to begin working toward initiation.
- Initiated Order Members – ADF members who have received initiation within the Order.
In order to become a Regular Order Member, all you need to do is join the e-mail list and introduce yourself by telling us about your meeting of the Crane and your Crane-Following Oath, saying that you would like to start devotional and service work. What this means is that you will instantly become part of the community (as fast as we can approve you and you can post: please be patient, as this is not an ADF list and we have a limited number of moderators to approve joining) and can begin to work the hearth devotional on your own. Please note that you should take the time to read through everything on these pages and do the work to meet the Crane and take the Oath before joining the list.
Becoming a Dedicated Order Member requires that your Dedicant Path documentation be approved first, that you carry an outward symbol of your dedication in the form of a crane bag, that you describe your past and future work, and that you take the Order of the Crane Oath. Unlike the Crane-Following Oath, which you were given the freedom to change, this oath must be given with the exact wording provided. Please see our Dedication Oath Rite documentation in Call of the Crane to review the wording.
Once you have taken the Oath of a Dedicated Member, you may begin training and may refer to yourself as a Dedicant of the Crane. Training consists of writing a transformative ritual, undertaking at least three Community Service Projects, and six months of both Crane devotionals and healing circle attendance.
Once you have completed the requirements for inititation (see below for exit standards), you will be eligible to become an Initiated Order Member and after initiation may call yourself an Initiate in the Mysteries of the Crane (or a Crane Initiate, whichever you find easier to say).
Requirements for initiation into the Order of the Crane
- Creation of a transformative ritual using the figure, motif, and/or imagery of the Crane that follows the ADF Core Order of Ritual. Please contact the leadership for an appropriate ritual type.
- Reflective essay of service work, alone or with a Grove, covering six continuous months of work and three projects.
- Attendance at one healing circle, in person or remotely, per month for six continuous months.
- Reflective essay on six continuous months of devotional work focused on Garanus.
- Completion of Trance 1.
