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Temple of the Dark Moon

MEETING CHIEF DRUID, PHILIP CARR-GOMM

Mention the word "druid" and thoughts of Merlin from the King Arthur myths, or even Getafix from the Asterix children's series, usually springs to mind. Both these images consist of old men with long white bears, clothed in flowing robes of some kind, and carrying staffs. In our modern world, many of us are familiar with images of the modern Druids who gather at Stonehenge, the ancient site on Britain's Salisbury Plain, in their white robes, to worship the Mid Summer Solstice Sun. However, if I said that the current Chief Druid of the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids (OBAD) is a trained psychologist, who wears everyday clothes (albeit often barefoot), would you believe me?

At the age of 15, Philip Carr-Gomm found himself studying Druidry under the tutorage of an old Druid Chief, and the founder of OBOD, Ross Nichols. During the 18th century, a revival of the ancient Druidic teachings occurred in Britain. Nichols, together with a group of Druids from the Ancient Druid Order, founded the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids in 1964.

The name of this order is derived from the three areas of Druidic teachings, each believed to have taken about seven years to complete. The Bardic teaching focused on the power and gift of song and poetry, the Ovate teachings included that of medical knowledge and healing, while the Druidic teaching itself was on a more spiritual or religious level, connecting back to the source (the land).

The teachings of OBOD today are dedicated to presenting the Druid tradition in a way that is totally relevant to the needs of our modern time, and yet which is firmly rooted in its ancestry and heritage. Nichols had devoted his lift to the reinterpretation of the Druid tradition and was Philip's first spiritual teacher. Under the guidance of Nichols, some of the Universalist and Masonic influences that esoteric Druidry had gathered were cleared away. This allowed the teachings to be inspired more along the lines of Celtic mythology, thus returning closer to its original roots.

Amairgen, Ireland's first Druid
(illustration unknown)

Due to his background in psychology, Philip Carr-Gomm freely admits that he pondered with the idea of how to be a Druid in the modern age. He even had to deal with some internal struggles, especially in accepting the title "Chief Druid" due to its hierarchical overtones. However, Philip found that once he was able to let go of such apprehensions, the world of magick opened to up, providing him with an inner knowledge that otherwise he would not have known.

Over the years, and through rituals and ceremonies performed in nature, and even within Stonehenge itself, Philip came to the realisation that the natural, Earth-based energy, which is found not only in Druidism, but also in most other Pagan traditions, could indeed stir the soul and change one's life.

Today, Philip is a strong believer that it is this very reconnection with the Earth that our modern world desperately needs, regardless of ethnic origin, nationality, or even religion, we, as its inhabitants, may have. He sees his role as Chief Druid as continuing the process of his predecessor - letting go of some of the more old fashioned and outdated ritual wordings, and allowing Druidry to become more relevant to modern life in the 21st century.

Frances and Philip Carr-Gomm
At the 4th annual New Zealand Pagan festival, I had the honour of meeting Philip Carr-Gomm, and was surprised at the approachability and friendliness a man of his statue (having written, co-written and edited at least five books on Druidry, with his most recent entitled "Druidcraft") showed. He was more than willing to spend time with festival goers, answering their questions, and even autographing books. But due to this, and commitments of my own, I was unable to spend a lot of time with Philip, but I did make sure that I allowed time to attend of one of the lectures he gave, that on "Paganism and Politics".

Philip Carr-Gomm is a man who is both very passionate about his chosen spiritual path, but also in bringing the essence of the teachings of his path through to the wider community, while at the same time, showing respect and tolerance towards other beliefs. As with all Pagan spiritual traditions, Druidry is deeply connected with the Earth and the environment. This was one theme that Philip repeated often in his lecture on "Paganism and Politics" - challenging people to honestly look at themselves an their actions. Are they able to "walk the walk" and "talk the talk" that their own chosen spiritual path centres on?

As a Pagan myself, I have to confess that there are times where I fail at this - such as where I do not recycle as much as I ought to, and the like. But I do try and make a conscious effort to do the best that I can. Because of my reverence to the Earth, I often find myself picking up other people's rubbish - silently wondering why and how can some people show so little disregard for the environment.

But, as Philip pointed out, there are two kinds of people - those who are "pro-active" (who try to get out there and change things, even if it means rocking the boat from time to time), and others who are "re-active" (who simply go with the flow regardless of the consequences).

But what of all the magick that Druidism often invokes? At the New Zealand Pagan festival, Philip led us through the "Awen" chant that asks for the blessings of the Gods. In fact, it is said that Merlin himself used this very chant to move the blue stones of Stonehenge from the Priscilly Mountains in the west of Wales.

This chant is three-fold in nature, consisting of a masculine, feminine and child elements, and while the technique is almost impossible to describe in words I personally felt the energy and power beginning to build, even after a short period of time chanting. Maybe, I wondered afterwards, the tales of Merlin moving the stones by the power of word, is not strictly based on fantasy after all.

One point Philip raised in his lecture that really struck a cord was that the way we actually act in the world is a result of our beliefs, whether we realise this or not. Therefore, as spiritually orientated people - regardless of what tradition or path we are following - we must consider bringing the inner peace which we gain from our own individual paths out into the rest of the world, or at least into our wider community. In this way, we balance, as you like, our inner and outer selves. Due to recent global events, the world certainly needs something like this to happen.

More information about the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids, including the courses they run, can be obtained from their website or by writing to them at PO Box 1333, Lewes, East Sussex, BN7 1DX England.

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