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" A good traveller has no fixed plans,

and is not intent on arriving "

Lao Tzu

Videos

In the autumn of 2013 a young man, Matt Fryer, and his colleague came over from film school to interview me for a short documentary they were making on the ‘lost art of the spoken word.’ Knowing that Druidry, and Bardistry, is concerned with the oral tradition he wanted to chat. We managed to speak by the Long Man until it started raining, and then retreated back home for the last part. It’s a great short film with ‘Family Guy’ style cartoons and haunting music at the end.

In August 2013 along with many others I joined the protest outside the fracking site at Balcombe in West Sussex.

In March 2013, talking at London’s Ivy Club on Easter Sunday, for their monthly SundayWise event, I try to explode the myths surrounding Druidry to reveal instead a spirituality ideally suited to a world in search of hope and meaning while facing ecological disaster.

In March 2012 I spoke at the Fourth triennial International Conference and Gathering of the Elders of Ancient Traditions and Cultures that was held at the picturesque and lively campus of Dev Sanskriti Vishwa Vidyalaya (DSVV), Haridwar. In this video clip you see three representatives from Western traditions: Pagan activist Patrick McCollum from the USA, myself, and Rachael Watcher, Public Information Officer at Covenant of the Goddess (COG).

Here is a brief film made in June 2011 produced, written and directed by Sara Proudfoot Clinch.  Endorsed by the Woodland Trust, it highlights  the importance of trees, and the threats that still exist to our public forests and our dwindling ancient woodlands – featuring interviews with woodland artist Bleau-Shanay Hudson, head of PR at the Woodland Trust Paul Hetherington, druid Philip Carr-Gomm and Britain’s favourite TV Vicar Peter Owen Jones and Jakub Kaminski. In response to public outrage at the proposals in Jan 2011 to sell off England’s public forests, the government has set up an Independent Forestry Panel to decide between 2011 – 2015 what is going to happen to the remaining 33% of our public forests – however this panel still has a remit to sell 15% – so we are not out of the woods yet! If you do not want to lose any more of our public forests then keep checking the Woodland Trust website for the next opportunity to air your views to the government. You can also ‘Become a Wood Watcher’ or support the ‘Save Our Ancient Woodlands Campaign’ – all of which can be found on www.woodlandtrust.org.uk.

Here is an excerpt from a talk I gave at the Lewes Wellbeing Festival in January 2011 about spirituality in the 21st century. The film-maker has added some nice graphics, although when the label appears saying ‘resource location’ please note it should read ‘resource depletion’.

Here I talk to film director Billie Dean for her film This Sacred Earth – a documentary that asks how we can fall back in love with Mother Earth to save both ourselves and the planet. The film won a standing ovation at the Perth 2009 Conscious Living Festival. See the film’s website and trailer here.

In the summer I showed film director Ward Serrill and his colleague the beautiful old yew in Wilmington. I talk a little about trees here for their fantastic film project ‘Tree Story’. See their website treestory.org.

After a workshop with a group from Italy, over the Spring Equinox in 2010, we went back to the house and Isabella and I talked for a little while…

I was asked to talk about the connections between Druidry and the Dharmic traditions of India at an ICCS conference in Nagpur in India in 2009

In this excerpt from the upcoming film TIME OF THE SIXTH SUN I talk about the symbolic meaning of the Long Man of Wilmington from a Druid perspective, and the clip closes with singing an Awen together, warming and centreing in our hearts, at the end of a workshop at the Wildheart gathering in Sussex in summer 2008.

In this talk at the Glastonbury Symposium in July 2009 I address the fact that many people now don’t want to be restricted by an allegiance to one religion, and yet are still searching for a meaningful and spiritual life. If we are inspired by the words of the Buddha and the Sufi mystics, and yet are also drawn to the beauty of Celtic spirituality, for example, are we just New Age dilettantes who are not disciplined enough to follow one path, or are we responding to a new call: towards a deeper Way that transcends the artificial divisions of creed and dogma and that frees the spirit beyond belief? The talk includes discussion about conspiracy theories, Druidry and ‘The Book of English Magic’. The first clip has been removed by Youtube because of a copyright dispute, but there isn’t one – it’s simply an error at their end, and I have full permission to show these clips. It’ll be sorted out soon!

The Finance editor of the Economist, Henry Tricks, popped in to Lewes in the summer to film for a documentary on alternative economics. He ended up on our sofa and he and I chatted about Druidry, hippies, the 1930s, and economics. He was a delight to talk with and I wish we had been able to talk for longer…

Havant Literary Festival 2009

Filmed just after the Spring Equinox 2009 by Prof.Michael Cooper

Filmed Summer 2008 for Holistic TV’s forthcoming documentary on the Druids

At The Eigentijds Festival Holland June 2008

On the Paul O’Grady Show March 2008

At the ‘Out of the Ordinary Festival’ Knockhatch, Sussex Summer 2007

The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids Mount Haemus Lectures, Appleton, Oxfordshire Summer 2004

9 Responses to “Videos”

  1. Hi Paul!
    Thank you for your kind words. Sadly the lecture videos had a fault on them and speakers every so often began to speak like strange monsters with something sticky and unpleasant lodged in their throats. We also figured that with lectures the audio content is probably the most important aspect, so have begun to edit them to cut out the distortions and present them on the podcasts. You can already hear Ronald Hutton’s opening lecture on the last two podcasts of the Order – Druidcast at http://www.druidcast.libsyn.com

  2. Thanks for the explanation, Philip. As an avid listener to Druidcast I’ve already caught Prof. Hutton’s talk. I’ll look forward to hearing the others in due course.

  3. Hello,
    I amRita .We met at Nagpur. I have been reading your posts and seen the videos. As a lecturer of philosophy Druidism definitely arouses my curiosity. it was exciting seeing a real Druid performing. Look forward to exchange of ideas
    all the best.

  4. Hello Rita,

    There are so many interesting connections between Druidism and Indian philosophy, I hope to write some more posts on this. It was wonderful to meet so many interesting people at the Nagpur conference.
    Very best wishes.

  5. Hello Philip,

    I always have loved your introduction to the Mt. Haemus lectures in ’04. I use it as a means to help focus myself when things start spinning about a little too fast. Am hoping to make it to Monterey, CA to see you, John Michael Greer and Issac Bonewits at the end of July for Lughnasadh. Money’s a little tight, but am saving up my pennies! 🙂

  6. Lieber Philip,

    we are a group of celtic inspired people around the south Blackforest ans we meet us once a month 1. wednesday to a celtic arounding. We call it “Cadair Taliesn”, in Laufenburg, a small city at the border germany/Swiss.
    The place is a “Druid-house”.
    So I`m on a celtic way for more than 30 years. We had hear a magic celtic area. Three mountains are called “Belchen”, that means Belen. And the sunrise at 21.3. and 23.9. is across this mountains.
    So I`m a Bard and bookwriter to this things.
    Maybe you to know more about our region and celtic work.
    Many regards
    Roland

  7. You have a true calling.I have enjoyed your lectures for several years and they have inspired me to seek deeper spiritual connections.Thank you for all the time you put into helping others.

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