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The Elements of the Druid Tradition
Learn how this powerful means of self discovery can heal us anti link us to the natural forces of nature.
- GenresPaganismNonfiction
128 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 1991
3 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
About the author
Philip Carr-Gomm
65 books182 followersPhilip Carr-Gomm was born in London, raised in Notting Hill Gate, and educated at Westminster School and University College London.
He met his first spiritual teacher, Ross Nichols, the founder of The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids, when he was 11. He began studying with him when a teenager, and joined the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids at 18. He studied meditation with Olivia Robertson in Ireland, who later founded the Fellowship of Isis, and in his twenties he founded The Esoteric Society in London, which organised journeys for members to Bulgaria and Egypt, and hosted talks by well-known authors such as Gareth Knight, W. E. Butler, and Arthur Guirdham.
In 1975 his Druid teacher died, and he followed a Bulgarian teacher, Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov for seven years, giving talks on his teachings and helping with the translation and publishing of his books into English. He also travelled to Bulgaria and studied the work of Aivanhov’s teacher, Peter Deunov, visiting Sofia annually for fourteen years, teaching Deunov’s Paneurhythmy dance in England and at Findhorn in Scotland. In his thirties he turned to a study of psychology, taking a BSc degree at University College London and Jungian analysis, with plans to become an analyst. On discovering Psychosynthesis, he trained instead as a therapist at the Institute of Psychosynthesis in London and began a private practice.
In 1988 he was asked to lead the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids. He organised the Order’s teachings into a distance-learning course, and edited his teacher’s book with John Matthews [1]. Since that time, the Order has grown to become the largest Druid teaching order in the world.
He met his first spiritual teacher, Ross Nichols, the founder of The Order of Bards Ovates & Druids, when he was 11. He began studying with him when a teenager, and joined the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids at 18. He studied meditation with Olivia Robertson in Ireland, who later founded the Fellowship of Isis, and in his twenties he founded The Esoteric Society in London, which organised journeys for members to Bulgaria and Egypt, and hosted talks by well-known authors such as Gareth Knight, W. E. Butler, and Arthur Guirdham.
In 1975 his Druid teacher died, and he followed a Bulgarian teacher, Omraam Mikhael Aivanhov for seven years, giving talks on his teachings and helping with the translation and publishing of his books into English. He also travelled to Bulgaria and studied the work of Aivanhov’s teacher, Peter Deunov, visiting Sofia annually for fourteen years, teaching Deunov’s Paneurhythmy dance in England and at Findhorn in Scotland. In his thirties he turned to a study of psychology, taking a BSc degree at University College London and Jungian analysis, with plans to become an analyst. On discovering Psychosynthesis, he trained instead as a therapist at the Institute of Psychosynthesis in London and began a private practice.
In 1988 he was asked to lead the Order of Bards Ovates and Druids. He organised the Order’s teachings into a distance-learning course, and edited his teacher’s book with John Matthews [1]. Since that time, the Order has grown to become the largest Druid teaching order in the world.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
February 25, 2021
Overall I really enjoyed this book. I was fairly familiar with the author’s work and history with OBOD (Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids) and thus felt prepared for the lens in which he would be sharing this information, which is that of the organization that he was the Arch Druid of for over 30 years, and a member of for years prior and currently still is.
With that in mind, I feel like I personally had context for why he mentions Wicca in the ways that he does, but even with that knowledge, it still felt awkward and I had difficulty completely getting back into the subject being discussed.
I also think it’s important to take into consideration the time in which this book was originally published, which was 1991. I say this primarily because of the context in which autism is mentioned in the Afterword. Even with that in mind it still feels out of place and not entirely necessary to the point I believe that he is trying to make.
All of that being said, I think that he did a wonderful job of providing other resources and provided a comprehensive bibliography for folks to continue with their own research.
The only thing that really got my goat about this book was on page 104 where there are clearly spaces intended for the ogham symbols and the spaces are empty. There is a full list on page 106, but still, it once again brought me out of sync with what I was reading, but I think that’s more of an editors issue. There was also a typo in the first page of the Afterward, but that’s nothing compared to other texts I’ve read.
If asked, I would recommend this book, but I would also be sure the individual asking understood that this is written from the perspective of a particular order, not necessarily Druidry in and of itself.
With that in mind, I feel like I personally had context for why he mentions Wicca in the ways that he does, but even with that knowledge, it still felt awkward and I had difficulty completely getting back into the subject being discussed.
I also think it’s important to take into consideration the time in which this book was originally published, which was 1991. I say this primarily because of the context in which autism is mentioned in the Afterword. Even with that in mind it still feels out of place and not entirely necessary to the point I believe that he is trying to make.
All of that being said, I think that he did a wonderful job of providing other resources and provided a comprehensive bibliography for folks to continue with their own research.
The only thing that really got my goat about this book was on page 104 where there are clearly spaces intended for the ogham symbols and the spaces are empty. There is a full list on page 106, but still, it once again brought me out of sync with what I was reading, but I think that’s more of an editors issue. There was also a typo in the first page of the Afterward, but that’s nothing compared to other texts I’ve read.
If asked, I would recommend this book, but I would also be sure the individual asking understood that this is written from the perspective of a particular order, not necessarily Druidry in and of itself.
September 29, 2019
Nice encapsulation of some of Philip's best writing. This should be the first intro book for anyone interested in Druidry but since this is out of print and hard to find, any of his other books are just as good. This is sort of the distilled "three drops."
December 30, 2018
Philip Carr-Gomm, the present chosen head of OBOD, is always worth a read. Interesting take on his personal journey in Druidry.
September 8, 2019
An easily digestible account of practices and traditions that will further inform both those new to, and with some knowledge of, this path.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews