Philip Carr-Gomm (born 31 January 1955) is an

author An author is the writer of a book, article, play, mostly written work. A broader definition of the word "author" states: "''An author is "the person who originated or gave existence to anything" and whose authorship determines responsibility f ...

in the fields of

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Psychology includes the study of conscious and unconscious phenomena, including feelings and thoughts. It is an academic discipline of immense scope, crossing the boundaries betwe ...

and

Druidry A druid was a member of the high-ranking class in ancient Celtic cultures. Druids were religious leaders as well as legal authorities, adjudicators, lorekeepers, medical professionals and political advisors. Druids left no written accounts. Whi ...

, a psychologist, and one of the leaders and former Chosen Chief of The

Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids The Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids or OBOD is a Neo-Druidic organisation based in England, but based in part on the Welsh Gorsedd of Bards. It has grown to become a dynamic druid organisation, with members in all parts of the world. The concep ...

Early life and education

Philip Carr-Gomm was born in London, raised in

Notting Hill Gate Notting Hill Gate is one of the main thoroughfares of Notting Hill, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Historically the street was a location for toll gates, from which it derives its modern name. Location At Ossington Street/Ke ...

, and educated at

Westminster School (God Gives the Increase) , established = Earliest records date from the 14th century, refounded in 1560 , type = Public school Independent day and boarding school , religion = Church of England , head_label = Hea ...

and

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. His father was Francis Eardley Carr-Gomm, brother of humanitarian Richard Carr-Gomm. He met his first spiritual teacher,

Ross Nichols Philip Peter Ross Nichols (28 June 1902 – 30 April 1975) was a Cambridge academic and published poet, artist and historian, who founded the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids in 1964. He wrote prolifically on the subjects of Druidism and Celtic ...

, the founder of The

, when he was 11. He began studying with him when a teenager, and joined the Order when he was 18. He studied meditation with Olivia Robertson in Ireland, who later founded the

Fellowship of Isis The Fellowship of Isis (FOI) is an international spiritual organisation devoted to promoting awareness of the Goddess. It is dedicated specifically to the Egyptian goddess Isis because the FOI co-founders believed Isis best represented the ene ...

, and in his twenties he founded The Esoteric Society in London, which organised journeys for members to

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedon ...

and

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediter ...

, and hosted talks by well-known authors such as

Gareth Knight Sir Gareth (; Old French: ''Guerehet'', ''Guerrehet'') is a Knight of the Round Table in Arthurian legend. He is the youngest son of King Lot and Queen Morgause, King Arthur's half-sister, thus making him Arthur's nephew, as well as brother to ...

W. E. Butler Walter Ernest Butler (23 August 1898 – 1 August 1978) was a working occultist, author and the Founder and first Director of Servants of the Light in Britain. Early life His first training in the mysteries was with Robert King, a bishop in th ...

, and

Arthur Guirdham Arthur Guirdham (1905–1992) was an English physician, psychiatrist, novelist, and writer on the Cathar sect, alternative medicine, ESP and reincarnation. Biography He was born in Workington, Cumberland, into a working-class family of Hug ...

Spirituality

In 1975 Nichols died, and Carr-Gomm 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 Peter Dunoff ( ; bg, Петър Дънов ; July 11, 1864 – December 27, 1944), also known by his spiritual name Beinsa Douno ( bg, Беинса Дуно, links=no ), and often called the Master by his followers, was a Bulgarian philosopher an ...

, visiting

Sofia Sofia ( ; bg, София, Sofiya, ) is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria. It is situated in the Sofia Valley at the foot of the Vitosha mountain in the western parts of the country. The city is built west of the Iskar river, and ha ...

annually for fourteen years, teaching Deunov's

Paneurhythmy Paneurhythmy (Bulgarian: Паневритмия) is a system of physical musical exercises developed by Peter Deunov between 1922 and 1944, focused on achieving inner balance and harmonization. The emphasis of the exercises is on giving and receivin ...

dance in England and at

Findhorn Findhorn ( gd, Inbhir Èir or ''Inbhir Èireann'') is a village in Moray, Scotland. It is located on the eastern shore of Findhorn Bay and immediately south of the Moray Firth. Findhorn is 3 miles (5 km) northwest of Kinloss, and about 5 m ...

in Scotland. In his thirties he turned to a study of psychology, taking a BSc degree at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

and

Jungian analysis Analytical psychology ( de , Analytische Psychologie, sometimes translated as analytic psychology and referred to as Jungian analysis) is a term coined by Carl Jung, a Swiss psychiatrist, to describe research into his new "empirical science" ...

, with plans to become an analyst. On discovering

Psychosynthesis Psychosynthesis is an approach to psychology that expands the boundaries of the field by identifying a deeper center of identity, which is the postulate of the Self. It considers each individual unique in terms of purpose in life, and places value ...

, 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 Distance education, also known as distance learning, is the education of students who may not always be physically present at a school, or where the learner and the teacher are separated in both time and distance. Traditionally, this usually in ...

course, and edited Nichols' ''Book of Druidry'' with John Matthews. Since that time, the Order has grown to become the largest Druid teaching order in the world, with Professor of History

Ronald Hutton Ronald Edmund Hutton (born 19 December 1953) is an English historian who specialises in Early Modern Britain, British folklore, pre-Christian religion and Contemporary Paganism. He is a professor at the University of Bristol, has written 14 bo ...

writing that 'the OBOD correspondence course arguably represents one of the major documents of British spirituality from the late twentieth century'. In 2021 the new "Chosen Chief of OBOD", Eimear Burke, was installed in the presence of Dave Smith aka Damh the Bard, the Order's Pendragon, and Stephanie Carr Gomm, the Order's scribe. Immediately preceding this Philip Carr Gomm gave a short farewell speech regarding his thirty two years in the role of Chosen Chief of OBOD. Carr Gomm made a broadcast at the beginning of the week in the Tea with a Druid Series, No. 128, addressing the current world situation and the need for peace in terms of the traditional druid's prayer and oath.

Druidcraft

''Druidcraft'' is a spiritual practice embracing elements of both

and

Wicca Wicca () is a modern Pagan religion. Scholars of religion categorise it as both a new religious movement and as part of the occultist stream of Western esotericism. It was developed in England during the first half of the 20th century and was ...

, developed by Philip Carr-Gomm, and is also the title of a book he wrote about the same topic. That book deals with the combination of druidry and wicca in a new, combined practice. Within this book, Carr-Gomm claims that the differences between Wicca and Druidry do not stem from hundreds or thousands of years worth of tradition as these two distinct paths evolved separately. He claims that in fact the differences between modern Wicca and Druidism are due to the differences between two friends,

Gerald Gardner Gerald Brosseau Gardner (13 June 1884 – 12 February 1964), also known by the craft name Scire, was an English Wiccan, as well as an author and an amateur anthropologist and archaeologist. He was instrumental in bringing the Contemporary Pag ...

and

who were deeply involved with these paths less than 75 years ago.

Bibliography

* ''Paneurythmy'', Privately published. 1980. * ''Special Times: Listening to Children'', with Dr.

Rachel Pinney Rachel Pinney (11 July 1909 – 19 October 1995) was a British medical doctor who pioneered therapeutic approaches to children's development in the 1960s which she termed "Creative Listening" and "Children's Hours". From 1927 to 1934 she was a memb ...

and Meg Robinson, The Children's Hours Trust 1985. * ''When the Flame and the Rose are One: Etchings by Liuben Dimanov with excerpts from letters by Rainer Maria Rilke'' edited and introduced by Philip Carr-Gomm. (Privately published 1986, Limited edition of 100 copies, each with twenty lithographs signed by the artist). * ''The Elements of the Druid Tradition'', Element Books 1991. * ''The Druid Way'', Element Books 1993, Thoth Publications 2006. * ''The Druid Animal Oracle'', with Stephanie Carr-Gomm, Simon & Schuster, Fireside Books, USA and Australia 1994. Connections Publishing UK 1996. * ''The Druid Renaissance'' ed. Thorsons, HarperCollins, 1996. e-issued as ''The Rebirth of Druidry – Ancient Earth Wisdom for Today'', 2003* ''La Force des Celtes: L’Heritage Druidique — Entretiens avec Philip Carr-Gomm'', Paco Rabanne and Philip Carr-Gomm, Michel Lafon, Paris 1996. * ''In The Grove of the Druids: The Druid Teachings of Ross Nichols'', Watkins Books, 2002. * ''Druidcraft: The Magic of Wicca & Druidry'', Thorsons, HarperCollins, 2002. * ''Druid Mysteries: Ancient Wisdom for the 21st Century'', Rider,Random House, 2002. *''The DruidCraft Tarot'', with Stephanie Carr-Gomm, St.Martin's Press, New York, 2004. *''What do Druids Believe?'' Granta, 2005. *''The Druid Plant Oracle'', with Stephanie Carr-Gomm, St.Martin's Press, New York, 2008. *''Sacred Places: Sites of Spiritual Pilgrimage from Stonehenge to Santiago de Compostela'', Quercus, 2008. *''The Book of English Magic'', with

Sir Richard Heygate Sir Richard John Gage Heygate, 6th Baronet (born 1940) is a businessman and writer. As a businessman, he is chiefly known for being part of the team which created the world's first on-line ATM and for a long career as a McKinsey & Company partne ...

, John Murray, 2009. *''Journeys of the Soul: The Life and Legacy of a Druid Chief'', Oak Tree Press, 2010. *''A Brief History of Nakedness'', Reaktion Books, 2010. *''The Prophecies'', Oak Tree Press, 2016. *''Cosmiel's Gift: An excerpt from The Prophecies with images by

Angela Lemaire Angela Lemaire is an artist printmaker. Specializing in wood engraving, she lives and works in the Scottish Borders. She is a member of the Society of Wood Engravers. Her interests include illustrating ancient texts and poems, illustrating the wo ...

'', Oak Tree Press, 2016. *''Lessons in Magic'', Oak Tree Press, 2016. *''The Opera Tarot'', paintings by Linda Sutton, text by Philip Carr-Gomm & Linda Sutton, Villa Rondine Press, 2017. *''The Winged Psyche'', Oak Tree Press, 2018. *''Seek Teachings Everywhere: Combining Druid Spirituality with Other Traditions'', Oak Tree Press, 2019. *''Empower Your Life with Sophrology'', CICO Books, 2019. *''The Seven Valleys'', with RoMa Johnson, Oak Tree Press, 2020.

Notes

References

* Bonewits, Issac. ''Essential Guide to Druidism'', Citadel Press 2006, p. 79ff. * Comstock, Gary (ed) ''Religious Autobiographies'', pp. 81–98 * Hutton, Ronald, "The New Druidry" in
Witches, Druids and King Arthur
', Hambledon & London, 2003, pp. 239–258 * Hutton, Ronald, ''The Druids'', Hambledon Continuum, 2007, pp. 194–197 * Nathanael, Ardella

Esoteric Publishing. * ttp://www.druidry.org/about-us/philip-carr-gomm-current-chief "Philip Carr-Gomm, the Current Chief"* Rabinovitch, Shelley & Lewis, James, ''The Encyclopedia of Modern Witchcraft and Neo-Paganism'', Citadel Press, 2002, p. 38 * Sawyer, Karen, ''Soul Companions, Conversations with Contemporary Wisdom Keepers'', O Books, 2008, pp. 48–53 * Stühlmeyer, Barbara, ''An interview with Philip Carr-Gomm''. In: Karfunkel 120, 2015

External links

Philip Carr-Gomm's Homepage

OBOD website
---- {{DEFAULTSORT:Carr-Gomm, Philip Living people British spiritual writers Neo-druids Modern pagan religious leaders 1952 births Alumni of University College London British modern pagans Modern pagan writers