A neighbour of ours who is becoming a very good friend kind of came out to me on Thursday as a devout Roman Catholic, and decidedly non-judgemental. It serves as a timely reminder of the foolishness of judging people en masse, be they religious, gay, male, female… Whatever. I told her a little of my pagan beliefs, and she was genuinely interested and enthusiastic.

I think it matters to her that we’re a spiritual household, not what spirituality we hold to. And that’s very nice to find in a person of a different faith to one’s own. She’s also kindly agreed to look after our hens while we’re away at a pagan festival this weekend. She apparently loves hens and wanted to keep some, but her husband didn’t, so it didn’t happen!

I’m really looking forward to going camping for two nights at the end of this week, attending a pagan event called the Mercian Gathering. It promises ritual celebrations, workshops, lots of interesting talks, loads of market stalls, and live music from a variety of performers including Damh the Bard, whose Druidcast podcast is very popular and available to download for free via iTunes. The weather is unlikely to be great—we’ll definitely be packing warm clothes, especially for when night falls—but I think the various things going on over the course of three days will more than compensate for any rain we get.

Damh the Bard (pronounced Darv) has a number of albums available DRM-free (which means higher bitrate, better quality, playable on any device) from the iTunes Store. I’ve seen him live once already—back in July, at the Oakleaf Camp held near Ripon, North Yorkshire. I was deeply moved by a number of his songs, notably Song of Awen and Merlin Am I. I’ve long had an interest in the plants and animals, and the pre-Christian spirituality and history of this island once known as Albion, and Damh’s music seems to tap into something that has always been there, inside me, a part of me.

In short, the music makes me feel good, and it makes me think.

Moreover, thanks to Damh’s podcasts—which take the form of a radio magazine show, and are brought to the world through the efforts of OBOD, the Order of Bards, Ovates and Druids—I’ve been listening to some remarkable speakers on topics ranging from a history of Pan through to gnosticism, and the nature of consciousness. The guest speakers and lectures thus far featured on the show all share a remarkable accessibility, whatever is being presented to the listener. The podcast has also been introducing me to a wide range of performance poets, singers, and bands, none of whom or which I had any idea existed.

I guess you could say I’ve been spending a lot of time immersing myself in Celtic arts and culture as much as the music, being educated at the same time as I’ve been thoroughly entertained.

If you’re a pagan or other spiritual seeker open to new ideas, I recommend Damh the Bard, and Druidcast, to you.