The Ovatic Camp, July 2006
The July 2006 camp focused on the Ovatic traditions within Druidry, of healing and divination, journeying through otherworlds, dance and art, understanding birth, dying and death.
The Camp ritual this year was based upon the cycle of the moon.
Eight groups, 15 - 20 people in each, spent Saturday morning preparing their
parts, and at the rite in the afternoon they all flowed together.
The groups were of the new moon, the crescent, the first quarter, the gibbous, the full moon, the disseminating, the last quarter and the balsamic.
The pictures here are of waxing, full and dark moons. Once again, the rite
was so beautiful, such a powerful expression of shared creativity and exploration,
it was glorious to witness.
The balsamic moon group, dressed in black, were beautifully dramatic, expressing the need to release the old, to let go and die.
The atmosphere, all across the meadow throughout the four days of camp, is one that brims with a beautiful blend of vitality and peaceful ease, of music, community, creativity and play.
For many people, it is a unique sanctuary within their year, when they have space to be truly themselves, finding
a freedom of soul, an opportunity to explore their creativity and their playfulness. The Ovate camp was no different, with many folk
keen to share their skills and appreciation of life's sanctity.
With so many great musicians, healers and seers at the Ovate camp, there were countless moments of sharing, from massage to didge therapy.
During the day, and around the hearth fires at night, music could be found everywhere. Harps, guitars, flutes ... never invasive, always enchanting.
Menfolk and some women joined Graham to learn or practise Stav, the Nordic martial art. With so much space, and such a sense of peace, others displayed and practised their warrior skills, sometimes drawing an audience, sometimes in their own space and peace.
On Friday evening we were honoured to have with us Jim Faupel, who sang his inimitible heart-wrenching dark Pagan ballards in the cafe marquee. As usual with the early evening performance slot, the audience began as a few dozen but ended with a packed out, drawn to hear the gig as his haunting music drifted across the field. As ever, the PA was powered by the wonderful Simon's pedal generator.
Following Jim on the Friday night was the Masked Ball in the main marquee, for which we thank DJ Jon. Not all the music suited everyone's taste,
but he crafted a good balance between songs everyone knew and the more obscure dance tracks. Folks had been given the opportity to make their masks throughout
the day, helped by some of our wonderful camp crew with boxes of paints, glitter and glitz. Others took the opportunity to be body painted by tattoo artists
and other creative folk on site. And the marquee was full until the very end.
There's something about being able to dance for hours at camp, with the cool air outside the marquee, and the starry skies above. Many found the
opportunity a perfect release, shaking out the stress of life, feeling the sanctity of the land, the beat of the ancestors, and the strength of the tribe. And for
those not interested, there was quiet chat, stories and music around hearthfires, calm amongst tents with others sleeping.
The creativity on offer at our Saturday market was a delight.
Many folk bring along crafts that they normally sell, of their own work or someone else's.
Others take the opportunity to show work they don't normally sell. It's all rich with awen.
There are clothes, robes, incenses, jewellery, woodwork, artwork and so much more.
On Saturday evening, prize-winning stand up comedian Will Hodgson gave us the honour of
an hour of laughter in the cafe. He's always enormously popular with his narchic brand of Chippenham humour, and the place was packed.
He managed to land one joke squarely on Mark Graham, which had the whole place in howls of laughter.
We had Wizard Ales' Druid Fluid on tap as well, that rich and magical real ale, and of course and endless supply of delicious cakes from the cafe.
His set was followed by the Daughters of Elvin,
their playing infectiously rhythmic medieval music on authentic instruments -
the crumhorn, dulcimer, hurdy-gurdy, Border bagpipes, recorders, harps and whistles. The magic was enhanced by their extraordinary dancers, one of
which was the unicorn in this photograph here. The last part of their set had the cafe up and dancing.
If you have any words or photographs from the camp that you'd like to see up on this page, send them to us and we'll see what we can do. bobcat@druidcamp.org.uk