• Study Magic with Me
  • Home
  • Blog
  • Books
    • BOOK: Your Faery Magic
    • BOOK: Gods and Goddesses of Wales
    • BOOK: All That Glitters
    • BOOK: TWISTED
    • BOOK: Folktales, Faeries, and Spirits
    • BOOK: Crimson Craft – sexual magic for the solo witch
    • BOOK: Storytelling for Magic
    • Resources for My Readers
  • Storytelling
  • Music
  • Poetry
  • Press
  • Podcast

Halo Quin

~ Author, storyteller, singer-songwriter, witch

Tag Archives: Druid Camp

Becoming a Druid – Druid Camp 2025

25 Monday Aug 2025

Posted by Haloquin in Druidry, Events, Following Delight, Philosophy

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Bard, Druid Camp, Druidry, Identity, Journey, Pagan, Witch

It’s been a long time since I first found myself at Druid Camp, while I haven’t made it to every camp since then it has become an important part of my calendar. This year it felt like more than a fun event, it felt like a homecoming, like finding paganism and witchcraft did all those years ago.

Which is ironic since we were on new land and the theme was “Re-birth”!

A campfire at night

Since the very wet Pembrokeshire-based camp in 2023 where we connected with Ceridwen and Taliesin (yay!) and I taught a pair of workshops working with them, the voice, inspiration, Awen… the old team led by powerhouse Mark Graham passed the baton to the wonderfully tenacious Esther (“Esther from Leicester” as she introduces herself) and a crew of talented, dedicated people. But Druid Camp had also moved away from the old Rainbow Spirit site in Gloucester and the Pembrokeshire site didn’t quite fit, so we needed a new home.

And Bear and Minx opened the doors of Dragonwood.

Over the past 18 months members of the camp community rallied and worked with the land, and this August Druid Camp settled into land that welcomed us like old friends.

Glorious sunshine, curious spirits, and whispering willows embraced us as Druid Camp was reborn.

I’m still integrating the gentle but powerful shifts I felt while there, and perhaps there won’t ever be words to tell you of the gifts I have received, and saw others touched by too, but I can tell you some things:

The team did an amazing job.

The land is used to magical folk and wants to speak with us.

And for the first time in 10 years I really felt like a part of this community, not hanging out on the edge but right in the heart of it.

A circular doorway of willow between two hawthorn trees, framing a stone altar.

This is not a criticism of previous camps, but a reflection of my journey!

I wrote about my second year here – “A Faery at Druid Camp” – and my wariness of “druids” in general in “The Trouble with Druids“. 2023 marked a definite shift for me and I shared my experience of “Being Bardic at Druid Camp” where I was feeling more at home, more recognised, and more like I belonged, but this year I was no longer asking the question “does this make me a druid?” but stating something that has become true:

“I am a druid.”

Now, I joined OBOD a few years ago and have worked my way through the grades of Bard and Ovate. As of writing this I’m halfway through the Druid Grade material, so I can claim the title on that technicality, but now, after the “Initiation into the Spirit of Camp” ritual held by the new lead ritualist of camp Jay “Beekeeper” Anderson, now I feel it. And yes…

I had studied storytelling and performance as enchantment as a Bard – and still do.

I had practiced the magic of the deep green land as an Ovate – and still do!

And I regularly lead rituals and teach (and spent 20+ years studying philosophy academically, a traditional druid past-time!)

But becoming a Druid, for me, isn’t just about knowing stuff. It’s about finding a home in a community where you can share those skills and where the land recognises you as well as the people.

Halo smiling at the camera with three golden dots of clay on their forehead and tents in the background.

I’ll always be a witch,

and I’m certainly a magician,

but now I know –

I’m a druid too.

I’m always fascinated by what people mean when they say that they’re a druid, a witch, a magician, a pagan, and so on. Sometimes the journey is quick – you find a term and it just fits. And sometimes the journey is long, and starts with a bad impression but you find yourself returning again and again.

I’d love to hear from you, please do comment below – what is your favourite word to describe yourself and the path you’re on, and how did you come to it?


Speaking of community…

The Enchanted Academy Community

Or T.E.A. for short, because tea is magic. Doors open for the free community now, join today for:

  • Magical community
  • Oracle & healing swaps
  • Magical Masterclasses & events
Join TEA here FREE!

An academy and forum for learning magic. Sign up to my mailing list to hear about upcoming courses and get my monthly news and musings.

A wide shot of Halo on a dimly lit stage at Druid Camp, in a gold shirt, with audience sat on camping chairs - singing Cryptozoologist.
Singing Cryptozoologist – you are all fabulous time keepers!

PS: Cryptozoologist lyrics here – for those that want them! New verses will be added soon!

On Identity, difference, and community

01 Monday Apr 2024

Posted by Haloquin in Events, Reflections

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Community, Crimson Craft, Druid Camp, Druidry, Magic, musings, Pagan, process, witchcraft

Back in February at the ​Glastonbury Occult Conference​ I gave an introductory talk on the controversial topic of Kink, Magic, and Embodiment, drawing parallels between magical and kink techniques and busting some myths about BDSM, all from a magical perspective.

I’m not going to talk about it at length here, but there’s a chapter in my book Crimson Craft – Sexual magic for the solo witch which touches on the topic of kink and magic. It’s a sensitive one for a lot of people because there are so many misunderstandings, but there is such a huge connection between the two communities and modern magical practitioners have learned a lot from the kink community’s work around consent, care, and trance techniques, among other things, while the kink community has benefitted from the space magical folk have made for the sacred and spiritual healing.

There is much to learn from each other, and we have more in common than the stereotypes would have us believe!

It is easy to look for differences, to tie our identities to what we are not rather than what we share, and we do this all the time. Witch, druid, magician, occultist, cunning one, Wiccan, Priestess… the list of options goes on.

Each of us want to understand where we belong, to find a sense of home, and we often use difference to support this.

For a long time I associated druids with drunkards (​thanks to the activist, King Arthur, and his Warband​) and avoided Druid events.

Then one year I went to Druid Camp. Turned out that the druids there were more like me than they were different. We were all pagan, all believed in magic, all looking for connection in an earth-centered, spiritual space. ​It completely changed my perspective.​

A year later I joined OBOD – the Order of Bards, Ovates, and Druids! (And now I’m officially part of the Druid Grade… how things change 🙂 )

I still don’t consider myself a Druid per se, but I don’t tell people they’re wrong if they call me one. In fact, I’m more likely to describe myself publicly with that umbrella term “pagan”, to highlight the similarities instead.

Because ultimately, we’re a small bunch of lovely weirdos, and we’ve got more in common than we think. When we band together our differences inspire conversation and inspiration, and we are much better able to make change in the world for the better.

So whatever label you use, or don’t, I hope you feel welcome here. There’s space for all identities (but not bigots) and when we share, like the kinksters and occultists do, everyone gets to grow.


BTW: I’m planning an online course in self-tying for magic and trance (non-sexual!) And if there’s interest I’m happy to give a version of my talk online so that any of you who are curious can come and listen!

​If that sounds like your kind of thing, I’d love to hear from you… there’s a short form here you can tick boxes on!​


Upcoming Offerings at The Enchanted Academy:

Find all the details in my latest newsletter and subscribe here!

  • WEEKLY LIVESTREAMS: Thursdays & April at the Crimson Coven Collective, including talks & magic. ​Join the Crimson Coven Collective.​
  • CLASS: April 16th – 7-8:30pm (UK) – Deities of Love: Class 2 – The Red Goddess (Join the Coven here and get the class 1 replay and materials so far!)
  • ENCHANTED CIRCLE: April 22nd – Magical Protection (Find last month’s replay on Pagan Priest/ess/xing here)
  • STORYTELLING SHOW: April 26th – Thereby Hangs a Tale with Milly Jackdaw, at Aberystwyth Arts Centre (THaT details here​)
  • GUEST TEACHING: April 27th at the Awakening Intuition Conference – ​Get your tickets to a whole weekend of classes here!​
  • STORYTELLING SHOW: April 30th – Storytelling with the Faery Doctor at the Bank Vault (live in Aberystwyth)
Find all the details in my latest newsletter and subscribe here!

Being Bardic at Druid Camp 2023

03 Thursday Aug 2023

Posted by Haloquin in Druidry, Events, Following Delight, Magic, Reflections, Storytelling

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

Ceridwen, creativity, druid, Druid Camp, Living Life, Magic, OBOD, Storytelling, Storytelling in Wales, Strangeness of Life, Taliesin, Witch

(Before I tell you where I’ve been let me just bounce excitedly about my debut single, Red Goddess, Come – out this week. Listen here! )

A green lady made of branches, cloaked in red, in a red and yellow big top with the sun shining in through the open doorway behind her.

It’s been a few years, as one would expect, since we’ve gathered at Druid Camp, and this year it returned to the world in a Welsh venue not too far from me. Pembrokeshire was very wet, but that’s rather the price we pay for such a gorgeous green land.

Hazel Bird - storyteller with a big beard - stood and lit by firelight.

Druid Camp has become a place where I find myself at home. Despite the rain, or maybe because of the utterly un-ignorable nature of nature, including the rain, it is a space set aside from the world where community happens. There is often storytelling and music around the fire, and this year local storyteller Hazel Bird shared epic tales including Gawain and the Green Knight, and how Albion got its name.


Oh, and the Epic of Gilgamesh.


Which Jos and I cheekily did a version of in 5 minutes for the Eisteddfod. And yes, there is a video… link coming soon! I also got to see Milly Jackdaw‘s show, Mochyn Merddyn, and bands including Mad Magdelen and Seize the Day!

I offered two workshops, rooted in the story of Ceridwen and Taliesin, journeying into connection with our own Awen, and then skills for trusting our own storytelling and ritual ability. As humans we are storytelling beings, and we are spirit manifest. When you anchor the story in your body, trust yourself, and breathe in deep… the magic flows.

It was a delight to come back to this space and remember what it’s like to be in community with other like-minded folk, to learn and the share with each other. Between the Seed SistaAs herbal preparations and “Poison prescriptions” classes I found myself feeling empowered to really engage with the plant spirits of this land, not just sharing space but actively working with them. I’ve dabbled before, but their witchy reminders that we are not dependent on anyone else to be our own herbal healers (with caveats that we need to be sure on our identification skills!) reminded me that this is one of the areas I still give my power away out of uncertainty. Well, no more of that.

A heart shaped window framing sunny blue sky and the tops of trees

In the Ritual Crafting workshop with Penny and Jos we explored memories of ritual and shared inspirations for deepening our seasonal celebrations and magic. There was tarot in the café, and music every night, and the big ritual ended up being that initiatory journey through the Welsh realms into Awen – the birth of Taliesin, the emergence of the Bard who serves and is seen in return.

In community we offer our gifts, receive and give and support and guide in return. You might not always know how you’ve helped, but that’s part of the brew. Pour it in and share it out and let the love flow.

I feel deeply nourished, and not just by the amazing work of the café and site crew looking after the practicalities, cleaning the loos, and making food I could eat with ease and delight. So much gratitude.


I’ve been to several Druid Camps before, but this time around I’m in a much better place in myself, and it showed in people’s responses to my presence and offerings. Over the past few years I’ve found a sense of trust in myself that I didn’t have before, and a chance conversation right at the start of Camp solidified this into a shining light in my heart. Suddenly I felt seen.

And here’s the thing about trusting yourself… about finding that sense of presence and rooting into your personal power… like Taliesin who shone so brightly he was named “shining brow”, your light shines out into the world and people feel it.

Part of this comes from a feeling of being at home in your body, as a child of the earth.

Part of this comes from feeling deep into your core and the fire of love and desire that guides you.

And part of this comes from finding your voice, speaking your truth.

Coming home, rooting deep, and letting the Awen flow.

Given that I used to freeze with stage fright when speaking to just two people at once, and now I’m making a crowd of druids laugh with a story learned that afternoon, I’d say I’ve learned to stand in my presence, step into my power, and shine with my own radiant light, wouldn’t you?

I’m not just a witch, rooted in my own power, I’m a bard, a storyteller, and a Priestess, sharing that light with others to re-enchant the world, and holding space to empower people to step into their own light too. And that, that right there, delights my heart. Does that make me a Druid, too?


Does this magic call to you too? Join me for the Lammas retreat this Sunday:

Radiance, Power, and Presence.

Sunday 6th August ’23 – 6-9pm BST (UK time)

Re-light your self love through courting Divine Love and the magic of the land.

This Lammas tune into the Sun’s power and conjure your own radiance.

Join us and learn how to:

~ strengthen your radiance,

~ deepen your power,

~ and boost your sensual confidence.

You were made for pleasure, for play, for love. All you need do is say yes.

Come join me on the eve of my birthday (yes, I’m a Leo) and find your inner sunshine.

Find your Radiance – details here
Button for Crimson Craft Retreat - Radiance, Power, and Presence - 6th August 6-9pm BST - red background with golden field pictured in a circle.

Announcing the Summer of loveliness

13 Thursday Apr 2023

Posted by Haloquin in Crimson Craft, Events, Following Delight, Magic, Storytelling, Witchcraft 101

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Beltane, Blodeuwedd, Ceridwen, Cerridwen, Crimson Coven, Crimson Craft, Druid Camp, Events, Goddess, learn magic, learn witchcraft, Magic, Neo-Tantra, OBOD, Pagan, Storytelling, Storytelling in Wales, Taliesin

Yesterday, storms rocked the town. Today, the sun is warming the land. Spring is definitely here, which means summer is just around the corner and I can’t wait! I’ve got a bunch of workshops and events lined up for you, including a workshop this Sunday, weekly livestreams in the Crimson Coven collective FB group, storytelling, rituals, and even a retreat or two already lined up.

Your Body is Your Temple (workshop)

Workshop Button: Your Body is your Temple - Embodying the Divine You

Embody the Divinity You Are

Join Halo on the 16th April, at 7pm, for a Crimson Craft workshop, where you will explore your body as the Temple to the Divinity you are, your Divine nature, and the Desire that is divine love seeking expression in your life.

In this workshop you will:

~ experience your body as a temple, paving the way for a deeper sense of safety in yourself.

~ tune into your desire as the holy fire of divine love, stepping into acceptance that allows for your heart’s desire to manifest in your life

~ explore ways to feel divinely embodied, even when it feels like your body has let you down, leading towards a greater connection between your body and spirit and a deeper capacity for love and pleasure.

Register for 16th April here.

Beltane Retreat: Untame your Heart with Blodeuwedd

30th April – 6-9pm (UK time)

A Beltane intensive with Blodeuwedd, Goddess of the Flowers, remembering what it means to be untamed and in love with life.

In this retreat working with the rising magic of Beltane, as spring begins to blossom in the Northern hemisphere, we will call on (and be called on by) the goddess of the flowers, Blodeuwedd, to support us in stepping into our desire and manifesting our dream lives.

30th April 2023, 6-9pm (UK time)

You were made for pleasure, for play, for love.

Are you ready to say yes to something wonderful?

Find out more about the Beltane Retreat here.

Retreat: Untame your heart with Blodeuwedd this Beltane - 30th April 2023, 6-9pm BST

And more!

Cream Flyer with text: Summer 2023 with Halo Quin 1. Your Body is a Temple. A Crimson Craft Workshop - online - 13th April 2. Beltane Ritual. A ritual at Star Club - Bristol - 22nd April 3. "Wild, Wise, or Wicked? Meeting Welsh divinities". A talk for Totnes Moot - online - 26th April 4. Beltane: Untame Your Heart with Blodeuwedd. A Crimson Craft Retreat - online - 30th April 5. The Soul Doctor - a storytelling walkabout at Portmerion's Steampunk Coronation Weekend - 6th-7th May 6. Land, Sea, & Sky and Magic of the Bard. Workshops at Druid Camp - Pembrokeshire - 26-30th July. 7. "Thereby Hangs a Tale" a Show at Willow Globe - Powys - 16th September. 8. Land, Sea, & Sky and Tales After Dark. Workshop & storytelling at Wylde Spirit Camp - Stonehenge - 22-24th September. 9. And weekly events in the Crimson Coven Collective!
  • Crimson Craft Workshop: Your Body is a Temple – Embody the Divine – Online, Sunday 16th April ’23 (Register for “Your Body is a Temple” here!)
  • Ritual: Star Club Beltane Ritual – Bedminster, 22nd April ’23 (Details and booking here)
  • Talk: “Wild, Wise, or Wicked? Meeting Welsh Divinities” – an online talk hosted by Totnes Moot – 26th April ’23 (Totnes Moot event page here)
  • Crimson Craft Beltane Retreat: Untame your Heart with Blodeuwedd – online, Sunday 30th April ’23 (Register for the Beltane Retreat here!)
  • Workshop: Land Sea and Sky – the World of Ceridwen – at Druid Camp in Pembrokeshire – 26th – 30th July ’23 (book your Druid Camp tickets here.)
  • Workshop: The Magic of the Bard – in the Footsteps of Taliesin – at Druid Camp in Pembrokeshire – 26th – 30th July ’23 (book your Druid Camp tickets here.)
  • Performance: Thereby Hangs a Tale – at the Willow Globe Theatre in Powys with Milly jackdaw – exploring folktales and Shakespeare…
  • Workshop: Land Sea and Sky – the World of Ceridwen – at Wylde Spirit Camp near Stonehenge – 22nd – 24th September ’23 (Book for Wylde Spirit Camp here.)
  • Storytelling: Tales After Dark – at Wylde Spirit Camp near Stonehenge – 22nd – 24th September ’23 (Book for Wylde Spirit Camp here.)

Button - click to find out more about The Crimson Coven Collective.

A Faery at Druid Camp

07 Wednesday Sep 2016

Posted by Haloquin in Enchanted, Faery, Following Delight, Reflections

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

Camp, Druid Camp, Druidry, Event, gratitude, Labels, learning, Pagan, paganism, process, Rainbow Spirit, review

Before I pontificate, let me just say: Druid Camp itself was marvellous! A community of like-minded people, on many different paths, all made welcome. A sharing of magic, of song and dance and learning, delicious food, laughter and sunshine. Each morning we’d gather in Morning Meeting to hear about the offerings of the day. Each afternoon we’d gather for a talk by a prominent (usually academic) member of the community. And each evening we’d meet for ritual and then music in the cafe tent. Throughout the day volunteers would teach their skills or support the practical running of the event.  Community, learning, sharing, celebrating and ritual. Magic in all it’s forms. I fully recommend it to even the just-curious as a gentle, relaxed event with plenty of space to choose what you will engage with, no pressure to know anything beforehand, and a very welcoming place which gives you the chance to meet many people on different paths.

On that note…

I’m not a Druid, not really. I’m not a member of OBOD or ADF or BDO or any other religious group with a name made of alphabet soup. I don’t introduce myself at pagan gatherings as a druid. It’s not a word or an image that resonates with me (and there is probably a good reason for that, which I’ll tell you about one day). And yet I feel very at home at the Rainbow Spirit Druid Camp.

I’ve done a fair amount of studying druidry (or at least neo-druidry, the modern pagan practice inspired by tales of ancient druids), and what I’ve found most often in recent years is that the ethics and attitudes align strongly with my own, the stories often come from the land I call home and I do love a good public ritual.

I still don’t feel like a Druid – though my path is very similar – and that’s ok.

I took an active part in the opening and closing rituals. I volunteered my time and skills to the community by working in the kid’s area. I danced to Morrigan’s Path and Hawkwind’s Nick Turner’s band Space Ritual. I was made welcome.

Part of me wonders if all that makes me a Druid in denial. But we never fit into neat little boxes, do we? I’m coming to accept that my Faery path weaves through several different groves, round the cauldron and into the wildwood. I can stand with the oaks, toast the gods, gather herbs and howl at the moon.

I often catch myself thinking that I’d like a tidy label for what I do, so I knew what I was meant to be doing, and then I remember, I know what I’m meant to be doing. I’m meant to follow the magic of my heart. The guidance of the spirits and the gods and of my deepest truest self. That’s what we’re all meant to do. For some that means finding an official path early on, for me it means that I can find myself at home in many temples. It’s an understanding that I may not be a Druid, but I’m certainly Pagan.

(c) Halo Quin ~ author, storyteller, witch

Re-enchanting the world, one story, one song, one spell, at a time.

The Enchanted Academy - learn real magic - click here

Blog at WordPress.com.

  • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Halo Quin
    • Join 133 other subscribers
    • Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
    • Halo Quin
    • Subscribe Subscribed
    • Sign up
    • Log in
    • Report this content
    • View site in Reader
    • Manage subscriptions
    • Collapse this bar
 

Loading Comments...