ABOUT

I am James Nichol and I live in Stroud, Gloucestershire, England. I began Contemplative Inquiry in August 2012 as part of a project within modern British Druidry. My book, Contemplative Druidry: People, Practice and Potential, was published in 2014. It includes a foreword, Deep Peace of the Quiet Earth, by Philip Carr-Gomm, at that time Chosen Chief of OBOD (https://www.druidry.org). There are major contributions in the main text from 14 other Druids offering diverse perspectives on the topic: https://www.amazon.co.uk/contemplative-druidry-people-practice-potential/dp/1500807206/

Contemplative Inquiry includes personal sharing, discursive writing, poetry and book reviews. It reaches beyond Druidry into a wider exploration of contemplative spiritualities, drawing on the enduring wisdom of many times and places. The most influential of these has been the Headless Way – https://www.headless.org – initiated by the late Douglas Harding. My inquiry process overall has helped me to discover an underlying peace and at-homeness in the present moment, which, when experienced clearly and spaciously, nourishes and illuminates my life. It is not dependent on belief or circumstance, but on the ultimate acceptance that this is what is given.

I find that this perspective supports a spirit of openness, an ethic of interdependence and a life of abundant simplicity. My practice and path seem to have their own evolving trajectory: grounded in a modern panentheist Druidry, conceivably headless, whilst remaining open to the wisdom of other traditions.

EDITED MONDAY 27 SEPTEMBER 2021

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