Phillip Carr-Gomm

Chief Druid of the OBOD

February 29, 2004

Dear Phillip,

We, the three druids of Manannan Mac Lir Grove of OBOD, Rodney, Jehanah and Steven are writing to update you regarding the film project about which we dialogued with you last year. First, we want to thank you sincerely for the ongoing support you expressed when last we corresponded, and your intention to participate in the project itself. We have been filming non-stop since March of 2003. We have had sixteen film shoots and plan to continue filming for an additional six months.

At last week’s Pantheacon Conference in San Jose, California, we previewed an initial rough cut of our first film, Honoring the Monarch Bear, and we received a positive response and attendance from our fellow pagans.

The first film, Honoring the Monarch Bear is intended to be an overview and introduction. The film will introduce the audience to 13 themes, which will each be fully developed in 13 films that will follow the Monarch Bear film. We are working with the classical Druidic concept of the Celtic Knot, in which various strands and consciousnesses are interwoven to create the whole. This concept is more fully articulated in the attached film series prospectus.

We are particularly appreciative of your willingness to be filmed and interviewed as part of this film series, as you mentioned in our email correspondence last year. We are very happy to hear that you have also contacted John and Caitlin Matthews and that they have also agreed to be filmed and interviewed. Additionally you mentioned that you had contacts in Britain who are members of OBOD who would be willing to do filming for this Druid Film project.

It would be wonderful if this could be done as soon as possible, while you are still in residence in Britain. One of my advanced students, Chris Surroy, is willing to take the responsibility of organizing and coordinating the filming in Britain. He is British and has returned to living in London, though he is currently visiting us here in Northern California. Please consider this request and let me know if it will work for you to have Chris coordinating and organizing the film project in Britain. He will be returning to London in Mid-March. If you agree, he will contact you in order to begin filming.

To do this, he would need to obtain the contact information for the OBOD film people who would carry out the filming with his coordination, if that is possible. He would conduct the interviews with you, as well as with Caitlin and John Matthews. We would also be interested in filming possible rituals and/or performances by you or other Bards and Druids. We have already filmed interviews with R.J. Stewart and Mara Freeman as well as wonderful performances by each of them. If you can recommend other people to be filmed and/or interviewed, please let us know how to contact them.

We are currently in the process of incorporating as a California non-profit corporation, The Monarch Bear Foundation. It will have several sub-sections, one of which is educational, another will be a land trust, and a third will be Monarch Bear Film, to be dedicated to the film series described above. It is our plan to seek grants to carry out this major work.

Overall, it would be exciting if some of the films in the film series could be produced jointly by you (OBOD) and Monarch Bear Film. For example, themes 1, 6, 7, 10, and 13 from the accompanying prospectus might optimally be joint ventures.

We are very happy to be able to update about this project’s progress. Would you be able to let us know if you will be able to facilitate Chris Surroy’s coordination of the British filming for this project? If this is acceptable, please let us know what is the best way for Chris to get in contact with you directly when he returns to London.

Many thanks, in the spirit of this Imbolc Season!

Peace and Light under the Sacred Oaks

Rodney Karr, Druid

Jehanah Wedgwood, Druid

Steven Armstrong, Druid

Of The Grove of Mannanan Mac Lir of OBOD