I'm Maura Morrison and this is the documentary from the BBC World Service.
For this week's heart and soul, I've come to Anglesey in Wales.
I'm here to meet local witch and druid Mara and learn why she and others around the UK are increasingly drawn to nature-based religion of druidry.
And I'm curious about what it can teach us about connection and community.
One, two, one, two.
Okay, I'm setting the car outside of Bangor train station with Mara Starling.
Mara, thank you so much for spending time with me.
Thank you for inviting me.
I'm excited to take you on a little bit of a magical tour.
Amazing, so we are going to head to the Isle of Anglesey.
Where are you going to take us first?
Tell us about our first stop.
Well the first stop is on our way to the second stop strangely enough,
but it's the banks of Ravon Bryant, the river Bryant on Anglesey.
This river in particular is rather sacred to me and to many of my fellow Druids and witches who live on the island.
It's a river that flows pretty much throughout the entirety of the southwestern part of the island and she is very much a goddess within our tradition so I want to introduce you to her and to her waters as well.
Amazing, let's go!
Just for the listeners,
we're currently stood on a small bridge above a small river surrounded by hedges,
fields, there's dog walkers behind us and it is a little bit windy.