Chopping Wood is unashamedly political, religious and spiritual, anti-secular, psychologically nuanced, socially and environmentally activist, scientifically critical, while remaining compassionate. One could go so far as to say that this book challenges reality as most people perceive it to be. One of its major themes is the tension between the public and the private, for which Philp often uses the metaphor of the urban and the rural. As well as being driven by spiritual and political yearnings, his poetry involves itself with the day-to-day. So love, walking the dog, responding to nature and the seasons, having discussions with friends, observing what goes on in the street or the country lane, the office or the farmer's field, are all included.