SteveTanham – writing, mysticism, photography, poetry, friends

Month: February 2021

There’s something special about the two week period when one season blends into another, particularly winter into spring. This liminal period is capable of showing us the subtlety that winter lacks… (200 words, a two-minute read) Something wonderful happens to the winter sky towards the end of February – there is a weekend during which the light energy doubles – it’s the largest upward … Read More Winter walks with camera (12) liminal crossing into Spring

February 26, 2021 + #Silenti

Rombolds Moor

by Steve Tanham

Originally posted on France & Vincent:
There is a place the heart calls home, I think, for each of us. Sometimes we are lucky enough to live there. Sometimes it simply lives within us and pulls at the heartstrings, calling us. It may be the place you were born, a place you were happy, or a place that takes hold of your heart and…

February 25, 2021 + #Silenti, Consciousness, esoteric psychology, Psychology, Silent Eye School

The Big Picture (6) : Unshakable Mine

by Steve Tanham

I am the child of two loving parents. One gifted me a living background in philosophy and mysticism; the other gave me the gift of verbal conceptualisation… talking. (1500 words; a ten minute read) My father passed away a decade ago. We’re still clinging on to mother, who at 91, is robust only in her ability to talk. She is in our care for … Read More The Big Picture (6) : Unshakable Mine

February 23, 2021 + #Silenti, Consciousness, Dementia, Mindfulness

Books, coffee, knowing things (2) Auden’s pamphlet

by Steve Tanham

A loving journey with a mother’s dementia… and occasional humour. Part Two (This post is 1000 words, a ten-minute read) The photo, below, shows my final attempt at an ‘ark’, as we came to call them: a place of refuge in times of extreme storms. The idea of the ark was born of the need to direct my mother to a point of safety … Read More Books, coffee, knowing things (2) Auden’s pamphlet

February 21, 2021 + #Silenti, Photographic techniques, Photography

Winter walks with camera (11) : black and white

by Steve Tanham

Winter is a natural fit for black and white photography. The essence of a good monochrome shot is strong contrast, aided by subtle mid-stones. The low winter sun lends itself to that mix – as long as there is any sun, at all… (460 words; a four-minute read) The power of the high-end mobile phone camera has provided the means to carry out sophisticated … Read More Winter walks with camera (11) : black and white

February 18, 2021 + #Silenti, Consciousness, esoteric psychology, Psychology, Silent Eye School

The Big Picture (5) : A glass of silver wine

by Steve Tanham

One of the ancient mystical traditions that has turned out to be startlingly modern is that of the Sufis. We may be familiar with Sufi thought in the form of its often quoted poetry, such as that of Rumi, or the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, the ‘Astronomer-Poet of Persia’, whose work became widely-read in the west, following its translation by Edward Fitzgerald in 1859. … Read More The Big Picture (5) : A glass of silver wine

February 16, 2021 + #ShortWrytz, #Silenti, Photography, Travel and people, Travel and Photography

#ShortWrytz: favourite buildings – Grange Station

by Steve Tanham

I’m partial to stations… especially those that have history. The Victorian railways were a magnificent achievement, and changed British society in far-reaching ways. (600 words; a five minute read) During the late 1950s, and early 1960s my grandparents in Bolton used to take me for days out to the seaside. We never got as far as Grange-over-Sands, the lovely town that nestles at the … Read More #ShortWrytz: favourite buildings – Grange Station

February 14, 2021 + #Silenti, Photographic techniques, Photography

Winter walks with camera (10) flowing water

by Steve Tanham

Winter landscapes involving water are plentiful, but water can be a tricky subject to photograph. The eye is much more subtle than a camera lens, and we have to help the camera overcome this… (200 words, a two-minute read) Watery landscapes can look pale and ‘flat’ if you let the standard camera settings take charge. The lens is doing what it’s supposed to, but … Read More Winter walks with camera (10) flowing water

February 11, 2021 + #Silenti, Consciousness, esoteric psychology, Psychology, Silent Eye School, Unconscious

The Big Picture (4) : a kind of hammer

by Steve Tanham

As children, we lose ourselves in play and the toys or games that give the play structure: a skipping rope, chalk to mark out a court, balls to kick and control… perhaps, now, a computer to enter a virtual world. As adults we inhabit a different world, and the entanglements of our earlier years may pay us a return visit… (1400 words; a ten … Read More The Big Picture (4) : a kind of hammer

February 9, 2021 + #Cats, #Collie dogs, #FurryFives, #RagDollCats, #Silenti, Cats, Collie dogs, Consciousness, Dark Humour, Dementia

Books, coffee, knowing things…

by Steve Tanham

(This post is 600 words, a five-minute read) I loved the image… I’d credit its creator if I knew where it came from; but there it was in my in-tray. The cool black cat with the importantly steaming mug of coffee, and an engrossing book with covers in my favourite colour… all of it pushing back the awfulness of an English February. There’s a … Read More Books, coffee, knowing things…

February 7, 2021 + #Silenti, Photographic techniques, Photography

Winter walks with camera (9) dull green and soft ochre

by Steve Tanham

We think of winter as being full of disadvantages for the photographer, but it also brings unique colours and dynamic contrasts: from clouds in the sky to the low sun on the landscape. (200 words, a two-minute read) One of the most subtle contrasts is between the dull green of winter’s foliage and the colour of the residual life of trunk, branch, twig and … Read More Winter walks with camera (9) dull green and soft ochre

February 4, 2021 + #Silenti, Biology and mysticism, Consciousness, esoteric psychology, Higher Mind, Life-sciences, Psychology, Silent Eye School, Unconscious

The Big Picture (3) : objects of desire

by Steve Tanham

The word ‘object’ has many meanings; but none more mysterious and potentially wonderful as the meeting of spirituality with the findings of psychology’s Object Relations Theory… (1400 words; a ten minute read) Everything in our daily world comes from them; they are the highs and lows, the anguish and the triumphs, the misery and the joy… and above all else, the overwhelming violence of … Read More The Big Picture (3) : objects of desire