Month: February 2022

And the band played on…

An exceptionally lucky moment… I was walking mum along the promenade, back to the care home in Morecambe. When we got close to the steps down to the road. I asked her to stop so I could take her photo against the stormy sea. As I was framing the shot, I noticed that the curved railings were casting their shadows immediately below us, onto … Read More And the band played on…

An Artist named Giselle

Geographically, it’s an unlikely partnership… One person in Victoria, Australia, the other in Cumbria… Giselle Bolotin is an Australian artist, but was born in Europe. She and I have never met, face to face, but have established a good working relationship via the virtual world of the internet. We are collaborating on a set of images to illustrate the Silent Eye’s new ‘Oracle’ deck … Read More An Artist named Giselle

Emergence

Heavy metal, thinly sailed, is cast Like toy, and dropped onto the stone. Hedges bend, bow and form New writhing shapes – grotesques – Their twisted tongues malforming names Of foolish men who thought to tame The wild and winds of Cumbria… ——– And yet, from this we do emerge In harsh, unruly tufts of grass And mud that drains off torrents passed. Bleached … Read More Emergence

Green Man in the Stumpery

It’s a large rendering of the Green Man. I have no idea whether it’s new or whether it has been on that wall for five years – back to the time when the ‘new’ stumpery was added to the promenade at Grange-over-Sands. The Green Man is hidden from general view, which, I suspect may be deliberate, and in tune with the wisdom it represents. … Read More Green Man in the Stumpery

The mystery of the soul-child

One of the most enigmatic mysteries in spirituality is the idea of a ‘soul-child’ – the finding within us of a spiritual figure whose characteristics are those of purity and youthfulness; untainted by the world, yet somehow immature within it… To approach a deeper understanding of this – one beyond the fanciful – we need to consider the words ‘soul’ and ‘child’, and set … Read More The mystery of the soul-child

Lakeland in Winter (1) Bowness-on-Windermere

I thought you might like a walk through Bowness-on-Windermere. It’s the place that most people think of as ‘Windermere’, but the actual town of Windermere is a 45 min walk up the hill from the lake: the final station on the rail line from Kendal, and as close as the Victorian engineers could get to the lake from the surrounding hills. Holidaymakers arrive in … Read More Lakeland in Winter (1) Bowness-on-Windermere

Cross crossing

It’s one of the most scenic parts of Grange-over-Sands. The old railway pedestrian crossing connects the town centre with the seafront by providing a walking space across the twin railway tracks. A simple enough role and one that you might think would endear it to both visitor and resident, alike. But the picture-postcard crossing at Bailey Lane now lies closed to pedestrians, despite an … Read More Cross crossing

Being being…

I usually write it with a capital: Being. But strictly it is just another noun, so it’s fine as simply being. Except it’s not…because that devalues its importance. Being is the word. Being is the gold ‘hidden in plain sight’ of the alchemists.. They were searchers for the inner nature of Nature. Some of them found it but had to create a language of … Read More Being being…

Forever in blue jeans

I remember finishing the count… And being astonished that there were fourteen of them. Suits… two and three piece suits. For younger readers, the three-piece ones were so called because they had matching waistcoats…whose bottom button was never fastened. Fourteen is quite a number. They were all expensive, mainly double-breasted, and made of the lovely variety of silky textiles that so proliferated in the … Read More Forever in blue jeans

When the Snowdrops come

It’s around November time when I begin to think about the ‘vastness’ of the winter, ahead. I let my mind play over the run up to Christmas, which, although increasingly dark, is brightened by the colourful lights and the spirit of the season. My mental journey continues through New Year, which always seems an anti-climax, and on into the wasteland of January. I can … Read More When the Snowdrops come

Language: Maker and Destroyer of Worlds

I remember the admonition from decades ago, though I’ve forgotten who wrote it: Admire and beware language, for it frames the mind and blockades the spirit… Bold words; and possibly overstated, until you come to certain stage of your own inner journey and realise how true they are. In general terms, our western languages are predicated on the style of the following sentence: ‘I … Read More Language: Maker and Destroyer of Worlds

Deathstination

©Stephen Tanham 2022 Stephen Tanham is a Director of the Silent Eye, a journey through the forest of personality to the dawn of Being. http://www.thesilenteye.co.uk and http://www.suningemini.blog