SteveTanham – writing, mysticism, photography, poetry, friends

Category: Ancient Landscapes

September 11, 2022 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Consciousness, English Lake District, landscapes, Photographic techniques, Photography

Back lane to the river

by Steve Tanham

It is said by local historians that if Kendal had not fallen prey to the soulless developments of the 1960s, the town would now rival York in the historical interest offered by its venerable streets – and its living links with long-disappeared ways of life… There are numerous alleys that lead from the town centre to the River Kent. It’s fascinating to walk these … Read More Back lane to the river

August 16, 2022 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Ancient Sacred Sites, Consciousness, Silent Eye School, Silent Eye Workshops

Set in Stone

by Steve Tanham

The Silent Eye’s Landscape Weekends were born from a mad-cap day on Ilkley Moor and a number of subsequent events up there. Join us on Sue Vincent’s birthday (14th September) for lunch and a short walk to one of Ilkley Moor’s ancient monuments as we remember our former colleague and fellow director in the landscape she regarded as her home. Meet: Noon at The … Read More Set in Stone

August 2, 2022 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, History, landscapes, Photography, Places and Prose

In the gardens of Coughton Court…

by Steve Tanham

Coughton Court in Warwickshire, fifteen miles from Stratford-on-Avon, is the ancestral home of the Throckmortons, one of the UK’s oldest catholic families and a place of great intrigue during the time of religious persecution. It still possesses some of the best concealed ‘priest holes’ in the country. It also boasts a beautiful walled garden, worth visiting in its own right… The name Coughton (pronounce … Read More In the gardens of Coughton Court…

June 23, 2022 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Ancient Sacred Sites, Consciousness, Lake District, myths and spirituality, Photographic techniques, Photography

Heroes in a Landscape (7) End of the Quest

by Steve Tanham

Continued from Part Six… The final day of a weekend like ‘The Journey of the Hero’ has to serve many purposes. It has to reinforce what has been shared; it has to send people on their homeward journeys with a smile… and a desire to do it, again. In short, it needs to embrace the companions with a warm hug! It also needs to … Read More Heroes in a Landscape (7) End of the Quest

June 16, 2022 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Ancient Sacred Sites, Consciousness, Lake District, myths and spirituality, Photographic techniques, Photography

Heroes in a Landscape (6) Fellowship of the Shepherd

by Steve Tanham

Continued from Part Five… There comes a moment in any weekend event when the carefully cultivated sense of order breaks down… no matter how good the plan. At that point one looks to ‘heaven’ knowing that the success is in the ‘laps of the Gods’. The man striding up the hill from Great Salkeld towards Long Meg Stone Circle possessed a brain whose capacity … Read More Heroes in a Landscape (6) Fellowship of the Shepherd

June 9, 2022 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Ancient Sacred Sites, Photography

Heroes in a Landscape (5) River and Cave

by Steve Tanham

It seemed we were learning anew, each day… The decision to abandon the walk along the long ridge path to Ashness Bridge had been forced upon us by time constraints. It would cost us the boat ride back to Keswick – something that had immense emotional appeal – but, instead, it had given us back… calmness. After a snack lunch by the lake shore … Read More Heroes in a Landscape (5) River and Cave

June 2, 2022 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Ancient Sacred Sites, Photography

Heroes in a Landscape (4) Two faces of the Labyrinth

by Steve Tanham

Each of our landscape weekends follows the same pattern: a socially-oriented Friday afternoon with a hint of what’s to come; a full Saturday which contains the main body of the ‘work’ and ends with an early evening pub meal out in the countryside; finally, a relaxed but meaningful Sunday morning, ending with an informal snack lunch and farewells. Saturday the 7th May dawned over … Read More Heroes in a Landscape (4) Two faces of the Labyrinth

May 29, 2022 + #Silent Eye, #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Consciousness, landscapes, Photographic techniques, Photography, Scotland

Seven Splendours

by Steve Tanham

The first week of our Scottish Highland trip is over. At the time of writing, I’m sitting in the back of the car, headed for Ullapool; the gateway to the Outer Hebrides. The ferry will take three hours to transport the four of us to Stornaway,, the capital town of the linked island of Lewis and Harris. I’m glad to be moving on. The … Read More Seven Splendours

May 26, 2022 + #Silent Eye, #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Ancient Sacred Sites, Photography

Heroes in a Landscape (3) Learning from Nature

by Steve Tanham

Continued from Part Two… My phone wasn’t dead – it looked perfectly bright against the dark landscape, but it wasn’t responding to any finger gestures. And it contained my copy of the script, now locked away by the storm. I reached into my ‘Fool’s’ kit bag, a sturdy old canvas friend that I’ve used for years. Often in the run up to workshops, I … Read More Heroes in a Landscape (3) Learning from Nature

May 19, 2022 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Ancient Sacred Sites, Photography

Heroes in a Landscape (2) Lessons in the deluge

by Steve Tanham

Those familiar with the attempt to hold any kind of drama in the open air will know the difficulties to be faced… The vagaries of the British climate are well documented but the severity of the rain as we travelled through the blinding spray along the last few miles of the A66 towards the Castlerigg Stone Circle was a thing to be seen. We … Read More Heroes in a Landscape (2) Lessons in the deluge

May 12, 2022 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Ancient Sacred Sites, Photography

Heroes in a Landscape (1) Arrival

by Steve Tanham

It’s a method for uniting a group of people to a common purpose. It’s a technique for ‘washing’ the immediate environment and dedicating your effort to the highest motive and energies. It’s a wonderful way to align yourself to your immediate surrounding, teasing out that sense of really ‘knowing’ what’s around you – especially in a landscape as beautiful and powerful as the English … Read More Heroes in a Landscape (1) Arrival

May 10, 2022 + #Silent Eye, #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Ancient Sacred Sites, Consciousness, esoteric psychology, humour

Spirituality in Transition

by Steve Tanham

There are times when you know that a particular world is changing. By ‘world’ I mean a specific part of life, not the whole world, though that could be said to be in a state of apparently chaotic change, too… The ‘world’ I mean is that of spiritual teaching; and the challenges to its present methods come in various forms: The major one is … Read More Spirituality in Transition