SteveTanham – writing, mysticism, photography, poetry, friends

Category: Child of Light

February 17, 2022 + #Silent Eye, #Silenti, Child of Light, Christianity and modern mysticism, Consciousness, Esoteric Meaning of Myth, esoteric psychology, Mystery Schools, Myth

The mystery of the soul-child

by Steve Tanham

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

July 9, 2020 + #Silenti, Child of Light, Consciousness, esoteric psychology, Lake District, Photography, Silent Eye School, Soul, Spirituality, The Beloved

The Summer Within

by Steve Tanham

When I was a young boy, a favourite uncle, who was quite old, said to me, “You always feel young, inside, you know…” It’s a sentiment I’ve heard many times. I knew it to be true – from the look in the eyes of those who said it, despite the lines of time on their faces. But now, to experience it in my sixties, … Read More The Summer Within

August 29, 2019 + #writephoto, Ancient Landscapes, Child of Light, Consciousness, Esoteric Meaning of Myth, Fiction, landscapes, Life and Death, Photography, Short stories, Silent Eye School, Spirituality

The Talking Darkness #writephoto

by Steve Tanham

This is in response to Sue Vincent’s #writephoto ‘Frozen’ and the photo above. He chose his moment to appear at the edge of the dark forest; the forest through which they had come on their murderous journey. The few that knew him used his ancient name: the Talking Darkness…. Anyone in the dark green shadows looking out to the approaching night would have seen … Read More The Talking Darkness #writephoto

August 8, 2019 + #Silenti, Biology and mysticism, Child of Light, Consciousness, enneagram, esoteric psychology, Fear, Higher Mind, Life and Death, Life-sciences, Love, meditation, Metanoia, Mindfulness, Mystery Schools, Photography, Poetry, Powers of the Mind, Sexual Force, Silent Eye School, soul in body, Speaking truth to power, Spirituality, Travel and Photography

Primal screen

by Steve Tanham

Somewhere in the frontal cortex of our brains there’s a very special junction – a place where we learned to do something truly different with our minds… Let’s call it the Primal Screen… Our spines can be considered the highway of our historical evolution: the inherited paths of form and energy that developed from single cells in oceans, through fish, lizards and apes. At … Read More Primal screen

July 30, 2019 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Biology and mysticism, Child of Light, Consciousness, enneagram, esoteric psychology, Fear, Higher Mind, meditation, Mystery Schools, nature, Photography, Silent Eye School, Silent Eye Workshops, Soul, soul in body, Spirit, spiritual turning around, Spirituality

Have you seen it, yet?

by Steve Tanham

Do you see it all, sometimes? Turn, doing something strange with your mind Look back with different eyes And see the path that led to you? A moment of vast lucidity… But there’s one thing you don’t see The thing that can’t be seen Have you seen it, yet? ©Stephen Tanham Stephen Tanham is a Director of the Silent Eye School of Consciousness, a not-for-profit … Read More Have you seen it, yet?

July 25, 2019 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Biology and mysticism, Child of Light, Consciousness, Egregore, enneagram, esoteric psychology, Fear, Higher Mind, Incarnation, Initiation, Life-sciences, meditation, Mystery Schools, nature, Photography, Silent Eye School, Silent Eye Workshops, Soul, soul in body, Spirit, spiritual turning around, Spirituality

The creature on the beach beyond thought

by Steve Tanham

It lay there, head in the sky, gazing at the radiance. Its tail was still in the ocean of thought, the gentle waves urging it back where it belonged… The gaps in the waves had always been there; they were the rhythm of life. But it had never thought to use them as a way through. To where? To beauty, certainly. The sights and … Read More The creature on the beach beyond thought

July 18, 2019 + #Silenti, Ancient Egypt, Astrophysics, Belief and Faith, Biology and mysticism, Child of Light, Christianity and modern mysticism, Consciousness, Egyptian Gods, enneagram, esoteric psychology, Fear, Incarnation, Life and Death, Love, Mindfulness, myths and spirituality, Photography, Solar Year, spiritual turning around, Spirituality, The Beloved, Understanding Fear

Death of a salesman

by Steve Tanham

In a few short weeks it will be September. We (the Silent Eye) have been invited to speak at the Unitarian Society of Psychical Studies annual conference at the Nightingale Centre in Derbyshire. We use this lovely place for our main annual event in April each year. We had our official ‘birth’ there in 2013. It is a very special place to us, and … Read More Death of a salesman

May 30, 2019 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Ancient Sacred Sites, Astrology, Belief and Faith, Biology and mysticism, Castles, Child of Light, Consciousness, Egregore, Esoteric Meaning of Myth, esoteric psychology, Higher Mind, Highlands of Scotland, Initiation, landscapes, Magic, Mindfulness, Mystery Schools, Mystical ritual drama, myths and spirituality, Scotland, Silent Eye School, spiritual turning around, Spirituality, Travel and Photography, Understanding Fear

Five Faces of the Macbeth Human

by Steve Tanham

Exploring the faces of the ‘human condition’ should be consuming our world at the moment. We might reasonably conclude that understanding the heights and depths of our shared experience, as we drain the planet of its living life, would be of interest to us. But we don’t… Instead, if we ask any questions at all, we spend months looking at things from a political … Read More Five Faces of the Macbeth Human

December 13, 2018 + #Silenti, Belief and Faith, Child of Light, Consciousness, enneagram, esoteric psychology, Journey of the hero, Mindfulness, mystery, Mystery Schools, Spirituality

The Modern Mysteries

by Steve Tanham

The ‘mysteries’ have been with mankind as long as we have existed. They are a collection of paths that take us inwards; restoring a sense of self deeper than that which reacts, and showing us that mankind is much more than a biological animal – though animals, and their focus on the ‘now’ have much to teach us, too. The reason these paths work … Read More The Modern Mysteries

October 25, 2018 + #Silenti, Child of Light, esoteric psychology, Mystery Schools, Spirituality, Truth and Esotericism

The Origin of Me

by Steve Tanham

Out of a hidden fear, we seldom examine our personal origins – this sense of ‘me’. Yet, if we let go that fear, the journey can teach us so much, and leave us with an emotion of deep belonging. We can explore this with a meditation, rather than the intellect; if you’d like a little journey? Be quiet and become conscious that our everyday … Read More The Origin of Me

September 13, 2018 + #Silenti, Child of Light, Consciousness, enneagram, esoteric psychology, Gurdjieff, Mystery Schools, Silent Eye School, Spirit, Spirituality

Principles of Fire (6): A Tribe of Two

by Steve Tanham

“Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it.” Rumi Jalaluddin Rumi was a 12th century Sufi mystic, whose approach to the ‘real’ was remarkably modern. This should not surprise us. Anything spiritually true will have that immediate and familiar ring about it – the sense of a homecoming, … Read More Principles of Fire (6): A Tribe of Two

September 6, 2018 + #Silenti, Child of Light, Consciousness, enneagram, esoteric psychology, Gurdjieff, Mystery Schools, Silent Eye School, Spirit, Spirituality

Principles of Fire (5): A Tribe of One

by Steve Tanham

They who set out to discover the twin meanings of the word ‘self’ must walk a certain path. The route to the deeper, real self lies only in the journey through the everyday self. Without this study – and its consequent effects – there can be no personal transformation. We have to learn to look at ourselves with intensity if we are to begin … Read More Principles of Fire (5): A Tribe of One