SteveTanham – writing, mysticism, photography, poetry, friends

Category: Consciousness

September 3, 2020 + #Silenti, Belief and Faith, Consciousness, Esoteric Meaning of Myth, esoteric psychology, Politics and Power, Psychology, Unconscious

The Entered Dragon (5) : a seat in the gods

by Steve Tanham

Continued from Part Four The stage is set. The feeling of expectation is deep. In the darkness of the auditorium, we cannot see those sitting beside us. The stage is dark, yet the darkness is not empty; in fact the darkness is full of that which is not yet formed, but can be. None of our senses can yet register what is happening. But … Read More The Entered Dragon (5) : a seat in the gods

August 27, 2020 + #Silenti, Belief and Faith, Consciousness, Esoteric Meaning of Myth, esoteric psychology, Politics and Power, Psychology, Unconscious

The Entered Dragon (4) : the world within

by Steve Tanham

Continued from Part Three I know these posts, so far, have been intense. The picture painted by Carl Jung and his Jungian successors of our linked internal and external lives is a detailed and vivid one. We began by looking at the Shadow, that suppressed ‘mind’ of parts of our psychological self (psyche) that have been pushed, by conditioning, society and personal choice, from … Read More The Entered Dragon (4) : the world within

August 25, 2020 + #Silenti, Consciousness, Mystical poetry, Photography, Poetry

Wine with Crows

by Steve Tanham

We sat, in end of day repose To speak of evenings drawing cold And grass with moisture in its folds And share our wine with crows ➰ One, bolder than the rest Climbed high, as if to rise and reach A silver phantom, caught in sun’s Descending rays out of the west ➰ Within the moment’s crest and hiss What thoughts, I wondered, passed … Read More Wine with Crows

August 23, 2020 + #ShortWrytz, #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Collie dogs, Consciousness, Lake District, nature, Photography

#ShortWrytz : The house by the river

by Steve Tanham

We’re often in Kirkby Lonsdale. It’s the perfect dog-walk for Tess, our collie, who loves to chase the ball in its riverside park, then sniff her way along the riverbank as we enter the town by the steep steps that lead to one of the best views in the county – Ruskin’s View. This part of the Lune Valley was a favourite haunt of … Read More #ShortWrytz : The house by the river

August 20, 2020 + #Silenti, Belief and Faith, Consciousness, Esoteric Meaning of Myth, esoteric psychology, Politics and Power, Psychology

The Entered Dragon (3) : beauty and the beast

by Steve Tanham

Continued from Part Two The dream continues… We are frozen, the dragon and I. He cannot be seen, as he is mirroring my every move, behind me. My fingers explore the tip of the spear, the only movement left… I press the sharp tip into the skin of my right thumb. There is a slowing of time as the ancient metal pierces the flesh. … Read More The Entered Dragon (3) : beauty and the beast

August 13, 2020 + #Silenti, Belief and Faith, Consciousness, Esoteric Meaning of Myth, esoteric psychology, Politics and Power, Psychology

The Entered Dragon (2) : dancing with shadows

by Steve Tanham

This time the dream is different. I know the dragon is there, but can’t see it. But I can see the heavy spear on the ground in front of me… I bend to pick it up. Something moves behind me, something heated and red, but no matter how fast I turn or twist, I can’t get a glimpse of it. Until I touch the … Read More The Entered Dragon (2) : dancing with shadows

August 6, 2020 + #Silenti, Belief and Faith, Consciousness, Esoteric Meaning of Myth, esoteric psychology, Politics and Power, Psychology

The Entered Dragon (1)

by Steve Tanham

Like waking within a dream – or, at least, the point where the lucidity begins… I turn my head in the small theatre, expecting others to be smiling, if not laughing. But no-one is, because no one else is here… Just me and it…where ‘it’ is not the theatre. The curtains part and what I knew to be behind them takes centre stage. Leathery … Read More The Entered Dragon (1)

July 30, 2020 + #Silenti, Consciousness, esoteric psychology, People power, Politics and Power, Silent Eye School, Speaking truth to power, Spirituality

Tango in the key of sorry

by Steve Tanham

As the years pass, I continue to wonder at the marvel of human communication, and the sadness of how little we use its potential… The world appears to be full of conflict and strife. But much of it is happening at the psychological level. The Trump era in America and the Brexit ‘civil war’ in the UK were both fuelled by similar (if not … Read More Tango in the key of sorry

July 12, 2020 + #Poetry, #Silenti, Consciousness, Photography, Poetry, Politics and Power, Spirituality

Top Drawer

by Steve Tanham

Will I layer my data, uniform, Till that obedient plateau Where the arranged and ruling desktop stamps me ‘passed’, no threat Or Shine and gripe, outrageously Refuse to corner, close or fit Until a newborn’s bloody fingers Stain the pallettes Of billionaires’ mahogany ©Stephen Tanham, 2020

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

July 2, 2020 + Ancient Landscapes, Consciousness, Egyptian Myth, Mindfulness, Mystery Schools, Spirituality

Never West

by Steve Tanham

I’ve always loved maps… I can remember, when a child, being bought a fold-out schematic of a town with streets, main roads, a river, a hill and a railway line. It was just a layout – a map – but I had lots of my own cars, a model train and some small figures of the right scale to populate the town with activity. … Read More Never West

June 18, 2020 + #Silenti, Consciousness, esoteric psychology, I Ching

Staying Dead

by Steve Tanham

Following my exploration of the I Ching in the recent series of posts (list below), I’ve begun to examine its guidance from the perspective of what I know to be true after a lifetime’s immersion in the mystical arts. One of the authors I have come to trust is Brian Browne Walker. Brian is the author of several contemporary translations of the I Ching, … Read More Staying Dead