SteveTanham – writing, mysticism, photography, poetry, friends

Category: English Lake District

October 18, 2022 + #Humour, #Silent Eye, #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Ancient Sacred Sites, Consciousness, English Lake District, Lake District, Photographic techniques, Photography, Travel and people

Cartmel, anarchy and the perfect morning…

by Steve Tanham

The Cumbrian village of Cartmel is most famous for its racecourse, but it is difficult to find any part of it that is not also beautiful or at least interesting. There are also examples here of innovative responses to hard times… Something we all need to take note of. Cartmel lies two miles northwest of Grange-over-Sands, on the northern edge of Morecambe Bay, just … Read More Cartmel, anarchy and the perfect morning…

October 11, 2022 + #Poetry, #Silenti, Consciousness, English Lake District, esoteric psychology, Mystical poetry, Photography, Poetry

Only the Eye that Sees

by Steve Tanham

Without the autumn I could not know the spring. The fulsome green, harmonic To elegance of death by colour, Made crisp by failing light. – Without the winter I could not know the summer’s Smile, written in the dance of life Zenith’d with burning Sun Born, frozen in the still of ice. – Without the spring I could not know the autumn’s Parting glory, … Read More Only the Eye that Sees

October 9, 2022 + #Silent Eye, #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Consciousness, English Lake District, landscapes, Mindfulness, Photographic techniques, Photography

When colour drains…

by Steve Tanham

There are a few weeks of the year, in the early stages of autumn, when the combination of soft light, pale sun and changing foliage creates quite magical landscapes here in South Lakeland. This is particularly true of the small, quiet lanes on the southern outskirts of Kendal, home to the celebrated ‘basket of eggs’ landscape that marks the final stages of the glacial … Read More When colour drains…

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

September 4, 2022 + #Silenti, English Lake District, History, landscapes, Photographic techniques, Photography

Survivor in a landscape?

by Steve Tanham

A complete accident this, though it looks like the figure in the right hand aperture was staged… I have no idea who she was. Kendal Castle; home to prominent members of the Parr family, whose daughter, Katherine Parr, remarkably survived the Tudor monster – Henry VIII. Perhaps that’s her ghost, smiling in the late summer sun, reminding us that even the darkest fates can, … Read More Survivor in a landscape?

August 28, 2022 + #Silenti, Consciousness, English Lake District, Lake District, landscapes, Photography, Places and Prose

Fading summer wine

by Steve Tanham

One of the most poignant moments of the year is the last week of August. There comes that first sense of ‘chill’, plus the heavy dew on the morning grass. We find the best way to deal with this is a bottle of white wine, taken just as the warmth of the afternoon has begun to ebb. We spend the time it takes to … Read More Fading summer wine

August 7, 2022 + #Silenti, English Lake District, Photographic techniques, Photography, Silent Eye School

August skies

by Steve Tanham

Norfolk and Cumbria are both famous for having ‘big skies’. I’m sure there are others, but over the years, I’ve had the best summer sky shots from these two places – each one vast in its own right. August has long been my favourite month for shooting photos of such splendour. The one above was taken near where we live, on the edge of … Read More August skies

May 5, 2022 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Ancient Sacred Sites, Consciousness, English Lake District, humour, mystical travel, myths and spirituality, Photography, Places and Prose

Orderly and Aligned?

by Steve Tanham

There’s an old aphorism in the field of teaching mysticism: that if you endeavour to do something of significance; something that requires careful planning and even more careful resourcing, then you will be surprised how ‘testing’ the ‘final approach to the event will be. Moreover, the difficulties thrown at one may- humorously – be taken as a reflection of the event’s importance. The word’s … Read More Orderly and Aligned?

December 21, 2021 + #Silenti, Consciousness, English Lake District, landscapes, Photographic techniques, Photography

Seven Christmas Postcards

by Steve Tanham

This will be my penultimate post of 2021. After Thursday’s blog, I will be taking a break till the new year. Every December, I try to capture a set of images that would make good Christmas cards. I used to have a colour ‘photograph’ printer and would send some of these to family members. But the device was old and had begun behaving erratically. … Read More Seven Christmas Postcards

October 21, 2021 + #Silenti, Consciousness, English Lake District, Esoteric Meaning of Myth, Journey of the hero, Mystery Schools, Mystical ritual drama, myths and spirituality, Neolithic, Silent Eye Workshops

Emerging from the Mist…

by Steve Tanham

There’s a certain amount of ‘fighting back’ in this. The long period of Covid restrictions, followed by a summer in which we all got a taste of gentle freedom again; the sad death of the ‘third musketeer’, Sue Vincent, in March of this year; the inability to hold our regular workshops in the mystical landscapes of Britain… But then there were positive things: learning … Read More Emerging from the Mist…

October 19, 2021 + #Collie dogs, #Silenti, Consciousness, English Lake District, guided mystical walks, Lake District, landscapes, Mystery Schools, Photographic techniques, Photography, Travel and Photography

Arnside and Autumn Pastels

by Steve Tanham

At first glance, it has something of the ziggurat about it. In reality it’s the final bit of Arnside’s Victorian pier, taken from a short distance back in order to include part of the famous viaduct – nearly 1600 ft – that links Arnside with Grange-over-Sands. Arnside has the kind of beaches that you’d rather photograph than paddle from. The sands around here share … Read More Arnside and Autumn Pastels

May 4, 2021 + #Silenti, English Lake District, landscapes, Mystery Schools, Photographic techniques, Photography, Seasons, Four Seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter,

Seeing with Clouds

by Steve Tanham

In clouds, I find endless joy and food for both emotion and meditation. People often say, humorously, “You seem to be able to get clouds to do things for you!” I’m not sure that’s the case, but I am sure that I have an affinity with the sky and with the formation, shape and movement of these wonderful entities – and that has altered … Read More Seeing with Clouds