SteveTanham – writing, mysticism, photography, poetry, friends

Category: Silent Eye School

We were looking for dolphins… Between Rosemarkie and Fortrose, on the shores of the Black Isle, north of Inverness, there is a promontory named Channonry Point. It projects out into the Moray Firth in such a way that the local population of some sixty bottlenose dolphins take delight in swimming in the rapid tidal races just off its rocky shore. We had just missed … Read More Through a hole, clearly: the legend of Sallow Kenneth

May 10, 2021 + #Silenti, Ancient Landscapes, Consciousness, Mystery Schools, Photographic techniques, Photography, Silent Eye School

The Paradox of Cromarty

by Steve Tanham

‘Human nature, unchecked by strong values, drifts downwards towards chaos, drowning the vital and corrective energy of individuality…‘ Read the full post here…

April 29, 2021 + #Silenti, Consciousness, enneagram, esoteric psychology, Gurdjieff, Mindfulness, Silent Eye School

A kindness of belly, heart and head

by Steve Tanham

There are ancient techniques that describe the gentle coordination of belly, heart and head to make the self a peaceful place. In this short article, we discuss a modern approach to their use… (1000 words; a five minute read) The philosopher G. I. Gurdjieff rose to prominence in the first half of the last century. This enigmatic Armenian created a no-nonsense system of self … Read More A kindness of belly, heart and head

April 21, 2021 + #Silenti, Consciousness, Life and Death, Silent Eye School

A Farewell to Sue Vincent

by Steve Tanham

Today will be the funeral of our dear friend and fellow Director of the Silent Eye, Sue Vincent. Many words have been said over the past two weeks… Today is a simple goodbye for a few family and friends. For those who might wish to know what is happening today, we include, above, the two pages of a simple tri-fold ‘Order of Service’ document, … Read More A Farewell to Sue Vincent

April 20, 2021 + #Silenti, Consciousness, Poetry, Silent Eye School

And tomorrow…

by Steve Tanham

And tomorrow we will gather Within this garden country, rich with life To gaze, inside, upon your memories And tell stories of your laughing fullness ➰ Outside our garden guest-house I found this quiet group Of faded, used-out artefact Held close in tulips’ embrace The whole, sun-wrapped And I thought of you. ➰ ©Stephen Tanham Stephen Tanham is a Director of the Silent Eye, … Read More And tomorrow…

April 15, 2021 + #Silenti, Consciousness, esoteric psychology, Silent Eye School

Making sense of it – hidden capabilities

by Steve Tanham

Our five senses may not be five at all… It turns out we have far more capabilities than we thought… (800 words; a seven-minute read) We all have our favourite concepts of physical capability – breathing, flexibility, strength and such like. But what if the power of our senses extended far beyond what we know? This is not about the historic idea of a … Read More Making sense of it – hidden capabilities

March 25, 2021 + #Silenti, Consciousness, esoteric psychology, Mindfulness, Mystery Schools, Silent Eye School, Truth and Esotericism

The Ferocious Healer

by Steve Tanham

Healing can be gentle and tender; but certain healing acts on an inner level of the self, racing like a cold wave to resolve us, before washing us up on the beach called tomorrow, but under a different sun… (900 words, a five-minute read) We all progress through an inner journey in our lives. We may not work with any specific system of self-development, … Read More The Ferocious Healer

March 22, 2021 + #Silenti, Consciousness, Higher Mind, Lake District, Silent Eye School

Charcoal, focus and heart-stones

by Steve Tanham

It began with the sunset, yesterday. Breathtaking colours, but a sense of strange events unfolding. Nothing threatening… just events I would not have expected, let alone predicted; and all of them ‘inserted’ into reality as the day unfolded. An inner feeling of ‘wheels turning’. One of our regular dog- walks is through the forest and up to Sizergh Barn for a take-out coffee. All … Read More Charcoal, focus and heart-stones

March 18, 2021 + #Silenti, Consciousness, esoteric psychology, Mindfulness, Mystery Schools, Silent Eye School, Truth and Esotericism

The Belief Tree

by Steve Tanham

It might be thought that, in our technology-driven age, the concept of belief has become less important. If we go back fifty years, belief was still central to most people’s lives; so what has happened to change that? (1000 words, a ten-minute read) A friend of mine suggests, slightly tongue in cheek, that the biggest factor in religion’s decline is shopping… We might substitute … Read More The Belief Tree

March 9, 2021 + #Silenti, Consciousness, landscapes, Photographic techniques, Photography, Silent Eye School

Eyes in the Sunset

by Steve Tanham

I love this time of year. The early spring offers an interesting mixture of summer light and winter forms. The last few weeks of the bare organic structures offer mischievous possibilities for a slight degree of editing… But sometimes, nature surprises without any artifice on the photographer’s part. In the opening shot, I was walking Tess through the local forest when I was startled … Read More Eyes in the Sunset

February 25, 2021 + #Silenti, Consciousness, esoteric psychology, Psychology, Silent Eye School

The Big Picture (6) : Unshakable Mine

by Steve Tanham

I am the child of two loving parents. One gifted me a living background in philosophy and mysticism; the other gave me the gift of verbal conceptualisation… talking. (1500 words; a ten minute read) My father passed away a decade ago. We’re still clinging on to mother, who at 91, is robust only in her ability to talk. She is in our care for … Read More The Big Picture (6) : Unshakable Mine

February 18, 2021 + #Silenti, Consciousness, esoteric psychology, Psychology, Silent Eye School

The Big Picture (5) : A glass of silver wine

by Steve Tanham

One of the ancient mystical traditions that has turned out to be startlingly modern is that of the Sufis. We may be familiar with Sufi thought in the form of its often quoted poetry, such as that of Rumi, or the Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám, the ‘Astronomer-Poet of Persia’, whose work became widely-read in the west, following its translation by Edward Fitzgerald in 1859. … Read More The Big Picture (5) : A glass of silver wine