by Steve Tanham
The beautiful Northumberland village of Etal, one of a local twin, has a fine ruined castle; but this blog is not entirely about castles… The picture above is the castle at Etal. It was constructed in the middle of the fourteenth century by Robert Manners, a Norman descendant. It consists of a residential tower in the ‘Pele’ style; a gatehouse and a corner tower … Read More Broken village
by Steve Tanham
The tree in Winter Its life-trail etched against the sky reveals what we cannot Who stand below and try — To see within How we became this shape This pattern in the now And asking how — Did we result in this? Our branching tale of history Concealed in layered thoughts And wrapped in finery —- We would Be dead and left to rot … Read More The Tree in Winter
+ #Silenti, Ancient Sacred Sites, Celtic Christianity, Consciousness, esoteric psychology, Fear, landscapes, Silent Eye School
by Steve Tanham
Do we have ‘castles of the mind’? Traditionally, ancient castles were built where there was trouble… Do we have the equivalent in our minds and emotions? Have we, over the course of our lives, built up strong fortifications with which to repel those intrusions which, as children, we considered frightening? The foundations for such things can begin very early, and be formed of some … Read More Castles of the mind
by Steve Tanham
What does it mean to have ‘free will’? It’s a phrase that is used very casually, as though it carries an identical meaning to us all. It’s particularly important if you want to pursue a path of mystical self-development, since the whole idea of ‘will’ is a central concept of work on the self. What is will? We take its very existence for granted, … Read More Reflections on free will
by Steve Tanham
We meet up for a bowl and brew When winter days are short And darkness fills the edge of hours And shortens lives too far apart 🔻 The muddy Collie, winding stairs Are worth the sodden ball and park The panting dog with coursing blood Now flops, no more to chase and bark 🔻 I leave the table free for you While shaking … Read More Nook by Stairs
by Steve Tanham
It’s a tough one, this. I love technology and I have a lasting belief that it has brought us a lot of good… but a nasty feeling that we are touching some of its ‘dark edges’; brought on, not because of the technology, itself, but because of the motive for profit and dominance inherent in the power that a few mega-companies wield. Such companies … Read More The Time Vampires
by Steve Tanham
Standing here I feel as though my life Were a rising of sap An ascent of mind and heart A hissing of vitality, akin to steam ➰ From earth I am drawn To organic arising Within a perfected tree Which nourishes my Imperfections ➰ Until, old and swaying With faded crumbling leaf Stubbornly past its fall My substance golds then fades And, once again, … Read More Becoming Air
+ #Silenti, Ancient Egypt, Consciousness, Initiation, Life and Death, Mystery Schools, Silent Eye School
by Steve Tanham
We were lined up against a stone wall – a very old stone wall. Forty ‘mystical pilgrims’ stood in the intense humidity of the entrance chamber to the Great Pyramid, dressed in simple robes; robes that had been used earlier in the day for a ritual baptism in the ancient inland waters of Lake Moeris. Lake Moeris is linked to the water-based initiations of … Read More Being here…
by Steve Tanham
The January Tree — Stripped bare of Summer meaning Leaving only wood to sway I wait, endure, while others pass Along this rocky way ➰ Your feet are fast and fluid While mine are mired in earth Your thoughts too fast to capture While mine are simpler truth ➰ Come spring I will awaken Then will you stop again? To see the youngest … Read More The January Tree
by Steve Tanham
It’s beating on my eyes again It’s blowing up my nose It’s howling round my lips and mouth And stealing my repose ➰ He dares not let it in, again The chaos is too strong It throws around the furniture And wrecks the right and wrong ➰ I’d like to give a voice to it But how to drink the wind? I’ll have to … Read More Being Storm
by Steve Tanham
It had been simple, back then, when all eyes shone with approval; when she was the young bride of the Queen’s Champion, Sir Philip Sidney. This daughter of the ‘Sworn’, – the inner cabal of those who had vowed to lay down their lives, without question, in the defence of their embattled queen – could do no wrong. He should be here, she thought, … Read More The Edge of Order: Frances Walsingham
by Steve Tanham
The Riddles of the Night weekend, created and hosted by Sue Vincent and Stuart France, reached a dark crescendo on the Saturday night. By dark, I mean the kind of physical blackness that comes with an early December trip to the middle of an ancient site at nine in the evening… After the all-consuming (Saturday) daytime visit to Robin Hood’s Stride, and the nearby … Read More Riddles of the Night (4) – Leaving the Temple
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