Part 2. Rested, the group of pilgrims gathers beneath the vast presence of Bamburgh Castle. The castle was restored to its present glory by the 19th century munitions entrepreneur and
Category: Esoteric Psychology
Principles of Fire (6) A Tribe of TwoPrinciples of Fire (6) A Tribe of Two
“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
Principles of Fire (5) A Tribe of OnePrinciples of Fire (5) A Tribe of One
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
The Old Man in the TowerThe Old Man in the Tower
There was and is a tower, a tall, dark tower. One day, a fugitive – ragged but not lost – came to this tower. The tower stood beside a wild
Principles of Fire (4) Essence and ReunionPrinciples of Fire (4) Essence and Reunion
Continued from Part One of this topic In previous posts, we have seen that how we view and interact with the world is conditioned by how our egoic self has
Principles of Fire (3) Essence and OriginPrinciples of Fire (3) Essence and Origin
Part One It is unusual to be able to say definite things in the teaching of spirituality, and yet, with essence, we can… We can say three definite things: that
The Tyrant of Uruk…The Tyrant of Uruk…
* “The Eternal City of Uruk… See how its ramparts gleam like copper in the sun… Climb the ancient staircases up stone more ancient than mind… Approach the Temple of
The featherThe feather
There was a feather on his pillow when he settled down to sleep that last time. He had no idea where it had come from. If it was time
Castles of the Mind (ii)Castles of the Mind (ii)
Continued from Part One As the group walk through the arched entranceway to the interior of the castle, a new feeling emerges: one of ‘being in it, together’. The transition
Castles of the Mind (i)Castles of the Mind (i)
Like the best of ideas, it begins with a partly-seen ghost, the glimmer of an edge of something that will work…. Ideas are great, but, unless something is practical and consistent
Esoteric ShipbuildingEsoteric Shipbuilding
It was a ‘stream of consciousness moment’; one of those that acts like a time machine. The flash of memories cut right back to my childhood – seven or eight
The Magical RoundaboutThe Magical Roundabout
I remember the moment, a few years ago, when Stuart – one of my co-directors of the Silent Eye – said to me: “And that’s it, vanished in an instant:
A Candle in the MindA Candle in the Mind
If we wish to make a voyage into the self, we need a set of tools, with which to: a) Investigate, as objectively as possible, what this ‘me’ is doing.
Dwellers in TowersDwellers in Towers
A recent trip to the beautiful Northumbrian coast threw up a chance visit to Preston Tower, one of a type known as a ‘Pele Tower’ – a fortified place of
Of One Mind?Of One Mind?
To be of ‘one mind’: it’s an expression we don’t hear a lot of, nowadays, though it remains available to us in the language. Historically, it was used to
Identified Flying ObjectIdentified Flying Object
One of the key understandings in mystical thought is the idea of identity. Words morph their meaning over time, and identity is a classic case. We might think of the
Broken VillageBroken Village
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
The Time VampiresThe Time Vampires
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
Deep and PersonalDeep and Personal
“At what point should we expect the contact with the universe to become deep and personal?” The red-haired man in the corner had asked the question. He always sat in
The Edge of Order: Frances WalsinghamThe Edge of Order: Frances Walsingham
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 Dragon of Elizabeth’s Seas.The Dragon of Elizabeth’s Seas.
It is the beginning of May, 1587, and a man known locally as The Dragon is headed for Cadiz on Spain’s Atlantic coast. His mission is not peaceful. The act
She of the VoiceShe of the Voice
“Ra-bi-ya, Ra-bi-ya…’ As she surveys the black and white squares of the court before her, the song echoes in her head, a beloved memory of time spent, long ago, with
A Woman of Power and SubstanceA Woman of Power and Substance
It is the winter of 1584. The well-dressed woman watches as her fourth husband storms out of the dining hall at their present home, Tutbury Castle, in Staffordshire. In the
The Deadly Edge of Love (part 2)The Deadly Edge of Love (part 2)
(Continued from Part One of The Deadly Edge of Love) It’s the morning of 18th November, 1558. Robert Dudley is witnessing a miracle. In her dying months, Queen Mary, Elizabeth’s
The Deadly Edge of Love (part 1)The Deadly Edge of Love (part 1)
They were both young, though he was a year older; beyond childhood but not yet adults, not in the way that their lives would soon force them to be… They