For the mystic, Easter is about symbols… Being doesn’t break through the barriers into normal life very often, though it is the very substance and energy of its existence. The
Category: Initiation
Petals of the RosePetals of the Rose
* Close your eyes, relax and prepare for an inner journey, breathing deeply and easily. You stand on a green mound by a sunlit sea. Far below you is a
The nothing of tasted darknessThe nothing of tasted darkness
“It’s a good time to meet nothing at the darkness cafe,” she said. It was many years ago and I had no idea what she was talking about… It was
the mysterious ladder of lifethe mysterious ladder of life
If I asked you to name a famous ladder, it’s likely that something quite ancient would come up as the answer: Jacob’s Ladder. It was the subject of a dream
The Magic of GatewaysThe Magic of Gateways
As a child, I found gateways to be magical places. I couldn’t verbalise why, but I knew that something happened when you walked through them. As adults, we can find
Fear and Love in the High Peak – part oneFear and Love in the High Peak – part one
It’s not the best of photo resolutions, but the above image says it all. Briony saluting the Derbyshire landscape in her own way at the end of three days of
The Cycle of LifeThe Cycle of Life
The approach of the autumn always makes me reflect on the nature of life; in particular the way the mysterious essence of life takes form and shape, ‘living’ for a
Half-seeingHalf-seeing
Image: ©️Stephen Tanham The spiritual teacher and philosopher Krishnamurti once wrote: ‘Recognition dulls the mind’. When I first read it, years ago, I disagreed with his proposition. Surely, I reasoned,
The Creature on the Beach Beyond ThoughtThe Creature on the Beach Beyond Thought
It lay there, head in the sky, gazing at the radiance. Its tail was still in the ocean of thought, the gentle waves urging it back where it belonged… The
Harlequin SolsticeHarlequin Solstice
Harlequin Solstice St John Kin A picture in the fading sun A race of fingers, digits Of Solstice long earned Short departed ➰ How little How sadly You are understood
Rites of Passage: Seeing beyond fear ~ A weekend with the Silent EyeRites of Passage: Seeing beyond fear ~ A weekend with the Silent Eye
As the June workshop in Scotland draws to a close, why not consider joining us in September for a weekend in the ancient landscape of stones, circles and strange places?
Gilgamesh descending (9)- final partGilgamesh descending (9)- final part
And now you will want an ending… Like day gives way to night, though there is no single point where we could all agree that it was either… Like the
Gilgamesh descending (5)Gilgamesh descending (5)
And now we must move swiftly, as the king’s heartbeat quickens with purpose. Again, he watches the Fate Dancers… and begins to see the depths of what they do. These
Gilgamesh descending (2)Gilgamesh descending (2)
I enter the temple at the head of the twin columns of the Dancers of Fate. Those of the kingdom enter behind their King in silent reverence as we pass
Rites of Passage: Seeing beyond fearRites of Passage: Seeing beyond fear
Rites of Passage: Seeing beyond fear A weekend with the Silent Eye Derbyshire, UK Friday 13th – Sunday 15th September 2019 We are all afraid of something. There are the
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
Being Here…Being Here…
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,
Unexpected Shaman (7, End) – King of Jaguar – Child of SunUnexpected Shaman (7, End) – King of Jaguar – Child of Sun
They placed him on a bier and tended his bruises and the flow of blood from his elbow. Bandaged and victorious, he was carried into the Temple of the Jaguars
Unexpected Shaman (5) – Life and Death on Kukulcan (repost)Unexpected Shaman (5) – Life and Death on Kukulcan (repost)
{(Reposted because of a scheduling error)} The count had reached forty steps by the time the newfound realised what was happening. Below him, the rising air from the plateau smelled,