Psychologists have often reminded us that we have a ‘dark side’. Yes, you… And me, too! Sigmund Freud, whose work was behavioural and independent of spirituality, gave us the famous
Category: modern mystery school
The Treachery of Morecambe BayThe Treachery of Morecambe Bay
The treachery of Morecambe Bay has been well-documented throughout its history. Volatile, unpredictable and downright dangerous are words often used to describe it by those in the know. A ‘sister’
Scaling the HeightsScaling the Heights
As a child, I remember asking the local vicar, “Where is God?” He looked at me, a little startled, and said, “God is everywhere!” I looked around, not meaning to
A Most Unlikely CastleA Most Unlikely Castle
James Dawson had an eye for a view. In 1840, he stood on the spot from which the photo below was taken. and decided to buy it. His advisors explained
No Stranger on the ShoreNo Stranger on the Shore
“Lead them in,” said the man who taught me much about composition in photography. “You’ve got to ferry those looking at your images into the core of the shot…” The
Thickening the PlotThickening the Plot
May 2023 is fast approaching, and that realisation puts urgency into the need to create the ‘physical’ part of the landscape workshop ‘Water, Circle, Cross’, the Silent Eye’s spring event
Bench MarchBench March
There’s something about March that is difficult to define… It’s a classically liminal month. Not quite the end of winter; not quite the start of the spring. You can be
A return to ManchesterA return to Manchester
For over two decades, the centre of Manchester was only a short journey from our offices in the rapidly changing landscape of Salford Quays – then a barren set of
Barriers to LoveBarriers to Love
Eight hundred years is a long way to look back and extract meaningful guidance about ‘today’s world’, and yet I can say with honesty that the historical figure whose wisdom
Age and the Inner LifeAge and the Inner Life
How old are we? It’s often a cruel question and we wrestle with the answer, knowing full well how many years downstream we are … but feeling, not too deep
Some Days DefineSome Days Define
Some days define… In this case the cold. The vastness of Morecambe Bay is sometimes defined by its light. In this case the deep blue of an early afternoon with
The Corridor of Love and limitationThe Corridor of Love and limitation
How do our lives feel? Do we walk free on an open landscape, protected only by our sturdy clothes and boots, yet guided by our sense of the sun’s position
Musings on a Silent NightMusings on a Silent Night
I received a nice little present from WordPress the other day: a certificate to say I had been blogging with them for ten years! Ten years… Where did they go…
The Eight with Two DotsThe Eight with Two Dots
I remember being a child and considering the Yin-Yang figure for the first time. It fascinated me. I felt like I couldn’t ‘see it’ properly – as though something about
Images of ConsiderationImages of Consideration
I read a lot into nature… I study the natural world around me carefully; a lot of my joy in taking photographs is that it helps me to ‘see’ what’s
Permission to be UpsetPermission to be Upset
(Above: An orderly bicycle. Photo and title by the author) I was watching a YouTube video the other day. Made by ‘Sadhguru’ – a favourite spiritual teacher. See end of
North by NorthwestNorth by Northwest
It sits over the ocean like one of the spice-navigated, space-time warping Guild Ships from Frank Herbert’s novel ‘Dune’. It’s probably an old lighthouse extended into a cafe…probably. In front
What if the Week didn’t exist? (2) : The Planting of Life-SeedsWhat if the Week didn’t exist? (2) : The Planting of Life-Seeds
At the close of last week’s post, we concluded that, although the ‘week’ was only broadly defined as a fraction of a moon-cycle, it had become an essential ‘container’ in
What if the Week didnt Exist? (Part One)What if the Week didnt Exist? (Part One)
I don’t know about you, but I find the week comforting… Over the years, I’ve built up a pattern of working through things that I need to do, in order
Representing the InvisibleRepresenting the Invisible
For this you were called, created, formed and made… The human mind has always sought to represent the invisible… A feeling might be represented by high art, such as Michelangelo’s
Orkney’s Hidden Jewel – The Stromness MuseumOrkney’s Hidden Jewel – The Stromness Museum
My iPad, on which I do most of my writing, these days, threw up a random picture of a marine clock the other day. I recognised it as dating to
Beyond The WinterBeyond The Winter
It’s at this time of year, when the nights are long and the days short and getting shorter, that we turn our attention to a what could unfold in the
Mind: Mover of the Soul 3b – birthday Pi?Mind: Mover of the Soul 3b – birthday Pi?
Why 3b? I’ve just discovered that the third post in this series published on Sun in Gemini, but not here. Why, I have no idea! Probably some ‘transient’ bug in
The Human Eye In WinterThe Human Eye In Winter
Within the blood of life, the love is colour: The lime-shine kiss of spring’s new fingers The rising sun, the heart of gold The mellow blaze as autumn lingers. And