I was up to meet the dawn on Saturday, finding the world covered in a heavy frost and very beautiful. The morning began with a guided meditation. The companions gathered
Category: psychology
Without wordsWithout words
Good morning. It is sunny today, with the sky a clear cerulean blue. My grandmother always said it was going to be a fine day if there was enough blue
The Big Picture (6) : Unshakable MineThe Big Picture (6) : Unshakable Mine
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;
The Big Picture (5) : A glass of silver wineThe Big Picture (5) : A glass of silver wine
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
Impression of Contentment…Impression of Contentment…
I never really got contentment. “Are you happy?” I once asked a friend. “No, but I am content,” was his reply. To me, it wasn’t enough. It seemed like accepting
The Big Picture (4) : a hammer of sortsThe Big Picture (4) : a hammer of sorts
As children, we lose ourselves in play and the toys or games that give the play structure: a skipping rope, chalk to mark out a court, balls to kick and
The Big Picture (3) : objects of desireThe Big Picture (3) : objects of desire
The word ‘object’ has many meanings; but none more mysterious and potentially wonderful as the meeting of spirituality with the findings of psychology’s Object Relations Theory… (1400 words; a ten
The Big Picture (2) : a portrait of the archerThe Big Picture (2) : a portrait of the archer
If we’re going to set off in search of the spiritual – as seen in humanity’s ‘internal pictures’, we need to have a more modern definition of what the ‘spiritual’
The Big Picture (1) : life and the imageThe Big Picture (1) : life and the image
We don’t live ‘in the world’… an outrageous thing to say, and yet it’s true. Well, if we don’t live in the world, where do we live? We don’t live
Changing tidesChanging tides
He tripped, catching the pointed toe of the winklepickers on the kerb. Righting himself he looked around, his eyes darting self-consciously to seek out any possible observer, even while he
Two journeys, one destination (6) – a Pictish horizonTwo journeys, one destination (6) – a Pictish horizon
With the wonderful Portmahomack behind us, it was time to meet the three Pictish stones that marked the horizon line of the Tarbat Peninsula. These would originally have been visible
Two journeys, one destination (5) – blood and stoneTwo journeys, one destination (5) – blood and stone
Writing without the other hand to steady him was hard, but the other was clamped on his thigh, holding back the flow of blood. The words on the vellum were
Two journeys, one destination (4) – two sides of the hillTwo journeys, one destination (4) – two sides of the hill
On the second day of the Silent Eye’s ‘Pictish Trail’ weekend, we are beginning in what is, for me, one of the most beautiful places in the world. Portmahomack is
Two journeys, one destination (3) – the mysterious PictsTwo journeys, one destination (3) – the mysterious Picts
‘The Romans were frightened of them…” I remember reading that the week before our Scottish workshop and being astonished. I knew the Picts had created some of the most mysterious
Two journeys, one destination (2) – InvernessTwo journeys, one destination (2) – Inverness
It begins in Inverness, that beautiful confluence of water, road and mountain. Like any journey through northern Scotland, it will be dominated by water… The year 2020 will be etched
The Entered Dragon (6) : figures in the mistThe Entered Dragon (6) : figures in the mist
Continued from Part Five Centre stage, the King smiles at us. His gaze is strong but gentle. As our eyes touch his, we feel the sense of purpose he holds.
The Entered Dragon (5) : a seat in the godsThe Entered Dragon (5) : a seat in the gods
Continued from Part Four The stage is set. The feeling of expectation is deep. In the darkness of the auditorium, we cannot see those sitting beside us. The stage is
The Entered Dragon (4) : the world withinThe Entered Dragon (4) : the world within
Continued from Part Three I know these posts, so far, have been intense. The picture painted by Carl Jung and his Jungian successors of our linked internal and external lives
The Entered Dragon (3) : beauty and the beastThe Entered Dragon (3) : beauty and the beast
Continued from Part Two The dream continues… We are frozen, the dragon and I. He cannot be seen, as he is mirroring my every move, behind me. My fingers explore
The Entered Dragon (2) : dancing with shadowsThe Entered Dragon (2) : dancing with shadows
This time the dream is different. I know the dragon is there, but can’t see it. But I can see the heavy spear on the ground in front of me…
The Entered Dragon (1)The Entered Dragon (1)
Like waking within a dream – or, at least, the point where the lucidity begins… I turn my head in the small theatre, expecting others to be smiling, if not
Keys to Heaven: Design…Keys to Heaven: Design…
* … By Fox! That is ‘Mister…’ to you. ‘C.J.’ – Charles James… * Sue saw the Banner Torches, unlit. I heard the drums. We both said in unison, “That’s
Keys to Heaven: Sobriety…Keys to Heaven: Sobriety…
* With our third term, ‘sobriety’, we start to rise… By accepting the control we attempted to impose on the world in our ‘planning’ and singularly failed to exert upon
Keys to Heaven: Gluttony…Keys to Heaven: Gluttony…
* The Norse God, Odin, hangs over all. His attendant wolves symbolise our lower self, and both their names can be translated, ‘greed’, which leads us to glut… * For
Keys to Heaven: Planning…Keys to Heaven: Planning…
* Baldrick, famously, hatches cunning plans which always back-fire. * Dick Dastardly, equally famously, hatches devious plans which always back-fire, and he usually has to be saved from destruction by