The wind howled at us as we left the car park to climb the strange hill to The Grianan of Aileach. It’s in the Republic of Ireland, near the border with
Category: silent eye school
Notes from Explorers (1) – The nature and function of the soulNotes from Explorers (1) – The nature and function of the soul
On the third Sunday of every month, the Silent Eye hosts a Zoom-based discussion to explore one of the core topics of modern mysticism. This series of ongoing posts will
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
It’s a liquid?It’s a liquid?
“It’s a liquid?” “Well, I’d say it’s a kind of liquid” “Because?“ “Because it’s warm and flows?” “And rises?” “Yes. Rises like a warm liquid rises.” “Could it not be a gas?”
Set in StoneSet in Stone
Set in Stone – remembering Sue Vincent on her birthday. The Living Land Weekends were born from a mad-cap day on Ilkley Moor and a number of subsequent events up
heroes in a landscape (6) fellowship of the shepherdheroes in a landscape (6) fellowship of the shepherd
Continued from Part Five… There comes a moment in any weekend event when the carefully cultivated sense of order breaks down… no matter how good the plan. At that point
A Poolewe diary (4) : Once upon a time in the far north-westA Poolewe diary (4) : Once upon a time in the far north-west
We’ve got to approach this, carefully… Or you won’t have as much fun as I did. Badacro Creek… I’m not sure there’s a ‘creek’ in there, but if there’s not,
The Light in the CathedralThe Light in the Cathedral
All cathedrals are places of wonder… Whatever your beliefs, the sheer scale of the construction, the devotion of effort and vision – often spanning centuries – humbles us as we
Painting the Universe (1)Painting the Universe (1)
There are some ‘big blocks of colour’ in an understanding of the mystical perspective – which is the inner truth of our lives. Even a cursory examination of these brings
Lakeland in Winter (1) Bowness-on-WindermereLakeland in Winter (1) Bowness-on-Windermere
I thought you might like a walk through Bowness-on-Windermere. It’s the place that most people think of as ‘Windermere’, but the actual town of Windermere is a 45 min walk
being beingbeing being
I usually write it with a capital: Being. But strictly it is just another noun, so it’s fine as simply being. Except it’s not…because that devalues its importance. Being is
seven christmas postcardsseven christmas postcards
This will be my penultimate post of 2021. After Thursday’s blog, I will be taking a break till the new year. Every December, I try to capture a set of
stepping back from the noisestepping back from the noise
Are we losing the spirit and purpose of quietness? Quietness and privacy are intimately linked. We need that space inside us that can’t be intruded upon. It’s a place to
Autumn and Arnside pastelsAutumn and Arnside pastels
At first glance, it has something of the ziggurat about it. In reality it’s the final bit of Arnside’s Victorian pier, taken from a short distance back in order to
how connected do we need to be?how connected do we need to be?
It’s a thought that began after I’d spent a full day writing in various forms: email correspondence, working on journals from our students in the Silent Eye, and preparing blogs
Nine Deadly Sins: The Eye for an ‘I’~ a book by Steve TanhamNine Deadly Sins: The Eye for an ‘I’~ a book by Steve Tanham
Their meetings are necessarily brief… seldom no more than a coffee, a momentary pause between the demands of life and work… but for John and Alexandra time matters less than
The second before the shutter of lifeThe second before the shutter of life
We were spending a few days in Alnmouth, a tiny Northumberland village with one of the best beaches in the country. I rarely get to swim in the sea these
Childhood’s end?Childhood’s end?
Some experiences are tiny and subtle; you don’t expect to remember them. But, days after, I was still thinking about that line of writing on the wall, in the last
The Cafe at the end of the Writing WorldThe Cafe at the end of the Writing World
“It used to be called, simply, vanity publishing,” a good friend said to me, recently. She is more than just a friend, she’s the kind of good friend who tells
A Deeper SummerA Deeper Summer
To a deeper sun I felt I had respondedSoft light behind the eyesLike crossing tidal lines upon a beachA scent, a fleeting touchA feeling words can seldom reachWith light like
Summer’s RetortSummer’s Retort
A circulating seedThat knows no deathFinds purchase in the soilOf spring’s awakened greenAnd in the silky, shortest nightExplodes. Born a child of solstice lightThe summer’s lust for lifeEmbeds itself withinThe
The Healing Art (part two)The Healing Art (part two)
“The healer must know themselves to be connected to something bigger, something vast in its power to help us… something entirely whole. The healer is not the source of the
The Healing Art (part one)The Healing Art (part one)
“Healing is about restoring the person’s power to heal themselves.” The old lady who said it was called Jean. Beloved of all us us at the Roiscrucian group in Manchester,
A Farewell to Sue VincentA Farewell to Sue Vincent
Today will be the funeral of our dear friend and fellow Director of the Silent Eye, Sue Vincent. Many words have been said over the past two weeks… Today is