I’ve always been a bit artistic, but more of an illustrator than a painter. Sue Vincent was our painter, and a very good one – though she was modest about
Category: #Silenti
Reaching RealisationReaching Realisation
The purpose of language is to convey meaning. We cannot convey meaning directly because it exists in an invisible mental realm unique to the individual. We all live in slightly
#StillLight : Sunrise Ceramics#StillLight : Sunrise Ceramics
Once every two years we go to a local ceramics fair, held in the middle of the Cumbrian countryside. The majority of items are pricey ‘artisan’ pottery. We usually admire
Unsung Heroes: Hardwicke Drummond RawnsleyUnsung Heroes: Hardwicke Drummond Rawnsley
The man put down the copper piece. Its construction had taken months, each day a voyage of learning. The elderly and bearded tutor had been patient, his bright eyes –
Golden DaffodilGolden Daffodil
©Stephen Tanham 2022 Stephen Tanham is a Director of the Silent Eye, a journey through the forest of personality to the dawn of Being. http://www.thesilenteye.co.uk and http://www.suningemini.blog
Four New Horsemen of the ApocalypseFour New Horsemen of the Apocalypse
No-one needs reminding of the dangers we now face… ‘World War Three’ seems to be on everyone’s lips. There’s a danger of self-fulfilling prophecy about this, with images of clever
Rivers of the SunRivers of the Sun
And did we dare, upon these rugged Yorkshire hills. To dream we could, then frame in would, then do… Life mirrored in the human word, embracing those who spoke it
The Ejector-Seat of SelfThe Ejector-Seat of Self
Do we really understand mindfulness? It’s become one of those ‘must do more of that’ sentiments, as though we could press a button on the side of the head. Perhaps
The Pram at the CrossingThe Pram at the Crossing
The station at Przemsul was frantic. The kind of dirty, smelly and noisy frantic that signals a refugee crisis… I’ve seen a few. My grandfather lived through many and made
In my KitchenIn my Kitchen
It’s looking quite forlorn now The larder shelves are bare There’s a rocket in my kitchen And my kitchen isn’t there -:- He doesn’t want the kitchen That father carved
Dictators’ WayDictators’ Way
Devoid of real feeling, the Dictator treads a lonely way along his chosen, barren path. All around him is life – in its shared love and simplicity, but he stays
An Artist named GiselleAn Artist named Giselle
Geographically, it’s an unlikely partnership… One person in Victoria, Australia, the other in Cumbria… Giselle Bolotin is an Australian artist, but was born in Europe. She and I have never
emergenceemergence
Heavy metal, thinly sailed, is cast Like toy, and dropped onto the stone. Hedges bend, bow and form New writhing shapes – grotesques – Their twisted tongues malforming names Of
The Mystery of the Soul-ChildThe Mystery of the Soul-Child
One of the most enigmatic mysteries in spirituality is the idea of a ‘soul-child’ – the finding within us of a spiritual figure whose characteristics are those of purity and
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
forever in blue jeansforever in blue jeans
I remember finishing the count… And being astonished that there were fourteen of them. Suits… two and three piece suits. For younger readers, the three-piece ones were so called because
Language: Maker and Destroyer of WorldsLanguage: Maker and Destroyer of Worlds
I remember the admonition from decades ago, though I’ve forgotten who wrote it: Admire and beware language, for it frames the mind and blockades the spirit… Bold words; and possibly
the wings of the bird of Reason and emotionthe wings of the bird of Reason and emotion
Have you ever watched your own mind racing between thinking and feeling? Usually, just before it triggers something about which you have a long-term feeling of unease? We all do
Are we ‘book-fat’?Are we ‘book-fat’?
I’m not sure there’s ever been a rigorous definition of gluttony, but a series of incidents have made me wonder if we are suffering from its effects, in the form
THE HILL WITH TWO STATIONSTHE HILL WITH TWO STATIONS
Our small village, Sedgwick, near Kendal, has a landscape shaped in the classic terminal topography of ancient glaciers. This area of gentle, rounded hills is typical of the final stages
listening – an active magiclistening – an active magic
We were having dinner at the end of one of our business trips to California. On the next table at the small restaurant were an American couple from Arizona. We
a devil called timea devil called time
Time is an exceedingly curious thing…and much inner humour is generated in the course of exploring it. We don’t really know what time is. It might even be ‘no-thing’ at
Can’t help ourselves?Can’t help ourselves?
Over the past three years, I’ve been closely following the ever-accelerating development of robots. In an age where the use of military drones for ‘state-backed’ assassinations is not unusual, and
a testing christmas…a testing christmas…
It’s been a challenging Christmas and New Year… Two days before Christmas, my wife tested positive for Covid with a home lateral flow test. I immediately took the same type