There’s an old aphorism in the field of teaching mysticism: that if you endeavour to do something of significance; something that requires careful planning and even more careful resourcing, then
Category: Travel and photography
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
#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
a lighthouse of mana lighthouse of man
We have friends who live on the Isle of Man, a once-Viking stronghold which lies in the Irish Sea between England and Northern Ireland. Once or twice a year we
emerging from the mist…emerging from the mist…
There’s a certain amount of ‘fighting back’ in this. The long period of Covid restrictions, followed by a summer in which we all got a taste of gentle freedom again;
Return to RhosneigrReturn to Rhosneigr
We recently spent a few days on the island of Anglesey, just off the north-west coast of Wales. On the agenda was a personal return to Rhosneigr, an attractive village
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 City and the Stars (8) : LongshipsThe City and the Stars (8) : Longships
The traditional picture of the Vikings – looting, marauding, raping invaders – may not be entirely true of their time on Orkney, though they did rule this gentle archipelago with
The City and the Stars (7) : The Standing Stones of StennessThe City and the Stars (7) : The Standing Stones of Stenness
The Standing Stones of Stenness are reduced in importance compared with their former status. But 5,000 years ago, they were the stone circle for the Ness of Brodgar spiritual city.
Two journeys, one destination (9) – Dunrobin CastleTwo journeys, one destination (9) – Dunrobin Castle
The beautiful vision of the ‘fairytale’ Dunrobin Castle, seen here from across the bay during our visit to Portmahomack, had tantalised us with the reported splendour of its architecture and
Two journeys, one destination (8) – the thousand year fingersTwo journeys, one destination (8) – the thousand year fingers
Despite the world of the Picts being so far away in time, there was one man who reached back and ‘touched’ their minds with a language they shared… Art. (1300
Two journeys, one destination (7) – Rosemarkie, The Black IsleTwo journeys, one destination (7) – Rosemarkie, The Black Isle
Our final visit of the Saturday was to Rosemarkie, a beautiful village on the Black Isle, whose seafront looks south across the vastness of the Moray Firth. Rosemarkie was also
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
Dr Joy’s GardenDr Joy’s Garden
Real dedication, like an enduring friendship, is a quiet thing… I was standing, in the early morning light, with Tess, our Collie, in hand, entering a compact garden which overlooks
Horseman in the MistHorseman in the Mist
The lovely town of Cassel, near Lille in Northern France, is shrouded in mist – the same mist that had accompanied our first ever visit to the World War One
Keys of Heaven (4) – through the bones of the whaleKeys of Heaven (4) – through the bones of the whale
The pale winter sun lies – to our symbolic view – just beyond the East Cliff horizon. Its lowness and lateness in the cold sky speaks of the approach of
Land of the HeartLand of the Heart
This is a self-help exercise I developed recently. I call it ‘Land of the Heart’ It’s an exercise that involves the surrender of the small self that feels so much
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
Three Days of the Oyster-Catcher (Part 7 Final) Face to Face with MacbethThree Days of the Oyster-Catcher (Part 7 Final) Face to Face with Macbeth
We were standing in the car park near Drumin Castle. Dean was using the visitor map of the Glenlivet Estate to describe the day ahead. We were to begin by
Whispers of BabylonWhispers of Babylon
It is unlike anything you’ve seen before. If you were raised, like I was, on sci-fi, you’ll recognise the soaring structures that look like other-worldly trees; whose job is to