Cimmerian Shadows

PULVIS ET UMBRA SUMUS

[portionsofeternity]

I'll never know you, but I hope you are well.

This was sent to me in 2019 and I never noticed. Many years and much life has happened since I stopped using this website like the injection of pure art into my veins. I come back to look at my old Tumblr sometimes, out of nostalgia and to remind myself what made life worth living for me during these times. This treasure trove of art, poetry and philosophy helped me find meaning in life back then. I have a lot of fond memories of the time spent on here and the interactions. I hope everyone I knew and remember is doing well.

I am well. As well as can be, but as solitary as I was then, once again. I'm older, and balding. Age comes to us all. But I hope I am a little wiser, and kinder.

I have looked back and noticed I had so many messages from people over the years, with encouragement against despair, compliments and even some lovely, though anonymous, sexual advances. You were all wonderful. I was too melancholy to engage with some of them at the time, others I wanted to keep to myself to remember that random strangers saw enough in me to show me kindness then.

If by chance any of you happen to return to my blog here, know that I appreciated all your words. If you ever want to reach out to me, you can message me on Instagram:

cimmerianshadows

Or the one I use most lately, which I created for photography experiments:

prometheus_drowning

Gabriel...on the off chance you ever read this, I still have your post card and the polaroids. I cherish them. It was a beautiful thing to make me a part of your art project, and one of the coolest things I've ever got in the mail. It is on display in my apartment, and I think of you. I came to my inbox to see I could find a message from you. I cannot find you on social media to thank you, but I hope you are doing well.

[yama-bato2]

©yama-bato

[ambermaitrejean]

Château d'Ussé. Rigny-Ussé, France. Photo by Amber Maitrejean

[mortem-et-necromantia-deactivat]

[portionsofeternity]

http://www.rebeccabathoryblog.com/urban-exploring-uk-coffin-house/

[globalchristendom]

A clergyman at St. Sama'an Church in Cairo, Egypt. (Credit: Hassan Ammar - AP)

[marmarinos]

Detail of an ancient Roman statue of a muse, perhaps Polyhymnia, dated to the 2nd century BCE. Parian marble. 

[thekimonogallery]

Chiiori House in Iya Valley, Tokushima Japan｜篪庵.   From the http://www.chiiori.org website: “The dream centers on Iya Valley 祖谷, the mythical mountainous region in the center of Shikoku, where Chiiori is located. Sometimes called the “Tibet of Japan,” Iya boasts Japan’s steepest ravines, and until recently preserved hundreds of old thatched houses perched on the misty hillsides.

The Chiiori dream, shared by many people over the years, is to find in Japan a place in the countryside that retains its original beauty, and there to build an eco-friendly community deeply rooted in Japan’s traditional culture. The many aims and activities at Chiiori include natural agriculture, preservation of old houses and rural life － and the creation of unique and forward-looking projects to revitalize the village. Hopefully these will serve as a beacon for other villages across Japan.”

[portionsofeternity]

Entering the Desert is one of the most visually pleasing and well formatted books I've ever held. The cloth standard edition is a pearl of simplicity infused with elegant detail. On aesthetics alone, it is my favorite looking book.

I've made a first read of the text and I definitely recommend anyone who is interested to make their purchase, as it is ideal for those who are making early forays into esotericism or are looking to deepen their current practice. Craig Williams LAc does an excellent job of distilling from traditional teachings the essential disciplines of mind and body that act as the stable foundation of any inner practice; a foundation I think is quite lacking in most individuals, myself included, and a foundation that requires consistent work and commitment.

This text is a precious key, and I'm incredibly grateful that Craig has written it, and that Anathema Publishing Ltd. has done such an excellent job in bringing it to publication, with this title as well as others. These are the people holding the torches in the darkness, and for them I have nothing but gratitude. Wonderful work.

[classical-beauty-of-the-past]

Temple of Hephaestus in Athens, Greece by Rabe!

[aizobnomragym]

Nicholas Roerich

“Song of Shambhala”

[loumargi]

Franz Ludwig Catel Monks in the courtyard of a monastery by the sea

[houghtonlib]

“Tempore patet occulta veritas” is a Latin motto meaning “Time reveals hidden truths.

Luis, de Granada, 1504-1588. Of prayer and meditation, 1596.

STC 16909.5 

Houghton Library, Harvard University

[speciesbarocus]

[M]edieval theologians translated the word “logos” not only as “verbum”, but also as “ars”: “verbum” and “ars” are interchangeable. Only together, as medieval theologians thought, do they convey the full meaning of the word “logos” expressed. “Logos” is not only a mathematical reason: “Logos” has a heart, “Logos” is also love. The truth is beautiful, truth and beauty go hand-in-hand: beauty is the seal of truth.

Pope Benedict XVI [x] (via speciesbarocus)

[tomasorban]

Callanish Stone Circle, Isle of Lewis, Scotland.                

[the-two-germanys]

[vulturehooligan]

The Sun and the Serpent | a Contribution to the History of Serpent-Worship.

Charles Frederick Oldham | London: Archibald Constable & Co., Ltd., 1905.

[totenbuch]

Statues in the sanctuary of the Great Temple. Abu Simbel.

[thatwhichdoesnotsuffer]

Man is a soul, and has a body. When he properly places his sense of identity, he leaves behind all compulsive patterns. So long as he remains confused in his ordinary state of spiritual amnesia, he will know the subtle fetters of environmental law.

Paramahansa Yogananda, Autobiography of a Yogi