In preparing for the season of Yule, I follow the age old traditions of all the women who have gone before me.
Preparation is everything.
This begins in the home and involves casting an eye over all that will be of importance during this sacred time of gathering.
I am driven with the desire to instil a sense of order upon Bealtaine Cottage as the Midwinter festivities approach.
There is a history to this festival that precedes the usual image we hold as the collective ideal…that of a more recent celebration, Christmas.
The Winter Solstice has been celebrated for thousands of years.
It was celebrated by my Great Grandmother who lived in the cottage above.
Indeed, Newgrange here in Ireland, was constructed five thousand years ago, as a homage to the Midwinter Solstice, so this festival of Yule was immensely important to our ancestors.
This was because communities were not certain of living through the winter, and had to be prepared during the previous nine months.
Food and wine was ready to eat and drink ,as fruit fermented and animals were slaughtered as feed stocks dwindled.
Even during the morning, parts of the interior of this Irish cottage can be dim during the months of Midwinter.
Light is what our seasons are measured in.
Light was and remains the important aspect of winter and our ancestors realised the connection this had to all life.
That connection, that sense of knowing the elemental forces that governed their lives, was so important to them, that many monuments were erected to this end.
Here in Ireland, Newgrange is the most important, monumental reminder we have of this elemental connection.
So today has been a day of tidying and ordering…cleaning the area around the cottage, sorting wool, and listening to gentle music as I go.
For lovers of Bealtaine Cottage and all aspects of ancient Celtic life and Goddess Permaculture found therein, there is a second website, growing daily and now with over 90 new blogs and several thousands of unseen photographs, as well as podcasts and stories… Visit:
I would like to know more about the spiral on the rock.
I will talk about this on a future podcast, Gloria. Blessings XXX
blessings to you , I will be doing the same I am also a pagan and follow the seasons and all that they bring, yule for me is very special time of year I bring in all that is natural and seasonal to decorate my home 🙂 love and light , tracey x
It’s a lovely way of appreciating the Earth and thanking her for the green in winter and the promise of continued life. Blessings XXX
Since I first logged into your blog I have loved your candle holders , they are beautiful. My nephew came up to us this weekend on a visit from Cornwall. He has just started an Apprentiship in welding so he has promised to make me one in the new year. How lovely is that . Heartwarming words and photos as usual Colette thank you . Blessings xxxx
There is nothing quite so wonderful as a handmade gift…lucky you! Blessings XXX
This is beautiful. Thanks so much. I plan to only celebrate the REAL Important Organic and natural holidays myself from now on!
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They’re all outside of the corporate lunacy! Blessings X