…flit into my head as I walk the woodland sanctuary, for it is here that I feel able to simply be, unaware of even myself!
I imagine this is the same for most people, for it is in this state of unawareness that the creative mind begins to flow evenly, unstoppable.
It was in walking among the trees yesterday that thoughts began to emerge about writing and where it all began for me in earnest.
It was of course here at Bealtaine Cottage where I found “a room of ones own,” as Virginia Woolf referred to the creative space.
However it’s not just about space, but time also.
Here I have more time to simply be.
My brother Hugh understands the importance of creative space.
Hugh lives a solitary, happy life, in a small cottage without electricity, where he writes poetry and creates from hedgerow wood and excavated Bog Oak.
Although Hugh had never seen any of the images unearthed by Professor Marija Gimbutas, as she carried out her archaeological work in Old Europe, he was moved by the forces around his little cottage to carve this strikingly similar Bird Goddess image into an Ash walking stick for me. 
Much of the creativity I am immersed in is governed and directed on a deeply magical level by Mother Earth too.
I use the word “magical,” for what I cannot rationally explain.
I am, from this morning, in search of the Goddess in the landscape from Bealtaine to the Atlantic Ocean and surrounding countryside.
What began as a quest for Eden, thirteen years ago, has evolved into a quest to find the Goddess in all her secret wells, valleys, woods and mountain tops.
I have often wrote about her, dreamt of her and felt a need to help her rise from obscurity, for this land was the home of the Goddess before the importation of other belief systems.
My task is complete here.
To this end I am writing and photographing my next book as from today!
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. 
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:
This portal to the Otherworld: a place of being for the Celts, where life existed, but not as we know it!
The portal is the Old Fairy House, which was once the gateway to Kilronan castle. 
This ethereal looking gatehouse was created many years ago, when only horses and carriages travelled the roads of the west of Ireland. 
It was built in the vernacular tradition, using water worn limestone hewn from the surrounding earth. 
Many years have passed since a horse or carriage passed by… 
The entrance is no longer a part of the old estate. 
Here it stands, watching the centuries pass by, unimpressed by progress…and perhaps, if stones could talk… 
I have a notion to bring my video camera with me next time…would you like a video of this enchanting place?
Samhain, (pronounced “Sow-when”) is the most important time in the Ancient Irish (and Celtic) Calendar.
The time of Samhain starts at dusk, when the light and dark are in balance.
This was never regarded as a time of death, but a time of incubation for Mother Earth. 
It was the onset of Winter that allowed the Great Mother to get ready the seed for Spring. 
Samhain is the Celtic New Year’s Eve. 
It is at this time, between worlds, that the veil is thin. 
A time of possibilities. 
A time to pay honour to those who are no longer with us in human form.
This was a time of endings and the promise of beginnings, a time for stillness and reflection. 
It was understood that in the dark silence of Mother Earth, when all appears dead, comes the promise of new beginnings, the stirring of the seed beneath the ground.
It is on this night, some believe, that time stands still, allowing access to other worlds and into new consciousness. 
As I walked the gardens today, taking these photographs, there was a real sense of endings and beginnings, of approaching a marker in time.
A sense of anticipation and readiness for the sabbatical that is Winter…for Samhain means “Summer’s End” and as the Celts believed, this was Winter’s Beginning. 
As an integral part of their culture and interpretation of life, the Celts held strong the tradition of The Transmigration of Souls, a philosophy I believe in.
The Celts believed in two lands after death, the Underworld and the Otherworld.
The Otherworld was the abode of the dead. 
This is interesting, as it strongly suggests a “life alongside the dead”…and in that an understanding of the “Night of the Thin Veil,” 
Archaeological evidence has drawn attention to the richness of Iron Age tombs and the abundance of grave goods within them. 
There is literary evidence from Caesar that seems to confirm at least part of the Celtic Beliefs system. 
In his description of the Druids, he alluded to some of their lore that related directly to the movement of souls between one world and another or between one individual and another. He states:
Lucan (Pharsalia: I) stated that the Celts considered death as merely an interruption in a continuous life, as the spirit passed from one form into another, or from one world to another. 
Other writers, such as Diodorus Siculus drew attention to similar beliefs – that the soul was immortal and, as its body deteriorated with age, it simply moved to another, usually located in another world. 
And so we celebrate Samhain…
I have got a lot done because I made the decision last week to come off Facebook…and have shared my thoughts with you on this… 
I posted a number of pics on FB this morning, as so many people delight in seeing Bealtaine Cottage! 
It is, however, almost impossible to respond to comments left on FB as I simply do not have the time and am resolved not to negate my commitment to this blog and the second website at bealtainecottage.org 
Those of you who have followed this blog for any amount of time will be aware of the enormous workload I carry and will, therefore, totally understand this. 
Recently I came across this quote by Joseph Campbell and was deeply moved to meditate upon it for a while. 
I am determined to come away from this driven approach and relax into life more! 
I could do with taking lessons from Sammy-bear, seen here by the Catnip in the tunnel, out of his mind! 
Cats remind us all how we should relax…frequently and often! 
This is a dark time, filled with suffering and uncertainty. Like living cells in a larger body, it is natural that we feel the trauma of our world. So don’t be afraid of the anguish you feel, or the anger or fear, because these responses arise from the depth of your caring and the truth of your interconnectedness with all beings.
This is a bank holiday weekend here in Ireland, and also the great festival of Lughnasadh!
I will stride forth on Lughnasadh Eve to a high point on a nearby mountain to welcome in the new season and pay tribute to Mother Earth and in particular, Mother Ireland. 
To celebrate the season is to turn one’s back on the machinations, arrogance and hubris of Man, seeking instead, the warmth and generosity of the Great Mother…Earth, in all her beauty! 
Before I go, just to let you know, I am writing a blog on the Bealtaine Cottage Good Life website, all about using sheep wool in the tunnel as I prepare it for the Autumn/Winter sowing and planting.
And as the seasons come and go, here’s something you might like to know. 
For my part, I believe in the Sidhe and have often felt their presence. 
You may make of them what you will. 
Bealtaine Cottage is quite alive at all times and especially today, Midsummer, 20th day of June 2016. 
The veil is thin… 
This is of very special meaning to me and heralds the presence of my Mother, for this is her Angel sitting by a plant which was dedicated to her. 
The Realm of the Sidhe is a shadow land, carved out by the Tuatha de Danann following the defeat of the tribe in their last great battle. 
The Tuatha de Danann, the people of the Goddess Danu, were one of the great ancient tribes of Ireland. 