Category: Angels
For millennia, ancient peoples have harnessed the power of crystals, using this power to release mental, physical and spiritual blockages. 
You will have seen crystals whirling from trees across the gardens and hanging in windows around the cottage. 
On a cellular level, our bodies and quartz crystal are both made up of mineral silicon-dioxide. 
When crystals are placed directly on your body, they have a powerful vibratory effect that surges from the crystal to you. 
Those who are aware of the changes taking place, will seek to develop their consciousness, realizing that much of what we are is related to energy. 
The importance of energy is now being revealed to us, as we move away from the strictures that bind.
I use crystal energy pieces to serve as a tool to help the thoughts of my own consciousness connect with the environment I have sought to create here at Bealtaine Cottage. Many refer to this as manifestation. 
Each one will be wrapped in fresh Sphagnum Moss taken from the land here, as a unique way of preserving the integrity of the crystal. 
The Second Coming
There is a madness rising in the world.
I feel it quite severely.
Seek sanctuary in the sacred…your life, your family, your friends…but especially your home, Mother Earth. I hope against hope to keep beauty alive in this little place.
Politicians drag their overblown egos to parliamentary podiums to huff and puff their cursed words of war .
There is nothing to stop their vile spewing of death and revenge, for our media is the dog that laps at the floor!
In a desperate attempt at solace, I turned into the pages of a book.
I was in search of inspiration, any small morsel of comfort, or even defiance.
I picked up an old poetry book of mine and randomly opened it to find Yeats and this…
The Second Coming was penned in the stunned aftermath of WWI.
This time, I fear it takes the place of a prologue… for what lies ahead.
THE SECOND COMING
Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Surely some revelation is at hand;
Surely the Second Coming is at hand.
The Second Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles my sight: a waste of desert sand;
A shape with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Wind shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at last,
Slouches towards Bethlehem to be born?
William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)
Angels
Embracing one’s journey means being ready for change.
To be ready, one has to be open and receptive.
This morning I searched for an explanation of what I experienced in my dreams; the kind of dreams that seem real, so real you get confused, almost trapped between two realms; that of sleep and wake.
Before going to bed, I went through the usual ritual of walking Jack around and under the trees near the cottage.
The moon was full and very bright…it had risen late.
The night was still and the moon was rising in a cloudless sky.
The West of Ireland enjoys many nights of star-filled skies and amazing moons, but last night there was a strange feeling in the air…something akin to an ethereal experience.
My rational mind simply couldn’t engage with it; I couldn’t explain what I was feeling.
I must have fallen asleep quite quickly after going to bed, for the dreams I experienced seemed to go on and on.
My dreams were filled with angels, small moth-like beings that were also fairies, yet I knew there were angels.
Isn’t it a strange experience to have rational thoughts in a dream and “know,” what things are about?
As I walked through what appeared to be the world, the angels flew around and around like butterflies, whispering to me and making me smile.
I don’t know what they said, but the whispers were happy and reassuring in their tones.
Recently, like many of you, I have felt anxious and disturbed to see what humanity has done; atrocities committed and the blood of innocent children spilled so casually.
The threat of war prevails.
Weather has become violent and unpredictable.
All around, this violence pollutes the Earth and humankind.
We stand near a precipice and dare not acknowledge it!
However, upon waking, all my anxieties had disappeared…I felt renewed!
I have felt for a very long time, indeed for the past ten years, that the Earth is trying to communicate with us.
Mother Earth is desperate for us to live in peace with her, rather than against her!
Living in the simple way I do has allowed me time and space to consider her.
There are no distractions at Bealtaine Cottage, no TV, radio or harsh intrusions, yet still I sense the formidable force of what lies beyond the gardens…it is dark indeed!
There is a mighty transition taking place and those who would destroy are on a final rampage across our Sacred Earth.
In the midst of all this darkness, I believe there are forces of light, unseen at most times, but gathering and sharing strength.
Yes, we are living in a time of Apocalypse, but please, remember what the true meaning of the word really is…’lifting of the veil.’
Take heart…we are not alone.
The word,“apocalypse” comes from Ancient Greek and pre-dates the Bible.
To source the word one has to look to writings from that period.
It is there.
Apo=un
Kaluptein=to cover
Apokaluptein=uncover
Apokalupsis, from ancient Greek, to modern Greek then into Old French/Latin=Apocalypse.
The original meaning is lost in translation, though it is relevant to point out that the word is found in the Book of Revelation. Revelation coming from “reveal” or uncover!
Does make one think, does it not?
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The Tipping Point Moment
“Right now over 70% of the world population is convinced that something serious has to be done about the dangers facing the planet. …Most of humanity wants to know how to make the change. It’s one of those tipping-point times where things can change unbelievably fast…”
~ Paul H. Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson, The Cultural Creatives
Words of wisdom.
Words of vision.
The coming times; a glimpse of what’s to come.
These times are infused with uncertainty and fear.
Many people deal with this by switching off.
The Tipping Point has arrived.
Most of us know this to be a truth.
We know it deep in our hearts.
There is a panic among those who hold power over us.
This is manifested in the shifting sands of policy as things appear to fall apart.
Our governments have sown the seeds of chaos…in what they have done and what they have failed to do.
The most insidious, Machiavellian, duplicitous human beings are rampaging and corralling us all into dark times.
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.”
― W.B. Yeats, The Collected Poems
For several years, as I have written this blog, and photographed the exquisite and the beautiful that is Mother Earth, I have attempted to inspire and encourage a return to Mother Earth.
For those who dwell close to her, quickly find the connection to life and spirit they have searched for, and in the finding is birthed a renewed sense of humanity, compassion, goodness and joy.
These are the values we have, as humans, innate within us.
The intuitive, intrinsic, spontaneous gifts of the Divine which make us as one.
Those we have elected as Trustees of Our Planet are conjuring wars, corruption, hatred and despair; thrusting us into the darkest of times.
As the falcon turns, hold on tight to what you know to be the truth.
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Bealtaine Cottage is free and has over 850 blogs, as well as over 3,500 photographs.
Bealtaine Cottage Good Life is a mere 12 euros per year and allows me a small income, to keep doing what I love doing most…writing about Mother Earth and photographing her.
To subscribe, a small donation of 12 euros per year, will add your name to the subscriber list.
Click on button below to join the website…
Thanks for your support!
Morning
Morning in the west of Ireland on a perfect day in late June.
The back door of the cottage is open; wood pigeons call softly to one another as blackbirds swoop noisily in and out of the blackcurrant bushes, feasting on the heavily laden stems.
Morning…full of stillness and promise, the prelude to a hot, dry day of high summer.
The cottage will remain a cool sanctuary, as the heat of the day rises golden over the hill of Ballyfermoyle.
Birds will swoop along paths of shade, wings outstretched catching the earthy updraft of chill.
“Summer was our best season: it was sleeping on the back screened porch in cots, or trying to sleep in the treehouse; summer was everything good to eat; it was a thousand colors in a parched landscape; but most of all, summer was Dill.”
― Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird
“Summer set lip to earth’s bosom bare, and left the flushed print in a poppy there.”
― Francis Thompson
The hill at the back of the cottage captures the sounds of the birds, holding them close before echoing onto the walls and through the open door into the cool recesses of the stone.
Leaving this sacred place would never sit easy in my heart, for all that is Bealtaine Cottage has been co-created with the great Mother: Earth, Gaia, Nature…whatever insufficient name we draw upon to express the mystery of the Divine.
My dream to plant a forest will come to pass…in some divine way…
I dream and manifest the vision in sleep and wakedness.
One day, a beautiful morning such as this will shine through onto a young forest floor, illuminating the darkness of a greed-stricken world.
Game of Thrones
Western skies move slowly, as clouds bank up from the Atlantic Ocean.
Warm air merges with rain sodden earth and the mist rises, wisping it’s way over mountains, that sweep down to bog and lough on the western shores of Europe.
Ireland moves inexorably towards Midsummer and Solstice.
The settlements dotting the landscape are timeless, houses today, cottages not so long ago and earth forts before that.
Mountain, sky, water and earth hold the memory of past lives, all gazed upon by peoples from the past, invader and native alike.
This land has captivated the hearts of countless generations, breaking many on the way.
Revered as sacred, farmed and fought over, grown men have wept unashamedly, as they left from the American Wake, never to return.
Everything we have comes from the land; food, clothes, homes, furniture and health…especially health.
The cycle of life is bound, woven tightly, into the land.
We are woven into the land, despite the layers of seeming impermeability we weave between ourselves and the sacred earth.
In these days of threat and uncertainty, as our leaders play out the dangerous game of thrones that threatens war, our return to the land affords us time of calm and meaning.
We inhabit one very small and exquisitely beautiful planet in a universe of dying stars.
We are of stardust itself…united on this small, blue, beautiful planet.
The Memory of Eden
What is it that makes so many farmers and gardeners want to burn vegetative material?
The same happens here in Ireland, a country with the lowest tree cover in all of Europe!
This is essential for building soil, in fact is the only thing apart from erosion of rock, that actually gives us soil.
Our connection to the soil is vital, for it gives us our food.
Those who fail to make that connection are doomed to starvation and loss of habitat.
Loss of habitat means certain death.
Is this what is happening all over the Earth right now?
It appears to be so.
Disconnection!
Earth is not a thing we live upon, but Gaia, as described by James Lovelock.
Gaia is affected by everything we do, every breath we take, every loving or hateful action we do to her.
The collective consciousness we inhabit is being infused by her cries…there are those who are evolved enough to hear and respond, and those who willfully lock themselves out from the trauma our planet is enduring.
The latter will have to watch their step for Mother earth is angry and will not abide!
I believe that we are each a part of the Divine Consciousness and dependent on every other living thing.
I see this grasp of understanding, manifesting in so many people now, that it really lifts my heart!
There is a fusion happening.
This fusion is bringing us all together with all life, every last atom of it!
For those who embrace this, there is a sense of pure joy bestowed upon us by that Consciousness.
For those who continue on the path of hate and spite, dominance and abuse, there can only be fear and a deep dark corner of a dying planet.
The atoms we carry within us were once part of the Milky Way, of stars long since vanished back into the Divine Consciousness.
We carry Eden within us.
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Bealtaine Cottage is also on YouTube…with over 110 videos about Permaculture, planting, growing and living.There are almost 700 blogs in the archives on this site.I write, photograph and film, in a small way, to give a voice to Mother Earth.
Angels and Animals in an Irish Cottage on Christmas Eve
Christmas Eve at Bealtaine Cottage.
Snow has fallen.
The air is cold and a bitter wind blows.
It rained hard last night and the streams are in flood.
The blackbirds are hungry and have taken to stealing cat biscuits from the bowls on the veranda!
The blackbirds are clever creatures and have watched both cats enter the lodge through the cat door, where they now sleep away the day, their bellies filled with food and milk.
Jack stays by my side, in and out of the cottage, as I work.
Jack looks out for me and is a wonderful friend and guardian angel!
This is a difficult Christmas for many who are without basic necessities.
I am thankful to have a well stocked pantry and woodpile.
For many, food and heat are major problems in their everyday lives.
It’s good to give thanks for a warm home and a full plate.
May you all enjoy both this Christmastide…
An Irish Christmas Blessing
The light of the Christmas star to you
The warmth of home and hearth to you
The cheer and good will of friends to you
The hope of a childlike heart to you
The joy of a thousand angels to you.
Happy Christmas!
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This will be my last blog for a little while as I am taking some time out.
Blessings to you all X
Penny Power
The important fact is that we are amazingly powerful as consumers.
I refuse to give money to any corporation or anyone who is involved in the rape of Mother Earth.
I don’t use gas in my cottage, not even a lighter, for I refuse to support fracking.
That is my bottom line and what I work towards with all the energy I have…bit by bit…
I believe in Penny Power, for as one of the biggest supermarkets in the UK and Ireland says in their advertising, “Every Little Helps!”
And with the small amount of money I have, bit by bit!
When I was transforming this cottage and land by planting, it was done bit by bit, tree by tree, plant by plant…
The effect was cumulative, for every little bit helps…doesn’t it?
With enough people withdrawing their money, from the destroyers of our planet…
And empowering themselves and others,we will see real change…bit by bit!
Now, that’s what I call power!
Small Things…
Keeping time.
Morning merges into early afternoon.
There is a seamlessness about the work on this last day of September.
Cutting wood, cleaning windows, stringing chillies, all merging as the day progresses.
Somewhere, in the distance, a crow calls its lonely caw…it’s repetitive and makes me think an animal has caught it…perhaps a fox.
I have watched the fox make it’s way across the rushy fields, darting here and there among the clumps of withering green.
Deep in the Fairy Wood, cutting and stacking with my little handsaw, all I experience from the outside world are noises of life without.
Che-Mousy-Bear stays with me as I work.
Once so very timid, he is finding his own place in this world, where he initially found only rejection.
I love him for having the tenacity to stay with it all…one of the small things that weave the tapestry of life here at Bealtaine.
Time to brew a pot of tea and stoke the stove…working on the land is fluid, as the day progresses.
I am obsessed with hearts.
I have no idea why, but the shape draws me in.
I see hearts everywhere.
They fascinate me.
The work of the day continues with juicing apples for saving in the freezer.
Autumn changes the colours of the trees surrounding the cottage.
It seems that the view from this window changes every time I pass it…
Tiny webs configure across and around the Celtic Knot, too beautiful to clear away.
The woodland beckons…
I write and post about Bealtaine Cottage, on this website, as well as making and posting Youtube (ad-free) videos, about permaculture and life at Bealtaine Cottage, to provide inspiration and empowerment for all seeking a better way of living on this precious Earth.
Donations help me do that 
Monday Morning in the Permaculture Gardens
Recycling waste cardboard in the permaculture gardens of Bealtaine Cottage…part of the work programme for today as I continue to make new beds that will be planted out in the Spring.
It is early morning here in the west of Ireland and the sun is playing hide and seek…a beautiful, warm autumnal morning.
The kind of day that makes one feel so good to be alive and out in Nature!
The abundance of the harvest continues.
Work is ongoing in converting the Lodge to a workshop and shop.
The apple harvest is bountiful…nine years of apples and no chemicals, sprays or other tampering with Nature!
Tomatoes are falling out of Potager beds…these are the seeds that Tara Angell sent me from New York…Black Tomatoes.
This is the potager bed I made with students in a workshop this summer. There is no soil in it, just home made compost and shredding mulch.
In fact, all the seeds sent to me this year and last are growing magnificently here in the west of Ireland, in these north facing gardens of poor, thin soil!
As I walked through the gardens I noticed the abundance of berries for the birds this winter…a sign of cold days ahead!
This huge shrub almost dominates the apple trees in the orchard…keeping the wild birds fed and happy!
What is a garden without birdsong?
Have a good week ahead everyone!
Enjoy the rest of the photographs taken this morning here in the permaculture gardens of Bealtaine Cottage…
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Permaculture Harvest despite Chaos!
The permaculture harvest continues, along with the increasing numbers of visitors to Bealtaine Cottage.
Garlic is harvested, dried and stored…just in time for re-planting the crop for next year, in just a few more weeks.
As the world teeters once more on the brink of chaos, in the forms of war and nuclear contamination from Fukushima, getting the harvest home and planning for next Spring is a way of keeping one’s sanity!
It’s also a way of nurturing optimism and hope for the future!
Tomatoes are everywhere in the gardens and tunnel.
I let them do their own thing and they have produced wildly!
All the tomatoes are late, but then the summer was dithering in and out of Spring this year!
Even the Perlagoniums in the photo above are in late flower after several months of sleepy time!
As the summer fades into Autumn, the light changes inside and around the cottage in the most delightful ways.
Shadows prevail in unfamiliar places, making all look quite different.
Onions, Blackcurrants, Peas and Broad beans are all stored for the year.
I am continuing to use the remainder of last year’s Blackcurrants!
More wine I think!
I was invited to give a talk to the Green Party recently and am invited to give another talk at an Arts festival in Connemara…along with a wine making demonstration, so will be finding use for excess Blackcurrant crops!
Shadow play on the door of the Lodge…isn’t this beautiful?
This is a good place to dry herbs when the stove is lit, as it gets very hot very fast!
I noticed that there is a bumper crop of Blackberries on the hedgerows this Autumn.
I looked up some old recipes for using Blackberries, so will be collecting them and saving them in the freezer, ready to use in a plethora of delicious recipes!
Food for free and lots of it!
The new compost heap is being stacked up daily, so am already thinking about next planting season!
There is a slight chill in the air, heralding Autumn as it transits into cooler times.
It’s a good idea to wear cotton scarves around shoulders and neck and take them off indoors!
Along with all the food harvested, there is an abundance of seeds to bring in and herbs to dry and store.
This is also the time to begin collecting tree seeds to sow in pots…something I do every year!
As I work, show visitors around, harvest and continue building my workshop, Missy snoozes, oblivious to it all!
The Transmigration of the Soul
The Romans conquered Europe, but resolutely refused to invade Ireland, despite ruling England, Wales and Scotland for several hundred years.
Recently I have made a concerted effort to find out why this was…Why continual Roman Emperors left Ireland alone…?
What crops up in my investigations time and again, is the issue of the ancient Celtic belief in the transmigration of the soul.
This was not just something that was taught by the Druids, but an unshakeable conviction in the afterlife…one so strong, that it made them absolutely fearless in battle.
Transmigration of the soul is a doctrine of reincarnation.
Within this belief, spirits may be reborn into any of nature’s forms – human, animal, or even inanimate things, such as trees and water.
This is supported by evidence from the ancient Celtic Heroic tales.
The Greek writer Diordus Siculus (c. 60 BC – 30 AD) noted that the Druids believed “the souls of men are immortal, and that after a definite number of years they live a second life when the soul passes to another body.”
The Greek philosopher Strabo (c. 63 BC – 21 AD) observed the Druids believed that “men’s souls and the universe are indestructible, although at times fire and water may prevail.”
Julius Caesar wrote of the Celts “They wish to inculcate this as one of their leading tenets, that souls do not become extinct, but pass after death from one body to another, and they think that men by this tenet are in a great degree stimulated to valour, the fear of death being disregarded.”
This was most troublesome for Julius Caesar, as he realized this race would not be easily defeated and thence subjugated.
The Roman Empire was all too aware of what happened when the British Celts, under their Queen Boadicea, decided to revolt against Roman tyranny.
The Celts, led by their Queen, cut a mighty swathe through the Roman settlements, towns and armies in England, almost wiping out Roman occupation!
The Romans had raped the daughters of Boadicea, making her watch…the entire Iceni Tribe rallied behind the dignity of their queen and against the tyranny of such barbarians as empire breeds.
As for the women of the Celts, Roman Diodorus Siculus wrote of them, saying, “Among the Gauls the women are nearly as tall as the men, whom they rival in courage.”
Amicus Marcelling states – “A whole troop of foreigners would not be able to withstand a single Celt if he called his wife to his assistance”
Julius Caesar was frightened of the Celts, despite the mighty legions of Rome.
This is a truth I carry today…to be steadfast and resolute in holding fast to what I believe to be right.
Blessings X
A Magical Midsummer Morning…
Happy Solstice everyone…
In this special year of the return of the Divine Feminine…
There will be a full moon on Sunday, June 23…
And it’s a rather special one…
The biggest moon at Midsummer
It will not only be the largest full moon of the year…
It will also be the moon’s closest encounter with Earth for all of 2013.
The moon will be at it’s peak on Sunday…
Celebrate this Solstice…it’s a rare one!
I’m heading to the ocean for a long walk along the Atlantic shoreline…
My Midsummer Treat!
Happy Solstice Everyone!
Bealtaine Cottage is also on YouTube…with over 110 videos about Permaculture, planting, growing and living.
Over 550 blogs from Bealtaine Cottage in the archives here.
Thank you for supporting this blog
An Angel at Sunset
Sun and rain has enabled wonderful growth.
The rocket stove has allowed me free tea all day…just a few twigs to boil the water.
The Potager beds are filled with plants and new growth, as the seaweed is watered in by the Atlantic rains.
Last year’s Blackcurrants are being emptied from the freezer to make this year’s wine.
The race is on to use the remaining harvest from last year as the summer promises yet more abundance.
The brilliance of this sunset beckoned me out to capture it in photograph and share it with you!
There is a mist descending on the mountain.
The bats are beginning their night patrol.
The day is almost over.
The sun is setting in the west.
It is 10pm.
Bealtaine Cottage is also on YouTube…with over 100 videos about Permaculture, planting, growing and living.
Thank you for supporting this blog
Fracking the Homestead
Home used to be a place where everything that was needed to live well was grown or made on site by family and neighbours.
A place in which food was prepared several times each day and shared by all present.
Many basic necessities were stitched or nailed together by those who used them.
Home used to be a vibrant, thriving project in self-sufficiency, with what was needed to be bought in, purchased on a rare trip to town, or ordered several times each year, to be delivered and stored.
- Missy relaxing on a hot water bottle to ease her tumour…it works well!
Home included a pantry or larder, a cold-store and a well used and scrubbed kitchen table where food was prepared and eaten.
- Valerian growing in the gravel around the cottage
Today, as part of the massive disconnect from our lovely Earth, we have fitted kitchens which are made from chemicals and constantly cleaned with chemicals.
- Orange waste infusing the air with beautiful aroma on top of the stove
The emphasis is on keeping a show-house type of environment, where these expensive kitchens are not used to their full potential.
- A great cure-all…hot water bottle for Missy Cat
Our lives are chemically infused…with clothes, bedding and bodies immersed in chemical solutions on a daily basis.
- Washed in soap, rinsed in rain water and blowing in the wind
Washing machines pound the clothes we buy with chemicals that are washed out into our rivers and oceans, killing life on the way.
- The Bealtaine Cottage angel ponders it all…
We wonder how cancer, autism, asthma, allergies and depression are so rife within our communities?
We seek doctors and drugs to help us live and be well, without paying too much attention to our living state and what the corporations are doing to our environments.
- Recycled floor
Pharmaceutical companies are the most powerful corporate bodies on our planet.
In the US alone in 2011, the pharmaceutical industry spent nearly $29 billion on drug promotion with most of that money targeted at doctors!
We are taught not to question, but to accept the status quo of a controlled demolition of society…
- A government sponsored controlled demolition of our society!
We are viewed by corporation and government alike, as mere consumers. Passive receivers and worker drones.
- Awakening and refusing to comply!
The realization of this state of affairs is the beginning of our personal journey to freedom and a good life.
Wonderful July 2017 Update!
Our Irish Government has passed the bill to ban Fracking in Ireland!
This was signed into law by President Higgins in July 2017!
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May Morning in Ireland
A May morning at Bealtaine Cottage.
Looking through the front door, the sky is grey, but the trees are all greening up!
The roses on the veranda are ready to burst into bloom quite soon!
Arabica floods the stone walls of the Angel planter and Poppies are still bulbous eggs waiting to open near the Buddleia.
Colour is just waiting to spring forth!
These are the Tulips this morning at the back of the cottage under one of the Beech trees.
The early morning rain sits atop the still closed petals.
The drive-way up to the cottage is filling out with greens, reds and whites as the trees take on their new mantles of summer cover.
Parsley and peas growing in one of the raised Potager beds at the back of the cottage this morning.
You can see the shreddings and seaweed!
I recently moved the garden table and chairs to this sheltered little spot near one of the Potager raised beds…near enough to the back door to nip out with my tea!
Lots of Honesty, (Lunaria), in bloom this morning under the shelter of the Laurel arch.
Crocosmia, Columbine and Geranium are growing up alongside.
These little rockery flowers have blossomed in this earth pot for years now.
They sit atop an old iron fireplace filled with shamrock and watched over by Buddha.
You Feel It Too…Don’t You?
Something quite extraordinary is happening.
More and more people are finding words to express it.
The Great Mother, Our Earth, is in contact with us.
I heard her voice nine years ago, as she led me here.
There were no words at that point, that could articulate, the reasons for why I changed my life or my thinking.
I have had to immerse myself, into the rhythm of the seasons, for the words to be formed.
I imagined, at first, that I was on my own and it was a personal journey.
These past few years, writing this diary of Bealtaine Cottage, have led me to understand I am not alone.
A growing swell of people are being contacted…not by anything from beyond this Earth, but from a power deep within the Earth itself… the life force of the planet.
We are being guided, just as a mother guides her child, towards safety.
The perception of separation from our Mother has gone, as we awaken and expand the collective consciousness that connects us to her.
My friend David from the United States reminded me of this today.
We are not alone…
Bealtaine Cottage is also on YouTube…with over 85 videos about Permaculture, planting, growing and living.
Over 500 blogs from Bealtaine Cottage in the archives here.
Donations are always welcome.
Thank you!
Thank you for supporting this blog
March Progress in the Permaculture Gardens of Bealtaine Cottage
Arabica in flower today around the raised stone bed.
This beautiful, perennial flower was originally planted as a little cutting in the raised bed, underneath the Cotoneaster, but escaped and is on the run…long may it remain free!
I constructed another compost heap over the weekend and here it is!
Easy enough to make as I used materials that were either lying around…the broken plastic sheeting, tucked into hoops of willow…masses of willow cut back and lots more to come!
I was donated two huge sacks of shredded paper from a local company, so that went into layers in the heap!
Visiting males get the compost activated…ssh! don’t tell…they pee on it!
A really super compost activator!
The little pots of mint are now near the open door of the tunnel, growing sturdier in the cool breeze every day.
I placed the pots into this wooden box, I made from driftwood years ago.
The piece of wood on the front was attached with a screw…it seemed too lovely not to include!
I transferred the fennel into bigger pots as they need lots of root space to stretch out…this is bronze fennel!
The home made poly tunnel green house is now eight years old.
Nothing has been changed on it and the plastic has held in well as it is washed twice a year and has remained as tight as a drum!
I love days like this as it seems almost necessary to simply walk the land and enjoy the Spring.
Happy Equinox…Happy Ostara to all!
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Celtic Art and Intuition
I love art and endeavour to surround myself with colour and creativity as much as possible.
The artwork of the Celts holds a particular fascination for me, especially the use of colour and knotwork.
I’m particularly fond of Celtic artwork.
And even use it on the seed packs I post out all over the world…
and the cards I make!
It’s everywhere in and around Bealtaine Cottage!
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The spiral symbols represent eternal life, and the intricate knotwork, spiritual growth.
The key patterns are a continuation of spirals and form complex labyrinths.
This is one of my favourite throws as the design of the labyrinth represents the spiritual search for the Divine.
Flo sits watching over my sleeping mother!
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This is a walk around the gardens of Bealtaine video that I have filmed today and posted for you to watch on YouTube…
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Thank you for supporting this blog
An Angel in the Snow
The wind howled all night as it carried snow in from the Atlantic Ocean.
The moon drifted downwards as the sun rose.
Somewhere in-between I got up and lit the stove, walked the dogs and returned to settle into a hunker-down day in the cottage.
As I write, the dogs are in their baskets and the cats are lounging on the sofas.
Animals know when it’s cold and really appreciate being indoors!
Che-Mousy-Bear is purring loudly on the sofa nearby my desk.
Sam sits opposite.
Stereo purring!
This kind of weather often makes an appearance after Spring has been called.
The Primroses and Daffodils don’t seem to mind.
They know it won’t last!
The snow is soft and fluffy with little ice and no frost.
The wind has settled down and the sun is shining.
Today I shall work in the tunnel, sowing herbs and pumpkins…it’s Spring, even if there is snow!
Indoors I am sorting seed and making Smudge Sticks for sale in the Bealtaine Cottage Shop.
A big pot of vegetable soup is on the menu…just the thing on a snowy day!
Preparing for the Collapse.
Over recent months it has become more and more apparent that there is a massive problem rolling towards us in the financial markets.
Making money without production has been the mainstay of the economic markets.
The men in suits deal in commodities, pension plans, mortgages and hedge funds.
Money that is put into savings and pension plans is being scooped up and processed out of the country, to be invested in other, slave-labour nations of corruption and despotism.
That money should be invested in our own economies, but, asking for integrity and honesty from the bankers and brokers is a useless and pointless exercise.
So, it behoves us all to think and act in a prompt and practical way to avoid, as best we can, being a hapless victim in all of this.
My advice is simple and easy to apply.
1.Grow food. Edible gardens, allotments, containers, patios and window ledges…great fun too!
2.Build a pantry and stock it well. This will cut down on multiple visits to the supermarket.
3.Learn as many practical skills and crafts as you can. Knitting, sewing, carpentry…everything is treasured that is hand made.
4.De-clutter your home. Let the energy flow freely around your living space.
5.Teach yourself to cook and bake. This is a real chance to improve your health and become powered up!
6.Collect together a library of knowledge and interest. The internet may never be as reliable as a solid book of information.
7.Invest in the most comfortable bed you can afford. You do, after all, spend one third of your precious life in bed!
8.Make your home cosy and draught-free. Your home is your haven, your sanctuary, your blessed space…be comfortable and warm in it.
9.Bulk-buy local when available. This will enable you to turn food gluts into storable feasts.
10.Invest in a chest freezer and put it in your new pantry…don’t forget, even a spare room will double as a pantry, especially a north facing one.
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Bealtaine Cottage is also on YouTube…with over 100 videos about Permaculture, planting, growing and living.
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How 13 can Change the World.
In ancient cultures, the number 13 represented femininity.
The number 13 corresponds to the number of lunar cycles in a year.
Thirteen is also the number of menstrual cycles a woman has in one year.
The imposition of the Gregorian calendar by a patriarchal church, diminished the power of the feminine in more ways than one.
It altered the way in which we regard the number thirteen.
Thirteen is a highly significant female number, for the 13 lunar cycles are aligned with the 13 menstrual cycles of the woman.
As the Gregorian calendar was imposed, so the number 13 became associated with superstition and bad luck.
However, in reclaiming our knowledge of the Divine Feminine, we begin to see that 13 is a number that is very relevant and powerful as we awaken our consciousness.
The 13th Baktun signalled the end of the Mayan Long Count Calendar.
13 is regarded by some ancient cultures that can be found today, in Brazil, as a number that represents God.
I refer to the Coperos religion and the culture that keeps it alive.
In India, the number 13 is referred to as ‘Terah,’ meaning, your’s.
Terah represents Karma in the spiritual sense and the fact that all belongs to the Divine.
In June, 2012, there was a momentous Venus transit, as Venus moved across the face of the sun.
Many believe that this signified the return of the Divine Feminine and have felt strangely energized and empowered since that time.
There is a compelling desire among many to re-establish our connection with the Earth. 
This growing awareness of the number thirteen and the relationship of the number to women is more than just symbolic in the re-establishing of our relationship to the Earth…it is manifesting in the hearts and minds of many.
It is worth re-calling the importance of 13 in the Christian religion, at the very beginning… for it was Christ who was the unifier, the one who joined the 12 disciples to make 13.
13 is a unifying vibration, no longer to be feared, but to be embraced and understood.
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Looking Back at March 2012 in the Photo Album of Bealtaine Cottage Permaculture Gardens
The gardens came back to life with new leaves on the Photinia
Blossom opened on the Nectarine tree in the polytunnel.
Rhubarb seemed to grow in spurts overnight!
Home made Blackcurrant wine was started as I began to empty the freezer.
Lichens opened up in the warmth of the Spring days.
Beautiful, delicate colours of Spring.
The warming sun began to work it’s magic on the north facing gardens of Bealtaine Cottage.
Garden benches dried out and warmed up enough to beckon the visitor to stop awhile!
Sun, glorious sun…this old piece of driftwood stood up to it’s eighth winter of storms and winds.
As always, there was an early crop of herbs and greens from the tunnel.
Late March was so warm, we headed off to the beach for a swim in the Atlantic Ocean here in Donegal Bay.
You can see the Hills of Donegal in the background!
Merry Tidings from Bealtaine Cottage, Ireland
The Christmas Eve moon rises over Bealtaine Cottage.
The air is still and warm, yet the clouds rush by in the upper sky.
The Blackbird calls a final song on this eve.
The cottage lies snug and warm.
All is well, all is as it should be.
Dogs are walked and cats sleep in the warmest corners of the cottage.
The Angel dances on the tree.
A vegetable soup simmers atop the stove.
Wood-smoke fills the air outside.
The stillness is magical.
Contentment reigns.
Happy Christmas.
Peace and joy to you this eve.
The Power Within Us…
Voting is not something we do every so many years to change the world around us.
Nothing much changes.
We continue to live in a state of unhappiness with the apparent status quo.
All that is power seeks to continually remind us of our lack of power….but, it doesn’t have to be that way!
Dis-empowerment is something we can choose whether or no to embrace.
We can be victims or not.
We can refuse to acknowledge, becoming what we are meant to be…free human beings on a sacred journey.
Or, we can vote with our wallets, every time we consume, every day, every week of every year of our lives!
All those special bargains on shelves have their origin in factorized food, bland and impoverished products of the systematic destruction of Mother Nature.
Each individual purchase fuels that destruction!
Do we support corporations we loathe?
If so, why?
How often do we take the time to realise the power we actually have?
The power of the flickering flame draws the mind into other-world realms, the land where all is possible and hope is eternal.
There is a rhythm to the land that dictates how we should live.
People working away from home should take more time to communicate with fellow workers, share tea, coffee, bring cakes into work to share.
It is in the act of sharing that we are one.
The winter is time to come together.
Have you ever spent a whole evening in candlelight?
If you have then you will understand…if not then look forward to doing just that.
It will illuminate a whole new world for you…imagination!
One of the most delightful aspects of Winter and the ensuing darkness is the magic that is light, especially candlelight.
I prefer this gentle form of lighting to anything else!
Glowing, flickering, delicate light that warms the air and beckons the soul, it is quite magical.
There was a saying here in the west of Ireland during the 1950′s when electric light was finally wired into the homes of rural communities…’the light that drove away the fairies!’
Consider the meaning of that realization: electric light diminishes the imagination, illuminating all areas but those of the spirit…is that why candles are continually lit in places of worship?
Austerity, Angels and Food
Isn’t it ridiculous how we have come to measure prosperity in terms of pieces of paper and metal?
As if that could possibly sustain us in times of hunger.
Food prices are rising steeply as the world harvests are brought in and disappointment is faced.
The excessive weather conditions of drought or flood have impacted on all the land across the world.
I don’t think that anyone escaped the extremes on Planet Earth!
I was talking with my mother about her childhood during World War 2 and she recalls how governments radically encouraged frugality, a return to the earth, growing food and sharing.
It is hard to understand the lack of empathy present day governments have with the people.
Allotments need to be increased dramatically, as the waiting list for allotments grows longer each day in towns and cities across the UK and Ireland.
As the enforced austerity takes hold on our lives, governments need to be helping people to help themselves as much as possible.
If our politicians cared to help empower people, they would…
As I write this, the stove is slowly warming up the cottage, heating the radiators, heating the water and boiling the kettle, ready for my next pot of tea.
Many of the artefacts we have in our homes around us remind us of places, people and our own journey through this world.
I am very fond of natural crafts and evocative ornaments.
We have a need to surround ourselves with beauty.
Some of the most strikingly beautiful elements in our homes can be a simple vase of greenery from the outdoors
Light catchers are fascinating for reasons that are obvious, in that we continually gravitate towards the light.
Plants defy gravity in their growing towards the light.
Sunshine beckons me outdoors, or towards a window.
How many angels have I looked up at in stained glass windows, earth on one side of the glass and all beyond it on the other.
I have recently noticed many flower shops are also selling angels and the link therein is intriguing to ponder…spirituality, plants, the earth and beyond, all linked and increasingly acknowledged by people seeking answers to age old questions…our material world has let us down.
There is an increasing disillusionment among people seeking a better way of living and understanding their small place in the Cosmos.
People need to feel hope and a sense of purpose in their lives.
The trees and bushes stand heavy with fruit and seed-heads, food for all, including the birds.
Why import thousands of tons of peanuts, coconuts and the like, when planting food trees for the birds as well us can do the job so much better?
Planting rather than buying can take us all onto a different level of living!
Developing independence through small steps like PLANTING food for the birds and ourselves, enables thinking and living outside of the present day model of wasted consumerism.
The change is waiting for us.
A Celebration of 200,000 Visitors to Bealtaine Cottage, Ireland…
Some of the thousands of photographs of life at Bealtaine Cottage over the past few years and a huge “Thank you” to all of you who have made the journey with me…Bless you!
Garden to the east of the cottage, Summer 2010
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The back door open to let in the cool breeze, Summer 2010
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My spinning wheel placed on the home made floor
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The lane at (Bealtaine Cottage), Ballyfermoyle
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A full moon over Bealtaine Cottage
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Angel in the Bog Garden
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The North Garden full of autumn colour in 2010
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Wood burning stove in the sitting room
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Willow archway in the Bog Garden
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Christmas at Bealtaine with blue sky, sunshine and snow!
Storms, Cats and Pumpkins
The storm has raged all day.
Wind has tossed garden debris around and every so often the heavens opened casting a deluge of rain upon the cottage.
Thunder has brought Jack and Flo rushing to my side…
Yet, through all of this, Che Mousy has lazily surveyed the scene from the comfort of his executive chair.
Missy has slept the storm away in the tunnel.
I was over there earlier clearing out weeds and harvesting parsley and seeds and she followed me, making camp on the potting table.
In between the showers I have managed a bit more pruning in the upper gardens.
Yes, I know…balanced atop a step ladder in a storm is rather silly, but single-mindedness is an integral part of my nature and has been my driving spur always!
There is an abundance of Pumpkins coming into harvest at the moment, as you can see…this one is growing outside and appears more than happy in the mad Irish weather!
I placed an old log alongside it to create warmth and a suitable micro-climate for growing.
It works!
True to form, the weather brings sunshine too…well, this is the West of Ireland!
I even managed to drink my afternoon tea whilst walking through the gardens!
Life Sounds…
Gentle rain falls from the sky between bright sunshine and winds that swirl the clouds above.
This is a lovely weekend.
Flowers and seed-heads adorn the interior of the cottage.
Lovage wine is being prepared in the kitchen.
Today’s video is simply the sounds of a day in late June, 2012, as the heavy rains subside and the sun breaks through. Enjoy!
The Breaking into Two Pieces of the Mayan Calendar…
The wind has risen around Bealtaine Cottage, paying no heed to the time that is Midsummer.
Rain and high winds have battered the west of Ireland.
The air is cold and woollen jumpers are the order of the day that’s in it!
The south side of Bealtaine remains sheltered, so it came as a surprise that an errant gust of wind managed to destroy the Mayan Calendar that hung on the south wall of the cottage…
Even in Winter, this area remains still, calm and protected…
More surprising is that one half remains on the wall…
The other on the ground!
Although the cottage is well protected by Nature, the sound of the wind as it whips across the tops of the protective trees is awesome…
Valerian has taken the bicycle into the ground…
One has to look at the Earth and the growth to determine the season.
The copper Celtic Cross will not be reflecting the sunset this evening…the sun is nowhere to be seen…
The Angel of Bealtaine sits quietly amid the Valerian, as Missy, turned feral, runs and dashes about in the bushes, in time with the chaos of the wind…
Visitors to Bealtaine Cottage on the Day of the New Moon
I am over-whelmed right now.
My visitors have left.
It is always sad to say goodbye and even though I had never met these lovely people before, I feel as though I have known them all my life…
Monika and Rita had travelled all the way from Austria, with their driver, Sigi to visit Bealtaine Cottage.
Both have followed the Bealtaine Cottage blog and YouTube channel and got in touch with me some weeks ago to organise the visit.
We have shared a most beautiful and interesting afternoon, walking through the gardens and talking about permaculture, life and sacred journeys. Monika lives near to Sepp Holzer and has visited his permaculture farm.
It is awesome to realise that many of us share so much, even though time and distance keeps us apart.
Life is indeed a sacred journey.
On leaving, they both presented me with this exquisite Amethyst horn, for a long time my most favourite of gemstones.
This day unfolded with a beautiful message from another visitor, Sharleen who lives on the west coast of the USA…leaving me some wonderful words to energise my day.
I’d like to share them with you…
“Thank you so much for your blog.
I came across it quite by accident, that is if you believe in accidents.
You have a wonderful blessed life!
Please do not underestimate the affect you are having on people’s lives.
Your blog and videos bring peace and happiness to many people from all over the world.
I live in the central coast of California and live a very hectic life.
Every morning before the day starts I check your blog and for videos, for a while I can leave my world behind and breathe and enjoy nature and your hard work.
Thank you so much!” …thank you Sharleen 🙂
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Today’s 5 minute video…enjoy
Fairy Dell and Spring Well
Fairy Dell and Spring Well
This little area on the 3 acres that make up Bealtaine Cottage has slowly given up it’s secrets to me as the years have passed.
From the first days of discovery, when this appeared to be an overgrown thicket that was impenetrable, to the weeks spent slowly unravelling the beautiful space within…The Fairy Dell has emerged as a very special part of Bealtaine…perhaps the actual heart of the energy that has grown here…
Here is a short video…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKXzXxrFoFY&list=UUHkXJ9wsrdPEpzb-KMgmt-A&index=1&feature=plpp_video
