Colette O'Neill… Author, Publisher, photographer. Creator of Goddess Permaculture.
Between two worlds, that of Summer and of Winter, rests Samhain. 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 […]
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It’s a wet evening. It’s a cool evening too. I’ve lit the stove and the kettle begins to sing on the top. It’s a tea and toast kind of evening. I was thinking about Fairies today as I walked through the Fairy Wood. It lies below the cottage, in a natural dell and is a […]
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We have entered the final month of Lughnasadh and the wonderful Indian Summer continues here in the west of Ireland! As we journeyed through the Equinox and welcomed a spectacular moon, the nights seemed to draw in dramatically. The Seed Site on Bealtaine Cottage has been updated today and now includes Willow. I will […]
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The transition has begun…
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Farewell Bealtaine! Rising on the last morning of Bealtaine and looking out the window of the lodge to be greeted by mist and sunshine. The heat of yesterday rose in a mist over the valley and mountains beyond. Rising towards Midsummer is a most magical time in the west of Ireland. Between the rain and […]
Read MoreMarija Gimbutas was a most extraordinary Archaeologist, perhaps the first archaeologist to look at how life was lived in the days before war! Yes, it is amazing to think that such a world ever existed, but one needs to listen to some of the recordings of her work to understand the magnificence of […]
Read MoreWinter has finally gripped the land. Frost has dipped icy tentacles into the earth itself, no longer content to dust the trees and whiten the slates. The evening sky turns a cold blue. Freezing, white mist swirls up the valley from the deep waters of Lough Allen. Winter is here! Sliabh An Iarainn Mountain catches […]
Read MoreRed berries and silver light, weather changing frame by frame and night skies opening up to endless stars…country living, or maybe just observing. For as I type, a fierce storm moves across the tree tops, sweeping leaves before it like a Samhain broom! Yet in the stillness of the sheltered gardens of Bealtaine, Perscaria blooms […]
Read MoreThe apricot glow of a fading October sky, merged with the heavy rustling of cows on the field across the lane, drawing me outdoors. This is a magical time of enchantment, with Nature and late evening light. Any noise on such a still evening exudes an eerie quality of something not understood…always best to go […]
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