Happy New Year from Bealtaine Cottage

Seed from the sacred Rowan at Bealtaine Cottage now available. https://bealtainecottage.com/seeds-for-sale/

The ancient peoples of Ireland considered their Earth to be sacred and experienced the natural world as Divine…many lessons to be learned from our ancestors of these islands of Britain.

Mother Earth had a womb…that which lies beneath our feet…and into that was planted the sacred seed. The Mother Goddess nurtured the seed and from that grew all life. Trees, being the oldest living embodiment of the Great Mother, were considered to be a connection to the Otherworld and the very heart of the Goddess.

Plant a portal from Bealtaine…

Thanks to Ferris Jay and Nuada for the wonderful music. From the album: Court The Sun by Nuada.

http://www.nuada.net

https://www.facebook.com/nuadamusic/

Cottage Makeover…Finished!

Posted December 20, 2015

Filed under Bealtaine Cottage, cottage life, cottage style, Country Living, de-clutter, decorating, Good Life, homesteading, Inspiration, Interior Design, Lifestyle, midwinter, Uncategorized

A sneak preview of the new look Bealtaine Cottage is to be had over at Bealtaine Cottage Good Life website….

There are also a great many other photographic essays to view on the site…

Visit today and subscribe…

https://bealtainecottage.com/bealtaine-cottage-good-life/

Why I No Longer Celebrate Christmas!

Posted December 4, 2014

Filed under celebrations, Christmas, midwinter, Yule

Christmas fever is widespread as the orgy of spending takes hold.

Ordinarily sane people are in-debting themselves to a year ahead of pay-back as they tread wearily around shops filled with Chinese imports!

Some years ago I made a decision to opt out of mainstream.

I had come to the conclusion that much of what I lived by was the result of not questioning, but merely going along with everyone else.

Now, I must point out that once one begins to question the status quo, all sorts of issues raise their Medusa-like heads…religion, education, government, consumerism, et al!

Every aspect of how I lived, and what moved me, was called to the fore of my interrogation.

In much the same way as I gave up eating meat, smoking and spending our civilisation out of recession, I gave up Christmas.

Christmas became something older and gentler for me…it morphed into Midwinter.

I say “morphed” because there are aspects of Christmas I continue to appreciate, such as gift-giving.

These are not the small-mortgage gifts however, but gifts of warmth and food and home-made trinkets.

Midwinter lasts longer too, for this is the time of Yule.

Yule marks the rebirth of the sun.

It is a potent symbol of death and rebirth – going from the darkness into the light.

Yule starts before the Solstice and continues on until New Year’s Day.

There’s no rush, no crazy dash for the check-out.

Yule is a time and a time that makes sense to me.

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.

*************

For lovers of Bealtaine Cottage, there is a second website, growing daily and now with over 85 new blogs and hundreds of unseen photographs, as well as podcasts and stories… Visit:

Bealtaine Cottage Good Life Membership~ Subscribe Today!

Moving with Orion Towards Midwinter

Posted November 29, 2014

Filed under Bealtaine Cottage, celebrations, Christmas, december, family and friends, holiday, midwinter, Permaculture, season

The signs are everywhere…

Nights drawing in…

Unexpected sunshine on frosted mornings.

The bare beauty of trees silhouetted against clear winter skies.

As Orion strides across the evening sky, we draw closer to the Winter Solstice and the darkest, stillest, nights of the year.

Winter Solstice celebrations begin on the 21st of December, a time of hope and joy for all, regardless of belief or religious observances.

Magical Midwinter!

Ancient tribes all over the world observed rituals around Solstice time.

We too can celebrate Winter Solstice, integrating it into our own traditional celebrations.

A chance to step outdoors and observe the night sky.

An opportunity to nurture and develop connections to family and friends.

From this day, there are 22 days to go before the descent into the Midwinter Solstice.

Yes, the coldest days precede the Spring, so January rarely feels like the prelude to that beautiful season!

But, here in the West of Ireland, with Imbolc on the first day of February, the signs are there for all to see, as new life emerges from the frozen earth.

*************

Thanks for your support in sustaining and developing this site.

Circling Celebrations

Posted November 24, 2014

Filed under Bealtaine Cottage, Christmas, EU, midwinter, Winter, Yule

Winter is the time for comfort, for
good food and warmth, for the touch
of a friendly hand and for a talk beside
the fire: it is the time for home.

Edith Sitwell

And so the story of Autumn and Winter begins, not in cold and dark, but comfort and light.

A time to take stock and nestle into home.

A time for simplicity of food before the excitement of Samhain.

We move inexorably through the year, circling around celebrations, family and friends.

This is what it means to be part of a society…planning and sharing the days we look forward to, as well as bringing camaraderie and support on days less well favoured.

As I uploaded these photographs this morning, I enjoyed a sense of timelessness.

Even as I move around Bealtaine on my own, the sense of ‘with others’ pervades the air.

Perhaps, in the world we cannot see, there are many around us.

This would not surprise me.

My mother often said she felt surrounded by people here at this little cottage.

I do too.

“In a way Winter is the real Spring–the time when
the inner things happen, the resurgence of nature.”

Edna O’Brien

Like Edna, I look forward to the
quiet time of Winter, for the quiet solitude; a time for contemplation.

*************

Bealtaine Cottage YouTube Channel…is free from adverts, with over 100 videos from the gardens of Bealtaine Cottage

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCHkXJ9wsrdPEpzb-KMgmt-A

Seeds and Willow

https://bealtainecottage.com/seeds-for-sale/

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Bealtaine Cottage Good Life Website

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subscription is 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.

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The Midwinter Archives

Posted November 22, 2014

Filed under Bealtaine Cottage, Celts Celtic Festivals, Christmas, midwinter, night sky, solstice, stars, Yule

Midwinter, past and present…all here for you to see!

Feeling a touch nostalgic, I decided to share some of the magic of Midwinter with you from previous years.

The silvery light of a midwinter sun captures a sense of magic indoors.

We are all deeply affected by light and respond in varying ways to it, though mostly it makes us feel happier and more positive about life.

The light of both the sun and moon proved so important for our ancestors that they integrated all aspects of both into their spiritual lives.

Somewhere in the depths of Winter was born a sense of the light returning and the cycle beginning once more.

At midwinter, the sun appears to stand still, for three days, before rising on its ascent back up into the southern sky.

The light changes.

Shadows grow shorter.

Our bodies and minds ascent with the sun towards Midsummer, filled with joy and optimism.

Much of humankind has forgotten the importance of observing the heavens and being mindful of our connection to them.

The star that flashes red and green, (I was told was Arcturus), has moved from its midsummer position above Kilronan Mountain to the north, to one high in the south eastern night sky.

I have come to be more aware of the night sky over recent years…

As we continue on the descent towards Midwinter, with clear, cold night skies, this can be a good time to look to the heavens.

Midwinter will pass soon enough and the cycle will begin once more.

The darkness will lift.

Days will lengthen.

And life emerge anew!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Bealtaine Cottage Calendar 2020

This calendar celebrates the magic of Bealtaine and the evolution to a Sanctuary for Life. The Hare was viewed by the ancient Celts as being the link between this world and the Otherworld-a supernatural world which is directly linked to nature. The Hare is known for being able to run between our world and the 'Otherworld'. Shapeshifters are widely known in Ireland to take on the form of the Hare. This is told in the famous story of the Celtic warrior Oisín. The Hare guards both the entrance to and exit from, the Fairy Wood at Bealtaine. The Calendar, which features over 50 photographs and all the Celtic festivals, includes Postage and packing WORLDWIDE and can be posted on your behalf as a gift, from Bealtaine Cottage, Ireland. (Pre-orders now accepted)

€16.50

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
« Aug
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31

The ancient peoples of Ireland considered their Earth to be sacred and experienced the natural world as Divine…many lessons to be learned from our ancestors of these islands of Britain.

Plant a portal from Bealtaine…

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Christmas fever is widespread as the orgy of spending takes hold.

Ordinarily sane people are in-debting themselves to a year ahead of pay-back as they tread wearily around shops filled with Chinese imports!

Some years ago I made a decision to opt out of mainstream.

I had come to the conclusion that much of what I lived by was the result of not questioning, but merely going along with everyone else.

Now, I must point out that once one begins to question the status quo, all sorts of issues raise their Medusa-like heads…religion, education, government, consumerism, et al!

Every aspect of how I lived, and what moved me, was called to the fore of my interrogation.

In much the same way as I gave up eating meat, smoking and spending our civilisation out of recession, I gave up Christmas.

Christmas became something older and gentler for me…it morphed into Midwinter.

I say “morphed” because there are aspects of Christmas I continue to appreciate, such as gift-giving.

These are not the small-mortgage gifts however, but gifts of warmth and food and home-made trinkets.

Midwinter lasts longer too, for this is the time of Yule.

Yule marks the rebirth of the sun.

It is a potent symbol of death and rebirth – going from the darkness into the light.

Yule starts before the Solstice and continues on until New Year’s Day.

There’s no rush, no crazy dash for the check-out.

Yule is a time and a time that makes sense to me.

An Irish Christmas Blessing

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Like this:

The signs are everywhere…

Nights drawing in…

Unexpected sunshine on frosted mornings.

The bare beauty of trees silhouetted against clear winter skies.

As Orion strides across the evening sky, we draw closer to the Winter Solstice and the darkest, stillest, nights of the year.

Winter Solstice celebrations begin on the 21st of December, a time of hope and joy for all, regardless of belief or religious observances.

Magical Midwinter!

Ancient tribes all over the world observed rituals around Solstice time.

We too can celebrate Winter Solstice, integrating it into our own traditional celebrations.

A chance to step outdoors and observe the night sky.

An opportunity to nurture and develop connections to family and friends.

From this day, there are 22 days to go before the descent into the Midwinter Solstice.

Yes, the coldest days precede the Spring, so January rarely feels like the prelude to that beautiful season!

But, here in the West of Ireland, with Imbolc on the first day of February, the signs are there for all to see, as new life emerges from the frozen earth.

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Like this:

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LILITH AND THE WELL

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