Colette O'Neill… Author, Publisher, photographer. Creator of Goddess Permaculture.
My birthday has passed. It was a wonderful day and here I am in a new year of my life, another journey around the sun! It’s been an extraordinary journey so far and, as usual, it’s been a wonderful time for casting the occasional, cursory glance over my shoulder to the past. To this end, […]
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SAMHAIN…The Celts believed that Oidhche Shamhna, Samhain, was an open portal in time. This weekend marks the prelude to Samhain. https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=QE3V4W5FYDFA8 Monday is the day of https://bealtainecottage.com/2013/09/29/the-night-of-the-thin-veil/ and is marked as a holiday here in Ireland. It is a time of in-between…between worlds as the Celts believed it to be… https://bealtainecottage.com/2015/10/05/between-world-we-celebrate/ The Celts understood the […]
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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 […]
Read MoreAs with all things Celtic, the merging of time and place meant boundaries became thin and blurred… Known as “The Night of the Thin Veil…a time of “between worlds”…the fertile edge when all is possible! Today’s Podcast… Bealtaine Cottage is free and has over 850 blogs, as well as over 3,500 photographs. Bealtaine Cottage Good […]
Read MoreAutumn remains, despite the passing of Samhain. Nasturtiums hold their blooms and the occasional bee busies himself with work, inside the generous flowers of orange and yellow. Sammy-Bear and Che-Mousey have drunk all their milk and turned their noses up at the biscuits…they may be spoiled! The leaves of the Nasturtium appear to grow huge, […]
Read MoreThe clock ticks towards Samhain, literally meaning: Summer’s end! Tomorrow is Samhain, a celebration of the last day of Summer and the beginning of Winter in the Celtic calendar. Despite cold nights creeping into Bealtaine, all remains green on the ground, with just the trees showing signs of transition into Winter. Nasturtiums have not yet […]
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The bright red of the Ruby Chard will add colour to the Samhain feast! In Celtic Ireland, Samhain marked the division of the year between the light (summer) and the dark (winter). For me, the customs of my ancestors are important to acknowledge and continue. This time of tuning into the seasonal shift and preparing […]
Read MoreLeaves are changing the trees and shrubs into their vivid autumn attire. Spiders are scurrying to and fro, spinning webs and catching food. Berries hang in abundance on shrubs and trees. Samhain waits in the wings. The season makes progress towards “Summers’ End.” My friend, Marion has delivered some logs to me as a gift…a […]
Read MoreThe evening falls a little faster, the light fades in the west and the cottage warms up to greet the night. Missy has been reluctant to go outside today, as the rain fell steadily all afternoon. The warm air ensures a light mist will rise from the valley tonight. If the morning is clear, the […]
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