I shall begin with Bealtaine Cottage… The plan in the beginning was to create a garden with hundreds of trees interspersed with paths that would become a symbol of regeneration and hope in a landscape that represented one of the poorest and therefore cheapest places to create. North-facing, thin, poor soil- my first book, ‘A Cottage and Three Acres,’ details the story well.
(And, by the way, the tunnel is fifteen years old with the original plastic covering…nothing special, 6mm and middle price range in case you are interested!)
The plan evolved into a full Permaculture design in the first year, with swales and ponds, drainage and raised beds, fruit and vegetable gardens and so on. Then, as the years progressed and trees began to grow, the energy changed. It became evident to me and those who were following my journey, (online since around 2010), that Bealtaine Cottage and the Project was heading in a different direction, fuelled by a potent and powerful energy!
Permaculture alone seemed complete and static as the trees began to develop and dominate the landscape. I had to give in to the force that was awakening in the Earth below my feet and so, Goddess Permaculture was birthed!
I explain this by way of the word, “innovate.” The tremendous force of energy that was growing around me innovated Goddess Permaculture.
Innovate: To give new form of that which exists.
This force of Nature was a Divine Feminine force of such tremendous power, that it was impossible to resist. Those who have visited Bealtaine Cottage will bear witness to this energy!
I felt drawn towards the story of the Goddess and began to explore the relationship my ancestors had with this powerful Creatrix. Academics like Maria Gimbutas, opened doors into the world of the Goddess and slowly, slowly, the dire situation developing in the outside world began to make sense! We had abandoned our relationship with the Great Goddess, Mother Earth, fuelled by a belief system that was inherently patriarchal and dominating of Mother Earth.
We had developed a totally extractive way of living with Earth…out for all we could extract from Her…greed has overwhelmed everything!
The overwhelming sense of loss began to be replaced with a powerful sense of regeneration and re-birth. My second book, “In Search of the Goddess Rising,” heralded the beginning of my understanding of the Great Awakening!
Yesterday I felt compelled to write a note on social media, expressing something of the dilemma many people feel and are unable or even fearful to articulate…
As we enter the #SixthMassExtinction,
remember this…
We sacrificed our divinity to sky gods, religions, a promised afterlife,
ignoring the sacredness of #MotherEarth
the abundance She creates in joy for us all!
We were taught dominion over Her.
We became #abusers
And so it is.
In order to move forward and embrace great change, it is imperative we accept what we have done. We are all included here…
Arrogance, hubris and ego will be our downfall if we fail to make the radical changes needed to live in peace with Mother Earth!
There is so much more to say, but I am both mentally and physically exhausted at present and am embracing a regeneration for my own health, in the form of a Juice Fast for the next few weeks.
Blessings to you all XXX Colette and Jack
PS: I noticed that my address on the website had been changed…and have no idea why or how this happened! The past two weeks have been rather strange in that I have not received any mail, which led me to check the address!…please check the website as I have corrected the address. please understand that I don’t have the time to respond to personal emails or letters, though read all.
It was also very important from the ethical perspective of the Bealtaine Project that all books be posted from my local rural Post Office, in a bid to keep it open and dear Pascal in employment…to date there is over 8,000 Euros in postage directed through Drumshanbo Post Office from Bealtaine Cottage book sales…thanks to you.
Finally, the year came to a close with the release of the Bealtaine Cottage Guide to the Deep Midwinter, a full colour edition of a previous booklet.
2017 was a year of great change and optimism for the future, as I settled into my newly recognised status as a writer…recognised by the Irish government and awarded tax status thus…I finally have an independent income, something for which I am indebted to you for…Thank You X
As many of you know, I am in the final stages of completing my first manuscript and so have been busy since early December in preparing this book for the printers in Dublin…no tax-dodging Amazon corporation for me!
As I began this final incubation, I was reluctant to venture into the world of news, website or indeed have my attention diverted.
The communications have come mainly from the U.S. and have been most concerning to read!
I am not interested in politicians, nor do I have any respect for them or what they peddle, so there is no need for me to use the T word more than in the title of this blog, nor do I want a comment list oozing the “T” word…no thank you!
Have you not noticed the endless war on a noun?
I googled the word “Fear” and it came up with 547 million results!
For as long as power-seeking individuals have existed, their energy has fed of fear, each one of them a version of Nosferatu, be them less or more acceptable! 
We must, each of us, decide how we come to terms, if any, with a most disagreeable and at times, painful system that appears to control our lives. Fear and loathing changes little.
“I don’t think that anything happens by coincidence… No one is here by accident… Everyone who crosses our path has a message for us. Otherwise they would have taken another path, or left earlier or later. The fact that these people are here means that they are here for some reason”…”
The wisdom in what James Redfield had to say, translates to me in this way:
I was guilty of what many enthusiastic people are guilty of…spreading myself too thinly! Already I have many requests from would-be visitors, so have made the decision to take a year off from opening the gardens.
There is so much work to be done, as I have plans to create new beds and paths around the three acres. Talk about work…I haven’t even had time to move my Lemon tree in from the veranda! Thank goodness it’s been a mild Winter!
Time is of the essence for me, as I attempt to fit in so many aspects of my life!
Out of metamorphosis comes new, better and stronger.
