Colette O'Neill… Author, Publisher, photographer. Creator of Goddess Permaculture.
There was a full moon on the Winter Solstice, an unusual event and not occurring in my lifetime again, so, very special to me. As my ancestors before me, I celebrate the Solstice, marking the longest night of the year and with the promise of all that lies ahead… The ritual of fire and feast, […]
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As the days grow shorter and the evenings longer there is a quietness in the gardens and around the cottage that is rather haunting. Much of what I do now is centred around preparing for the Midwinter Feast and the continuing festivities of Yule. Family and friends will be arriving from as far away as […]
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Origins of Yule The great Festival of Yule, beginning at the time of the Winter Solstice and lasting for a full twelve days, summed up the cycle of the Celtic year. The word Yule, according to the Venerable Bede, came from the Norse word Iul meaning ‘wheel’ and suggested that this was the time when […]
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Preparing the cottage for Yuletide and the Midwinter Feast has been underway for the past week or so. A smaller stove has been installed in the sitting room and much of the furniture in the cottage has been moved around…a great swap has taken place! The end of all this turmoil is almost in sight…I […]
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Read MoreThe 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 […]
Read MoreMidwinter approaches. The holiday season draws near. There is no television here at Bealtaine Cottage, so I am unaware of the masses of advertising you are being bombarded with! I realise that the pressure is upon you to spend, spend, spend! But, hold on a minute or two and think about this… Every pound, euro or dollar you […]
Read MoreThe great collapse of society, as we know it, is under way. Most people are unaware of this. Every aspect of controlled living is the same as ever it was. The television keeps pumping out much of the same. Supermarkets hum with shoppers. Christmas lights flicker in shopping centres. The madness of more predominates a […]
Read MoreChristmas 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 […]
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