“We’d incorporated Asia into our bones – its colours and laughter, its smells, its rhythms, its tolerance and patience, its compassion, its lack of ageism.” ~ Jane Wilson-Howarth
Colour is important to me, as you can see from both the cottage and the garden.
I am led to infuse it into my daily life, as in the tie-dyed sheet that hangs as a curtain on the old doorway.
Sometimes it’s all too easy to go to the shops and buy what is deemed suitable for covering a doorway…usually a door!
But, as always, a cottage can be very forgiving and accommodating to whatever furniture or resources one has.
A cottage is never in competition with the big, new house down the road!
It’s more of a “make do and mend” kind of home, where anything goes, be it period or modern, or just recycled, as is the case here at Bealtaine.
As I snapped these photos this morning, my gaze was being continually led outside…and so it should be, for that connectivity is immensely important.
I recall living in an old house in Muswell Hill in London and how I loved tending the window boxes beyond the old sash windows. How just the simple act of pushing them up and the outside coming in provided a kind of release of energy both ways!
The greatest concern of our times is happening on a daily basis and affecting every one of us.
Weather volatility is real and happening and the Ostriches in power appear impotent against the great forces of Nature.
The gabbling media assault our senses with celebrity highs and lows, sport and highly edited titbits of what is happening internationally…all the while keeping away from any real conversation about the chaos that is the weather all around us and those dreaded words: Climate Change.
However it is not Climate Change any more…the media have completely missed out on that conversation!
It has evolved rapidly into Climate Chaos!
I would like to offer words of comfort and reassurance, but that’s not possible, for I live in the real world and events are happening too fast for me to be able to offer predictions that will reassure!
Last night I slept with both windows open in my bedroom, bathed in warmth from the wind that blew all night from the south.
The wind chimes on the veranda played ceaselessly…something that has never happened before.
I use all my senses to try to build a picture of what the media refuses to inform me about.
The big news is that the Jet Stream is out of control!
Imagine a Spinning Top, rotating smoothly at first…well that is how the Jet Stream SHOULD be!
Now picture the same Spinning Top as it slows, rotating wildly…that is what is happening to the Jet Stream and causing the wild fluctuations in weather across the globe.
All the information about this is out there on the internet…make Google your friend and inform yourself…that’s if you can bear it!
I have gone past the need to research, for I witness the changes, log them, keep a record of temperatures and rainfall patterns…and have done so for all the time I have worked on the Bealtaine project.
So, what is the point in telling you this bad news?
I have nothing to gain.
In fact, there is a strong possibility that I will lose subscribers.
The old adage of “shoot the messenger”pertains to what I have written here…so be it!
So, let me tell you about the people I hope to reach with this news…
People who care for the future.
Those who have awakened to what it means to live a compassionate life.
Especially those who are unafraid of change and to implement change in their own lives.
If there is a Universal Consciousness…give it the name Goddess, God, Divine, Mother Earth…whatever you know it by…then that consciousness must surely want us to care as deeply for our planet as we care for ourselves.
Adapting is the way forward and should be at the top of all political agendas and policies.
Here in Ireland we are headed into a general election.
Farmers appear to be ill-informed in relation to Climate Change and as they hold much power in the outcome of elections, there will not be much informed debate on the doorstep!
Meat production is now at an all-time high in Ireland and there are few, if any, politicians who are prepared to risk the fury of farmers in regards to changing that!
The relationship between meat production, consumption and climate change is there for all to Google and Youtube.
The complacency regarding our habitat and climate change disturbs me.
I shall be quizzing each and every politician who knocks on my door…but as for intelligent, informed answers, well, I won’t be holding my breath!
Feel free to share this post…
And…I had to add this wonderful interview with Jane Goodall…
In a world that appears to be coming apart at the seams, we are reminded, on a daily basis, by the mainstream media, that we are separate and divided on many levels.
There are many aspects of our lives where we disagree.
I know how that works, for I was born and raised in a place of separation…Northern Ireland.
As I grew, left home, went to university and raised a family in London, I became aware of the importance of common ground.
London is a melting pot of over twelve million people, where the essence of living harmoniously is to be found in common ground.
I held an allotment for many years, a place where cultures met with great affection shared for what was beneath our very feet…common ground.
It served us well as we grew food, shared seed, advice and barbecues!
I continue to share common ground with my ex-husband, for we each agree that our common ground is compassion for animals, the Earth and love of our children.
As a species, we have much in common with each other.
When a community comes together it can be an awesome sight, especially when fuelled by compassion!
Here we are in the midst of troubled times where much is threatened, yet I see people coming together as never before.
People with real concerns for Mother Earth, their communities, resources and much more.
There will always be those we feel apart from, angry with and despairing of, for that is the human struggle.
It is the small, unsung bits of humanity that bind us together…kindness and compassion.
_______________________________________
Bealtaine Cottage Good Life website now has 17 blogs with over 150 photographs to date.
This year more than ever sees an immense increase in the offerings from Mother Earth.
Blackcurrants are taking up much of my time over recent weeks.
Bag after bag is sealed and placed in the freezer to await further instructions!
Several hundred pounds of Blackcurrants from what was only two original bushes, but now number several dozen…easy to grow and multiply from cuttings stuck straight into the earth!
Trees have put out a huge amount of wood which will be coppiced later in the year.
This beautiful, forgiving form of energy that aids the environment as it grows ready for use!
Masses of flowers with the resulting seed-heads…growing abundance that is now unstoppable.
Seeds that wing their way all over the planet to spread abundance in places I shall probably never gaze upon…the magic of life is impenetrable!
And through all this ceaseless activity, Sammy-Bear sunbathes and yawns the day away…
And deep within the Fairy Wood, magical afternoons turn into conspiratorial evenings.
The coolness of the Fairy Dell lends itself to long hot summer days, where the sanctuary of shade is a welcome relief from the heat of the day.
I am loathe to leave this magical place…
I think it my destiny to stay here and write the stories coming from the land.
I had promised my Mother that I would dedicate my first book to her and I shall!
My story of Bealtaine Cottage will be published!
Mothers are immortal.
This consciousness we share with all life is there all the time, if we but listen!
I have come to believe in the manifestation of the Divine in all things.
Over the past ten years the Divine has manifested here at Bealtaine Cottage, in a most visual and real way.
For the first time I no longer have to imagine the Divine…I experience the mystery all around me in tangible, human and ethereal ways.
During the first few years here, growing Bealtaine from a land persecuted and dying from monoculture, I talked about permaculture and the wonder of it all…the regenerative qualities of this practical approach to caring for Mother Earth.
However, permaculture has led me further…
…into the spirit of Mother Earth herself and beyond that into an understanding of the Divine Consciousness.
Those who follow Bealtaine Cottage have witnessed the transformation and the transformative power of compassion toward Mother Earth.
We all feel this consciousness.
However it is difficult to articulate, as it is not the third dimensional consciousness we are accustomed
to.
It is rather on an emotional and feeling level that we know and love our planet.
Those who feel this connection are more at peace with themselves and in harmony with their spirit.
It is this harmony I feel at Bealtaine Cottage, which is so impossible to leave.
I sense a beginning, not an end.
Bealtaine Cottage is free and has over 850 blogs, as well as over 3,500 photographs.
Bealtaine Cottage Good Life is a mere 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.
There is a full list of posts published so far on the right of the Home Page
There is a spiritual event taking place…a coming into awareness of something so fundamentally awesome and life changing that is spreading into the consciousness of all life.
This awakening can be described in simple terms and that is what I want to do here…simply explain it from my own perspective.
The power of love is building compassion and understanding in all of us.
As with great change comes great extremes too; for the power of destruction is cutting a swathe through life as we have known it.
We are now aware that we are not alone, but one consciousness that is capable of immense good.
We have witnessed the power of that one consciousness being usurped by destructors…those who rally sacrifice yet offer nothing of themselves.
Sedge in flower today at Bealtaine
These destructors are to be found at corporate, government and military levels of the old paradigm.
I say “old paradigm,” in relation to the end of life battle they now wage.
They know they are doomed.
The death throes of Empire can be ugly to witness, but pay witness to it we must.
This is all part of the Paradigm Shift, the epiphany many are now in the throes of experiencing.
This perception of the essential nature of who we are…this intuitive grasp of our own reality.
For many it has been a quickening of all the senses.
There is no new world… we have simply begun to see the beautiful one we have always had. We are growing as a species.
We are not fragments of something, we are one.
This is the tide that cannot be stopped.
*************
I am reliably informed that the Postal strike here in Ireland is now over…so all Seeds and Willow ordered will be posted out on Thursday 8th October. Thanks for your patience X
Podcasts will be linked from the new Podcast page listed at the top of the website…go there for the daily podcast or just to catch up.
Bealtaine CottageWebsitehttp://bealtainecottage.com/ is free and has over 850 blogs, as well as over 3,500 photographs. A massive and comprehensive Permaculture resource.
Bealtaine Cottage Good LifeWebsitehttp://bealtainecottage.org/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. Click on button below to join the website…Thanks for your support.
Expect nothing….Appreciate everything…I do, with blessings X
“Right now over 70% of the world population is convinced that something serious has to be done about the dangers facing the planet. …Most of humanity wants to know how to make the change. It’s one of those tipping-point times where things can change unbelievably fast…”
~ Paul H. Ray and Sherry Ruth Anderson, The Cultural Creatives
Words of wisdom.
Words of vision.
The coming times; a glimpse of what’s to come.
These times are infused with uncertainty and fear.
Many people deal with this by switching off.
The Tipping Point has arrived.
Most of us know this to be a truth.
We know it deep in our hearts.
There is a panic among those who hold power over us.
This is manifested in the shifting sands of policy as things appear to fall apart.
Our governments have sown the seeds of chaos…in what they have done and what they have failed to do.
The most insidious, Machiavellian, duplicitous human beings are rampaging and corralling us all into dark times.
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre The falcon cannot hear the falconer; Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold; Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world, The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere The ceremony of innocence is drowned; The best lack all conviction, while the worst Are full of passionate intensity.” ― W.B. Yeats, The Collected Poems
For several years, as I have written this blog, and photographed the exquisite and the beautiful that is Mother Earth, I have attempted to inspire and encourage a return to Mother Earth.
For those who dwell close to her, quickly find the connection to life and spirit they have searched for, and in the finding is birthed a renewed sense of humanity, compassion, goodness and joy.
These are the values we have, as humans, innate within us.
The intuitive, intrinsic, spontaneous gifts of the Divine which make us as one.
Those we have elected as Trustees of Our Planet are conjuring wars, corruption, hatred and despair; thrusting us into the darkest of times.
As the falcon turns, hold on tight to what you know to be the truth.
_____________
Bealtaine Cottage is free and has over 850 blogs, as well as over 3,500 photographs.
Bealtaine Cottage Good Life is a mere 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.
The roses are in bloom on the veranda, resplendent with furniture cast-offs from friends!
Standing by the back door, surrounded by such beauty, I have a heavy heart…
I have lost my darling Che-Mousy Bear.
He has passed.
Bealtaine Cottage seems empty without him.
Last week was difficult for me, as I struggle to come to terms with the loss of my mother.
Losing Che seems to be a deeper grief…pets have a way of getting deep into the recesses of the human heart and clearing a space there.
So, as you can imagine, I feel wounded.
This much I have to say, for there is so much goodness in the world that, at times, we are blinded to it in our own despair, anger, or whatever we feel consumed by…
Upon bringing Che to the Vet to be examined and worked on and after some time of dedication from the vet and all failing…the Vet refused payment!
Can you imagine how that felt?
Such kindness and compassion in the face of chaos and despair.
Never, ever doubt that there is much goodness in this world!
Following that, my daughter made the long journey from Belfast, so that we, as a family could mourn and finally bury him, within the stone circle…where he often played.
So, this week starts anew.
It is Monday and there is much to be done.
It’s a cloudy morning, at times, with the sun making brief appearances.
The paths need mowing and branches need trimming as the new leaves weigh them down.
There is an ordinariness to life that gives us all continuum.
And in between the work and rest, a little bit of my heart remains empty.
Leitrim Animal Welfare Centre is a wonderful place for any unwanted dog or cat to end up…because 97% of these poor, abandoned animals are re-homed!
Today I visited Christine Coulson, the lady whose dedicated commitment to the welfare of animals in this part of Ireland, made the sanctuary possible.
Chistine opened this light of hope for the unwanted and stray cats and dogs, back in 1997 and has worked continuously, for the protection and welfare of abandoned animals.
Back in September, I held an “Open Gardens” fundraiser for Leitrim Animal Welfare Centre and raised 610 euros…thanks to all the friends and supporters of Bealtaine Cottage, who came from all over Ireland and sent donations from all over the world!
Christine has been quite ill over these past few months and was only well enough recently for this presentation to take place.
I’m sure you’ll all raise a glass with me, in wishing this great woman, good health, now and in the future.
Back in the cottage, I’ve been busy making cards.
The theme of hearts is compelling for me…drawn towards the heart as a symbol, not just of love, but of compassion, hope and trust.
Celtic designs are also a passion of mine…the intricacy of the knot-work fascinates and soothes.
Hearts and cats…inseparable!
And hearts and seeds, for the love of bees!
(I will be adding a little section to the top of the website especially for hand-made cards…X)
Without compassion, we become robots of the state and are enslaved.
Compassion means understanding the suffering of others.
How often do we regard our leaders as being unaware of the suffering of others?
Compassion is regarded as a fundamental part of the greater social interconnection of humanity.
The people we revere most in history often turn out to be those who nurtured compassion for others and for the Earth.
Having compassion for humanity often means rejecting one’s ego and focusing our full attention on the needs of others.
The humanity within us often attracts us to compassionate people.
This was so very evident in the days following the death of Princess Diana.
Much of humanity mourned the loss of so compassionate a woman.
My abiding memories of Diana is of her wearing protective clothing as she inspected an area that had been land-mined…a campaign that made her unpopular with the warmongering elite, and how gently she held the baby suffering with Aids.
Her passing left an enormous void that has not been filled.I cannot think of one celebrity who can fill her shoes…very sad to admit after such a long time since her death.
Our society, as portrayed by the media, appears to lack that very essence that connects us to the Divine…compassion.
If we wait for our leaders to make compassion a trademark of good society, I fear we may be waiting a very long time.
It is down to us, each one of us, to cultivate and grow compassion in ourselves and those around us…Imagine, as John Lennon once sung…
every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there-on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.
~ Carl Sagan
That simple, yet profound realisation, became a fuel to energise all I do here at Bealtaine Cottage.
Planting and planting as if my life depends upon it…and it does.
Living close to the Earth, for she nurtures us all.
“Think of the endless cruelties visited by the inhabitants of one corner of this pixel on the scarcely distinguishable inhabitants of some other corner,
how frequent their misunderstandings,
how eager they are to kill one another,
how fervent their hatreds.
Think of the rivers of blood spilled by all those generals and emperors so that,
in glory and triumph,
they could become the momentary masters of a fraction of a dot.”
~Carl Sagan
Nurture the Earth, for there is no other.
Where does one begin?
I can’t tell you.
How does one begin?
With kindness, compassion and a generosity towards future generations.
Brigid was also a Celtic Goddess, who was venerated for protection of the home from fire.
Ireland is full of spring wells named after the Goddess Brigid, who held sway over them.
The Spring Wells are often seen as a portal to the Otherworld and a source of wisdom and healing.
There is a Brigid in all who nurture compassion, hope, love and life.
These are aspects of the Divine Feminine and this is the Age of the Awakening of the Divine Feminine in all of humanity.
Governments are the trustees we elect…
They will only do what we allow them to… for we are many and they are few.
Empowerment rests within us.
This Awakening is speeding up through the medium of Social Media.
I have observed the transformation of people, from being passive receivers of air-brushed, sanitized information through television, to actively engaging in exchanging information, comment and knowledge through shared social media on the internet.
This is the beginning of the expansion of the Collective Consciousness.
Where once there was solitary repulsion towards what was wrong, there is now a growing movement of outrage.
This Imbolc I shall recall the legacy of Brigid.
There was a Christian Monastery built upon the sacred shrine of Brigid.
It went on to become known as a great European centre of learning and culture, that became instrumental in preserving the ancient learning and literature during the Dark Ages.
Often I think we are slowly emerging from the Dark Ages of Greed, Ignorance and Arrogance.
We are all sacred beings on a journey towards the Divine.
A human being is part of the whole, called by us “universe,” limited in time and space.
He experiences himself, his thoughts and feelings as something separated from the rest – a kind of optical delusion of his consciousness.
This delusion is a prison,restricting us to… our personal desires and to affection for a few persons close to us.
Our task must be to free ourselves from our prison by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all humanity and the whole of nature in its beauty.” ~AlbertEinstein
The Earth, once regarded by ancient tribes as the sacred Mother, is , once more, regarded by the awakened mind, as integral to our lives.
I was reminded of this as I walked the land this evening, taking the photos below.
The moon was waxing and the sky crystal clear.
The thought occurred to me that we are not separate…
We are not separate.
We are all connected.
We are all one.
Do you doubt this?
Each time you take a breath, thank a tree!
If you enjoy the free content of this blog, please consider making a donation using the button below. My PayPal account can receive your donations and will convert from your local currency, and you don’t need a PayPal account to make a donation. Thank you!
The morning started bright and it was a good day for working on the land. I sat here enjoying my tea and toast, planning the work I would do in the orchard and vegetable garden…but…I got side-tracked…
...and decided to just cut back a few stems of willow. Mistake! I became engrossed in constructing another willow arch at the top end of the vegetable garden, near the tunnel! Before I knew what the time was, my stomach was rumbling and Missy had arrived back from the vet…
My lovely old cat is much better today and her appetite has returned. We continue to wait for the results of whether her tumour is malignant or benign, but a 6 week steroid injection has begun to shrink it, allowing her to be much more comfortable!
I want to thank all you lovely people who are being mindful of Missy…I do believe that so much good energy sent to Missy has helped her enormously! I have tied the names of well wishers to an old fairy tree in the garden near the cottage for health and contentment to be returned to you and your beloved animals too…good energy wishes are powerful!
Bealtaine Blessings to you all!
“We have forgotten who we are, we have lost our sense of wonder and connectedness, we have degraded the earth and our fellow creatures, and we have nowhere else to go . . . “ – Earth Charter I read this today and realised how important it is to be mindful of the real things in this world…for me, animals are one of the pillars of happiness and love. Compassion is what makes us whole.
The day that’s in it at Bealtaine Cottage today!
Love, Peace, Contentment and Empowerment to you ALL.