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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There was always understood to be a contract between the people and the land. This reminder formed the words as I walked the woodland sanctuary, on this last day of November. The leaf-covered earth I walked upon reminded me of that sacred contract, one long since forgotten by humankind. From the sacred well flows the life-giving […]
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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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In preparing for the season of Yule, I follow the age old traditions of all the women who have gone before me. Preparation is everything. This begins in the home and involves casting an eye over all that will be of importance during this sacred time of gathering. I am driven with the desire to […]
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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 […]
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 MoreWinter 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 […]
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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, […]
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 […]
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