So welcome to this slumberland sleep story.
I'll be your guide as you sleep.
Sit in the most serene meadow,
Looking over a field of sheep,
Before setting off on a journey to discover the magical painting.
And I wish you the most peaceful nights,
Sleep and pleasant dreams.
And before we begin,
You can take a few moments to settle down comfortably.
You can shift about a little if you need to,
To make yourself more comfortable.
And when you're ready.
You can let your eyes gently close.
And I don't know whether you'll drift asleep faster to the sound of my voice.
Or whether it'll be to these spaces between my words.
And as the story unfolds.
You can take a few deep relaxing breaths,
Allowing the out breaths.
To be a little longer than the in-breaths.
This triggers the body's natural relaxation response.
And as you relax.
You can find yourself in that serene meadow.
And in that meadow you have the sun comfortably beating down on you.
You can see the green of the grass of the meadow and the fields.
You can see the way that.
.
.
The landscape undulates gently.
The different shrubs dotted through the landscape.
Distant woodland.
And trees around the edges of fields.
The occasional tree.
Standing tall in the center of fields,
Somewhere for livestock to take shelter when the sun gets too strong.
Or perhaps to take shelter from rain.
And the hedges that line those fields,
Marking the boundaries of one field to the next.
Seeing the pattern.
Of wear in the different edges.
The gates are for the farmers to be able to travel from field to field.
And the pattern of travel they have to take.
Those gates revealing the path they must take.
When placing food within the different fields.
And when travelling to the fields of crops.
You can see the patchwork landscape,
Those fields with sheep,
Fields with cows.
Fields full of yellow flowers.
Fields of corn.
A number of different types of crops visible across this section of landscape.
And yet here in this meadow,
Slightly up on a hill.
You can enjoy the stillness,
The quiet,
Just the soft sound of songbirds singing.
The sight of butterflies flitting past.
Landing on different plants.
Tootling around those plants.
Before flitting off to another plant.
The rabbits keeping their distance.
Gnawing on the ground.
Hopping a few steps and gnawing some more.
The way the meadow.
Is pocketed with mole-hills.
And there's a certain calm serenity to relaxing here in this landscape.
Feeling the cool breeze as it wafts across your face.
Occasionally wanting to just close your eyes and relax deeper.
Really taking in the environment.
The different scents you can smell.
The feeling of the cool grass beneath you.
And you gaze out across the field.
You begin to count the sheep.
Within one of the fields.
One.
3 fall,
And as you're counting those sheets,
That counting just makes you begin to think of sleep.
Five.
Six,
Seven,
And then the sheep move a little.
And weave among themselves and you lose track of your counting.
You start again once.
Too.
Three,
Before,
Even holding your arm out in front of you and your fingertips stretched out at the end of your hands.
Looking past your hands.
Almost tapping each sheep as you count it.
With your fingertip in the air,
Once.
Three.
For you.
I.
6,
And no sooner do you get a few numbers in.
And the sheep go and move again.
And something about constantly restarting your counting just makes you feel more tired and sleepy.
With your arm outstretched before you.
And so you begin to.
Of counting their sheep.
They just make you smile.
Almost as if a part of your mind thinks,
In a playful way,
That they're doing this on purpose,
Even though they are all the way over there.
And that field on that hill.
And you're all the way over here in this meadow.
You have that sense of almost like there's a playfulness between the two of you,
Between the field of sheep and yourself.
As you rest your arm back down.
Resting gently on your elbows just looking out across the fields.
Hearing the mooing of the cows from one of the fields.
The sound travelling in a way that carries and yet sounds distant.
As it reaches your ears.
The occasional bleat of the sheep.
Normally one and then another responding.
The sound of a robin.
Which lands near you,
Singing its song.
And a distant crow.
And an even more distant owl.
Absorbing yourself in the experience of resting here.
And after a while of resting and just enjoying being in the moment.
Not doing anything and no responsibility to have to do anything,
Just resting here in this moment.
You decide to take some time to read.
And so you take a book out of your bag.
And you read for a little while.
Still feeling the absorbing heat.
Experience of this nature around you.
Feeling a deep sense of peace and calm being able to sit out in nature and read.
Where time can really slow right down,
Where there's not a care or a worry in the world,
Just being in this moment absorbed in the experience.
And you find the page that you're on.
You open the book at that page.
You begin to read that book.
As you reach the bottom of the page,
So you carefully turn the page.
The feeling of the paper between your thumb and forefinger.
Sensation of that paper as you turn it.
And then take hold of the book again.
The sound of each page turning.
And the more you read the more absorbed in the experience you get.
And the more absorbed in the experience of reading that you become.
More lost in time you become.
Time outside of the reading seems to almost stand still,
Almost become timeless.
And as you read so the sun continues to carefully travel across the sky.
As the clouds also travel across the sky.
Shifting and changing as they move.
Merging with each other,
Separating from each other.
Spreading out and building up.
One minute,
One set of patterns in the sky.
Another minute,
A different set of patterns in the sky.
The occasional sight.
The flock of birds flying by.
Sometimes.
Swarming and dancing in the sky.
Before diving down into trees and shrubs.
Seeing a flock of geese fly by.
The sound of each geese,
Almost honking.
With each movement of the wings as the movement of the wings.
Pumps air.
Through their throat.
The site.
Of a bird of prey circling high overhead in an updraft of warm air.
As the sun continues.
Passing its way across the sky.
Until the sun.
Begins to drift below the horizon.
And the sky begins to change colour.
And as the sky takes on more of an orangey hue.
You can hear the wildlife around you beginning to settle down as if it's settling down to sleep.
You can hear the sounds of crickets waking up.
You pack your things away and head down the bank.
Down through this meadow.
Down to a path that runs along the edge of the field.
And you follow that path.
Just ambling along in the most peaceful of ways through the countryside.
Feeling a deep sense of calmness.
Relaxation that's being out in nature.
Finding your way.
Back to a cabin you're staying in.
And as you arrive back at that cabin,
Walking up to the front door.
Clicking the latch to open the door.
Wiping your feet on entering.
Closing the door behind you.
Turning on the lamps to give a cosy feel to the cabin.
Placing your items down beside the door.
And heading over.
To the fireplace.
And lighting the coziest of log fires in the fireplace.
And heading.
To the kitchen area where you prepare yourself something to eat.
And the smell of that cooking food.
Filling this space.
Enveloping your senses.
Dancing into your nostrils.
Triggering some salivation.
At the thought of the enjoyment of eating that food.
Taking your food and sitting by the fire as it crackles gently in the hearth.
And enjoying that food as you eat it.
Almost lost in the silence of being in this cabin in the countryside.
With the dancing glow light of the fireplace.
Shadows dancing on the brickwork.
The womb.
Massaging your cheeks.
After finishing eating.
You enjoy a little bit more of that book.
Before closing the book as the fire burns down to embers.
And then deciding to head to bed.
And as you head to bed,
So you rest down in that most comfortable bed.
Temperature of the bedroom just right.
Pillow cool under your head.
A slight Evening Breeze winding its way in through the window.
The evening sounds of the countryside.
Calming your mind and body.
As you drift.
Comfortably asleep.
And while you're drifting comfortably asleep.
You can begin to notice.
How your mind and body.
Becoming so still and relaxed.
You allow your awareness to settle on the top of your head.
Noticing how your head's resting there on the pillow.
The coolness of that pillow.
Comfort of it being supported so gently.
You're aware of how the muscles around your scalp and the back of your head softening and relaxing as you drift deeper asleep.
As your mind and body.
And making that journey.
From wakefulness.
Comfortable recuperative sleep.
Noticing the way,
The relaxation.
Is moving through you with each breath that you take.
Aware of the muscles around your face,
Softening and relaxing.
The muscles around the ears relaxing,
Your cheeks relaxing.
The muscles around your eyes,
Relaxing and around your nose.
Across your forehead.
All those muscles just relaxing deeper.
And deeper so easily and so effortlessly.
Where you're falling asleep as an observer on the experience happening.
Putting in no effort at all.
Noticing how sometimes you can pay attention to fading tension or perhaps feel that tension dissolving without paying it any attention at all.
The relaxation continues.
Down around your mouth,
Relaxing your lips,
Your jaw.
Before relaxing the muscles around the side of the neck.
Around the back of your neck and around your throat.
And as your jaw relaxes and hangs slightly loose and limp and comfortable The relaxation continues all by itself to move down.
To your shoulders and upper back.
And I don't know whether that relaxation happens fastest around your shoulders.
Or in the upper back or perhaps.
Down the tops or the front of the shoulders.
As that relaxation progresses around your back and your chest.
Softening and relaxing those muscles fully,
Deeply and comfortably.
And as those muscles soften and relax while you rest there,
Relaxation can begin to spread down the arms to the hands all the way down to the tips of your fingers.
And I don't know which arm will relax fully fastest,
Whether it'll be the left arm or the right arm,
Or whether the arms will relax at the same rate and speed as each other.
And as that relaxation continues through those arms.
It can flow down through your stomach and your sides and down your lower back.
All the way down to your bottom before extending deeply down through your legs to the tips of your toes.
And as your body becomes deeper and deeper relaxed while you drift into the most pleasant sleep.
So your mind begins to relax.
You begin to have a sense of a healing light touching your forehead,
Enveloping your face and head.
With that healing deep relaxation.
Absorbing comfortably and gently into you with each in-breath that you take.
Filling you with a deep sense of healing,
Peace and calm.
Spreading that healing,
Restorative,
Recuperative light down through your body.
Breathing in healing,
Calm relaxation.
Breathing out any stress or tension.
Aware of that healing light passing down your neck,
Softening and relaxing those muscles.
Spreading down through the neck with each breath to your shoulders.
Are in the back of your neck,
Down into your arms.
Flowing all the way down to the tips of the fingers.
Down through the body.
Softening and relaxing.
Deeper and deeper with each breath that you take.
As that light journeys down through you,
Healing on its way,
All the way down to the soles of your feet.
To the tips of your toes.
Finding your mind drifting deeper.
Deeper sleep.
And while you drift deeply asleep you begin to dream.
And you dream about walking through that meadow that you were in earlier.
Only this time when you walk down to that path.
You turn the opposite direction.
And you walk along this path a little way.
And after a short walk.
You find yourself at a bridge crossing a river.
And standing.
Just before the bridge.
Is a friendly old man with a long white beard and long white hair.
They say that they are a guardian.
They're the guardian of knowledge.
So it's up to them whether you have the knowledge to cross.
And they ask you a few questions.
And on answering those questions.
They tell you you can cross,
But when you cross,
Take the right turning.
The right turning.
Will give you a deep and meaningful experience.
And so you cross the bridge.
And as you walk off the other side of the bridge you turn and look back the way you just came.
And you can't see anything.
The guardian seems to have vanished.
And this you find a little perplexing,
A little curious but you continue on anyway.
Following the right path.
As you walk along this right path.
So you notice.
That along the path there's increasing numbers of purple flowers.
Then the grass itself seems to be purple.
Then the trees seem to be purple.
And before long the whole landscape.
Seems to be purple.
And you walk through this purple landscape.
Looking at the curious way the shadows move in this landscape.
And you see within a field at the end of the path.
The deepest looking grey stone.
And within that stone is embedded a silver sword with a pure white handle.
Glistening as if it has diamonds encrusted within it.
You walk into that field and head over to the stone.
You take that sword from the stone and hold it up in the air.
And there's a certain lightness to the sword.
It feels much lighter than you thought it was going to and its weight is balanced in a way that makes it so easy to move around you.
And as you move it and stretch it out and twist it around so it captures the reflecting light the light.
Dancing with the sword.
And then you hear a voice,
A slightly squeaky voice.
And turn to face the location of the voice.
And see a small unusual mouse like creature.
They introduce themselves as whiskers.
And they say that that is a sword in the stone.
It's not the sword in a stone.
But it is a sword in a stone.
And it's not supposed to be able to be removed.
Other than by someone chosen.
And they explain that the chosen one is somebody who has the ability.
To synchronize their mind in such a way.
They can see things others cannot.
Unusually.
They talk and explain knowing they're in a dream.
Reminding you that this is all a dream.
Because it had been so vivid,
You'd almost forgotten you were living out an experience within a dream,
And not just on another day out,
Wandering through the countryside.
And they tell you.
About a certain way of touching things.
That allows you.
To connect deeply with what it is you're touching.
To feel its true nature.
In the same way that here in this dream,
You've been able to handle that sword,
Feeling its true nature,
To the point that it lets you lift it from the stone.
And they suggest you place the sword back into the stone.
And allow yourself to drift deeper and deeper asleep.
And you place that sword back in the stone.
And with that.
.
.
The most comfortable darkness begins to set in across the land,
As if the lights are softly being turned out.
And curtains gently drawn.
To allow it to be dark enough.
For you to get the most restful night's sleep.
And you drift and float.
Deeply and peacefully asleep.
The next morning.
Waken to the early morning songbird.
You have yourself something to eat before setting off to explore like you've been doing every day.
You head back along that path and like in your dream,
This time you take the opposite direction.
Wandering along towards that.
Bridge over a river.
And there's no being there this time.
You cross that stone bridge,
Smelling the freshness of the water.
Continuing on your journey.
The landscape isn't turning purple around you.
But it is deeply relaxing and calming.
So peaceful out here.
You haven't encountered any other people.
Just a place full of so much nature.
You're aware at some point,
Farmers must come too.
Tend to the flock.
But for now.
There's no one around.
You find your way to where the sword was in the stone.
And you recognise all this as being the same as in your dream.
Just looking normal.
There's no purple landscape.
There's no sword in a stone,
In the place where the sword would be and where that stone would be.
Instead,
It's just a large oak tree.
And the public footpath takes you through the field alongside that oak tree.
Cutting right through this field to the far corner of the field.
And so you decide to follow that footpath.
Climbing over a star.
Walking alongside that tree and as you pass the tree so you reach out allowing your fingertips to touch the rough bark.
Feeling the coolness.
The texture of that bark as you run your fingers around it.
And while running your fingers around the bar.
They catch slightly on a bit of bark which moves.
And this makes you stop.
And pay a bit more attention.
And you touch that spot again.
And you hear.
A whirring sound.
And then see that in the tree.
A secret entrance opens up.
And with curiosity you wander into that entrance.
You descend.
Spiral staircase going down deeper.
Deeper.
Under this tree.
And as you reach the base of the staircase.
Lights within a tunnel spring to life.
Dancing light illuminating this tunnel.
A slight musty,
Muddy smell.
Wafting down this tunnel.
The change in air temperature.
Between the outside you just came in from and within this tunnel.
Makes a gentle breeze flow through the tunnel.
Making those lights flicker even more.
And the dirt within the tunnel.
That's compacted beneath your feet.
Makes the most gentle thud.
With each step.
And you walk with curiosity along this tunnel.
And as you walk along this tunnel.
You're curious what you'll find.
And after some time,
The tunnel begins to turn.
And head in a slightly different direction.
And seems to be beginning.
To lower down.
And you can feel yourself walking deeper.
Deeper.
Until eventually.
.
.
After some time of walking.
You can see that the tunnel turns sharply to one side.
You follow that tunnel.
You head around that corner.
And it opens out into a vast chamber.
And within this vast chamber.
Which is illuminated by torches wrapping around the chamber.
Somehow alight.
You see the chamber.
Below you.
Is full of water.
The stillest water.
That's so clear you can see all the way through.
The ground beneath that water.
And in the heart of this chamber.
Is the most pristine looking pirate ship.
You wander around the outside.
Of the chamber.
Heading around to a rope bridge which is connected to the edge of the chamber.
And connected to the ship itself.
And you walk along that rope bridge carefully.
And on to the pirate ship.
You begin to explore this pirate ship.
It stands so tall and still here within this chamber.
You see that before the pirate ship,
Is what looks like fallen down rock.
And you know this area a little and you know that this must be along the cliff line.
That runs along the coast.
You wonder whether,
At some point,
The face of one of the cliffs Let's collapse.
Covering an entrance.
To a cave.
And this pirate ship was within the cave at the time.
And maybe on the outside.
The collapsed cliff was weathered.
Maybe more has collapsed since then.
And removed all sign.
That there was a cave ever there.
And you continue to explore this pirate ship.
And the thing you find most unusual.
Is how empty the ship is.
There seems to be pretty much nothing here.
You wonder whether the tunnel was perhaps dug.
By the people who this ship belonged to.
Maybe they dug that tunnel all the way out.
And removed everything from the ship they wanted to take with them.
There's no treasures within this ship.
There's no rotted food.
There seems to be no sign of anything.
And you head into one of the cabins.
And for the first time you see something.
That is more than just.
Plain and empty ship.
You see a painting.
Resting against a back wall in this cabin.
It's a vertical painting.
But it's a painting of a landscape.
And you walk over to that painting.
Gently rest your fingertips.
On the painting,
Feeling the paint.
Feeling the individual brush strokes that were taken to paint this painting.
Feeling the heart of this painting.
The truth of this painting.
That it's more than just a painting of a landscape.
And as your fingers run over the painting.
So it's as if you can feel that paint becoming gloopy.
As if the paint.
Is starting to become runny.
And you notice your fingertips are moving through that runny paint.
Smearing the picture.
And yet a part of you continues to want to keep moving your fingertips over the paint.
As if this is the point of the painting.
And with your other hand.
You run the fingertips of that other hand over the painting as well.
And the paint continues.
To turn back to liquid.
And begins to churn and mix on that canvas.
As if your fingertips are brushes.
Moving that paint around.
And as you move the paint around.
So your mind begins to absorb itself in the experience.
And a new picture begins to form.
And this new picture that forms.
Shows a hot looking landscape.
With an old town.
You can see a sign of this old town.
Saying Buffalo.
And within this old town.
You see a white clock tower.
And then you notice once this painting.
Shows the truth of this different location.
Instead of the painting solidifying.
Your fingertips go through the painting and you realise the painting has become a portal and so you step through the painting.
Feeling the warmth of the sun.
In this town.
You begin to explore this town and realise this is this town as it was.
Hundreds of years earlier.
You can see the landscape so dry and dusty.
Grass in this landscape almost rattling as the breeze blows across it.
You see a market in this town and people chatting and laughing and selling and buying.
And you feel drawn.
Towards that clock tower.
As if there's something sparkling,
Twinkling,
Grabbing your attention.
You head to the clock tower.
You work your way up.
Through the inside of the clock tower,
Hearing the gears moving,
Hearing the ticking.
Ascending that clock tower.
And when you reach.
.
.
Behind the face.
Within that clock tower.
You feel a sudden stream of consciousness.
And your mind.
A connection with time.
With wonder.
You allow your mind to be drawn into that.
To follow.
The wisdom you're gaining.
Of the past.
Of the present of the future.
Of how the pirates.
Started off here,
Found their way.
To the shore.
Got themselves a boat.
Spent years traveling the ocean.
Before their ship.
Became trapped.
And it took them weeks.
To dig a path out.
And they'd planned on one day perhaps coming back.
The ship.
But they never really saw much need.
Once they'd managed to get everything off of the ship.
And the only thing they left behind.
What was this painting?
That had started it all for them.
That the captain had purchased.
From an unusual cellar.
And after having this stream of consciousness.
Your awareness comes back to being in that clock tower.
You see a golden compass resting on the ground.
You pick that compass up and take a look at the compass and see that the needle is spinning.
And not settling on any one direction.
And you realise this has deeper meaning.
And then you hear a voice.
From within the clock tower.
Telling you to take that compass with you.
And you carry that compass all the way down through the clock tower at the foot of the clock tower.
Is what looks like a younger version.
Of that guardian you saw in your mind.
They tell you.
This compass needs a new home.
It needs to find a new direction.
And you can give it that,
You can take it to a new time,
A new place and you know.
Where to place that compass for others to find in the future.
But only after it's shown you the way for yourself and been a guide for you.
Keeping you true and on track.
With your life.
As it had done before.
For the captain of that ship.
And that those on the ship were known as pirates.
But actually,
That's far from the truth.
Their explorers.
Wanderers and Wanderers and they direct you back.
Towards where the painting brought you in.
Your head back.
Find your way back through the painting.
Back from the ship.
Back down that tunnel.
And out of the tree.
The door closing behind you and you run your fingers around the bark of the tree unable to find that loose bit of bark again.
That would release.
A doorway into the tree.
You head back to that cabin you're staying in.
And once more you enjoy.
Some food you make sitting by the fire.
You settle back down into bed at the end of another day.
And while resting in bed.
Behold the compass for a while.
Looking closely at that compass,
The needle.
Now showing a direction.
You place that down beside you.
You close your eyes and you imagine yourself.
At the top of a garden.
You imagine yourself.
Descending steps into the garden.
You have a sense of counting yourself down to that garden from ten.
Eight.
Seven.
6,
Going deeper and deeper,
5,
Hmm.
Three,
Or one walking through the garden,
Finding your way to the most comfortable bench.
Resting down on that bench.
As you drift and float.
Deeply.
And comfortably asleep.
Into the most pleasant dreams.
Drifting,
Floating peacefully.
Relax to sleep.
Into slumberland.
