Hello my friend.
I personally enjoy a good bedtime story.
So tonight I'm going to share one with you.
An ancient Egyptian tale called the Sacred Boat of Dreams.
So get really comfortable in your bed,
Cozy under your covers.
Arrange your body so you can be totally relaxed.
And then very gently let your eyes close.
Let the body begin to become heavy.
And let your breathing become slow,
Nice and slow.
As slow as the great river Nile at twilight.
In ancient times,
When the world was young and the gods walked upon the earth,
There was a sacred teaching passed down through the temples.
A teaching about the journey we take each night into sleep.
The priests of old Egypt knew that sleep was not an ending,
But a voyage.
A voyage upon celestial waters.
And tonight my friend,
Tonight you will take that voyage too.
Imagine yourself now standing on the banks of a timeless river.
The sun is setting,
Painting the sky in sheets of amber,
Purple,
And rose.
The air is warm and gentle against your skin.
And the sound of water lapping softly against the shore fills your ears.
Before you is a beautiful boat carved from ancient cedar,
Adorned with gold that catches the fading light.
This is your sacred vessel.
The boat that will carry you through the night,
All through the night.
As you step into the boat,
You feel its gentle rocking back and forth,
Back and forth.
Like being cradled in loving,
Warm arms.
The cushions beneath you are soft,
So very soft,
Covered in the finest linen.
The boat begins to move now,
Gliding smoothly across the darkening waters.
You need do nothing,
Nothing,
Nothing at all.
The current knows the way.
It has carried countless souls on this journey since time began.
Above you,
The first stars begin to appear.
One by one,
One by one.
Like diamonds scattered across deep blue silk.
The ancient Egyptians called these stars the souls of the blessed,
Watching over all who sail these waters.
Your boat drifts past temples of stone,
Their columns rising like ancient sentinels.
Past groves of date palms that whisper secrets in a language older than words.
Past beautiful lotus flowers that close their petals for the night,
Inviting you to do the same,
To close,
Rest,
And release.
The goddess Nut stretches herself across the sky above you now,
Her body adorned with stars.
She who swallows the sun each evening and gives birth to it each morning.
She watches over your journey with infinite tenderness.
Your eyelids grow heavy now,
Heavy as the river stones worn smooth by countless years of water.
It's safe to let them close.
The boat carries you,
Still,
Steady,
Sure.
The river grows wider now,
Merging with the cosmic ocean,
The waters of noon,
The primordial darkness from which all life sprang.
This darkness is not frightening.
It is the darkness of the womb,
Of deep earth,
Of perfect peace.
Your breathing slows with the rhythm of the oars,
Though you see no one rowing.
The boat moves as if guided by ancient magic,
In and out,
In and out,
Each breath taking you deeper,
Deeper into tranquility,
Deeper into peace.
You float now through the realm of dreams,
Where the god Thoth records the wisdom of your sleeping hours,
Where Anubis guards the threshold between waking and sleeping,
Protecting your rest.
Time moves differently here.
One moment might be an hour,
An hour might be a heartbeat.
It matters not.
You are safe.
You are held.
You are held,
My friend.
You are exactly where you need to be.
The boat rocks gently,
Gently,
And you sink deeper into the cushions,
Your body becoming lighter with each breath,
As if you yourself are dissolving into the starlit water,
Becoming one with the cosmic river.
And here,
In this sacred darkness,
You will sail until morning,
When the boat will return you safely to the shore,
Renewed and restored.
But for now,
Just float,
Drift,
Let yourself be.
The river of night carries you,
And you surrender to its ancient wisdom.
Let go now,
Let go.
The journey has begun,
The journey has begun,
The journey has begun.
Sweet dreams,
Dream sweetly,
Dream sweetly,
Dream sweetly.
