Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Dream of Baba Yaga

Starting point is 00:00:00 Did you know, our company Slumber Studios also has a sleep app called Slumber. With thousands of episodes, including stories, meditations, soundscapes, music and audio books, it has a huge variety of sleep-inducing content, and we add new episodes every single day. You can search by narrator, hear episodes you won't find on Get Sleepy, and even customize your background sounds to create your own perfect. mix. As a listener of Get Sleepy, you can unlock all of the content in the app, free for one month. Just go to Slumber.fm.fm slash Get Sleepy. That's Slumber.fm slash Get Sleepy for instant access to all of the content in Slumber, free for one month. If you love Get Sleepy or any of the other

Starting point is 00:00:56 shows we produce here at Slumber Studios, you'll love our app. called White Noise Deep Sleep Sounds. With hundreds of sounds to choose from and the option to create custom mixes for your perfect soundscape, it can help you sleep better, improve focus, reduce anxiety, relieve tinnitus and calm babies. As a listener of Get Sleepy, we have an exclusive offer for you. Download the White Noise Deep Sleep Sounds app and get 30 days free access to all of the premium content, just go to deepsleepsounds.com slash get sleepy. That's deepsleepsounds.com slash get sleepy. Welcome to get sleepy, where we listen, we relax and we get sleepy. As always, I'm your host, Thomas. Thank you so much for being here.

Starting point is 00:01:59 This evening will join a young woman named Alexandra as she takes a walk in the woods. There she'll come across someone she doesn't expect. A legendary figure who is for many the archetype of the witch. Far from wicked or evil, she is something else entirely. Thank you to Frankie. for writing this one, and to Chloe who'll be narrating for us. So, settle yourself into the comfort of your bed, find a place of stillness, knowing you can make adjustments as and when you need. But for the most part, try to just allow yourself to be still and grounded in this cozy spot

Starting point is 00:03:05 and just sense the elements of this spot you're in that feel most comforting to you. It may be the familiarity of it all, the soft support of your mattress, the quietude of lying in this place of rest, and the self-care you're providing. You're giving yourself an opportunity to rest. And that's a kind and compassionate thing.

Starting point is 00:03:50 to do for yourself. So, I suggest you take a deep, full breath in and as it's released back out, send a word of appreciation to yourself and allow rest to wash over you more and more with each breath that follows. Now, you are ready to join Alexandra on her job. journey to meet Baba Yaga, picturing your mind a large pine forest. It seems to go on forever. Carpeting the landscape in a deep green. On the edge of the forest stands a figure. This is where our story begins. Alexandra zips up her jacket. and mentally goes down her checklist.

Starting point is 00:05:34 She has a bottle of water, some snacks, and a few other supplies in her backpack. She wonders if she should have brought an umbrella as well. But she reasons that for most of the walk, she will be under the canopy of the trees anyway. The sky is a soft white color. And the clouds lie across it, like a thin blanket. the sun still shines through the screen of the clouds, creating a light that is still bright.

Starting point is 00:06:15 But diffuse, the whole world looks like it is wonderfully lit, so she can notice all the details of the landscape around her. She should have brought sunglasses. Alexandra looks at the trailhead, which starts at the edge of the forest. She can only see a first. few feet into the woods. The pine trees are thick, exactly as she remembers them from childhood. This trail was one that she used to walk with her grandmother all the time. She hasn't been back for

Starting point is 00:07:01 years, but something tugged at her this morning when she woke up. She knew she had to pack a bag and get under the trees as soon as possible. Alexandra tightens the laces on her shoes. and heads into the forest, where the gravel car park was a place of light, with the sound of the wind, and the expansive feeling of a wide-open world. The forest is the opposite. Still, the bright light of day filters through the closely packed trees. By the time it reaches the trail, it is dim and comforting. The air is still and smells of pine needles. They carpet the ground, creating a soft, russet red carpet that crunches slightly under her feet. The smell immediately puts her at ease.

Starting point is 00:08:12 The closeness of the trees, coupled with their height, makes the forest feel intimate, like the home of her grandmother, which is always covered in tables, knick-knacks, odds and ends. Alexandra pauses for a moment and lets the feeling of comfort. foot and relaxation wash over her. She continues down the path, a small smile on her face. The songs of birds weave through the trees, creating a beautiful underscoring to her walk. Alexandra continues this way for a time. She doesn't keep track. Every once in a while she pauses and takes a drink of her water, or munches a handful of trail mix. Her thoughts dance lazily from the beauty of the forest to memories of her childhood and her grandmother.

Starting point is 00:09:19 Nostalgia colors her walk in a soft, golden mist. Alexandra glances to the side and spots something moving through the trees. She stops and appears closer. Something definitely moved. But it appears to have gone now. She shrugs. it was probably a deer, startled by her footsteps. Alexandra continues her walk, but now keeps an eye out for more movement.

Starting point is 00:09:58 She would love to see a deer. Something moves again through the trees. This time on the other side of the path, she can nearly make it out. But not quite. Alexandra pauses for a moment. Should she take a step off the path? Unlike the parents and grandparents in stories, her grandmother had always told her that a brave girl could find the most magical, secret things off the path.

Starting point is 00:10:37 With her grandmother's words still ringing in her head, Alexandra steps off the path and towards the indistinct thing in the woods, she walks between the close-set trees, always following the thing in the shadows. Finally, after several long minutes, she comes to a house, a very small wooden cottage. Though the word cottage is generous, it is small, more like a hut or a shack, but it is well kept and beautifully designed. The wooden eaves are shaped into floral designs. The peaked roof has individual wooden tiles, delicately carved.

Starting point is 00:11:41 The entire house looks like the most beautiful dull house, yet none of it is painted, which is why it was so hard to see. It blends in perfectly with the woods around it. A curl of blue smoke is coming out of the small chimney. The windows are curtained. But Alexandra can see the flicker of warm light behind them. Instinctively, she moves forward and up two little steps into the tiny front porch. She knocks on the front door, or a few footsteps behind the door.

Starting point is 00:12:32 And then it opens. Alexandra blinks. For a moment, the figure in the doorway looks remarkably like her grandmother. Her grandmother is at home. Not in some mysterious house in the woods. The moment passes. The old woman's face resolve itself into one that Alexandra has never seen before, but finds incredibly familiar.

Starting point is 00:13:09 The old woman looks Alexandra up and down, cocks her head to the side, and then gestures for her to come in. Alexandra steps inside and closes the door behind her. She lets out a gasp when she turns around. The inside of the cabin is warm, wood-panelled and covered with furniture. Little spindly tables and ornaments. That isn't what has shocked Alexandra.

Starting point is 00:13:49 The decor looks very much like her grandmother's house after all. No, it's the same. from the outside. The little house looked barely big enough for two people and a small table. Alexandra now stands in the middle of a large room. Through an archway on one side of the room, she can see a kitchen. At the other end of the room is a staircase leading to a second floor, which certainly wasn't visible from outside. This room, this room, room is dominated by a huge fireplace. With a large mantle, a cheerful fire crackles happily in the fireplace.

Starting point is 00:14:48 The mantelpiece, like nearly every other surface in the room, is covered in knick-knacks. Little brightly painted figurines. Ticking clocks and candlesticks are everywhere. The room is like. a museum filled with curiosities. Over the fireplace is a birch-wood broom. The old woman gestures to Alexandra to have a seat on the large, squashy couch in front of the fire.

Starting point is 00:15:31 Neither of them has uttered a word, and Alexandra isn't sure how to begin. Who is this woman? How does she know her? And why has she invited a stranger into her house? Before Alexandra can build up the courage to ask any of these questions, the woman opens her mouth to speak. She tells Alexandra, in a warm voice like maple syrup,

Starting point is 00:16:06 that she has been expecting her. Alexandra looks at her in confusion. The woman chuckles in response. She is Baba Yaga, and these are her woods. She has watched over Alexandra since the days she used to walk in these woods with her grandmother, before Alexandra can respond and voice her incredulity. Baba Yaga stands up and announces that she'll prepare some tea. the old woman strides off towards the kitchen.

Starting point is 00:16:52 Alexandra stays by the fire for a moment, but can't sit still. She is propelled by the questions buzzing around her mind and follows Babiaga into the other room. The kitchen has another large fireplace, where a black cauldron, big enough to sit in, bubbles away. It smells delicious. A black kettle also sits over the fire.

Starting point is 00:17:27 A large scrubbed table takes up one half of the room. Babayaga bustles around the room, taking down brightly coloured cups and sauces, and arranging cookies on a plate. She idly commands Alexandra to sit down. Just as she opens her mouth, to offer help. So, Alexandra sits. And before she knows it, she's staring across the table into the warm brown eyes of the old woman, a hot mug of tea in front of her, and a cookie in her

Starting point is 00:18:14 hand. The tea smells wonderful and herbie. The steam alone seems to clear her mind. Alexandra takes a sip, and Babayaga tells her that now she may ask her questions. Alexandra pauses, wondering which to ask first. So many of them bounce around in her head. She lands on asking Baba Yaga who she is. The old woman laughs in response. Her laughter is deep and infectious. She sighs before answering.

Starting point is 00:19:08 Baba Yaga has roamed the wild forests of the world for so many years now that she has lost count. The forests are her place to care for and to watch over. There have been many stories about Baba Yaga over the years, some good and some not so nice. Such is the fate of a powerful woman. The best story, in her opinion, is the one about how she came to be. Baba Yaga has been old for her whole life. Many, many years ago, the ancient goddess of everything that grows and lives

Starting point is 00:20:03 was watching humanity in its progression. The earth goddess loved the humans dearly. as she loved everything that lived. But she noticed something worrying about them too. They had no respect for the forests. The humans cut them down to build their houses and fuel their forges, which was all necessary. But they did not think of the future of the forests.

Starting point is 00:20:40 They only thought of taking, not of giving. so the goddess decided to create someone who would help to teach them, someone who looked like a human, but was made for the forest. The goddess traveled across the world with a large velvet bag. She saw a little girl standing up to a schoolyard bully and put the girl in her bag. She saw a woman comforting a small child who had skinned his knee with hugs and kisses.

Starting point is 00:21:24 She put this woman in her bag. She saw another being a spokeswoman for her village, negotiating cheaper rent from the local lord. The goddess put this woman in her bag as well. The goddess collected a schoolteacher with a wealth of knowledge, a woman who calmed an argument peacefully. A young woman who had me. many friends, a skilled midwife, a gentle healer, a wise herbalist, a green-thumbed gardener,

Starting point is 00:22:09 a woman who followed her intuition, and a little girl with an untamed imagination. The earth goddess took these twelve women and put them in her great cauldron. She stirred them together, and then breathed into the pot. The came Baba Yaga, fully formed and already ancient. She accepted her duty immediately and went out into the world. Alexandra listens to this story, barely remembering to sip her tea, the first thought that appears in her mind when Baba Yaga finishes her story. is a question. Why is this all so easy to believe? She doesn't wonder if this story is true,

Starting point is 00:23:23 for Alexandra feels deep in her bones that every word is as true as the day is long. Granted, this house and its strange proportions defy any questioning as she looks into the warm brown eyes of Babayaga. She knows that she can take every word as fact. Babiaga sips her tea for a moment. Watching Alexandra process all this information, she puts down her cup and holds Alexandra's hands in hers. The old woman's skin is silky soft. Babiaga tells her that there is something in the wild forests of the world that needs to be protected. Something aside from the forest itself. Alexandra asks what it is, but Baba Yaga simply smiles. Feeling movement beneath her feet, Alexandra looks down. The cups and plates on the shelves of the living room rattles slightly,

Starting point is 00:24:46 as do the hundreds of ornaments in the other room. The whole house feels as though it is shaking, moving, gently swaying. The movement isn't even as strong as a boat on a calm lake, but she can feel it. Baba Yaga clears away the tea things, walking as easily as a sailor with well-trained sea legs. Then she turns to Alexandra and gestures for her to follow. The two women go out the front door and onto the porch. Alexandra stares in amazement as she takes in the view. The house is no longer on the ground.

Starting point is 00:25:41 It stands up in the air, swaying gently side to side as it moves between the trees. Alexandra turns to Baba Yaga and asks her how the house is, is moving. Babayaga points down. Alexandra lies on her stomach and pokes her head over the edge of the porch. Under the house, a two long feathered chicken legs. They walk with a grace that no normal chicken has ever shown. Alexandra stands up again and looks around. Baba Yaga is pulling a couple of wooden chairs out of the house to place on the front porch.

Starting point is 00:26:42 She gently pushes Alexandra into one chair and sits in the other. They sit in silence for a long while. The forest passes by as the house moves with no instruction. Alexandra and the old woman watch from the canopy. sitting comfortably on the porch. After some time, the house begins to slow. As it arrives in a clearing, the meadow is covered in high grasses and wildflowers.

Starting point is 00:27:31 It feels different from the cozy cover of the forest. It stops at the edge of the clearing and lowers itself back to the ground, Babiaga. gets up immediately, and Alexandra follows her across the meadow. She notices that the flowers and grasses seem to bend out of the way for Babiaga as she walks by. In the middle of the meadow is a small pile of stones. There doesn't appear to be anything strange or out of the ordinary about the stones, except that there is a little spring bubbling out of them. The clear water seems to come out

Starting point is 00:28:29 of the middle of the pile of stones. It then flows down and disappears back into the ground. There is no creek leading to or away from the stones. Just this gently bubbling little fountain. Alexander looks at Babiaga questioningly. Babiaga explains that this is the fountain of youth. It is only found in the heart of the wild forests. This same meadow is found in the heart of every forest, anywhere in the world. And this same fountain remains there. Babiaga is its protector.

Starting point is 00:29:29 and guardian. She places potholes and challenges in the way of those who would abuse this fountain. She also helps those who search for it in purity and honesty. Baba Yaga then looks expectantly at Alexandra. The young woman stares back and gasps as realization dawns. Alexandra stares at the crystal clear water for a few long moments. She is honoured that Baba Yaga determines her to be good enough to take a sip, but does she even want to?

Starting point is 00:30:25 What would be the point? Life is not just for the young, for everyone, and there is still so much more that she wants to see and experience. including the joy of aging. Alexandra politely declines a drink. Baba Yaga nods and proclaims, that's how she knows when someone is worthy to drink from the fountain. They don't want to.

Starting point is 00:31:06 She tells Alexandra that her grandmother said the same thing 50 years ago. When Baba Yaga offered her a drink, Before Alexandra can ask any more, Babiaga whistles, and a large black rock rolls towards them from out of the house. It rolls to a stop in front of the women. When it stops, Alexandra notices that it looks like the big cauldron from the kitchen. Baba Yaga simply looks at her and asks if she would like a ride. back. The two women climb into the pot and it takes off into the sky. The dark green carpet of the

Starting point is 00:32:08 forest passes below them in a blur. Alexander breathes in deep lungfuls of the fresh air. The sky is still blanketed in clouds, but they look softer than anything she has ever seen. She closes her eyes. and takes another deep breath. When she opens her eyes, Alexandra finds herself standing in the gravel car park. She looks around, but knows, even as she does so, that she won't find Baba Yaga.

Starting point is 00:33:05 Alexandra gets into her car and dries purposefully to her grandmother's house. She walks up to the door, and knocks. A familiar face opens the door and smiles.

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Dream of Baba Yaga

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