Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Dreamy Party in Elfland

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Starting point is 00:01:41 I'm your host, Thomas. Thanks so much for joining me here. Tonight's story will be read by Chloe and was written by Frankie. Have you ever wondered what lies beyond the fields we know? know. Tonight we will journey through the barrier between our world and the one of the elves to witness what lives there. If you'd love more content from Get Sleepy and the very best listening experience be sure to check out our members subscription Get Sleepy Premium. Tomorrow night in our weekly premium bonus episode we'll be in a

Starting point is 00:02:32 peaceful village in India where a very wise woman tells her granddaughter a soothing story about how the stars came to be and I have the pleasure of reading it for you. To find out more about all the perks of being a Get Sleepy Premium member, like ad-free listening, early access to episodes, discount on merchandise and plenty more, just visit the link in the description. Thank you so much for your support. Now then, let's take a moment to prepare for our story by winding down for the night. you're lying in bed you can accept the opportunity to rest. Your body will instinctively recognize that this is a place for relaxation. So give in to that comfort and enjoy the support your mattress and pillow give to

Starting point is 00:03:49 your tired muscles. And hopefully if you're used to listening to get sleepy at bedtime this will also have become a trigger for your mind to quieten and to let go of any and all distractions. Of course this all sounds more straightforward than it often feels in reality. Sometimes it can be tricky to let go of tension and the thoughts of the day, but it's not something to make space for. So, allow your breathing to gently flow slowly in through the nose and softly back out through the mouth. You are safe, cozy and supported and you can just listen along to Chloe's soothing voice and the bedtime story she's about to tell.

Starting point is 00:05:27 Gradually, you'll drift towards sleep, bit by bit, as your body and mind continue to relax. Let's journey to the world of the elves. Allow your mind's eye to visualize a wide countryside. Notice the patchwork farmland and the little woods. There, near the horizon, is a glimmer of some unknown land. This is where our story begins. The sun shines with radiant golden light over a lush green landscape. The farms, fields, and woodlands partition the land into multicolored patches. Above it all, a periwinkle blue sky has not a single cloud. It is high summer, and the and animals enjoy the life-giving energy of the sun. Hedges, fences, and roads carve through the hills and valleys.

Starting point is 00:07:42 And yet, this place seems to be complete. It is one whole, containing many little pieces. It is a place that we know. But what lies beyond these familiar fields? Out of the corner of your eye, there is a shimmer. Strange shadows fall under the places we least expect. One of the many boundary lines that crisscross the land on this summer's day is a crumbling stone wall.

Starting point is 00:08:43 It lies at the very end of a field. On the other side appears to be a small wooded area. The signs of civilization and modern life are everywhere, but this stone wall is a relic from another time. No one knows who built it, or why they so tirelessly stacked stones of all sizes on top of one another to mark what is here and what is there? Fluffy green moss grows between the stones, highlighting the blue-gray of the rocks. You run your fingers over the vegetation, admiring the way it feels like the softest velvet under your fingertips.

Starting point is 00:09:43 softest velvet under your fingertips. There is a section of that wall that has entirely fallen down. One small step is all it takes to cross from the field to whatever lies beyond. It is an inviting prospect. The bird song and buzzing of bees seem to fade into the background as a melody travels by the wall on the breeze. The notes are otherworldly and ethereal. The song seems both entirely alien and completely familiar.

Starting point is 00:10:36 It leaves as suddenly as it appeared, only the birds and bees remaining once again. Something shimmers in the air around the crumbled section of wall. It is enticing and alluring. It is time to find out what lies beyond? You take a deep breath and step through the portal. The first change that you notice is the temperature. Even on this lovely summer's day, there is a cool breeze that playfully runs up your arms and brings up goosebumps. Once you step past the wall, however, the air takes on the perfect temperature.

Starting point is 00:11:40 It is like a warm blanket caressing your skin, yet it does not feel stagnant or humid. The warmth seeps into your bones and your body feels lighter, stronger, and more flexible. The next thing you notice is the sky. Every child knows that the sky is blue, that periwinkle blue that brightens the spirit at a glance. Here, the sky is more vibrant and lovely than any sunset you have ever seen. A bright sun hangs low in the sky, painting it shades of pink, orange, and purple. The colors reflect off the wispy clouds that streak the sky with even more texture and color.

Starting point is 00:12:53 If you studied it for a lifetime, you would never be able to capture in painting the variation and colors and vibrancy that shines down upon you from this strange sky. Finally, you notice the sound. The strange music is back. It seems to wrap itself around you and draw you down the path, away from the stone wall and into the woods. There is birdsong also, but unlike anything you have ever heard before, these birds seem to have perfected the art of singing. They harmonize with one another and complement the strange music that is always present in the air. You give in to the temptation and take your first steps down the path.

Starting point is 00:14:13 Under the eaves of the woods, you look back at the stone wall as if to make sure it and the world you have always known are still there. The stone wall sits there with a view of the field beyond it. Satisfied, you turn your attention to these strange woods. You turn your attention to these strange woods. The trees around seem impossibly wide. Their trunks stand like huge pillars, around which the path winds like a river. Their lowest branches are thick and leafy.

Starting point is 00:15:13 The ground is free from even a single dropped leaf. You get the impression that autumn does not visit this land. It is always summer and in fullest bloom. You catch glimpses of colorful birds between the leaves and moss-colored branches. Some resemble the birds you know, wrens, robins, sparrows. You see one watching you. It is a large raven, the color of purist snow. The raven blinks at you before taking flight. Beneath your feet are large, flat stones. Low-growing clover and creeping thyme spread between the stones, filling their edges with pinks and

Starting point is 00:16:29 greens. Every once in a while, you see the multicolored sky flashing through the foliage. The leaves on the trees range through every shade of green and into blues, pinks, and purples. Bushes and wildflowers grow in patches on the ground between an endless sea of long grass. Every once in a while, the grass twitches here and there. You wonder what small creatures make their home here, when a rabbit pokes a tentative head through a patch of wildflowers to watch you. Its doleful eyes inspect you, but you cannot take your own gaze from the two twisted horns that rest between its soft ears.

Starting point is 00:17:43 Its curiosity satisfied, the bunny ducks back into the vegetation. The music grows more pronounced, though not louder, as you walk. The trees thin, but become larger. You notice other stone paths weaving between the trees. Before long, the trees have become as large as skyscrapers, and large clearings open up to the sky between them. You appear to have arrived in a town square of some kind. A stone sits in the middle of the clearing with a steady cheerful flow of water coming out of its shining face and down into a pool at its feet. This natural fountain seems to be made from glittering moonstone.

Starting point is 00:18:56 Upon closer inspection, you notice that the huge trees bear windows lit with glowing lights from inside the trunks and branches. These windows don't appear to have been cut into the trees, but are naturally formed as if the trees themselves grew them. Larger openings at the bottom of the trees act as doorways, and viney stairwells twist up to higher branches. Thick boughs act as balconies for what you can only assume are living quarters high in the trees.

Starting point is 00:19:48 The strangest part of this tree city is that it seems to contain no soul other than yourself. But the strange music is clear, and the air seems to buzz with the electricity of anticipation, like the moments just before a party begins. You walk to the fountain and admire the way the water looks like liquid glass. The urge overtakes you to have a taste, and you do not resist. You cup your hands and catch a handful of the clear water.

Starting point is 00:20:50 You bring it to your lips, close your eyes, and take a sip. The water is cool and refreshing. It tastes better than any other water you have ever tried. It simultaneously quenches your thirst and piques your desire for more. You enjoy the feeling of the water flowing through your body, revitalizing you. And then, you open your eyes to a tree city no longer free of residents, but filled to the brim with beautiful beings. A few of them watch you with warm pleasure, smiling encouragingly. Others go about their business, clearly in preparation for an event. The beings range from tiny winged fairies the size of your hand to tall willowy elves standing over seven feet tall. They are all pastel shades of green, blue, and purple, with long hair. Every one of them has a pair of pointed ears and sparkling eyes. And they have mouths that look about to burst into a lovely laugh at any moment.

Starting point is 00:22:33 Around the square, they are setting up long wooden tables and benches. These pieces of furniture, like the windows and doors in the trees, seem to have been grown into their shapes rather than crafted. Poles are being erected around the square, and bunting is being hung from each one. The colorful flags and fabrics flap gently, though there does not seem to be a breeze. The tables are being set with fine tablecloths and wooden plates and cutlery. The tablecloths are embroidered with designs of flowers and vines. Other elves and fairies carry baskets of food here and there. Bushels of bright fruit are accompanied by large wooden bowls of vegetables. One corner of the square is taken up by a large clay structure and a few more tables. This is clearly the food preparation area.

Starting point is 00:24:12 The clay structure has a fire burning in the bottom half and smoke coming from a little chimney at the top. Above the fire, there are a range of cubbies and compartments where elves place dishes and tureems of food to be baked. A stream of elves, fairies, and pixies carry freshly cooked dishes to the tables. You quickly decide to help and join in with the food fairies. As you bring warm plates back and forth from the tables and the ovens, you get a chance to further explore the people and things around you. The tall, graceful elves are warm and kindly. They immediately make you feel at home in their numbers.

Starting point is 00:25:32 They speak with the hint of an accent you cannot place and laugh easily. The woods are filled with the tinkling sound of laughter. They are polite, but not distant or removed. They make jokes and find fun in every task. Elven children chase one another through the preparations, playing games of imagination. The winged fairies dart here and there in the air. Their beautiful butterfly wings are unique to each individual. They too are filled with laughter, though they seem to be easily distracted

Starting point is 00:26:29 and spend more time chasing one another than doing any actual work. Pigs are small like fairies, but wingless. They make up for their lack of flight with incredible speed. They seem to appear and disappear at will, always carrying something seemingly far too large for their frame. A group of fae folk musicians arrange themselves near the tables. They bring out a combination of instruments, both familiar and strange. Some things look like flutes, panpipes, mandolins, lutes, and drums.

Starting point is 00:27:27 Other instruments seem to be twisted branches, or made from leaves and flowers of unfamiliar plants. All the residents of Elfland are partial to music, and the musicians are treated with a combination of honor and awe. You are not aware of how much time passes between tasks, but suddenly it seems like the party is ready. The sunset sky has darkened, but not to the complete blackness of the night that you know back home. The bright pinks, oranges, and lavenders of the day have deepened to royal purples, ocean blues, and watery

Starting point is 00:28:31 aquamarines. The golden sun has been replaced with a silver moon, huge and full. Like the seasons, you feel certain that this moon is full every night. This land operates by different rules, if it has any to begin with. The warm glow from the fae candles on every table brings a warm amber light to the square. You cannot see the stars between the foliage and the lights of the party, but you make a mental note to search them out before the night is over. Everyone takes their seats on the benches, on the tables, between the pies, fruits, plates, and goblets, or smaller tables for the fairies and pixies.

Starting point is 00:29:50 You peer around, taking note of the behavior of your neighbors. Before anyone touches the food, they turn their faces towards a tall elf at the center of the gathering. She stands, her long green hair reaching far below her waist. Her skin is the green of new leaves, and she is crowned with living ivy vines. She smiles at the people of the elven city, making eye contact with each one. When her gaze falls on you, you are filled with a sense of unconditional care and belonging. The Elven Queen raises her hands and offers up thanks to everyone gathered before her for their effort in putting this party together.

Starting point is 00:31:05 for their effort in putting this party together. She offers thanks to their forest for providing all the fresh foods on their tables. Finally, she thanks the stars and the moon above them for watching over their lovely Elfland for millennia. With that, the party seems to erupt. Fairies, elves, and pixies enjoy the food with relish and joy. Everyone drinks goblets of the pure spring water. The musicians burst into song.

Starting point is 00:31:56 Their music is what you have been hearing on the wind all day. It is a cheerful and bright sound that envelops the senses. The food before you tastes far fresher, sweeter, and more nourishing than anything else you have ever eaten. The fruits are at their peak ripeness. Pies, both savory and sweet, are joined by cakes and pastries of every kind. There seems to be a never-ending supply of food and drink and song. Eventually, individuals begin turning their attention away from the food and towards the music. It starts with just a few people rising from their seats in ones and twos. They gather around the musicians, or some of them take their spots to allow the players to enjoy the food.

Starting point is 00:33:34 They dance in groups, pairs, or on their own in a fantastic press of bodies. Everyone just allows the music to move them, with no care for specific styles of dancing or choreography. It is pure, unadulterated joy in movement. You feel the music and the atmosphere drawing you from the table and give in easily. Those dancing welcome you with open arms. Everyone is smiling, laughing, and free of inhibitions. It could be minutes, hours, days, or even years that you are amongst your new friends, laughing and dancing. Finally, you break free of the dance floor and fetch yourself another glass of water.

Starting point is 00:34:48 You take your goblet with you as you meander through the tables and beyond the square. The secrets of this strange city are calling to you, and you must explore. The trees that house the elven homes are lit from the inside with warm amber lights. You get glimpses of the ground floor dwellings as you walk by. All their furniture is naturally formed and nothing is crafted. You wonder idly how they coax the trees and vegetation to grow in the shape of a chair or a table.

Starting point is 00:35:41 or a table. One bedroom shows a large circular room filled wall to wall with a soft, mossy bed. A group of elven children lie asleep in the bed, piled up like kittens. The residents of this city seem to live with the forest rather than in it or despite it. The stone path you follow leads around several more huge tree buildings before you find what looks like a paddock. The knickering of what you assume are horses confirms your suspicions. In the paddock and adjoining yard are half a dozen horses. are half a dozen horses. It is only when you see them up close that you realize that they are more than just

Starting point is 00:36:52 ordinary animals. They each have horns on their foreheads. These are unicorns and they come in a wide variety of hues. Their coats range from chestnut to doubled gray to inky black and everything in between. Their horns are as individual and different as their coats. Some are twisted, while others glitter as if made of gemstones. The chestnut unicorn with the silky black mane trots over to you.

Starting point is 00:37:50 Her horn is like a shard of obsidian and glitters in the moonlight. She is as friendly as her elven companions. She nudges her velvety soft nose into your hands, looking for a treat, and allows you to stroke her soft, strong neck. She blinks at you with warm brown eyes and long lashes. It is not long before the other unicorns come over to inspect you, each one gently nudging you with their noses, intent on finding the hidden treats in your pockets. You finally manage to extricate yourself from their company and walk towards the edge of

Starting point is 00:38:48 the forest city. The trees become smaller and more like the ones you remember from home. A couple of them appear to be single-family cottages, but mostly they are normal trees. The forest comes to an end at a ledge that overlooks the surrounding lands. You can still hear the music and the party behind you, but your attention is captured completely by the view. The light of the moon is more than enough to illuminate the world around you. In the distance are a large purple mountains. At their feet sits a large lake, glittering with silver light.

Starting point is 00:39:53 From the lake runs a river. It winds like a ribbon of light over hills and dales between valleys and woodlands. In the night, this land does not look all that different from your own. They could nearly be mirror images of one another. The biggest difference is in the sky, however. The stars are brighter and more numerous than any night sky you have seen before. You are certain that you will not be able to find a single, familiar constellation. You lower yourself onto the soft ground, never taking your eyes from the sky. Throughout a day and an evening of enchanting experiences, this night sky is the most captivating of all.

Starting point is 00:41:19 The stars twinkle, each one winking at you from an incalculable distance. The moon is bright and lovely, but features none of the craters and shadows that you recall. Back home, you can see the man in the moon or even a rabbit on its surface. Here, the moon does contain a face, but it is that of an old woman. If you stare long enough, she seems to come alive, smiling down at you with grandmotherly warmth. The deep purples and blues of the sky contain swirling nebulae of stars, making it look more like a painting than any sky you have ever seen.

Starting point is 00:42:29 Suddenly, a bright burst of color and light springs up from the valley below. Something between a firework and a fountain of fire erupts in the sky, brilliant against the cool darkness of the night. It is immediately followed by a huge dragon. Even from this distance, you can tell that the creature is larger than any living thing you have ever seen. Its wings, scales, and horns are the color of deep, red rubies. The scales glitter, reflecting the light of its explosive fire as it releases another jet into the sky. You watch in amazement as the large animal moves through the sky with grace and ease.

Starting point is 00:43:49 It takes a few moments for you to realize that the dragon is doing more than just flying. It is dancing. As it coasts through the air like a fish through water, As it coasts through the air like a fish through water, it turns its huge body this way and that. To punctuate its airborne dance, the creature releases jets of flame periodically. Another huge dragon takes flight and joins the red one in its enchanting dance. This one is as blue as sapphires. Its azure scales and wings blend into the night so well that when it dances, it looks like the sky is dancing too.

Starting point is 00:44:54 Finally, a great gold dragon erupts out of nowhere. It is larger than the other two, and its flame looks like a fountain of liquid gold. The three dragons twist and turn around one another in a hypnotic dance. You have been watching with such unabashed fascination and wonder that you have only just noticed the fae folk gathered around you on the overlook. They too are staring with unbridled joy at the dragon's display.

Starting point is 00:45:45 You are staring with unbridled joy at the dragon's display. An elf near you whispers that the dragons dance in honor of the moon. You glance up at the grandmother moon and think you see her smile with great crater-like eyes following the dragons. As the winged creatures end their dance and float gracefully back to the valley below, the elves around you burst into applause. You join them in their appreciation, knowing you will never forget this experience. The fae folk around you slowly turn away from the display and the sky, back towards their

Starting point is 00:46:44 city. You can see a faint light on the horizon, and you feel that tingle in the air that can only mean dawn approaches. You follow the others, letting the sound of their happy voices wash over you. Some peel away from the crowd and making their way lazily back to their nests. Others head back to the dining tables to finish the last of the trees and find your path back towards home. The sound of laughter and singing accompanies you down the path. Once or twice, an unseen pixie calls to you, wishing you good night and good travels.

Starting point is 00:48:17 The forest is no less alive at night than it was when you made the journey through it earlier. Creatures rustle, night birds sing, and the trees shake their leaves without the barest hint of a breeze. The colorful blooms of wildflowers along the path have closed for the night, but they have been replaced with night blooms. These ethereal flowers seem to glow in the dimness of night, picking out your path in tiny neon lights. The trees again thin and become more like the ones you know from home. The gateway is near.

Starting point is 00:49:19 Dawn is breaking lazily through the thinning trees. You can see a sky caught between a golden morning and an ocean blue night. The stones of the wall shine in the moonlight, standing sentry where you left them. You pause before the entrance to your home world and turn for one last look. This place is magical, extraordinary, and beguiling. Even as you stand here, feeling the ground beneath you and hearing the birdsong, you are not sure that this isn't a dream.

Starting point is 00:50:24 sure that this isn't a dream. But what a wonderful dream all the same. And with that, you turn towards home and back into the fields you know. I'm going to go ahead and start the video. You I'm going to go ahead and start the video. The You You You You you

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Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - A Dreamy Party in Elfland

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