Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Gods of the Moon and Sun

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Starting point is 00:01:33 Or just follow the link in the show notes for a 30 day free trial of the deepsleepsounds app. Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax and we get sleepy. I'm your host, Tom. Thanks for tuning in. Tonight I'll be telling a mythological tale about thoth and ra, the ancient Egyptian gods of the moon and the sun. So as you lay in bed, gradually easing into the rest and relaxation of night. Begin to slow your breathing into a gentle pace that feels comfortable for you.

Starting point is 00:02:35 Nice and consistent, breathing in, and slowly back out. and slowly back out. And if you need some extra help to calm your body and mind, then close your eyes and try to visualize yourself simply as you are right now. You're laying comfortably relaxed in bed. And here in this peaceful moment, imagine that your body is surrounded by a calm, warming glow, a peaceful energy. Take another deep breath and begin to absorb that glow within. Let it flow with the breath into your body, Let it flow with the breath into your body, gradually filling every part of you from head to toe. This essence of warmth and peace fills you more and more. Visualize it and feel it.

Starting point is 00:04:16 It may only be subtle, but your innerow is there, and it can nourish and recharge your body throughout the night. As you continue to relax, allow your mind to travel far back in time to ancient Egypt thousands of years ago. Here along the banks of the legendary who wove their tails. The Egyptian God of the Moon and Magic likes to write at night. His pen always moves more easily under the light of the moon and stars. Tonight, Thoth has a story to tell about the sun god Rah and the people who live in Egypt. His reed pen scratches against the sheet of papyrus as he weaves his tail. Soon the sun will rise and ra will spring forth from the land of the gods, leaving Thoth to travel to the underworld when either sun nor moon can be seen.

Starting point is 00:06:26 Thouf sits in his temple in Memphis, the capital of ancient Egypt. Large, smooth bricks make up Thouf's mortal home, and colorful artwork adorns the walls. The moonlight glints on the tips of the pyramids outside his window. The magnificent structures tower above the sleeping city. With a human body but the head of an eyebbreaths, Thouf's long narrow beak almost touches the parchment where his pen is moving. He is painting the letters of the Nile River wafts into his chamber, sweetening the air. The water, so essential to glitter in the sky, looking down

Starting point is 00:07:50 upon the great Sphinxes. Soon, Rha will wake and eat the moon in the stars, rising with the great sun. At night he would travel back to the underworld, keeping the forces of chaos at bay. But things were not always this way. Back in the beginning there was only Rha, the Sun, and N' the Water. Rha enjoyed watching the water glittering under the Sun's rays. He noticed how the glow changed at different times of the day, so he kept the name Ra for the midday sun, and called himself Keppri at dawn, and Atum at dusk when the sun turned multicoloured. But Ra got lonely with no other deities to talk to. So, he brought forth the wind, rattling through the palm trees and brushing their flat leaves.

Starting point is 00:09:17 Then he brought to the rain, relieving the dry desert air with wonderful drops of water. From his tongue came thoth, God of the moon, stars, magic, writing and the calendar. With the earth and the rain and the wind, It was only a matter of time until other life forms began to grow. Beautiful plants and flowers blossomed from the earth. Insects and animals flocked to the land of Egypt. Great philosophers, artists, storytellers and architects made this place their home. Rao was no longer lonely. He walked among the people, plants and animals. His falcon head hovering above the mortals who revered and respected him. Farah helped the crops grow and gave the artists and scribes light to make great works.

Starting point is 00:10:50 Ra ruled above the earth while his brother and fellow god, Asyrus, ruled everything below. The underworld where gods and heroes lived was a place of beauty and chaos. was a place of beauty and chaos. The mortal world where the sun shone was a place of order. Many years passed this way, Ra appointed a Pharaoh to uphold law and order for the Egyptians, and Osiris kept to his realm below in the Underworld. But eventually Osiris grew restless and wanted to visit the world of mortals. of mortals. As the days went by, the chaos of the underworld slowly began to seep into the earth above. Because of this, the men and women of Egypt no longer respected Ra or visited his temple. But Ra was not deterred. He knew there was a way to restore order to the world. Ra called Thoth to him and said, you have always assisted me in maintaining order. You have created the calendar and managed the seasons. Now I have a new job for you.

Starting point is 00:12:33 You must keep watch on earth in the night. Rai explained that he would visit the underworld at night, making sure a Cyrus stayed there. But in the day Rai has worked to do on Earth. Every morning at dawn, he begins his daily journey, moving through the sky. His pink rosy fingers reach up from the east, bringing the light of day. In his great mouth, he swallows the moon. And with his rays, the cities of Egypt come to life. Merchants hawk their wares in markets. Women haggle for milk, eggs and cotton cloth.

Starting point is 00:13:38 Magicians perform feats of wonder in front of captivated audiences, and artists paint pictures on and vines. And in the towns children visit tutors who teach them to read and write. As midday approaches, Rā sits high in the sky. The blazing heat pushes the farmers and merchants indoors to rest. Fresh fruit grown in the fertile ground near the Nile helps keep the people cool and refreshed. Even grass nacks on succulent figs and sweet grapes, as he enjoys the glow of the afternoon sunlight. Meanwhile, under the sun's heat, Pharaoh's wander through ground palaces, ordering the construction of temples, pyramids and tombs. temples, pyramids and tombs. The architects of ancient Egypt are skilled craftsmen, utilizing a large workforce and expensive resources to build outstanding cities. And the Egyptians are also one of the earliest civilizations to adopt a writing system.

Starting point is 00:15:33 During the long hot afternoon, scribes chisel hieroglyphs into stone tablets and brush soft letters onto papyrus growth. Pyroglyphs are words in picture form, beautiful, phonetic shapes. They're carved into tablets and painted on walls. Difficult to create, hieroglyphic writing is reserved for priests and politicians. Rather than reading from right to left or left to right, hieroglyphs are always read in the direction that the figure is facing. The figure is often a bird, so this is a fact that thoth with his bird's head particularly enjoys. As the scribes work on their hieroglyphs, the sun-god Ra continues his journey across the

Starting point is 00:16:47 sky, moving west of the Nile River. Longboats sail in and out of the northern Mediterranean shore of the country, bringing and sending goods to and from the rest of the near east. Beyond the Nile, Rha looks down at the sand dunes below, where golden dust rides on gusts of wind. of wind. Shoe, the god of air and wind, smiles at ra, and specks of sand, glint in the breeze. Ra, traveling west, starts to sink lower in the sky. Back in the city of Memphis, golden rays brush the roofs of houses as families gather for their evening meals. Mages, Magicians, merchants and farmers return home for dinner. Raw watches the families from farmers to fairers laying dishes across small and long tables.

Starting point is 00:18:33 There are green vegetables cooked with garlic, spiced lentils, eggs and bread. Across the land, honey-flavored drinks wash down the hearty food accompanied by shared stories and laughter. Ra starts to turn the sky, pink, purple and red. It's almost time for him to descend to the underworld. While the people sleep and dream, resting for the next day, Rha descends to watch a Cyrus keeping order in the world. His bright colours flashing across the sky, Rha heads to the horizon to meet Mayet. She is the wife of both and the goddess of truth and justice. Together with her husband, Mayet regulates the stars and the seasons.

Starting point is 00:19:45 She uses truth and justice to keep the cosmic balance in order. During the day, Mayet guards Raspote, which waits on the border of the realm of mortals. In the evening she watches him sail away into the underworld. Now stars poke through the night sky. The moon is rising, signaling to ra, it is time to leave for the day. He climbs into his boat, and then with a grin and a wave to mate, he paddles down to the realm below. For the rest of the evening he'll row his boat through the river of the underworld. As the last rays of the sun disappear from the sky, the moon god Thoth knows it is his time to keep watch. During the night he scribbles with his pen, tracking the hours, days, mumps, and seasons.

Starting point is 00:21:16 Meanwhile, the busy streets of the great Egyptian cities go quiet. cities go quiet. Stars shine brightly through the black sky, and the full moon provides light, as parents allow their children to sleep. By the same moonlight, Thoth works on his books of alchemy and astronomy, sharing magical secrets that the curious will study for generations to come. Men and women lounge in their homes, keeping each other company and telling tales. They will soon fall asleep, but thoth will stay awake, guarding order as he weaves his tales. These are the stories that people tell by fire and by starlight about the Egyptian gods and the people who worship them. They are the tales of architects who build tall pyramid complexes and scholars practicing ancient forms of magic.

Starting point is 00:22:48 Some, like the Greeks, believe both is the author of the Emerald Tablets. This is an ancient text which has been cited as the foundation of alchemy, the art of transforming substances and creating magical elixirs. Many alchemists and magicians believe that the Emerald tablets contain the key to making the Philosopher's Stone which grants eternal life. As theath works on his alchemy and watches over the sleeping world, Ra continues his journey below. His steady boat rocks back and forth as he rides slowly through the river of the underworld, just as if he were floating down the Nile. As he travels, he salutes the Egyptian heroes and fairos of times passed.

Starting point is 00:24:07 Many gods call this place home. Asyrus reigns here, but the underworld is also home to anubis, the god of mummification and hathor, the goddess of love and fertility. They all dwell in the wide fields and wonderful caverns of the world below, where turquoise trees line the way. Thoth and mayot call this place home as well and only dwell above when the moon and the stars shine bright. Up above the people fall deeper into slumber. They sleep peacefully knowing that tarar is keeping order below and thoth and may at a standing guard above. Thoth knows that when the sun starts to rise, he will trade places with ra. When ra bursts from the underworld, bringing the sun, thoth will return below. They repeat this cycle every 24 hours. But for now, Thoth enjoys the peaceful night.

Starting point is 00:25:50 He looks out to cross the great city of Memphis, the ancient capital of Egypt. While the power of the ancient Egyptians will rise and fall several times throughout their long history. The wonders built here will captivate the world for millennia to come. Thoth smiles as his pen scratches the parchment. He loves this quiet time of night, when the balance between order and chaos creates a calming equilibrium. But he knows he's not the only one awake. There are others who enjoy the night just as he does.

Starting point is 00:26:50 For in Memphis, night is the domain of magic, wrapped in warm shores, they study the sky. The astronomers see patterns where others see only random dots in their darkness. They name the constellations after their favorite gods and stories. One, the geese of Ra, is an ancient star pattern, unknown to modern astronomers. But tonight, two famous constellations fill the night sky. They will one day be known as the Plough and Orion's Belt. The astronomers play an important role for the people of the Nile. Over generations, the astronomers have learned to let the stars tell them when the river will flood, allowing for farmers to plan their agricultural year.

Starting point is 00:28:21 The reading of the stars helps the Egyptians plan for annual festivals and some believe to predict the future. Pept watching the rising of the sun and moon and studying the positions of the stars also has a more practical function. It allows people to divide time into days, months and years. Perhaps it is for this reason that Thoth, God of the Moon, is credited with inventing the 365-day calendar. Astronomers use an instrument called a Merkett to study the night sky. The instrument helps them count the hours of the night through the stars.

Starting point is 00:29:27 The Merket measures the Deccan, a group of 36 stars, which form a kind of clock. The Book of Nutt, an ancient Egyptian astronomical text, explains how these stars can be used to count the days, months and hours. As the hours quietly pass on, the astronomers must put away their tools and crawl into bed. rule into bed. For soon, Ra will bring the dawn. Soath, knowing it is nearly time to go, finishes his writing for the evening and leaves his temple. As he walks along the Nile, he imagines ra floating below in the river, in the world of the Gods. Soon, Thoth will trade places with him. In the underwild, he'll wild, ill wander through caverns and see lakes of fire and turquoise trees. But Thoth enjoys his knights in the mortal world too, with wide open spaces glittering under the magnificent moon. Imavles at the city the people have built.

Starting point is 00:31:09 Large smooth bricks rise into pyramids, details of past pharaohs chiseled intricately into stone. The Nile bubbles and chatters as it passes over rocks, mud and earth. Gentle noises soothe the sleeping people as the nightbirds hoot gently overhead. Thou speak glistens in the starlight as he walks. Marvelling at the magnificent place he gets to call home. There are so many treasures, large tombs, pyramids and swinxes, as well as mummies and magic. Then there's the Egyptian language, art and mythology. The civilization of ancient Egypt will one day fall, but the culture will live on for millennia. Finally, the last Deccan of the night ends, bringing with it the rays of dawn.

Starting point is 00:32:48 Rāslōlia sends from the world below. It is time for thoth to go down to the land of the gods for the day, walking by the river below instead of the Nile. This is how the days and nights pass. Ra circles in the sky above, descending below at dusk. Both rises in the evening and keeps the stars and moon shining brightly until dawn, recording the stories of the people as they dream. Rha wakes the people with the light of dawn. They'll soon be ready to go about their days, exploring the wonders of this magical place. They are lucky to call home. And then Ra will complete his circle again, painting the sky a mural of pink and purple and red,

Starting point is 00:34:13 signaling that it's time to sleep once more. As we end our tale, allow the stories of Thoth and Ra, the wind, the river, the stars and the moon to the palm trees. As the artists, magicians, Lay down to rest. I'll leave you here to dream with them, the magic of the stars and the stories of in and out of your dreams. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room. I'm going to go to the next room.

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Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Gods of the Moon and Sun

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