Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Stargazing on Cantharus (Premium)

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hi, Thomas here. You're listening to a preview episode. You can enjoy the entire story tonight by subscribing to our supporters' feed. There you'll get access to the entire back catalogue, bonus episodes, and more, and it's all completely ad-free. Click the link below to learn more. And thank you so so much. Me and the team really appreciate your support. In a distant arm of the galaxy, there is a planet called Canthorus, whose name means a drinking goblet or a cup that overflows. The planet is covered in green forests, but it's not these woods that gave Canthorus its name. Not the thousand varieties of sweet-centred, bitter-barked alien trees. Not the flowering vines, nor was it the gold-vained ferns that inspired the naming of this world.

Starting point is 00:01:27 No, the jewel of canthorus is a species of mushroom called the drinking cup. It has other names as well. Some people call it the chalice of mercy, others the horn of grace, and still more have called it the angel's cup. This is the name that I prefer. Now, the words fungus and mushroom fall short when it comes to describing a species the people of Canthoris see as proof that this universe of ours wants us to flourish. The angel's cup is a source of both life and hope. It's also beautiful to look at. It grows amidst dark trees, which offset its pale golden colour, so that when you stumble across one in the woods, it always seems to be illuminated with warm, soft sunlight. It grows tall, sometimes up to 20 feet, and its figure curves gently, like a flared wine glass or a blooming rose.

Starting point is 00:03:10 It feels warm to the touch when you rest the palm of your hand against it. When you draw near, you discover that it gives off a scent of crumbling, malted grain, or brown sugar sprinkled over buttered toast. If eaten fresh from the woods, the angel's cup tastes faintly of lemon, or more accurately, lemon cake. But by some strange alchemy, if so-tayed with olive oil in a cast iron pan, it takes on more of a savory flavour, like parsnips roasted with garlic. garlic. Most importantly, perhaps, the angel's cup can feed an entire people in difficult times. It grows plentifully in the deep woods of northern canthorus. It regenerates quickly and is rich in all the nutrients a body needs to live.

Starting point is 00:04:32 For this reason, the people of this world have created huge nature reserves in the boreal woods where the angels cup grows, so that it will always flourish here, in case they ever need its help again. Like many worlds now, Kavtharis is home to humans, whose ancestors ventured from earth centuries ago. The surface of Canthorus is bright with vast cities that glitter in the night. From space you can see the roots between them, flowing like rivers of light between luminescent ponds. As in other places, it can be hard to find a dark and peaceful place to watch the stars. But you've been to Cantharis before,

Starting point is 00:05:50 forest before, and I'm lucky enough to have deep ties to this strange and special world. There's a place I've visited several times before, a dark sky reserve in the northern woods, and I think it will be the perfect place to go star watching with you on this special evening. For it is the night of the festival of stars. you

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Stargazing on Cantharus (Premium)

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