Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - The Glass Mountain

Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to Get Sleepy, where we listen, we relax and we get sleepy. As always I'm your host Thomas, I want to wish a happy new year to every one of you out there. I hope 2023 proves to be a healthy and positive year for you. As tends to come with every year, this one is likely to have its challenges at times, but there will always be people to support us in those moments, and we too can offer our support to others when needed. And my friends, let's try to truly cherish the happy moments to come this year, of which I'm sure there will be an abundance. Hopefully tonight's story

Starting point is 00:00:58 will bring you happiness as well as some good rest. We're going to whisk your way to a distant and magical place for a sleepy retelling of the Polish fairy tale, The Glass Mountain. You'll meet Jamie, a young man from a humble village. His land has been under a frosty spell for many years, and he's only ever known, snow and ice. This doesn't dim the fire in his soul though. We'll travel with him as he uses a few humble possessions to take on a quest that many before him have failed to complete. Tonight's episode is brought to you by BetterHelp, and I'm so grateful that they continue to partner with our show.

Starting point is 00:01:53 Good mental health is, to my mind, such a key element to a fulfilling life. I know that if I'm feeling low or I'm struggling with certain emotions or situations, my overall productivity tends to suffer, therefore affecting work, physical health, relationships, just about everything really. And I'm not alone in that, and that's why it's so important that each of us takes care of our mind, and that we practice ways to keep it healthy. Working with a therapist can help you get closer to the best version of you, and you don't need to be at rock bottom to seek therapy, it can be helpful for anyone and everyone,

Starting point is 00:02:36 no matter your situation. If you're thinking of giving therapy a try, better help is such a great option. It's flexible, affordable, and entirely online. If you want to live a more empowered life, therapy can get you there. Visit betterhelp.com slash get sleepy. So now, let's make sure we're relaxed and ready for our story. As you lay in bed, I hope you're feeling comfortable and cozy. You can give yourself permission to let any lingering thoughts wait until tomorrow.

Starting point is 00:03:39 Just turn your attention inward and focus on my voice. Feel the rise and fall of your chest and belly as you breathe. Try to just gradually slow your breathing down, which in turn will help the rest of your body to settle to. Now, as you breathe in, I want you to just say to yourself, I am. And as you breathe to breathe. Now maintaining that same rhythm, say to yourself, I am peaceful. And finally, as you continue to unwind, say to yourself, I am sleepy. I am sleepy. Let those words stick with you as you listen along tonight. Now imagine a vast land that is eternally locked in an icy embrace. Its stretches before you in shades of white and grey. In the center there is a pristine and glassy mountain that soars into the clouds. It waits silently for an adventurer brave enough to scale it.

Starting point is 00:06:22 And this is where our story begins. Once upon a time, winter fell suddenly upon an entire kingdom and never turned to spring. The freeze lasted so long that children were born and raised to adulthood and they had never experienced a thought. They had never seen the trees burst into bloom. They had never felt the summer sun on their faces. Of course, these children didn't know any other kind of life. They listened to their parents and grandparents telling tales of the seasons, and they couldn't quite imagine it. The pastel colours they knew were not in the flowers, but in the evening sky. The only verdant shade they understood was the eternal colour of the evergreen tree. And of course, most of nature was simply white.

Starting point is 00:08:12 As much as their elders tried to conjure visions of rolling lush hills, sunny wildflowers and crystal-blue rivers, they could only imagine it. The question of why this eternal winter had begun was never truly answered. However, one thing was certain, at the same time that the winter had settled in, a formidable icy mountain had appeared in the centre of the kingdom. It was so slippery and unapproachable that it became known as the Glass Mountain. Rumor had it that the ominous peak was the work of a sorcerer who, after squabbling with a king, cursed the man and his daughter to be marooned atop it forever.

Starting point is 00:09:25 Many a fireside tale had been told of men who had tried to scale the mountain, carrying a gift to win the hand of the stranded princess. alas, it was nearly impossible to sum it, and according to the stories, was jealousy-guarded by an enormous fearsome bird. Every suitor who had attempted the quest had failed, ending up back at the bottom of the slope. Even those who had the sense to use an axe or an ice pick as leverage eventually had to let go of their tool in order to battle the monstrous bird. To ascend the mountain and outlast the birds' advances seemed impossible. From brave knights to humble local farmers, it seemed that no one could conquer the glass

Starting point is 00:10:39 obstacle and reach the princess. There was a very young man named Jaime who lived in the village by the foot of the mountain. He had grown up in the shadow of the enormous monument of ice, hearing the stories and seeing one hopeful adventure after another meet with failure. Like all the others his age, he didn't know why he should yarn for it. However, Jamie did love a challenge. He was a very clever boy. He had a great many chores to complete each day in order to help his parents make ends meet.

Starting point is 00:11:49 However, in his free time, he enjoyed skating on the village pond, where he would make graceful circles, gazing up at the sparkling mountain. As he came of age, he dreamed of being the one man who could reach the princess and woo her. While there were certainly many nice girls in the village, who would have gladly been his sweetheart. He wished to know what lay beyond his small hamlet. He did not want to live a life without experiencing adventure. Jamie thought and thought about how he might get to the top of that glistening peak, and he hatched a plan that was almost ridiculously simple. At dinner one night, sitting at the wooden table by his family's half, he told his parents what he was going to do.

Starting point is 00:13:09 He planned to use his ice skates to anchor his feet while he scaled the mountain. That way, when the fabled giant bird appeared, he would have his hands free to ward it off. His mother was fretful, fearing Jaime would injure himself with this mad scheme. His father was equally skeptical. How could Jaime succeed where so many more wildly and experienced man had failed? Hoping to dissuade him, his parents pressed him with questions. How would he battle the large bad with his hands? What gift could he possibly take for the princess? Jamie had to admit that he didn't have the answers to those questions, but he could not be swayed. He was determined to attempt the climb the next day.

Starting point is 00:14:28 Jamie's mother whispered her concerns to the neighbour. Then the neighbour, in hushed tones, told her daughter. The daughter told the boy across the street, the news travelled throughout the village like lightning. So it was that by the time Jamie had readied himself to approach the mountain, the entire town was out to watch the spectacle. Taking a rucksack with a loaf of bread and a bottle of water, he tied his skates together and draped them over his shoulder.

Starting point is 00:15:19 Then ignoring the stairs of the villages, he put his head down and walked resolutely towards the mysterious peak of ice. He would not be deterred by their doubts. As he trudged down the path that led to the bottom of the mountain, he breathed deeply, studying himself. Ignoring the pack of curious neighbors who had followed behind him, he went over his plan. In short, it was simple. He would use his ice skates to scale the bag. When the bird came, he would somehow shelter himself with his hands or smack it away.

Starting point is 00:16:21 Hopefully, his lack of a gift would not keep him from entering the castle and meeting the princess when he arrived. That was the entire strategy. He had prepared nothing else. The woods lay silently around him, glistening with an ever-present blanket of sparkling snow. As he walked, each step made a sound that seemed unusually loud in the stillness. Thought crunch, thought crunch, his boot set to the void. The rhythm calmed him and he sank into a meditative state. And then he was there. Abruptly a sheer wall of glistening ice rose steeply before him, without any visible hand hold or foot hold to be found.

Starting point is 00:17:43 Jamie was aware the villagers were watching from the forest. He dropped his skates from his shoulders and removed his rucksack. the skates in their place. He put his boots in his rucksack, for he imagined he'd need them when he reached the top. Then he turned and faced his greatest obstacle, head on. obstacle head on. Putting the Rucksack securely on his back, he took a tentative step, lodging the pick of his skate blade into the eyes. Then, stepping up, he placed the other skate blade slightly above it. The hill was steep, but the incline was just enough that he could lean forward, balancing himself on the slippery surface with his hands. Continuing slowly with one foot above the other, he began the climb. Jamie didn't allow himself to think about how much time was passing or how much energy

Starting point is 00:19:20 he had left. Pick, step, hoist. Pick, step, hoist. He willed himself into the slow pattern of the Ascent, looking neither right nor left, and certainly not up or down. The gaggle of villages soon faded into the background of his consciousness. As his climbing continued, he became vaguely aware that he was moving out of the shadow at the bottom of the hill. He was reaching a height at which the chilly rays of the winter sun lit the ice in his path. And what a sight it was. Simultaneously translucent Simultaneously translucent and impenetrable, the mountains seemed to contain infinite mirrors that reflected the light from outside.

Starting point is 00:20:37 Unlike an ordinary mountain, this one glitted as if it had been made of faceted crystal. As he rose farther and farther upward, the sunshine the mountain was reflecting became almost blinding in its power. It refracted again and again inside the icy slope, casting its brilliant rays outward and into his line of vision. Rather than making the air feel warmer, however, air-filled warmer, however, the brilliance was accompanied by an increasing chill. In fact, Jamie felt that he had never been so cold. An icy breeze seemed to blow constantly around his head and shoulders, creating an incessant whistling that droned on in his ears. He didn't know how much time had passed, but Jamie's reverie was eventually broken by another sound. A distant bird call floated on top of the wind. First it seemed

Starting point is 00:22:12 far away, and then it began to feel closer. Towning his face upward, he tried to spot the source of the noise. He knew it must be the infamous bad he had been expecting. At first, all he could see was the dazzling sunlight. was the dazzling sunlight. Then, from nowhere, a pair of unnaturally large wings blotted out to the sun. This would have been a relief to him, except that he knew the bird was coming coming straight at him. And then it was upon him. In a flurry of wintry white feathers, the massive beast was beating its wings about his head. Digging his skates more securely into the mountain. He instinctively protected himself, ducking under his hands. He tried reaching out to swat the bird, but it already had him at a disadvantage. He knew if he didn't think of something soon, he would lose his balance and slide

Starting point is 00:23:50 back down the mountain, like every other adventurer before him. Tanning his face boldly upward, he spied the feet of the bird hovering above him. Without thinking, he flung both hands upwards and gripped its black legs tightly, one in each hand. The animal shrieked with indignation. Then it began to rise. It flapped its powerful wings, sending a light shower of frost, scudding across the mountain side, and over Jamie's face. Jamie hung on for dear life and the bird began to fly upward dislodging his skates from

Starting point is 00:24:55 the ice. He was ascending, going up, up, up, and then he was aloft. As if attempting to escape the tiresome burden at his feet, the white eagle threw all its energy into the flight, carrying Jamie far into the sky and lifting him upward to the top of the icy mountain. At first, his eyes were screwed tightly shut. After a few moments, however, he tentatively opened them and looked downward. To his amazement, the glistening ice sped by him. He was moving faster than he ever had before. To his side, he could see beyond the mountain and to the snowbound landscape below. miniature houses, miniature trees, and tiny winding roads created a storybook world that seemed unreal.

Starting point is 00:26:40 The view was a true marvel, but his skates were heavy and Jamie began to feel that his arms would not be able to hold much longer. The bird had stopped ascending. In fact, they were now at the top of the minute, he saw a single, shining golden tree appear ahead of them. It was standing all alone in a world of frosty white, sending brilliant golden light in every direction. A live with an appearance of warmth, its many small leaves seem to subtly move, as if the trees were the only living thing around. living thing around. Jamie wasn't sure this landing would be soft enough, but it was his only chance.

Starting point is 00:27:55 As the bird swooped over the tree, he let go. He landed hard and was surrounded by a musical vibration that sounded like a thousand chimes. It took a moment for him to recover his wits, but when he did, he cautiously sat up. Looking around him, he realized he was inside the largest bird's nest he had ever seen. As he took him the golden canopy around and above him, he saw that the center of the nest contained a massive glittering egg. Brilliantly gold in the sun, the egg was big enough to fill his entire rock sack. Examining it further, he saw that it was rooted to the nest by a layer of ice and frost. It seemed to have been there for a long time.

Starting point is 00:29:20 Crawling gingerly closer to the egg, Jamie ran his hand over it. Pushing it lightly, he saw that it was frozen in place. He would not be able to dislodge it without risking a fracture. However, he wanted this egg. It was the one thing he had found that might serve as a gift to the princess. Sitting back on his heels, he thought hard. Then he had an idea. He reached back into his rucksack and pulled his bottle of water from the warm place inside. Uncapping it, he slowly poured the lukewarm water over the egg. As he had hoped, it was just warm enough

Starting point is 00:30:31 to melt the frost and ice on the egg. Slowly but surely, the icy coating contracted and disappeared, and the golden shell of the egg emerged. As soon as he felt he could move it, Jamie gently rock its place in the nest and was free. Unfortunately, Jamie had not seen the last of the wintry white eagle. Crying with indignation, it returned to the tree, swooping down out of nowhere. Jamie could see that it was bent on keeping the egg from leaving the nest. Looking quickly around him, Jamie grabbed the only item he could think to use. As the Eagles' feet descended once more towards his head, he pushed the loaf of bread from his rucksack into the sky. Its cries receded into the distance.

Starting point is 00:32:21 Jamie sat still for a moment, breathing a sigh of relief. When he was sure the eagle was gone, he turned back to the egg. Removing his boots from his rucksack, he gently nestled to the egg inside, securely closing the flap. Then he removed his skates and put his boots on, once again draping the skates over his shoulder. Leaving his rucksack at his feet, he carefully stood up in the enormous nest, hoping to survey the top of the mountain. At first all he saw was a vast expanse of shining whiteness. The frosty summit appeared barren, brilliantly reflecting the

Starting point is 00:33:29 rays of the sun back from the ground in an unending vista of ice. Shielding his eyes with his hand however, he thought he saw a bright twinkle in the distance. Holding his breath, he waited. Then he saw it flash again. Something else was out there. Whether or not it was the castle he sought, it was the only other object on top of the peak. He resolved to walk to it and find out more. With the precious egg resting heavily on his back, he slowly descended through the branches of the golden tree and shimmed down to the ground. Then, hoisting the rucksack upon his shoulders, he began to walk in the direction of the mysterious flash. Time lost all meaning to Jaime as he made his way across the frozen expanse. The frigid temperatures turned his nose and fingers numb, and his eyes were weiried by the unrelenting brightness.

Starting point is 00:35:14 The sun did appear to be moving through the sky, lying lower on the horizon than it had during his morning ascent. He judged that it must be mid-afternoon, and he hoped very much that he would reach the flashing object before nightfall. There was no shelter for him otherwise. shelter for him otherwise. He made progress across the ice sheet without any further sightings of the white eagle. As he drew closer to his destination, the softening light of the late afternoon revealed a structure that appeared larger the closer he got. It was not long before he was quite sure that he had found the castle from the village stories. village stories, and what a palace of ice it was. As if sculpted directly from nature,

Starting point is 00:36:33 its towers and turrets plunged skyward in a fortress of light reflecting all the colours in the sky. As sunset approached, it was a mirror of orange, pink and gold. He reached the front of the castle and paused before the drawbridge, which had been frozen in place, lowered across the moat. The moat too was now a river of ice, Two was now a river of ice, snaking smoothly around the fortress. Carefully picking his way across the bridge, he paused before an enormous pair of doors, knowing he had reached the point in his quest where he had no idea what to do next. He did the only thing he could think of, innoct. The knock echoed inside the glass castle as if it was the first knock ever heard. He could detect the sound shuddering through the interior. It sounded both infinite and brittle. He waited for what seemed like an interminable amount of time.

Starting point is 00:38:27 Then, slowly, the door began to open. Shivering with the effort, as if it had forgotten its purpose, the portal opened. At the bottom of this very tall door, pushing with all her might, was a young lady. She was wearing a plain white dress and a heavy cloak. Atop that, she had a fuzzy blue muffler and an extremely improbable, if practical set of woolly earmuffs. Peering with amazement at Jamie, She opened her mouth as if to speak, and then seemed to think better of it. Then she took a deep breath, and very assertively asked him who he was exactly. He was exactly. Jamie did not know what he had been expecting, but a direct interrogation by the princess was certainly not it. He holdingly answered that he was from the village down the mountain, and that, if she was amenable, he would like

Starting point is 00:40:08 to rescue her. Having said it, he felt a little silly. The princess looked back at him dubiously. He became uncomfortably aware that he did not appear very heroic, carrying a pair of skates and a rucksack and nothing else. Then his face lit up and he said, I brought you something special I found. May I bring it inside? This obviously peaked her interest, and she nodded. Stepping aside with a guarded expression, she motioned to the interior hall. Jamie Entant. It felt as cold inside as out.

Starting point is 00:41:17 He could understand why the princess was partial to earmuffs. Before he could present her with his gift, she straightened up and introduced herself. I'm Leona, she said. He made an awkward bow, offering his own name. offering his own name. She nodded graciously in return. So then, Jamie, what have you brought to me? Jamie pulled the rucksack off his shoulder and opened to the top of it, slowly drawing the glittering golden egg from its hiding place. Leona's eyes grew wide at the sight of it, and she gently took it from his hands. As she turned it this way and that in the dim light of the hall, he explained to her how he had come by it. Upon hearing the entire story, she said that she had seen the white eagle often flying

Starting point is 00:42:42 around the mountain, and that she suspected it was the animal form of the sorcerer who had convince him to release them. Alas, he had never returned. And so she had been here not knowing how much time passed, never aging all these years. time passed, never aging all these years. Jamie expressed his regret for her unfortunate situation, but Leone appeared to be distracted by the egg in her hands. Shifting it from palm to palm, she said, Jamie, the egg is getting warmer. As he watched, the egg began to look luminous as if lit from within. The shell, which had been a static canvas of gold, appeared to be shifting and moving. Unsure of what to do, Leona set the egg in the center of the flagstones and stepped away from it.

Starting point is 00:44:28 As they watched, the egg grew brighter and the hole was suffused with a golden light. pulled off her muffler, exclaiming that she felt rather warm. And Jamie realised he was feeling quite hot as well. Instinctively stepping back farther from the They realized that the hall had begun to drip water all around them. The babble of running water began to fill their ears. It was melting. Without discussion, they pushed the doors of the castle open and rushed outside across the moat. Turning to look at the castle, they saw an incredible transformation taking place. The structure was melting from the centre outward and a bright light was shooting up into the twilight like a geaser of fire. With a low rumble, the centre caved in, splashing water into the frozen moat. To their great amazement, a fiery orange and red bird, soared upward and paused, flapping

Starting point is 00:46:20 its wings over the remains of the ice castle. With each downward motion, it sent rivers of warm water outwards, thawing everything inside the moat, and flooding the area around it. Jamie could see that they had to get off the mountain as soon as possible. As the great Phoenix swooped and called out over their heads, he decided to take a risk. Dropping his heavy skates on the ground, he told Leona to hold tight to him. She complied, linking her arms around his neck. Then, as the beautiful bird swooped close above their heads. He grabbed it by the feet, holding on as tightly as he had done to the frosty white eagle on the way up the mountain. Without protest, the bird carried them into the air. The fragile ice palace vanished behind them and the ground melted away and caved in as the triumphant phoenix sawed across the mountain top and

Starting point is 00:48:00 plunged downward heading straight for the village below. The slippery mountainside sped by, dripping rivulets of water downhill. The wind in their faces was powerful and filled with heat. They closed their eyes tightly, willing themselves, simply not to let go. Then, in an instant, their feet were brushing the ground and they released the bird, falling in a heap in the clearing at the foot of the mountain. The bird surged upward, a fantastic glowing orb in the night sky and vanished into the distance with a cry. A shower of sparks dispersed in its wake drifting to the ground like a meteor shower. Jamie and Leona lay in the wet snow facing upward as they tried to catch their breath. Then after a few incredulous moments, they turned their faces to each other and laughed. They had done it. Leona was free and Jamie was home.

Starting point is 00:49:55 The villagers had long ago given up on watching his climb and had gone home to their halves and their warm dinners. Nobody was there to see him trudging homeward in the moonlight with an unfamiliar young lady on his arm. It was a great surprise to his parents, therefore, when their son made a miraculous reappearance on their doorstep. His mother was so beside herself that she spilled the stew. By the time everyone had awakened the next morning, the world had transformed. A warm, steady rain was showering the entire land, and the snow and ice had almost completely melted. It was a whole day before the water stopped coming and the sun came out.

Starting point is 00:51:19 When the first warm rays of spring were felt after so many years, the village rejoiced. As the weeks and months went on, children came to know the seasons. They finally understood the green colour of the grass and the many colourful shades of spring, summer and autumn. Small, cheerful birds sang their happy melodies from every tree top. Prosperity returned to the village. And when Jamie asked Leona the winter princess to marry him, he was able to give her a beautiful bouquet of flowers in every color of the rainbow. ... ... ... ... you ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... you you

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - The Glass Mountain

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