Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - The Vikings of Orkney (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. Allow the cares of the day to fade away as a new image appears in your mind's eye. It's a set of enormous, double doors. The ancient mahogany is finally polished and covered with carvings of human exploration. human exploration. You run your fingers over the outlines of a panel near the aged brass door handle. It seems to be telling a story. You see a long ship with a square sail. The front

Starting point is 00:01:20 of the ship sweeps upward dramatically, ending with the figurehead of a dragon. The ship is sailing over the ocean towards an island with high cliffs. On the island, a carvings of long rectangular houses and fields of grain blowing in the wind. At the edge of the island, overlooking the sea, stand strange circular ruins. Your pause for a moment, running your eyes back and forth over the scene, and feeling the smooth dark wood on your fingertips. You place your palm on the door panel and push gently. The door is heavy but swings open effortlessly with a soft creek. Beyond the door is the foyer of an immense library. You step through the entryway and notice the soft tap of your feet echoing through the

Starting point is 00:02:27 room. The sun shines through stained glass, sending patterns of light dancing across the large, green and white marble tiles on the floor. You look up at the magnificent crystal chandelier hanging high above your head, a myriad of candles flicker among the crystals. At the far end of the room between two curving staircases is a sign. You step closer to read the elegant gold script. It says,

Starting point is 00:03:09 Welcome to the Library of Time. Only the most curious souls can find this place. Each and every book here connects to a different time and place. While in the past you will neither be seen nor heard. You cannot change the past after all, you can only learn from it and learn you shall. In Treet you turn to the staircase on your right. You run your hand along the railing and start up the stairs and watch as the second floor slowly reveals itself. Row after row of bookshelves stretch out before you.

Starting point is 00:04:00 The smell of old books and perfect stillness here give off a sense of wisdom. You walk forward between two rows of shells. They're taller than you, but every book is within reach. Tall, white marble columns stand at the junction between each row of bookshows. stand at the junction between each row of bookshelves. As you pass the first column, you run your fingers over the smooth curved stone. You scan over the books as you walk past shelf after shelf. Then one book catches your eye. It's covered in rough stained leather, is your eye. It's covered in rough stained leather, an intricate design runs down the binding like a tangle of vines. You place your finger on the spine until the book sliding it out of the shelf. The title is just a year, 1,07. You take the book with you and continue walking down the

Starting point is 00:05:10 row of shelves towards the balcony of a square atrium. Defeated sunshine from a skylight high above fills the space. You turn to the left and walk towards a reading nook overlooking the first floor. You find a fine hardwood couch with royal purple cushions. You take a seat and lay your head back as you sink into the soft cushions. As you lift the worn leather cover, the old parchment pages rustle gently. Enjoying the smooth touch of the paper you find the first page and begin to read. The Orcney Islands are an archipelago north of Scotland. They're marked by red sandstone cliffs and pillars jutting out of the sea. The islands are carpeted in thick grasses, which are a fine meal for

Starting point is 00:06:12 the local sheep and cattle. Orcney has a past going back thousands of years. Standing stone monoliths and sunken ruins are all that is left of an ancient stone age civilization. Later came the Picts, an entirely different people, who eventually gave way to the Vikings of Norway in the 8th or 9th century. You look up from the book for a moment and take a breath. Your body settles into the warm fabric of the gouge. You close your eyes and begin to feel yourself slipping through the streams of time. you

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - The Vikings of Orkney (Premium)

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