Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Why the Sun and Moon Came to the Sky

Starting point is 00:00:00 Hey friends, for the best Get Sleepy experience, be sure to check out our supporters feed Get Sleepy Premium for our free listening weekly bonus episodes and access to our entire catalogue. Now, a quick word from our sponsors who make the free version of this show possible. Good evening and welcome to get sleepy, where we listen, we relax and we get sleepy. As always I'm your host Thomas, thank you for joining me. Tonight I'll be reading a story written by Alicia. We'll travel so far back in time that we'll imagine an entirely different world. This sleepy retelling of an Nigerian We'll conjure up an image where supreme beings ruled the world side by side. In fact, it was a place where the sun and moon thought nothing of paying the ocean and neighborly visit.

Starting point is 00:01:19 By the end of our tale, however, you'll find out how it was that the sun and moon retreated to the sky, staying separate from the land and the sea. Thanks to the amazing support of our Get Sleepy Premium subscribers, we're able to continue bringing you two free episodes every single week. It would mean the world to have your support too, and here's why a premium is the very best way to enjoy the show. Firstly, all episodes are completely ad-free, and you'll have access to over 550 full-length stories and meditations, including all the gems in the back catalog,

Starting point is 00:02:08 like the Rainy Day Bakery series. And there's lots of long length stitched episodes too, that will keep you company for hours on end throughout the night. Plus, you'll receive an exclusive bonus episode every single Thursday. Tomorrow, Eric is back on the show to read a lovely story about a young guitarist who spends a peaceful morning working on a new song he is writing. So why not give Get Sleepy Premium a try this week? The first seven days are free and you can cancel

Starting point is 00:02:47 any time. For more information on all of our premium plans, visit Get Sleepy.com slash support or just follow the link in the show notes. Thanks so much everyone. Now as you ease into the comfort and relaxation of the present moment, join me for a few gentle, soothing breaths. Breathe in to the count of 4. Hold for 1 and then back out to the count of 7. On your next deep breath, notice the sensation of your chest and stomach filling with air, and the luxurious feeling of letting that flow back out of your body that move with the breath, even if it's just

Starting point is 00:04:13 very subtly. With each exhale of the breath, you can let go of tension, and you can let go of any thoughts that are getting in the way of the peace and stillness you deserve to enjoy. Trust that you are safe, comfortable and free of responsibilities here tonight. And as you listen along to our story, any unnecessary tension or concerns will gradually drift away. So, as your breathing slows and your relaxation deepens, imagine that you are weightless. You are gently floating. You are moving away from the earth as we know it now. All your cares and responsibilities are in the distance. This is where our story begins. Long, long ago, at a time before human memory, the world looked very different. Yes, all of the familiar features of the earth and sky were there. However, they did not divide themselves in the way they do now.

Starting point is 00:06:46 in the way they do now. The brown and green land did not isolate itself from the water, at least not all the time. The ocean and the features of the earth did not remain separate from the planets and stars in the sky. Instead, these building blocks of the world existed in tandem. The sun and moon, the water and the land were all very friendly with one another, mingling happily. The sun and the moon were the king and queen of the air. They were good neighbours to the sea-god and the creatures of the land. They were very well liked. The sun king was, after all, a very handsome and generous fellow. He naturally impressed everyone, no matter where he went.

Starting point is 00:08:14 His golden rays and warm radiant gifts were welcomed by all. It seemed that prosperity sprang up wherever he visited and his neighbors were glad to receive him. Even better is if the burial and beautiful wife, the moon, traveled in his wake. When he had taken his brightness away in the evening, she lit the dark night with her gentle glow. Her cool and steadfast illumination kept all the creatures of the earth from being afraid. The sun and the moon paid frequent visits to the god of the sea gods many subjects were happily accustomed to the chill and the moody depths of the ocean, they welcomed the sunking's brilliant sunbeams at times. For what use was the colorful beauty of the undersea world, without a little bit of light

Starting point is 00:09:49 to show it off? When the sunking or the moon queen lit the waters, the dolphins and other fish would leap gladly into the air. Then they would plunge ecstatically back into their watery home. These moments in the sun brought them joy. The sun and moon were very social and they often paid visits. However after countless years of being guests of the seagot, they began to wonder why he did not come to see them.

Starting point is 00:10:48 The sun and the moon began to ask each other what the reason for that could be. The sunking suggested perhaps the seagord feared that their home would be too warm for him. In response, the Moon Queen wondered if it was too bright. After considering various possibilities, they agreed that the Seagot might just be very polite, and that he was waiting to be invited. After all, they had had not suggested a visit. Determined to remedy the situation, they prepared to pay the ocean waters a visit. The sun put on his shining gold travelling coat, which sparkled brilliantly. It created a halo of light around him. The moon put on her most beautiful gown. It was a gauzy alabaster white robe that seemed illuminated from within.

Starting point is 00:12:32 Whenever she moved, tiny stars twinkured forth to the water's edge. Once there, they called out to the little creatures who played in the surf, asking them to summon the sea-god. Feeling very important, the tiny crabs, the shining fishes, and the wispy jellyfish floated downward into the heart of the ocean. Happy to tell their ruler that his friends were near. While the sun and moon waited, they enjoyed watching the colorful underwater creatures who surfaced to bask in their brilliant aura. Their presence set the water dancing with light, as if diamonds floated on the waves. Soon, the approach of the seagot was heralded by a swelling of the waters. The waves broke majestically and foamed on the beach.

Starting point is 00:14:16 The Seagot always brought energy with him wherever he went. He arose from the water and called out a Jovion welcome to his friends. The Seagot was a strong, bearded fellow who wore a heavy gold crown. His shoulders bore a glistening mantle of many colored shells. He was the very essence, the sun king and the moon queen passed a happy afternoon on the beach. They spoke of their latest news or the events in their respective kingdoms and of the creatures in the sky and in the waters. When it was nearly time to go, the sun king got to the point of his visit. He asked the Seagot why he had never come to visit them and what might induce him to do so. The sun admitted that he was wondering if he and the Moon Queen had unwittingly slighted

Starting point is 00:16:01 the Seagot in some way, for he had never come knocking at their door. He said they would dearly love to return the Seagot's hospitality of many years. At this, the great bearded god smiled kindly and chuckled with good nature. Placing his hand on the sunking's shining golden arm, he said he would very much enjoy a visit, but that he had sought only to be polite. He explained that wherever he travelled, the water and its creatures had to come with him. And while he did not mind taking them along, he feared that the home of the sunking and the moon queen would be overwhelmed by their numbers. In short, he could only visit if they had a very, very large palace in which to hold the ocean.

Starting point is 00:17:32 At this the moon queen clapped her hands together with delight. She assured the sea-god that they would expand to fit him. She said that it would be their pleasure to build the grandest, most spacious palace the world had ever known. With many large rooms, surely it would hold all of his dear little creatures and his friends and family. The sunking nodded in, saying they would send an invitation when their house was ready. with a parting wave, the seagot sank back into the glittering waters of his domain. He looked forward to paying them a visit when the preparations were complete.

Starting point is 00:19:00 On their journey home, the luminescent couple discussed their plans. They would build a palace worthy of many guests. It would have soaring ceilings, graceful arches, and large ballrooms. graceful arches and large ballrooms. There would be countless bedrooms with enormous windows. Large terraces would make room for the water. It was a glorious vision. Building this grand residence took an entire year. During that time, they employed all the creatures of the heavens to realize their vision, working every day.

Starting point is 00:20:16 When the dwelling was finally complete, everyone who saw it proclaimed it to be the grandest in the world. The front doors of the palace were two stories tall. The ceilings of the reception rooms, the hallways and the ballroom almost seemed to disappear into the sky. The moon queen had decreed that murals should be painted on them, mimicking the clouds in the heavens. Fresh breezes floated through the hallways, entering through elegant, open windows. Rich chandeliers graced each room, twinkling as if they were made of stars. The king and queen felt confident they had built a home that was fit to receive their ocean dwelling friend and all his people. When they were ready, the royal couple summoned an eagle and asked him if he would deliver

Starting point is 00:21:52 an invitation to the god of the sea. The noble bat gladly agreed. They wrote their misive on a scroll and tied it with a glittering gold ribbon. Then the eagle took the pretty thing in his talents and disappeared into the sky. Flapping his powerful wings, he rose over the trees like a kite. The bird travelled quickly. When he reached the water, he cried out to the ocean dwellers below. A dolphin popped its nose out of the water nodding joyfully. The giant eagle soared gracefully downward and deposited the scroll in its open jaw. The dolphin then leapt smoothly back into the waters and the bird sawed upwards and disappeared again, returning to the skies over the land.

Starting point is 00:23:30 Meanwhile, the sun god received his elegant invitation with delight. He dispatched a massive school of shining fish to spread the word. The sea would be travelling to the palace of the sun and the moon, he told his subjects. All were invited. Riggling with anticipation, the countless tiny fishes dispatched in little schools. They spread the news quickly and efficiently to all the diverse creatures of the sea. The mighty ruler of the waters attired himself in his most dazzling rope and polished his trident to a high shine. When he was ready, he led the way towards the new palace of the sun king and the moon queen, following instructions they had shared in the scroll.

Starting point is 00:25:11 First, he made his way over the sugary, white and yellow sands of the beach. Then he ventured through the shady glens of the ancient forests. In doing so, he took the waters with him. He caused them to swell up and over the powdery sands, flowing over land that had scarcely seen the tide before. Then, he channeled the rushing sea through the wide paths of the forest. As he did, he floated on his back, marvelling at the swaying trees that danced above his head, playing tricks with the light. He was fascinated by this journey because he had never traveled this far onto the land before. When the trees parted, he continued across the grassy plains. The saltwater rushed onward, emerging and spreading out over the lush green grasses and

Starting point is 00:26:40 waving wildflowers of the plains. Here, he recognized the wide skies that hung over the ocean. He felt some relief to be back under a familiar canopy of blue. Lastly, as he floated to the end of the grassy meadows, he got his first glimpses of the hills. They pushed up from the earth, rugged in some places, and gently rolling in others. Then finally, as promised, he saw their house perched in the foothills. The palace was both vast and majestic. Its towers stretched toward the sky with myriad windows in each level. Its balconies spread generously outwards. They were welcoming and spacious. He could see that the sun and moon had made every effort to create space for him and for all of his ocean dwelling creatures. And they had certainly come with him. As the water rushed inland, so too did the fishes, the squid and the little animals in their shells.

Starting point is 00:28:54 The sea-living mammals were there as well. Dolphins and whales followed in his wake. Of course, there were also mermaids who were very plentiful in that time. In fact, the mermaids were probably the most excited of all, because they always enjoyed a fine party. Up in the foothills, the king and queen had been watching for their friends' arrival ever since the eagle returned. Standing on the enormous terrace of the house, they patiently watched in the direction of the coastal waters, happily anticipating this visit. When the blue and green water finally came into view, rushing from the plains, the queen clapped her hands together with delight. She called out to the servants to prepare for their guests. All the doors were opened white. The god of the sea arrived first, his cloak, a vision of shimmering beauty and his trident sparkling in the rays that came from the sun. With him,

Starting point is 00:30:52 the cool waters of the ocean which were soon eagerly exploring the steps and then the veranda. The gentle waves run smoothly into the ground floor of the house, pooling quickly in every depression or crevice, then rising upward. This created a path for the ocean dwelling creatures to enter. Fast came the little tiny ones, swimming freely in the first few inches of shallow waters of shallow waters that filled the ballroom. Like tiny emissaries, the animals quickly found out, taking in this strange new place. glistening in shades of silver and gold and blue and purple, they soon covered every room in the ground floor of the house. They shimmied over the elegant white finish of the marble floors which lay beneath the waters. The king and queen stood and took tappily with the sea-god while this was happening. They had expected some flooding and were not bothered by it. The waters did continue rising however.

Starting point is 00:32:52 As the depth increased, larger creatures were able to enter. A massive squid squeezed itself comically through the door, floating awkwardly inside. Crab some lobsters crawled over the window-sills, flopping into the interior of the palace. Naturally some seaweed flowed in along with everything else. The plants did not like to be left out of the fun. Before long the queen found that her elegant gown was floating around her, like an island of gauze. Being extremely well-mannered, she acted like nothing was a miss. However, it concerned her a little bit that the water was already more than waste-tie. The Seagot couldn't help noting her discomfort.

Starting point is 00:34:19 He asked if he should stop his people from coming in. But the Queen dismissed this notion. She told him all his creatures were welcome and that the house was quite sure to be big enough in the end. Taking her at her word, he continued to allow the water to flow inside. Now that it was shoulder deep on the king and queen, the array of swimming guests became truly impressive. The dolphins splashed playfully into the ballroom and engaged in a boisterous dance. The sharks slid gracefully through the flooded windows, circling the room like crafty wall flowers. Most beautiful, however, were the mermaids. With their multi-hued scales glittering in the sun, they swam gracefully onto the terrace. Like dances, they dipped and

Starting point is 00:35:52 splashed, some perching on the raiding and others floating and sunning themselves. Looking around, the sunking found himself wondering how any additional sea creatures could possibly exist. It seemed they were all here in his house. The water continued to rise though. Soon the god of the sea asked if they should perhaps move to the second floor of the house. Or he added, should he stop his people from coming now? Ever gracious, the king and queen again assured him that there was no need to limit the guests. They did, however, agree that it would be easier to continue socialising from an upper floor.

Starting point is 00:37:11 At last, this solution was short-lived. Royal couple soon found themselves waste deep in water on the second floor as well. While they continued to insist that their house had room for everyone, they found it necessary to rise upward again. This time to the uppermost floor of the house. At this point, the god of the sea politely excused himself. He had noticed a commotion coming from the ballroom, and he suspected that there was a squabble happening between the jellyfish and the sea urchins, both of which tended to be rather impatient and territorial. Excuseing himself, he dove down through the waters to the submerged ground floor and disappeared.

Starting point is 00:38:38 The sunking and the moon queen tried to wait for him, but they found themselves treading water and retreated to one of the tall towers that jutted Skyward out of the house. Slowly climbing the spiral staircase of the turret, they were only ever a few steps ahead of the rushing waves. Finally alone, they looked at each other with a roofal smile. It was obvious to both of them that despite their hopes, their enormous house had not been big enough to receive the entire population of the sea. Peeking out the window at the top of the turret, they could see the party in full swing down below. As far as they could see from their house to the distant beach, there was water covering

Starting point is 00:39:59 every surface. As they stood there, trying to figure out what to do, the trusty eagle flew by. The Moon Queen called out to him and asked him if he might be able to rescue them from their predicament. Flapping his powerful wings, he hovered near the turret. The sun and moon gratefully squeezed through the window and climbed onto his back. Then pushing off with a mighty search the mountains and up through the clouds. As they climbed in altitude, the sunking and the moon queen glanced below them at their palace, which was now just another part of the ocean. Then they both laughed and shook their heads.

Starting point is 00:41:38 Looking at each other with a shrug, they sprang from the eagles back and waived good by to him, floating up into the sky. As much as they had enjoyed meeting the creatures of the sea, they were so relieved to once again be where it was quiet and dry. All around them the stars glittered peacefully with excitement at their arrival. So it was that they decided to stay. After that time, the sun and moon still generously shared their light day and night with the land and the sea. But they chose to do it from a safe distance. Forevermore, they made the sky their home while the god of the sea spread out over his own watery domain. And that is how the world has happily remained to this day. ... ... ... ... ... ... ... ... I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing.

Starting point is 00:46:37 I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. you ... ... ... ... I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. I'm going to do a little bit of the same thing. ... ... ... 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.

Starting point is 00:49:50 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. I'm going to go to the next room. ... you ... ... you you ... ... … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … … ... you you

Get Sleepy: Sleep meditation and stories - Why the Sun and Moon Came to the Sky

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