Hello,
Dream travelers.
Welcome to the Story Nexus.
Tonight you'll be falling asleep in the wizard's cottage.
The wizard's name is the Wizard Rafferty,
And he has dream travelers pass through his cottage every night,
So he is expecting you.
He loves to have company while he does his work.
Tonight,
He is making one of his specialties,
Moonflower brew.
He'll be bottling it up to sell at the local magic market this weekend.
You won't need to do anything except get comfortable on the dreaming couch.
You'll have a big blanket and pillow to make sure you're comfortable and warm.
And while the Wizard Rafferty is doing his work,
You can just relax and let the soothing atmosphere of his magical cottage be absorbed into your being,
So that you can fall into a deep,
Restful sleep.
Now let's begin your sleep journey.
You can close your eyes and take a few deep breaths,
And let your body sink deeper into your mattress.
Feel the comfort and softness of the pillow supporting your head,
And the warmth of the blankets over top of you.
Continue to breathe deeply and evenly,
And allow any tension in your torso to just evaporate,
And let your mind drift into your dream-traveling space.
Your breathing has become rhythmic and even now.
Your torso has loosened.
It allows more air and oxygen to fill your lungs.
The days are falling away,
And you are beginning to feel yourself float into your dream space.
You're now going to meet the Wizard Rafferty.
He works at night in his small,
Cozy cottage at the edge of a quiet pine forest.
He's making one of his specialties,
Moonflower Brew.
This is one of his most powerful,
And certainly most popular,
Brews.
The dreaming couch is waiting for you.
You are expected.
This is a place where you can fall asleep and dream sweet dreams while getting a very deep night's rest.
You will never be alone,
As the Wizard Rafferty will be busy the entire night making his brew.
The fire will be going all night as well.
The brew needs to simmer in the cauldron all night long.
The bubbling of the brew is very soothing.
It's a gentle murmur in the background as you fall asleep.
This is a perfectly safe environment for you.
As the Wizard Rafferty enjoys company while he works,
He likes knowing that someone cares enough to be interested in his work.
That's why he's prepared the dreaming couch specifically for you.
So,
You are not only expected,
You are very welcome here.
Now,
To get to the Wizard Rafferty's cottage,
You must start at the edge of a pine forest.
See yourself standing there now.
You can smell the wonderful,
Crisp scent of pine trees.
You can also smell the smoke coming from a fire.
Looking around,
You can see through the trees that there is smoke coming out of the top of a chimney.
You now make your way toward where the smoke is coming from.
On your way over,
You notice how the air is so cool and fresh.
You hear the sounds of nocturnal birds singing as it's twilight now in the forest.
The moonlight is strong tonight.
The clouds have slowly parted to reveal the moon in the dark sky.
You've now come up upon the cottage from the back.
You can see that almost the entire wall is made up of brick that leads up to the top of the chimney.
The cottage itself is a sturdy-looking building made of large logs and brick and some stone.
The roof is made of gray slate tiles.
It sits right at the edge of the forest in a small clearing.
You begin to walk around the cottage,
Looking for the door.
There is a large window,
So you stop and look through it.
It's very steamy,
But you can see a small but stout man inside.
He is wearing a long gray linen robe that touches the floor,
And there is a rope tied at his waist.
On his head is a long,
Soft,
Pointy hat with the top end flopped over and hanging to one side.
It's purple in color and has gold and silver stars sewn onto it.
The wizard can sense someone is watching him,
So he looks up.
He sees you through the hazy window and waves at you to come in.
You are expected,
Of course.
So as you walk around to the front,
You make your way through the entrance and let yourself in.
It feels warm,
Safe,
Familiar,
Completely welcome.
As you open the door,
The smell of moonflower hits you immediately.
It's the unmistakable mingling of jasmine and vanilla that washes over you like a soft wave.
Then you can hear the soft crackle of the fire burning.
The fireplace is huge and dominates the wall at the back of the cottage.
For a moment,
You are mesmerized by the flames dancing slowly in the hearth.
They cast a warm glow over the interior of the cottage.
Each spark makes a tiny,
Soothing pop.
The cottage is mostly one big room.
The wizard's work table is right in the middle.
There is a huge cabinet on one side of the room.
It has glass doors.
You can see it's filled with shelf after shelf of all types of glass containers and bottles with potions and herbs and all types of magical things.
There is a small,
Bubbling cauldron that is simmering on a hook,
Hanging over the fire in the hearth.
The feeling inside this cottage is so very soothing.
As if time has stopped.
As if nothing else exists.
As if worries,
Tension cannot penetrate the interior of this cottage.
It feels like you've been here so many times before.
You know you're going to sleep well inside this cottage.
The wizard,
Rafferty,
Smiles at you and nods toward the large,
Overstuffed,
Dreaming couch to his left.
You gladly make your way over and get comfortable.
You lay your head to rest on a fluffy pillow.
The cotton pillowcase is slightly cool against your cheek at first and then warms to your skin.
There is a silky soft woolen blanket folded at one end of the dreaming couch.
You pull the blanket up and it eases itself into the contours of your body.
The blanket has some weight to it and it feels very comforting.
It's as if the blanket has adjusted itself to just the right temperature for you.
You position yourself so you can watch the wizard do his work as well as see the fireplace at the same time.
You notice he is crushing some moonflower petals with a mortar and pestle.
The cottage bursts with the scent of it.
Moonflower smells very much like a mixture of jasmine and vanilla.
The wizard Rafferty walks over to the cauldron and scrapes the crushed moonflowers into the bubbling concoction.
From outside,
You can hear a gentle breeze moving through the pines.
The nighttime birds and owls are making their calls.
Their voices will sing throughout the night until the dawn.
You can hear even a few coyote and wolf howls as well.
Everything feels in harmony here.
Everything feels very natural.
Everything is just like it should be.
The wizard looks up and catches your eye.
His kind,
Wise face beams at you.
You realize it's time to bring yourself into a deep meditative state so that your mind and body can easily transition into a deep,
Restful sleep.
You continue to breathe in slowly and then out.
Your shoulders drop,
Allowing any tension to fall away.
Your limbs become heavier and heavier underneath the blanket.
It's almost as if you are melting into the dreaming couch.
You find that your fingers are tracing lazy little circles on the blanket.
The wool is so soft and thick and just slightly textured.
You notice the weight of it.
It's quite heavy,
But not uncomfortably so.
It's just enough weight to feel like there's a gentle pressure making sure you stay tucked in.
Like a nurturing mother who will stay with you until you fall asleep.
As you continue breathing,
You let your mind wander.
The inside of the cottage becomes hazy.
Your eyelids grow heavier.
Your breaths are slower and deeper and even.
Your body is finding its rhythm to take you into deep sleep.
The couch is infusing itself into you.
The veil between the waking world and dreaming world is now very thin.
The wizard's magical presence helps to take you to that place where time stands still.
Nothing else matters except your rest,
Right here and right now.
The night sky has become very dark and the moon has shifted.
It shines through the cottage window like a silvery beam.
It splashes onto the wizard Rafferty's work table,
Illuminating all the ingredients for his moonflower brew.
Something catches your eye from the ceiling.
Hanging there from the rafters are bunches of dried herbs.
It looks to be sage,
Rosemary,
And lavender stalks.
You turn your attention back to the bubbling cauldron as the steam rises and sweet curling wisps.
You notice the bouquet of moonflowers.
They are sitting on his table.
They are stunning in appearance.
It is also said that moonflower nectar is healing to the spirit.
Moonflowers are ethereal plants which have large,
White,
Velvety,
Trumpet-shaped blooms.
The petals can spread across from five to six inches,
All the way up to about eight inches.
The petals are soft and slightly translucent.
Under the moonlight,
They appear to glow.
Their leaves are a deep green color,
And they are heart-shaped,
And they have very smooth edges.
The moonflower grows as a slender vine,
Which can climb up to ten to twenty feet or more in a season.
They will wrap themselves around trellises,
Fences,
And trees.
When they are in full season,
The moonflower vines form a dense and lush foliage.
Their beautiful white petals form glorious,
Trumpet-shaped blooms.
Their fragrant blossoms are strongest at night.
In the wild,
Moonflowers love to grow on roadsides,
In the wetlands,
And by lake edges.
The wizard Rafferty spent much of the day collecting these moonflowers.
He now works around his table like a maestro or conductor of an orchestra.
His movements are smooth and deliberate.
He knows exactly what he's doing.
He knows where everything is.
Everything is within his reach.
He now adds a bit of star anise to his mortar.
Then a drop of honey from the cottage's own beehive.
Then just a dash of chamomile to make this moonflower brew perfect.
For a moment,
The wizard Rafferty looks up and then goes to break off a small bit of lavender and sage.
He adds them to his mortar and then takes the pestle and begins to grind them into a fine powder.
The voice of the wizard Rafferty begins to speak to you.
He tells you of the amazing symbolic and spiritual properties of the moonflower petals.
His mouth never opens,
Yet you can hear his gentle voice perfectly in your head.
He tells you of how the moonflower is beloved in folklore and witchcraft.
For it is known that this plant has lunar connections.
The moonflower symbolizes the world of dreams,
Intuition,
And the subconscious mind.
Their night-blooming nature ties them to hidden truths,
Psychic abilities,
And moon energy.
The moonflower brew the wizard is making tonight will help the recipients in psychic abilities and aid in spiritual growth.
This brew will be used in nighttime rituals to help amplify the intuition and open the third eye and help those who use it connect to the spirit world.
The wizard Rafferty also tells you of how his moonflower brew can help heal and bring a sense of romance to the drinker's life.
It can enhance their relationships as well as their passion for life.
The brew can help attract a relationship if one does not have one at the time.
As a great bonus,
Moonflowers are also said to offer energetic protection and bring the user good luck.
You continue to let your body settle deeper and deeper into the dreaming couch.
Your arms and legs feel so heavy now.
Your breathing is slow.
The night sky is completely black now.
The wizard lights a single candle and hangs it over his work table.
He then lights a few more candles on shelves around the cottage.
They are beeswax candles and give off a faint,
Sweet smell of honey.
The fire in the hearth continues to crackle gently.
The wizard walks over to the cauldron and stirs it slowly and gently as he gazes into the brew.
Then he sits back into his favorite armchair.
It's deep and plush and upholstered in worn velvet material.
It's the color of the night sky itself.
This lovely,
Magical atmosphere holds endless secrets and takes you deeper into the consciousness of life,
Into the energy of life.
You now feel a deep peace inside you.
There is no anxiety left.
There's no reason for it.
You know you are supported by a loving force which is in and around all of us.
The wizard Rafferty has nothing left to do now.
Except allow the brew to bubble in the cauldron until daybreak.
He leans back into the plushness of his armchair and stares into the fire.
He is now being carried away by the crackling of the fire and the bubbling of the brew.
You are very thankful you found this cottage and the wizard,
And very happy to have found the Dreaming Couch.
As the cottage atmosphere wraps you in its gentle embrace,
You let go completely into soft,
Enchanted,
Quiet sleep.
Rest well,
Dream traveler.
And let it be so.
