Hi,
Thanks for joining me on this guided visualisation for sleep to a lost island.
Like us,
The sea is constantly changing,
The surface appears stable from a distance,
But underneath are unpredictable currents and swells of emotion.
We can learn a lot from the ocean as it relates to our inner landscape and the sound of the waves is spiritually soothing.
Seawater can also help remedy our physical selves.
Not everyone lives near the beach or can visit the coast,
But you can conjure up the ocean anytime by looking at images of the sea or listening to guided visualisations like this to help you relax and sleep.
Before we begin,
Please find a comfortable place where you can relax.
It may be on your bed or on the floor with a few pillows.
Gently close your eyes or keep them open with a softened gaze.
Let go of all the tension you might have in your face,
Neck and shoulders.
Allow your breath to carry you into relaxation and find its natural rhythm.
Be present at this moment with your breathing.
And if your mind wanders away with a thought,
Emotion or sensation that catches your attention,
Gently guide awareness back to your breathing and the guided meditation.
While wandering the old city's cobblestone streets years ago,
You discover a narrow alleyway.
At the end of it,
A used bookshop is squeezed next to a bakery.
A warm,
Delicious fragrance of baking and dough wafts in the air,
Enticing you to walk down the alleyway to check out the bakery.
When you reach the bakery and look inside the window,
You can see a variety of loaves of bread and delicious looking cakes and pastries.
Resisting the temptation to go inside,
You head next door instead to the used bookshop.
When you open the door,
The shop owner says,
Hi,
Welcome,
And you start roaming the aisles,
Browsing.
Books are everywhere.
The secondhand books are wild,
Stray books,
Herded together in countless colours,
In stacks and on shelves with a shabby charm.
One of the areas near the back of the shop has travel books,
Maps,
Large antique atlas books and illustrated journals bound in leather.
You open up a scruffy atlas and a folded piece of parchment paper drops out from the pages onto the floor.
When you pick it up and open it,
You discover it's a map with a title that reads,
Jago Island.
Intrigued,
You tuck the map back into the pages,
Purchase the atlas and take it home with you.
Fast forward a few years and after many hours of careful planning,
You're on a sailing boat,
Navigating with the map you found at the used bookstore in the hunt for Jago Island.
A warm,
Sullenly breeze fills the terracotta sails.
The sea and the sky look like a seamless fabric of brilliant blue,
Broken by fluffy white clouds floating high in the sky.
They cast patchy shadows in different areas on the surface of the sea.
Far away on the horizon,
Could it be the lost island?
Or are you imagining things?
Perhaps it's just a mirage shimmering in the sun.
Suddenly,
You're surrounded by a pod of dolphins.
Several swerve playfully around right in front of the boat.
You're so glad for their company.
They swim alongside the boat for a while,
Before diving underneath the bow and disappearing.
And you wonder where they went.
You look over the side,
Below into the deep blue water to search for them.
All you can see are beams of gilded sunlight casting sideways into the sapphire depths.
After a while,
That mirage materially It's the island,
Which now resembles something carved out of clay by giant hands.
When you get nearer to shore,
You pull down the sails to slow the boat down,
Allowing the current to push it gently toward land.
The deserted beach is made of very round,
Polished white coral gravel.
So smooth that each piece looks like a glass bead.
You jump out of the boat into the water,
Holding on while the gentle waves help beach it on the shore.
The shallower water here is turquoise and translucent.
On the cliffs surrounding the beach,
Flocks of seabirds are nesting.
Layers of them fly around the escarpments,
While others fly in and out of a few small caves higher up.
You walk across the beach toward some trees,
Where you discover a natural path to follow inland.
The trees are flowering and the large bloom's fragrance is subtle and sweet.
After following the trail uphill for a while,
You arrive at a white-washed cottage positioned on the most elevated point overlooking the ocean.
It stands like a monument to the pure remoteness of the island.
The solid,
Wooden front door is well worn and perhaps hundreds of years old.
When you twist the handle,
The door opens easily.
Inside,
The house is empty and a thick layer of dust covering the floor suggests the house has been abandoned for a long time.
When you look up at the ceiling,
You're surprised to see it covered by a painted mural of a map of stars and planets.
Your journey here began with an old map in a second-hand bookstore.
It guided you to the island,
This house with its chart of the night sky.
You imagine the person who used to live in the house,
Communing with the earth,
The ocean,
Nature and the stars above.
One thing you understand about them is they must have had a love for the night sky.
And remarkable artistic talent.
You go outside and sit down next to the house,
Leaning against the stucco wall.
The view of the sea and the sky fills your soul.
This is the best time of the day.
The sun is setting and fine rays of light pierce through the clouds and touch the sea.
The sky is a different shade every sunset.
No cloud is ever in the same place.
And each day brings a new surprise or memory.
Light is surrendering its whole to the darkness and night.
And the stars begin to appear,
One by one,
Pen pricking the sky with silvery light.
Maybe the house was built here because it offers the perfect place for stargazing.
You can see so many stars and planets.
To think that most are hundreds and thousands of light years away.
And some don't exist anymore because they've already exploded when their light reaches you.
You find a comfortable place to lie down.
You're not lonely or afraid because the stars are a part of you.
You are made of star stuff.
Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded.
And as you breathe,
Feel the wave of relaxation wash over your soul.
Leave it alone.
