A Time For Renewal | The Witches' Cottage Series

Travel through time and space to reunite with the three witches' who have invited you for a spring soiree. This visit offers a night of fairy dances, a cozy return to a sleep alcove with a new kitten friend, and a safe place to release the past and embrace the promise of the future. So find a place to relax and listen to this story narrated by a soothing female voice. It's time to dream away.

Transcript

Fall asleep fast in this enchanting sleep story for grownups.

You're listening to A Time for Renewal.

A spring return to the Witch's Cottage series.

In tonight's bedtime story,

You find yourself in an enchanted forest and experience spring's rejuvenation.

Three beloved witches mend your spirit as you enjoy the blossoming forest and a promise for new things to come.

Dacha Avalon once penned,

A Witch is a person who has honestly explored their light and has evolved to celebrate their darkness.

In this journey,

You celebrate all of yourself with love and hope and support from the nurturing witches.

So find a safe place to get cozy and drift to sleep.

It's time to dream away.

I would like to welcome you to Michelle's Sanctuary.

I am Michelle and as you listen,

Think of my voice as that of an imaginative friend.

Like a sleep fairy hovering above your shoulder,

Whispering encouraging and soothing words to guide you into the deepest parts of yourself.

Every night as your ally,

I advocate for your self-care.

You deserve this sacred time just for you to indulge your imagination and conjure beautiful landscapes before drifting to your dreamscape.

This is a deeply personal time.

So customize this experience and story in a way that makes you feel safe,

Loved and comfortable.

Never forget that you know your needs better than anyone else and it is your birthright to acknowledge and nurture them.

You deserve love.

You deserve peace.

Your needs matter.

Turn your attention to your breath.

With the power of breath,

You make your own magic.

Let out an exhalation in a hissing sigh and release everything from today.

If making a sound enhances your relaxation experience,

Then go for it.

Now is the time for healing.

Then sip fresh air through your nose.

Let it travel down the back of your throat and use this breath to expand your deep belly,

Diaphragm and chest.

Open your mouth and yawn.

And then sigh again.

Let go.

With your next inhalation,

Consider that this breath aligns you with the powers of the universe.

Experience this calibration by being present,

Grateful and aware as you unlock a world of magic.

Fill yourself with air and the wisdom that you are the co-creator of your life.

Then yawn and indicate to your body that you can lay down all your defenses.

Exhale and feel cherished and free to luxuriate in the peace and good feelings that come with winding down.

In the last conscious breath,

Visualize every oxygen molecule is like a glittering speck of gold.

As you sip in the air through pursed lips,

You take in the light and it illuminates the darkest corners of your body and mind.

It assures you that you are part of a benevolent,

Generous world.

And the more you feel gratitude,

The more you will see kindness and beauty everywhere.

Open your mouth and yawn one more time.

And then blow out air through pursed lips as slowly as you can.

Visualize blowing out a candle on the day to create a dark canvas of night where this enchanting story begins.

Spring is a special season for renewal.

And out of the blue,

The three witches invited you for an annual celebration at their cottage.

The witches knew,

Having witnessed your sleeping dreams with your permission,

That you were bogged down by the chaos of the world.

The oldest sister,

Carla,

Felt the longing in your heart.

This saudade came in waves of nostalgia for something that once was,

And sometimes for something that you couldn't put your finger on.

Maybe it was something that existed.

Or maybe it was something you hoped for and experienced only in your dreaming life.

The feeling persisted at times,

With a soft tug at your heart or a whisper in your ear as you thought,

There must be more than this.

The witches were always more than aware of all that went unseen by most people.

Their kindness on your visits sprouted out of the soil of yearning to nurture.

They served as a constant reminder that everything was once made up or imagined.

All the earthly human concerns and structures that seem so real are not quite so real at all.

To them,

The energy of the trees and the notes of a robin's morning song were more real and reverberated with stronger messages than all the made up concerns of modern society.

Cora with her playful sing-song voice could always be caught saying,

If you don't like the way things are,

Just make something else up.

Was it really that simple?

On a warm afternoon,

You arrive at the enchanted forest,

Carrying an item the witches requested.

It felt a little silly to indulge them,

But at the same time you trusted them deeply.

On the rare occasions that they asked for something,

It was done so with good reason,

And you didn't see the point in questioning.

There were enough things to think about on your own,

And when it came to this,

It was best to trust them.

In a handwritten letter on thick parchment paper,

With her ostentatious penmanship full of loops and scrolls,

Carla wrote to ask you to arrive with an empty piece of luggage.

This is how you find yourself with a rolling suitcase bouncing behind you over the damp mossy carpet of the forest floor.

As you walk through the woodlands,

The empty suitcase bounces like a tennis ball over gnarly tree roots that rise out of the thawed earth.

You approach a part of the forest where cherry blossoms appear on trees like tufts of cotton candy pink promises that the harshest of winter is done.

Pink and ivory petals scatter on the dark green and brown forest floor like messengers of beauty on its way.

In the sunlight,

The air is warm on your face,

But the occasional breeze in the shadows of the trees is crisp and cool.

You arrive at the white birch trees where baby robins chirp from abundant nests in newly created colonies that bring hope and vivacity to the forest.

At the base of a white birch tree,

You discover the pastel blue shell of a robin egg nestled atop a soft sheet of papery white bark.

You pick up the bark and balance it with the egg shell in the palm of your hand.

It is delicate to touch,

Yet invokes deep feelings inside of you.

You place the shell and papery bark into a cloth satchel that drapes diagonally across your ribs and continue on.

The red fox appears,

The spirit animal who has looked after you and guided you on every visit.

But this time,

He is not alone.

His mate and their two young kids follow closely behind.

The young pups are often distracted as they tumble and play on a small gnoll of lush moss and chanterelle mushrooms.

You pause and watch the fox family enjoy the softness of spring,

Now free from the tree hollow where they hid on the harshest winter nights.

The fox is proud,

And while quite occupied,

Remembers you and makes you feel valued.

You look into his beady eyes with appreciation,

And the conversation going on in your mind thanks him.

And for the first time in the enchanted forest,

You do not just intuitively sense his feelings,

You hear him answer back in your mind.

I think of you often,

And I'm always looking out for you.

You could tease yourself a million different ways to tomorrow,

But it feels liberating to simply accept the experiences that unfold on your journey to the witch's cottage.

Suspension of disbelief opens doors to your heart that harm no one,

And make you feel deeply appreciated and noticed.

Suspension is the ultimate form of generosity.

In a world where time is the most limited and unpredictable resource,

Who knows how many springs may come,

You respect the fragility of time with your appreciation for the present.

In your normal life,

The daily routine has the power to make every day feel exhaustingly the same.

But when you tune in,

You realize that things are constantly changing around you.

The present moment comes but once,

And is never replicated,

No matter how anyone may try to do so.

You arrive at the beloved cottage as the sun dips beyond the horizon,

Creating a dreamy sky of soft pastels that swirl like melted puddles of orange and raspberry sherbet.

A squiggly line of smoke creates a trail across the sky,

Like the strokes of a fountain pen in Carla's hand.

The smoke lends a sweet yet peppery aroma to the smells of wet earth,

Damp grass,

And metallic clean air.

The final thaw came just a couple of weeks prior,

And when you inhale,

The damp air tastes like clean droplets of melted snow.

Cora sees you first,

Running towards you with a basket of vibrant wildflowers that offer pops of periwinkle,

Lavender,

Lemon yellow,

Orange,

And hot pink.

Her curls bounce on the satin cape draped over her slender shoulders.

She looks more vibrant and fresh than you have ever seen her,

And the energy is infectious when she greets you with a kiss on the cheek and places a flower in your favorite hue behind your ear.

You follow her towards the cottage and struggle to drag your luggage along.

Out of nowhere,

It has become quite heavy.

Cora smiles mysteriously as if she knows something you do not.

She wraps her long slender fingers around the handle next to yours and helps you hoist the suitcase through the fence and up the pathway to the cottage.

You enter the cottage and it feels like a homecoming as it always does.

A safe haven that is so familiar you feel so long as you have been alive.

You have been returning to this refuge in the woodlands Twilight sets in,

And candles illuminate the knotty wood walls of the home.

Carla blows out a long match after lighting the last candle in a centuries old candelabra.

When she sees you,

Her eyes soften and shine like crystallized honey when it warms and becomes satiny and liquid once more.

Sometimes you feel so much comfort and joy looking into her eyes that it's followed by a wave of sadness that you don't quite understand.

But Carla always tells you it's because you feel safe enough to feel everything.

She always knows how to soothe it.

Carla walks across the room and her long flowing dress sweeps over the old planks of the floor.

She hugs you firmly like a mother and the velvet collar of her regal dress brushes against your neck and cheek.

Welcome,

My dear.

You have been missed.

The cottage is different this time of year.

The cracked open windows cause a stir in the air.

The breeze is cool,

But the air is still warm as there is a cauldron in the center of the room where Ava stirs a healing remedy for sleep.

With chamomile and lavender floating atop the water,

She pours a jar of honey sourced from her bee sanctuary and makes the air sweet and intoxicating.

Cora stands on a hand-carved chair with depictions of forest animals on the legs and back.

She hangs the spring flowers in bunches from a wooden beam over the main room.

Carla returns to the kitchen to prepare you a bowl of thick stew made of fresh vegetables and herbs foraged in the woods.

Come summer,

The witch's garden will overflow with produce,

Herbs,

And flowers.

But for now,

They graze and the forest meets their needs.

Carla guides you towards the fireplace and you sit in a plush velvet chair.

Five kittens sleep in a basket curled atop one another in the amber glow of the fire.

The savory smell of your stew awakens them from slumber and they fumble out of the wicker basket curiously before they scatter across the floor with their hair standing up on alert.

You eat your stew as they bravely climb onto your feet and bat at your shoelaces.

The most brazen kitten is a long-haired tortoise shell,

Who is the only one to climb onto your lap and sniff at the stew.

But this does not satisfy her curiosity and she climbs up to your shoulder and sniffs your face,

Intrigued by the smell of a person from another world and time.

You extend a hand for her to investigate and she nuzzles her head into your palm,

Indicating that you are trustworthy.

The kittens are the progeny of imagination,

Cora's beloved cat who prefers to roam the barn at twilight over being confined indoors.

The stew fills you and tastes familiar and woodsy and unusual at the same time.

You feel your body relax in a sigh as you enjoy the last few spoonfuls.

The witches go about their evening busy work and Carla explains that there is a fairy dance in the woods once the moon rises.

You pick up the purring puffball from your chest and kiss her on the head before placing her with her littermates that tumble and bat at one another beneath a heavy wood coffee table.

You take your dish to the kitchen and clean it and look out the window onto the misty rolling hills behind the cottage.

The sky is full of glittering stars and the damp meadows appear to be covered in flowing midnight blue gossamer.

The witches stand by the door and give you a warm cape to wear on the journey to the fairy's reveal.

Ava explains that every spring the fairies come out of hibernation to light up the night.

Their soiree is an invitation for the fireflies to return and for all creatures of the forest.

To celebrate warmer days,

You follow the witches hypnotized by their whooshing skirts that sashay above the dewy earth.

You feel tired yet curious and soon you are led to the white birch trees where you discover the robin's eggshell and papery white bark on the ground.

At first the woodlands are so quiet that you hear the soft sighs and breaths of the witches.

Then suddenly a flash of electric blue light dashes across the woods as the first fairy appears.

Others follow in hues of pink,

Orange,

Neon yellow and light purple.

They sing a song with many harmonies.

Their voices are soft and their melody catchy.

As they skirt around the white birch trees like hummingbirds,

The trees glow in their vibrant light as if basking in rainbow spotlights.

They sprinkle fairy dust on the dark green earth and it begins to glow.

The sisters look back to see if you can enjoy and take in the fairy dance.

They are pleased to see you are engaged and do not miss a moment of the performance.

In the light of the fairy dust,

You recognize all the creatures that have come out to partake.

In the celebration of renewal,

Ladybugs crawl up the white birch trees for a better view.

A doe leads her clumsy fawn towards the spectacle.

A den of bunnies reveals themselves as their mother clears the opening so they may watch as well.

You look up towards the midnight blue sky to see raccoons and squirrels perched on tree branches and cardinals and sparrows tucked in their nests.

An owl hoots and the fairies respond with a new song.

In the shadows of the trees,

You see your fox friend and family have arrived as well.

You feel full of joy and life,

Part of something grander than you realize.

The spectacle ends when the half moon rises to the center of the sky and the creatures of the forest return to their shelter to rest.

Carla threads her arm around yours and your elbows lock together.

She says,

Not everyone who comes to the forest sees what you just saw.

Only those who believe are open enough to experience.

In this intimate exchange,

You ask her why your suitcase became so heavy even though it is empty.

She tells you that you will find out in the morning and to savor this night not worrying about it now.

When you return to the warm dry air of the cottage,

Ava grabs a wooden ladle and pours the sleepy elixir she made into a teacup.

She hands you the first one and then fills three more for herself and her sisters.

She raises her steaming cup and toasts to a day well spent into a night of rest.

The floral tea is perfectly sweet and as it flows down your throat,

You instantly feel your muscles and body relax.

In deep peace you become tired and your eyes begin to blear.

The witches say good night and return to their rooms.

The fluffy tortoise shell kitten leaves her litter to find you.

You place her back in the basket but she pops out again and stays close to the backs of your heels.

She follows you up the narrow winding staircase that leads to the guest alcove.

When you reach the cozy nook,

You turn around and look at her.

Her big pleading kitten eyes are like silver and green saucers illuminated by moonbeams that shine through the skylight windows.

You reach down and pick her up and hold her warm fluffy body against your chest.

The vibrations of her purrs fit between the beats of your heart and the steady rhythm soothes you both.

You place her on the bed and change into pajamas that smell of lavender.

You peel back the heavy quilt and collapse into the mattress.

The kitten walks over to you and curls up and falls asleep in the curve of your neck and right shoulder.

Soon you are both in a deep sleep,

Appearing in one another's spring-inspired dreams until the first rays of sunlight pour into the room and a new day begins.

You awaken to sounds of clanking metal pans and water running as the witches prepare breakfast.

The kitten rises and stretches in the sunlight streaming through the windows.

She softly meows and you scratch under her chin.

You get out of bed and dress for the day.

Feeling content and renewed,

You head to the kitchen with your new furry friend following the hide to rejoin her siblings.

You enjoy a bountiful breakfast with the three sisters as golden sunshine pours through the windows and tiny particles dance like fairy dust.

Cora is particularly cheerful in the morning.

She tells you,

Every morning comes with a promise of things you've never experienced before.

Carla is quiet,

But her smile and eyes reveal that something important will transpire today.

She claps her hands together and says,

It's time for our spring renewal.

She instructs you to gather your empty suitcase from the foyer.

You do as told and follow the three witches outside.

You feel stronger and more rested than you have in a long time and yet you struggle to carry the suitcase down the stairs.

The grass and rolling meadows of wild flowers sparkle with dew in the beaming sun.

Carla leads the group,

But you continue to struggle to carry the empty suitcase.

Carla pauses as if she knew this would happen and she smiles at you with compassion.

You explain to her that you cannot understand why the suitcase is only getting heavier the farther you walk.

She places her hand on your upper arm and caresses it as empathy pours out of her.

My dear,

You have been carrying this weight all along,

But because you ignored it and stuffed it inside you,

It was buried so deep in your body that you failed to notice.

You feel safe to be vulnerable and slow down when you visit,

And that's why you are finally able to recognize what has weighed you down.

Ava chimes in,

We will help you release it,

Only if you're ready,

Of course.

Cora smiles as she blows a spiral lock of red hair out of her eyes.

You're strong enough to carry that on your own,

But we can help you.

It's a lot for one person to carry.

Surrounded by the loving circle of the three sisters,

You surrender to the emotions that come to the surface.

Relief,

Peace,

Sadness,

Joy,

Gratitude,

Acceptance.

They flow purely and you are celebrated for experiencing and releasing each one.

Grief,

Longing,

Regret.

The three witches each pick up a corner of the suitcase,

And as you walk together you recognize the things that have been holding you back.

The opinions of others,

The self-judgment,

Memories of being let down or told your needs didn't matter.

The weight of the world and things beyond your control.

You feel and process each one like memory capsules popping so they can become free.

You realize that all along you have had the power to let them resonate and be given attention so that you could become free.

But the truth is you weren't ready just yet.

But now you are.

With each concern and stressor that you process,

The suitcase becomes lighter and lighter.

The witches continue to help carry your burdens and make you feel less alone than you have ever felt before.

You arrive at a clearing beneath a canopy of lush trees and come to a silvery babbling brook.

You set the suitcase down on the grass.

You guide the zipper around the sleek contours of the hard case and open it.

Sunlight streams through the branches and a colony of butterflies takes flight towards the trees.

Your heart flutters to the tempo of their wings with hope and the promise of good things to come.

This visit offers a metamorphosis that has only been possible over time.

Carla instructs you to leave the suitcase open so it may capture the renewal of spring.

The witches laugh and twirl and clap their hands,

Cheering you for releasing what has been so heavy.

They praise you for your self-awareness and lead you towards the water's edge.

Every spring they dip into the silvery blue water that still retains a kiss of winter's chill to renew themselves and experience the season with fresh eyes and curiosity and with an open heart and forgiving mind.

In this beloved and sacred forest,

You process your life with reflection rather than rumination and regret.

All along you could have focused on an openness to new experiences and renewal.

You just weren't there yet because all those endings you were avoiding were leading you to new beginnings the moment you opened yourself to them.

And on this perfect spring day,

You feel ready.

Fully clothed,

You follow the witches into the stream and laugh.

The water soothes your nerve cells.

The coolness shocks your system so that there's no room to think.

You are present.

Your body tingles and then becomes numb as you float over the smooth rocks of the stream bed.

The water is persistent and soothing.

Just like it softened the rocks,

You feel a softening in your heart.

You float on your back and look at the clear cerulean sky and realize that every morning,

Every moment gives you a chance to start anew.

You do not need to wait.

The opportunity comes with each breath.

And with each breath,

You get to decide who you want to be.

The witches reach out their cool,

Wet hands and you form a circle with intertwined fingers.

You hop and splash about in a stream and a playful pact to always remember the lessons of spring.

When it is time to return to the cottage,

The red fox appears and takes a sip from the water.

He lifts his head and looks your way and you hear him in your mind as he says,

You have grown so much.

And you think to yourself,

Yes,

I have.

Back at the cottage,

You change into dry garments and catch up with the witches around the fire.

You show them the white birch bark and robin's egg that you discovered during your arrival.

Always imaginative Cora takes them from you and disappears.

Once later she returns with a clear glass bottle that contains the blue eggshell and white bark arranged on a tiny bed of moss and dried flowers.

You thank her for the memento,

A loving gift and reminder of spring's renewal.

You retreat to the alcove for an afternoon nap when your eyes cannot stay open a moment longer.

Your new kitten friend comes along,

A bouquet of daffodils and tulips sits in a crystal vase that Ava placed as a surprise on the bed stand.

You run your fingers across the silky petals and smile.

There is so much beauty to behold when one looks for it.

Enough to fill every waking hour of each day.

And it is the contrast of darkness that makes the beauty shine brighter.

Her now sleep calls to you and like old friends in a now familiar routine,

The kitten cuddles against your neck as you sink deeper and deeper into the bed.

You fade between worlds and every now and then you hear a whisper or rustling sound from the witches downstairs.

Their presence is a reminder that you are protected,

Loved and cared for.

And with that you allow yourself to surrender to sleep.

To surrender to the possibilities of uplifting discoveries in your dreaming and waking life.

And I am going to count you down to sleep so you may awaken come morning,

Feeling renewed and open to the magic in every breath.

Ten,

Nine,

Eight,

Seven,

Six,

Five,

Four,

Three,

Two,

One.

Finding bliss,

Finding enchantment,

Finding peace,

Finding sleep.

It's time to dream away.

Good night.

Reviews

Another wonderful visit at the friendly witch’s cottage! 🥰 Thank you for making a playlist of these sleep stories so it’s easier to keep track of the ones I had missed and to be able to revisit our friendly witches any time. These are some of my favorites in Michelle’s Sanctuary. Thank you! 🙏🏼🥰🌲🌳🌱🦊💖✨

the best thing i’ve heard on here.
and i’ve heard AMAZING AWESOME things. kudos

Once again, Michelle, you have created a great sleep story. It's longer than I usually like, but even with shorter recordings I am asleep within the first 30 minutes.

Your voice is at a consistent volume and clarity. I am always comfortable listening to you--very relaxing.

This is the first time I have made it through the full story to the sleep countdown & I only accomplished this because I listened in the morning. This is an absolutely beautiful journey that is so soothing for someone undergoing deep trauma therapy. I have now realized that providing myself with ways to calm my nervous system, and to bring myself out of my head when I am living from the space of fight, flight, freeze, faint, or fawn and provide safety, is the only way I can access all of the things I have been learning. This speaks directly to my soul and in this magical realm, I revel in the fact that I have no allergies to animal dander as I do in reality. The loss of being able to connect with animals throughout my life when I have felt so incredibly alone has been profound. Sometime I wonder if my allergies are even real, or if they began as my body fighting back to stored trauma. At any rate, I thank you deeply Michelle and I will be back to this recording in the day time as well as the night. Sarah Blondin has been my favorite person for waking meditations on Insight Tiner ever since I first found this app & her content helped me make it through 2020/2021 when, as an already traumatized person, I could barely breathe with all that added stress…but I am now branching out and trying new meditations, sleep stories, things to light up my imagination. You have gone straight to my heart with this one and I am excited to have a way to access new areas of healing that have previously been lying dormant. Thank you, thank you. I will come dragging my extremely heavy suitcase, in order to free myself a little more, over and over again. 💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚💚 Sending you love and gratitude.

This was lovely and very helpful as I worked through some insomnia. Thank you for sharing this with us here. I see you and the light within you. Be well. 🤲🏻💖🤲🏻

Michelle is amazing. She has such a gift for painting 🎨 visual and sound scenarios with words; never mind the calm, soothing sound of her voice. I just wish there was a place where I could write my reviews in the morning when I can dictate my reviews instead of having to type them in order not to wake anyone in the wee hours when I wake up between recordings.

Absolutely loved this story 🙏🏻❤️

Thank you, Michelle 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻Love the witches stories. No clue yet what this one is about...🙏🏻😴🙏🏻😴🙏🏻😴🙏🏻

Very creative and sleep inducing! I love your stories!

Wonderful!

Thanks for your sleep stories. I always fall asleep listening to you voice. 🙏