The Company of Elves You can do this guided visualization whenever you have some quiet time to yourself.
Sit or lie down and make yourself comfortable by loosening any tight clothing.
Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths in through the nose and out through the mouth.
Then just allow your breath to fall into a natural relaxed rhythm.
Imagine yourself sinking peacefully into the water.
Imagine yourself sinking peacefully as if through a cloud.
Allowing yourself to drift slowly away from your day to day world.
You begin to hear the sound of birds.
The gentle rustle of leaves as a soft breeze combs through them.
You find yourself on a track that leads between open woods that run up into little hills.
The sunlight is thick,
Golden,
Slanting down as the sun sinks closer to the horizon.
It throws beams of light deep into the trees and the air is filled with the scent of sun-warmed grass.
The birds sing their last notes before going to roost for the night.
You walk slowly,
Filled with a sense of peace as the evening fades and the sky darkens above you.
The shadows are deep in the woods now and the stars are coming out,
Bright points of fire against the dim sky.
The cool scent of the night awakens.
It is very quiet,
Quiet enough for you to hear a distant music.
You stop,
Listening,
Tilting your head,
Wondering if you are imagining it,
For who would be making music in these woods?
You begin walking again.
The sound becomes more distant,
Yet still there is something quite otherworldly about it.
You wonder if your eyes are playing tricks on you as you see a light moving among the dark trees,
A luminous misty glow in the near distance.
You are not nervous,
But rather intrigued as you move closer.
After a while you see a procession passing through the trees,
Tall beings,
Elves,
With long hair flowing behind them,
Shimmering in the dim light of dusk.
You see the glint of jewels,
The glitter of bright eyes.
You can't hear their footsteps,
They are a silent company,
Like something out of a vivid dream.
As they pass,
They seem unaware of you.
As you watch,
A nightingale calls from deep within the woods and you experience a strange,
Shifting sensation,
As if these legendary people have drawn closer to your world or you to theirs.
One of the elves turns their head and smiles at you,
As if as a friend they were expecting to see on this path.
Come,
They say,
And hold out a hand.
Without conscious thought,
You are drawn in to the company.
They walk through the woods as if they can see in the dimness,
Utterly without sound.
Although none of them speak,
Apparently intent on their journey,
You feel a relaxed sense of acceptance.
The track rises and you come to a level place,
Like a lawn surrounded on three sides by trees.
Looking back,
You can see the night-cloaked lands unrolling below and the glow of lights from some distant small village.
The sky is a vastness of stars,
For the moon has not yet risen.
The elf with you gestures and you follow to a narrow opening that comes out into a wider space,
Almost roofed by tree branches.
The tree trunks resemble the pillars of some great hall and you pass between them to the centre,
Where a welcoming fire is burning.
Hanging lamps cast a comforting glow and there is the smell of food and wine as elves walk to and from with plates and flagons.
They are not silent now,
Some sit playing on lutes or harps,
Others talk softly together.
They glance at you with those ageless luminous eyes and smile,
Accepting your presence as if you are one of their own.
The child feels where he feels and he wills to tell you and will be his strong place.
You find yourself staring,
Seeking almost to look behind their eyes,
To their memories,
Their long and fascinating lives.
As you stare,
Your mind begins to fill up with bright and descriptive images that you quickly suspect may not be from your own imagination.
You see deep halls of pale stone,
White buildings in a valley fringed by waterfalls.
A ship,
Its sails taunt with the wind and a great star above it,
Blazing like a jewel.
The images leave a lasting impression in your mind,
Even as they gently fade and your awareness returns to your present surroundings.
You are presented with food and drink and offered to take what you wish.
The elf who guided you here remains sitting at your side.
The elf turns to you and asks if you know why you are here.
You reply that you do not,
But are thankful to be there.
They say that few people come now from your world,
But there will always be some who feel the call.
They say that they know the images you just saw in your mind and that you may go,
If you wish,
To the great underground halls of the Elven King.
The hidden valley in the mountains and at the last,
On the last great journey across the sea.
But it is rare indeed,
They say,
For any mortal to go across the sea to the west.
It is a matter of legend written of in their great tales and sung to the music of harps.
The elf looks at you as if searching for something within you.
You feel a reverent connection to them and to the others around you.
You can't explain it,
But there is a longing within you.
A longing they may hold the key to answering.
An elf brings you a warm looking coverlet.
And you sink down into the soft grass,
Thinking,
Your mind filling with music and visions of the elves and their world,
Lost now in forgotten ages,
But not forgotten by everyone.
The elf looks at you as if searching for something within you.
You feel a reverent connection to them and to the music of harps.
Slowly,
With the harp notes lulling you,
You drift into peace,
Into sleep.
Looking forward to the great journeys that lay ahead.
The elf looks at you as if searching for something within you.
