The Isles Of Enchantment: Guided Visualisation Sleep Story

A first-person perspective-guided sleep story from our "Dreamweaver" Guided Sleep Story series. In this guided visualization sleep story, you journey on board the Dreamweaver steam train to the edges of known lands, to the borders of imagination. You will come to a chain of remote islands where you may see, as the sun sets and the stars come out, beings that you thought were only a myth...

Transcript

The isles of enchantment.

This guided audio recording is created to gently guide you into a deep state of relaxation from where you have the option to drift off to sleep.

In a few moments,

You will embark on a pleasant and gentle journey of visualisation that will take place within your mind.

This story begins on board a mystical steam train called the dreamweaver and is one of many stories you can find in our dreamweaver series.

To begin your journey,

Find a comfortable place where you'll not be disturbed and sit or lie down,

Close your eyes and take a few long,

Deep breaths,

Allowing yourself to relax.

Now,

Just fall into a natural breathing pattern and enjoy this immersive experience.

You wake to the soothing sound of the dreamweaver,

Coasting along.

A sound that you have come to associate with being safe and protected.

In that respect,

It feels very like the haven.

You lay for a moment,

Then stretch and get up.

When you are dressed,

You make your way to the dining car.

As you have breakfast,

You look out of the window at the passing landscape.

The train track is running alongside a great river estuary.

Beyond,

Hills rise against a bright sky.

There are channels of glittering water running like silver among sandbars and you can see seabirds resting there or wheeling above in flecks of white.

An open window brings you the scent of the sea.

Your friend,

The old lady,

Is sitting over her tea and after a while,

Asks if she can join you.

She tells you that today will be really special.

You pick up the itinerary and see that it says,

The isles of summer,

And you give her a questioning look,

But she just smiles and says,

You'll see.

It also says that dinner will be served when you reach your destination,

And could you make your choices now?

You relax during the day as the train hugs the coastline,

Giving you views of the ocean and far off white clouds laying motionless on the very horizon.

Later,

The track curves around the shoulder of a mountain,

And you see a distant scatter of islands,

Dark against the brightness of the sea.

As they grow nearer,

You can see that a railway bridge crosses over from the shore.

The itinerary says that all the islands are linked by bridges.

In the viewing car,

You watch as the train crosses the first bridge,

Onto the rails that run close to the island shore.

Above,

Rocky hills rise,

Crowned with tall cypress and olives that blur silver in the wind.

The sea is that wonderful blue that makes it look like melted aquamarine,

And the beach sands are purest white.

You catch a glimpse of white stone,

The pillars of an old temple maybe,

Greek or roman in style.

The dreamweaver crosses from one island to another,

Over a series of rail bridges.

The islands look as if they were thrown in a pebble scatter by a giant,

Forming a half moon shape.

None of them are far off shore,

And the water is still quite shallow.

As you reach the furthest island,

The train begins to slow at one of the tiny stations you have become accustomed to on this trip.

Under a bright awning,

Cold drinks are served,

And then you are shown the crossing and the path down toward a beach.

It is shaded,

And runs alongside a small rushing stream that flows down the sands.

The beach is a beautiful place to relax,

And you can see the sea as it flows along the beach.

It is crescent shaped,

Ringed by low,

Rugged white cliffs that climb gently upward.

Upon one of them,

You see another of the old white temple buildings,

If that is what they are.

The itinerary stated that no one lived on these islands,

But someone must have,

A long time ago.

There are even visible steps cut into the cliff leading up to the temple.

The sun is sinking gradually,

Making the sea glitter like diamonds.

A soft breeze comes up as you sit down.

Chairs and wooden tables have been set out,

And soon,

Staff from the train wheel down trolleys and serve dinner.

The sea air has given you quite an appetite,

And you enjoy your food,

Watching the soft curl of the waves.

The tide is coming in now,

Moving gently over the flat sand.

After the meal,

Some people go to paddle in the water,

Or stroll down the beach.

Others sit back and relax as the meal is cleared away.

Then comes the moment that the setting sun seems to rest upon the rim of the sea.

A great orange ball,

A stillness falls over the land.

The old lady is sitting near to you,

Looking out over the water.

She smiles and tells you to watch the sea.

The sky,

A burning crimson,

Slowly fades,

And a few stars begin to sparkle.

The ocean itself is a mere whisper of sound.

You think you see a pale movement out on the water,

As if something has surfaced.

A dolphin,

Perhaps,

Then another joins it.

There wakes trail phosphorescence,

Like blue fire.

The tiny waves on the sand cast the same brilliance.

You watch as the dolphins dance,

And then comes a song.

Quiet,

But entrancing.

You turn and look up at the temple on the cliff.

The music seems to come from there.

It sounds beautiful,

But also not quite human.

There is another sound within it,

Like the song of whales.

Then,

There comes a burst of glowing sea foam,

As the dolphins leap out of the water,

And as they do,

They change shape.

Now,

They are human figures that look as if they are clothed in foam.

Now,

They are human figures that look as if they are clothed in flowing light.

They step onto the sand,

Leaving trails of sparkling water in their wake,

And move toward the low cliff.

They pass quite close to you.

One of them smiles in a way that seems both friendly and otherworldly.

Their long hair seems to flow down continuously,

Like a perpetual waterfall,

And their eyes are the colours of the ocean.

They lift their fingers,

And seawater flows on your hand.

It leaves a glittering sheen on your skin.

Then,

They nod to the old lady,

As if greeting an old acquaintance,

And she returns it.

She murmurs to you that they are sea spirits,

Some call them merfolk,

Or selkies,

And many other names.

At times,

They come to the haven,

But few ever see them.

You watch as they glide up the stairs cut into the rock of the cliff,

A procession of glowing figures that look made half of light and half of water.

The music continues like a spell,

And they dance to it,

Weaving around the pillars.

The temple glows with a silvery luminescence.

The music fades to a whisper,

And the dancers slow.

Then,

Make their way back down the steps,

Like the pouring of water.

Once again,

They pass across the sand,

Raising their hands in a farewell,

They walk into the quiet sea,

And you watch as they dive in,

Returning to the shape of the dolphins.

You see the glowing trails in the water,

As they head out to sea.

No one speaks,

And you make your way slowly up the path,

To the waiting train.

In your room,

You get ready for bed with a hot drink one of the staff brings you.

Maybe the sea air,

Or the magic,

Or both has made you feel tired,

Because all you want to do now is go to bed and dream.

The dreamweaver begins to pull out of the little station.

As you settle down in bed,

As you pull the covers up,

You see that where the water droplets fell onto your hand,

There is a scattering of light,

Like glitter.

You see the water droplets fall onto your hand,

And you see the glitter scatter onto your hand.

It remains even after you rub your skin,

It feels like a gift that you don't yet know the meaning of.

Closing your eyes,

You think about what you have seen,

Until the sounds of the train on the rails lull you to sleep.

Reviews

I really enjoyed this sleep story especially the sound effects. I felt I was really there. One I will come back to again 🙏