This guided audio recording will help to gently guide you into a deep state of relaxation from where you will 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.
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.
Winter has begun to turn,
You think,
As you leave your house.
You can see the new shoots of growth in your garden and the swelling buds on the trees.
The air is cool,
But there is a change coming as the earth turns towards spring.
You are going for a walk to a place you have never visited before.
A few days ago,
Visiting your friend the old lady,
She showed you a map of the haven,
Hand drawn but quite charming,
Like a map in a children's book,
Containing most of the places you have visited or at least know about.
But not this one.
She takes it down,
Folds it up and gives it to you.
The holy well,
The people call it,
Or the secret well.
It lies towards the further end of the fairy wood,
Inland from the village and the sea.
The map showed the line of a path leading from the field behind your house.
You can get to it from the lane,
Crossing the meadow where the horses graze.
The field is empty at the moment.
The farmer took the horses in when the snow came on driving winds.
Soon they will be out again and there will be new foals this year.
You go down the lane to the gate.
It is a soft day and very still.
It feels as if the haven and its lands are waiting for some silent signal to wake into spring.
A few old berries and faded leaves still cling to the hedgerow.
Reaching the gate to the field,
You push it open and immediately see why the track is marked.
It seems that a long time ago someone did lay down an actual path rather than treading it out with generations of footsteps.
In the summer it is almost covered by grass but now you can see it is quite level,
Easy to navigate even if the fields are muddy.
You follow the track which curves around to pass behind your house.
Smoke drifts up from your chimneys,
Almost motionless as there is no wind.
Beyond your house,
The gentle hills,
Dim in their trap winter green,
Fold upward towards the moors but they are invisible today.
The clouds are low and their skirts brush the hills but there is no rain.
As you walk,
You think about the conversation you had with the old lady.
She said the spring or well was like everything in the haven,
Very special.
The water is to bring healing and good fortune for the rest of the year when it is drunk.
You asked if the water was safe to drink which made her laugh.
She said it was perfectly safe,
Safe but powerful like everything else in this place.
You continue on your path passing your own house sheltered by its lovely old trees and hedgerows.
You are not in any hurry and are not cooking this evening.
Later the pony trap will pick you and the old lady up and take you to enjoy a home cooked meal at the cosy inn.
The owners of the shop have invited you.
Ever since you came here,
They have been friendly and helpful,
Always keeping what you need in stock.
It will be a relaxing evening with the fire burning in the lounge and the meal will be delicious.
So you take your time enjoying the quiet day.
The track gently climbs and dips again and you see the fairy wood ahead of you.
Today you are not going into it but around it.
Still you watch it as you walk.
The trees are still bare save for the evergreens.
Yet as always it emanates a feeling of mystery and deep enchantment.
Knowing some of its secrets you are not surprised of the sensation.
You remember that the old lady suggested you not speak of your invitations into the wood.
You were surprised as everyone at the haven seems to know its magic.
She nodded but told you that everyone knew it was a special place and only came here if the haven wanted them but very few people ever entered the fairy wood.
You think about that as you follow the loop of path along a hedgerow.
You can see the first starry white blossoms of the white thorn beginning to appear against the dark branches.
At the base of the hedge cluster dark leaves of violets and primroses waiting for their time to flower.
At last the track curves down across a meadow toward the further edge of the fairy wood.
As you approach it the day grows quieter as if it is waiting.
The well is almost tucked under the great branches of the sheltering trees.
You can see it is old,
The stonework worn by centuries or longer.
The water is almost level with the top.
There is a movement to it,
As if water wells up from far below.
Before drinking you seek to look through the trees into the forest but the trunks seem to form a living barrier against your sight.
Then just for a heartbeat it seems as if they fade or draw back,
Allowing you to see a glimpse of a white shape,
The great stag.
It dips its head and then the vision is gone,
But you take this as a sign that you are accepted and should drink.
You take off your glove and scoop up a handful of water.
It pools in your palm looking almost silvery.
You smell it and it smells of nothing,
Just like water.
You sip and feel the cold slide of it down your throat and then a warmth and a tingle.
It tastes like ice and purity,
But there is a hint there,
As if sweet summer berries have been dipped into it and the water has retained something of their taste.
You close your eyes and make a wish,
Any wish you want,
As the water inside you seems to spread through your veins,
Leaving you warm and glowing,
With a silent thank you.
You leave the well and turn your head for home.
The afternoon is dimming toward a quiet dusk that lies over the land like smoke.
At home you will relax for a while,
Then get ready to go to your meal.
Who can tell what the year will bring,
But you know in this place,
It will always be very special.
