Magical Animals at Bedtime
Page 8
“Imagine yourself sitting on a rock shelf high above a steep-sided valley. A river winds its way along the valley floor, and pine trees cloak the sides of the valley. Up on the rock shelf you are safe and secure and you have a bird’s eye view of everything below you. The wind whistles around you and in the distance you can hear the sound of the river rushing over boulders as its drops down the valley.
“You are sitting within a circle of stones and are facing the rising sun. In front of you lies a white feather. At the right of you lies a seashell. Behind you lies the skin of a snake and to the left of you is some animal fur. You are on a vision quest – a sacred journey to uncover the animal that is your spirit guide. This animal is your special friend; a wise companion who is being sent to you to ensure your safe path through life. Only you will see your guide because it is for your eyes alone. Continue to breathe deeply and regularly. Listen to the whistling of the wind around you and the sound of the rushing river. You are safe on your rock shelf and are now standing inside the stone circle. Begin to spin slowly inside your circle. You are perfectly safe and well. Close your eyes and begin to spin a little faster now. As you spin, the feather, the seashell, the snakeskin and the fur all appear before you, one by one.
“Stop spinning now. You are no longer alone inside your stone circle. An animal stands before you, but only you can see it. It could be a bird, a mammal, a reptile, an insect or it could even be a fish – because this is your spirit guide and anything is possible. You can see your animal guide clearly. It nods its head towards you gently and then it gives you a special message, for you alone.
“Once you’ve received your message, thank your animal guide for appearing before you. Your guide now departs and you wave goodbye to him or her. Then wiggle your toes and fingers; know that you are safe and back sitting at home. Slowly open your eyes and return to the room.”
Earth Meditation
Sit quietly with your child in a comfortable position. Take three deep breaths together, ensuring that you are both calm and relaxed. Asking your child to keep his eyes closed, read the following meditation to him.
“Imagine you are standing in a deep forest. Tall trees stretch up above you and ferns and bracken line the path on which you’re standing. A twig snaps behind you and you turn to catch a glimpse of an animal disappearing along the trail. You can’t quite make out the animal so you must carefully follow it, being sure not to frighten or disturb it. The quieter and more respectful you are, the more you’ll see and the more you will learn.
“Make your way down the path carefully and, gradually, the shape of the animal becomes clearer to you. You can make out its hind legs now and you can see what kind of animal it is. The animal has a gift for you, but it will only be given if you are gentle and kind – for the animal scares easily and distrusts humans. You must be as quiet as a mouse in order to win the trust of this rare and beautiful animal. The animal leads you further into the forest and you start to see more and more of the animal.
“You can see all of its body now and the back of its head. But still the animal is fearful and is not ready to give its gift yet. You must show that you are patient and willing to be led by the animal at its own pace.
Finally the animal leads you to a clearing. Sunlight falls in shafts through the trees and birds are softly chirping in the branches. There is a small, still pond in the centre of the clearing. The animal hesitates then makes its way towards the pond. It bends down to drink. It turns its head towards you and beckons you to drink too. You slowly approach and drink beside your shy friend.
“And this is the great gift you’ve been given. Because you’ve been so gentle and kind and respectful, a beautiful wild animal has allowed you to share its world. Not everyone is allowed to get so close and to make friends with these wonderful animals.
“You can now slowly walk back along the forest path to where your journey began. Take a few deep breaths and slowly open your eyes.”
Air Meditation
Sit quietly with your child, breathing deeply. Ask her to close her eyes and relax and read the following meditation out loud to her.
“Imagine you’re sitting high up in the branches of a very tall tree. You’re perfectly safe and have nothing to fear at all. A gentle wind is blowing and the branch sways beneath you, but you’re not afraid. You’re enjoying the wind lifting your hair and the blue sky stretching out above you.
“Suddenly you hear a whooshing sound and an enormous bird alights on the branch beside you. The bird turns toward you and it’s clear it wants you to climb on its back. Without any hesitation, you wrap your legs around the fluffy feathered tummy and hold on tight.
“You take off and it’s thrilling! You sail through the air, swooping through branches and skimming the tops of leaves. You circle up towards the clouds, and then dive down again to the forest. The whole time you are laughing with joy because it’s so exciting and wonderful.
“At last the bird returns to the branch and you safely climbs off. Thank the bird for such a wonderful ride. Slowly Take some deep breaths and open your eyes.”
Sea Meditation
Sit quietly with your child, breathing deeply together. Ask your child to close his eyes and relax. Then read the following meditation out loud to him.
“Imagine you’re by the seashore looking out to the horizon. Waves are lapping at your feet and the water is deliciously warm. You enter the water and are able to swim strongly. You duck-dive under the waves, coming face-to-face with a turtle. The turtle beckons you on and you follow, until you reach the edge of a beautiful coral reef. You can see the pinks, reds and purples of the coral fluttering like grasses in the current. You see brightly striped fish – gold and blue and green – darting amongst the coral. It is a beautiful world but the turtle leads you on – you are now swimming out to a great ocean and passing sharks, dugongs, octopus and stingrays. You stay close to the turtle who protects you and tells you there is nothing to fear.
“Suddenly you encounter a great whale that has silently appeared behind you. It is the size of a house and it is magnificent. You and the turtle swim respectfully at a distance admiring its power and grace. It is time to return home now. Take some deep breaths. Slowly open your eyes.”
Magical Animals at Bedtime
First published in the UK and USA in 2013 by
Watkins Publishing Limited
Sixth Floor
75 Wells Street
London W1T 3QH
A member of Osprey Group
Copyright © Watkins Publishing Limited 2013
“Jojo’s Journey”, “The Night Flight”, “The Acacia Tree Friends”, “The Smallest Pony”, “The Phoenix and the Blacksmith’s Boy”, “The Lucky Narwhal”, “The Silver Hare”, “The Noisy Bird” copyright © Lou Kuenzler 2013
“The Princess and the Unicorn”, “The Lonely Dragon”, “Gopal and the Mermaid”, “The Flight of the Condor”, “The Extra-Slow Wombat”, “The Kangaroo Who Couldn’t Hop” copyright © Sandra Rigby 2013
“The Brave Little Firefly”, “Cendric the Centipede”, “Little Black Bear and the Big Sleep”, “The Cuckoo and the Worm”, “The Dog Who Nobody Wanted”, “Tortoise’s Birthday Trip” copyright © Andrew Weale 2013
All other text copyright © Watkins Publishing Limited 2013
Commissioned artwork copyright © Watkins Publishing Limited 2013
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.
Managing Editor: Tania Ahsan
Editor: Krissy Mallett
Managing Designer: Luana Gobbo
Commissioned Artwork: Julia Woolf
A CIP record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN: 978-1-78028-513-9
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Typeset in Fil
osofia
Colour reproduction by PDQ
Printed in China
A NOTE ON GENDER
In the sections of this book intended for parents, to avoid burdening the reader repeatedly with phrases such as “he or she”, “he” and “she” are used alternately, topic by topic, to refer to your child or children.