[A4A][SFW] Sanctuary

Welcome my friend. Welcome to this... Sanctuary from the trials and tribulations of the world.

Lay down, rest your weary frame, and close your eyes. Let blank, warm darkness envelope your mind, soft warm... Comforting.

[Breathe once, twice, thrice]

Now, breathe. Breathe deep... Breathe in slowly... Slowly... hold it.... and out... slowly, slowly...

In... In... hold... out... out...

In... In... hold... out... out...

In... In... hold... out... out...

In... In... hold... out... out...

Relax... With every breath, feel your fingers and toes starting to get heavy... Feel the weight spreading up your arms, up your legs, feel your shoulders and hips and your core sink down with the weight....

Breathe.... breathe... breathe...

Now.... Let colour enter your mind, imagine that you're on a beach... The white sand below is soft, the Golden sun above is warming as a fresh breeze blows across you.

The sight before you is one of deep blue sea flecked with white breaking waves, to your left the beach seems as if it goes on forever, to the right, it curves away, edged by lush greenery until it reaches the base of a mighty headland rising up above the scene...

Above all of this, the sky is the deepest blue you've ever seen, flowing white clouds scattered across it, arcing in stunningly beautiful, complex forms,slowly shifting across the sky.

And all around you the silence reigns but for the susurrations of the rolling waves, each one gently caressing your ears with another feather of tranquility...

Breathe.... breathe... breathe...

Move on... Let that gentle breeze carry you, carry you far away, away from the sea and onto a hilltop. The valley below you is filled with wide, open grassland that stretches to the distant horizon, and while the brow of the hill where you sit a moment is covered with soft grass, below you, the hill’s ramparts are covered with bushes and trees.

Above, the sun still shines warmly down, but the clouds are heavier, not flowing, but fluffy and clearest white. On the valley floor, you can see the great shadows cast below them, mottling the endless sea of green with sharply defined darknesses.

Turn from the view, casting your eyes along the ridgeline and around to the thickly forested valley behind you. All is alive, all is green, and the breeze continues to breathe, stroking the grasses around you, and in the distance you can just hear the rustle of leaves as well.

Take in this moment.
Breathe.... breathe... breathe...

You notice a path leading down into the forest, and casting one last glance over the sea of grass, follow it.

Follow it down, between the trees... It is still, here. Slightly cooler than the hilltop, but the breeze is reduced to the barest of zephyrs. The air around you is redolent with life and moisture, and the leaf litter beneath your feet has long turned into soft loam, drinking in the sounds of your footsteps, As does the moss covering the trunks of the trees.

The path meanders back and forth down the hill side, every now and then a break in the foliage giving a glimpse of the rest of the forest, or at least of the sky. But other than that, the sights are those of the forest, and the light is the green gold of leaf filtered sunlight, only broken by the occasional shaft of pure bright light.

Walk on.... Walk on... Walk on...

Finally, you reach the valley floor, the air is cool around you, and you hear the sounds of a stream bubbling away beside the path, flowing clear and clean and fast over a bed of smooth pebbles, rushing to pour over a shallow fall a short ways along with the water. Go on, step in, step into the water. Feel it streaming past your ankles, ripples and eddies caressing your lower legs...

Reach down now with cupped hands, and drink, drink deep... Let the water flow into you, it's purity purging your worries, washing away your cares, filling you with calm. Listen to the water singing it's serene songs, listen to the gentle life of the forest.

Breathe.... breathe... breathe...

Be at peace in this moment my friend.

Be at peace...

Peace...

Breathe....

Breathe...

Breathe...

Stay here. For as long as you like. This is yours. This serenity, this tranquility, this sanctuary is yours.