Rosewater and Witch Hazel

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Speaker 1 If you already listen to me, then you know bedtime stories can be powerful tools for rest.

Speaker 1 But sometimes what you need isn't a story, maybe it's something a little different. And that's where sleep magic comes in.

Speaker 1 Sleep Magic is a sleep hypnosis podcast hosted by hypnotherapist Jessica Porter.

Speaker 1 Instead of storytelling, Jessica uses a hypnotic voice that gradually slows down, weaving in gentle suggestions to help your mind let go. It's designed so that by the end,

Speaker 1 you're not just calmer. You're already asleep.

Speaker 1 And what's unique is that she doesn't only talk about sleep. Jessica threads in themes like dealing with heartbreak, easing anxiety, and building confidence.

Speaker 1 So the work you do while drifting off actually carries into your waking life. There are more than 300 episodes, and listeners call the show life-changing and a real gift.

Speaker 1 Over 5 million people have tuned in. And I can see why.

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Speaker 1 Just search Sleep Magic and start listening for free today.

Speaker 1 Welcome to Bedtime Stories for Everyone,

Speaker 1 in which

Speaker 1 nothing much happens.

Speaker 1 You feel good, and then you fall asleep.

Speaker 1 I'm Catherine Nikolai.

Speaker 1 I write and read all the stories you hear on Nothing Much Happens.

Speaker 1 Audio Engineering is by Bob Wittersheim.

Speaker 1 We give to a different charity each week. And this week we are giving to Cotton Branch Farm Sanctuary.
Their mission is rooted in compassion, offering a loving sanctuary for pigs in need.

Speaker 1 They extend their arms to those who have been abandoned, mistreated, and forgotten, providing them with a safe haven where they can find solace and healing.

Speaker 1 You can learn more about them in our show notes.

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Speaker 1 Click subscribe in Spotify or Apple or go to nothingmuchhappens.com.

Speaker 1 And while you're there, sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media. We are working on our first hour plus long live show.
It's happening next month.

Speaker 1 We have lots of cozy fun things planned and you can join us from anywhere in the world. Again, it's all at nothingmuchhappens.com.

Speaker 1 Now,

Speaker 1 I have a story for you. It's a place to rest your mind, full of quiet details and a little short on action.

Speaker 1 All you need to do is listen.

Speaker 1 I'll tell the story story twice, and I'll go a little slower the second time through.

Speaker 1 This is brain training. Give it some time to work.
Be patient.

Speaker 1 Our story tonight is called Rosewater and Witch Hazel.

Speaker 1 And it's a story about reclaiming your sparkle on a moonlit night. It's also about a gray cat.
on a friendly neighborhood shop for needful things.

Speaker 1 Flower petals and vanilla pods

Speaker 1 brown paper and an ink pad and taking time to pamper yourself just as you deserve

Speaker 1 so lights out campers

Speaker 1 set everything down be done with today

Speaker 1 it was what it was

Speaker 1 and now we are here

Speaker 1 take a slow deep breath in through your nose

Speaker 1 Let it out from your mouth.

Speaker 1 Do it again. Breathe in.

Speaker 1 Let it go.

Speaker 1 Good.

Speaker 1 Rose water and witch hazel.

Speaker 1 I stood at the counter of the curios shop as moonlight shone through the window

Speaker 1 and the fire crackled and popped in the grate.

Speaker 1 Cinder, the silky gray cat,

Speaker 1 sat on the counter beside me,

Speaker 1 listening intently as I described what I was looking for.

Speaker 1 She wasn't the only one listening, of course.

Speaker 1 The shopkeeper,

Speaker 1 the gentle head of our circle of kind-hearted witches,

Speaker 1 was pulling bottles and packets from shelves as I spoke.

Speaker 1 I've just lost a bit of my spark, I said.

Speaker 1 She looked over her shoulder at me,

Speaker 1 detecting that I was holding something back.

Speaker 1 There's no getting around her intuition.

Speaker 1 Okay,

Speaker 1 it's bigger than that, I admitted.

Speaker 1 It's my confidence.

Speaker 1 Lately my spells fall flat.

Speaker 1 My dreams at night are reruns.

Speaker 1 I used to walk into rooms with my head held high.

Speaker 1 Now I'm shuffling around just trying to remember what I walked in for in the first place.

Speaker 1 It's like everyone else is in technicolor,

Speaker 1 and I'm just a pale shade of grey.

Speaker 1 Cinder bristled at that, her own grey fur sending up a few cranky sparks into the air.

Speaker 1 Pardon me, Cinder.

Speaker 1 It was a simile, and not a fair one. You are absolutely gorgeous.

Speaker 1 As are you, said the witch, as she began to wrap the goods she'd gathered. You just need to remind yourself.

Speaker 1 Here are a few things to change

Speaker 1 not how you look, but how you look at yourself.

Speaker 1 A little glamour magic will do the trick.

Speaker 1 As she wrapped my purchases in brown paper and ribbon,

Speaker 1 she explained that this was self care as spell work

Speaker 1 a way to use loving action to remind myself that I matter

Speaker 1 and that I deserve to be well cared for

Speaker 1 and even pampered.

Speaker 1 She pressed a stamp into an ink pad

Speaker 1 and then onto the paper.

Speaker 1 It left a mark of their logo,

Speaker 1 a book with ribbons marking the pages,

Speaker 1 and a cat sitting on a shelf.

Speaker 1 She slid the parcel across the counter,

Speaker 1 and the inked cat in the logo swished its tail and winked at me.

Speaker 1 I chuckled, thanked her,

Speaker 1 and carried my treasures home for an evening of glamour and care.

Speaker 1 As I unpacked it at my kitchen table,

Speaker 1 I found a bottle of rose water

Speaker 1 and pulled the stopper out of it to smell the sweet scent.

Speaker 1 I knew it had a hundred uses and was glad she'd given me a rather large bottle.

Speaker 1 Next there was a box of handcrafted tea.

Speaker 1 The label simply read glow

Speaker 1 and it recommended that it be steeped for three minutes exactly and drunk for increased radiance.

Speaker 1 I set it on a shelf beside my teacup for later.

Speaker 1 Next from the package, I took out a candle and a jar that smelled of lavender.

Speaker 1 A bottle of witch hazel that had a cartoon witch named Hazel on the tag,

Speaker 1 and an oil that shimmered like gold.

Speaker 1 The last thing out was a simmer pot packet,

Speaker 1 which I immediately took over to the stove to get started.

Speaker 1 From my cupboard I pulled my largest soup pot

Speaker 1 and filled it with water at the tap.

Speaker 1 Then I clicked on the gas

Speaker 1 and set it to warm.

Speaker 1 The packet had long spirals

Speaker 1 of dried orange rind, rose petals,

Speaker 1 sticky vanilla pods that had been split and were full of tiny fragrant seeds, and a few cinnamon sticks.

Speaker 1 I tipped them into the pot as it began to steam

Speaker 1 and stood for a few moments,

Speaker 1 watching the vapor rise up to make shapes in the air,

Speaker 1 hearts and stars,

Speaker 1 and a long jagged line of lightning that struck me with a sudden feeling of power

Speaker 1 and assuredness.

Speaker 1 I breathed it in.

Speaker 1 I'd been a part of the village circle of witches for a few seasons now.

Speaker 1 And one of the most magical things

Speaker 1 I'd learned to do

Speaker 1 was breathe,

Speaker 1 slow and deep,

Speaker 1 and feel it moving in my body.

Speaker 1 I left the shapes of steam drifting through the kitchen

Speaker 1 and carried my other treasures to my bedroom vanity and set them out.

Speaker 1 I had a grandmother who had kept a vanity as if it were an altar.

Speaker 1 The mirror was spotless.

Speaker 1 The tabletop was spread with a pretty embroidered cloth

Speaker 1 that she changed weekly,

Speaker 1 and all her cosmetics and lotions

Speaker 1 were in fine glass jars.

Speaker 1 She had an atomizer with a long stem and a tasseled bulb at its end,

Speaker 1 and she used a powder puff on a pearly handle.

Speaker 1 Even her rings and necklaces were stored in a velvet-lined box

Speaker 1 that looked to my young eyes like the kind a queen would have in her dressing room.

Speaker 1 The message it sent

Speaker 1 was that she deserved

Speaker 1 intentional,

Speaker 1 special,

Speaker 1 and yes, deliberately glamorous care.

Speaker 1 I'd gotten away from that kind a while back.

Speaker 1 I took a moment now to tidy up my space.

Speaker 1 I cleared off the tabletop,

Speaker 1 tossing out scraps of paper and clothes tags that hadn't made it to the wastebasket.

Speaker 1 Then I wiped the surface of dust

Speaker 1 and set out the bottles.

Speaker 1 While I wasn't as interested in lace and powder puffs as Gran had been,

Speaker 1 my vanity was still decorated,

Speaker 1 just in my own style.

Speaker 1 There was a photo strip from a booth in the park, tucked into the frame of the mirror.

Speaker 1 Funny faces and a stolen kiss.

Speaker 1 I had a small dish for my rings that I'd made in a pottery class,

Speaker 1 and a bud vase

Speaker 1 where I kept a fresh flower at all times.

Speaker 1 Right now,

Speaker 1 it was a stem of moonflower

Speaker 1 that bloomed in the dark.

Speaker 1 I remembered the instructions I'd been given at the shop.

Speaker 1 Slow down

Speaker 1 and notice how each thing smells and feels.

Speaker 1 Play music that makes you feel good.

Speaker 1 Wash away the old energy

Speaker 1 and replace it with the clearer vision

Speaker 1 of your own worth and beauty.

Speaker 1 And even though I still had lots to learn about magic,

Speaker 1 this sounded easy enough.

Speaker 1 I lit the candle and pulled up a playlist of favorite songs that made me feel like dancing and went to wash my face.

Speaker 1 Warm water,

Speaker 1 suds, and a slow massage at my temples and jaw. It was starting to work.

Speaker 1 I was beginning to genuinely enjoy this process.

Speaker 1 Back at my vanity,

Speaker 1 I swabbed my skin with the witch hazel,

Speaker 1 which I'd been told was clarifying.

Speaker 1 Clear thoughts, I said aloud.

Speaker 1 Then I splashed the rose water onto my hands

Speaker 1 and pressed it into my cheeks and forehead

Speaker 1 as I patted the hydrating liquid in with my finger tips, feeling it absorb,

Speaker 1 I pressed in confidence as well.

Speaker 1 I am brave.

Speaker 1 I am beautiful.

Speaker 1 I am enough, I said.

Speaker 1 Finally, I squeezed a few drops of the shimmering oil,

Speaker 1 fortified with blue tansy, onto my palms, smoothed it over my face.

Speaker 1 I sprinkled a bit more rose water onto my hairbrush

Speaker 1 and brushed my locks out with long, patient strokes.

Speaker 1 I looked at myself in the mirror.

Speaker 1 My skin and eyes were glowing,

Speaker 1 my hair shining.

Speaker 1 I could could smell roses and tansy.

Speaker 1 I walked to the window and pushed it up,

Speaker 1 leaned on the sill,

Speaker 1 out into the night air.

Speaker 1 An owl hooted in the darkness, calling out,

Speaker 1 Who?

Speaker 1 Who?

Speaker 1 I heard my own voice answer, soft but certain.

Speaker 1 Me.

Speaker 1 Rose water

Speaker 1 and witch hazel

Speaker 1 I stood at the counter of the curios shop

Speaker 1 as moonlight shone through the window

Speaker 1 and the fire crackled and popped in the grate

Speaker 1 Cinder,

Speaker 1 the silky grey cat,

Speaker 1 sat on the counter beside me,

Speaker 1 listening intently

Speaker 1 as I described what I was looking for.

Speaker 1 She wasn't the only one listening, of course.

Speaker 1 The shopkeeper,

Speaker 1 the gentle head

Speaker 1 of our circle of kind-hearted witches,

Speaker 1 was pulling bottles and packets from shelves as I spoke.

Speaker 1 I've just

Speaker 1 lost a bit of my spark, I said.

Speaker 1 She looked over her shoulder at me,

Speaker 1 detecting that I was holding something back.

Speaker 1 There's no getting around

Speaker 1 her intuition.

Speaker 1 Okay,

Speaker 1 it's bigger than that, I admitted.

Speaker 1 It's my confidence.

Speaker 1 Lately, my spells fall flat.

Speaker 1 My dreams at night are reruns.

Speaker 1 I used to walk into rooms with my head held high.

Speaker 1 Now I'm shuffling around,

Speaker 1 just trying to remember what I walked in for in the first place.

Speaker 1 It's like everyone else is in technicolor,

Speaker 1 and I'm just a pale shade of gray.

Speaker 1 Cinder bristled at that,

Speaker 1 her own grey fur

Speaker 1 sending up a few cranky sparks into the air.

Speaker 1 Oh,

Speaker 1 pardon me, Cinder.

Speaker 1 It was a simile,

Speaker 1 and not a fair one.

Speaker 1 You are absolutely gorgeous.

Speaker 1 As are you,

Speaker 1 said the witch,

Speaker 1 as she began to wrap the goods she'd gathered.

Speaker 1 You just need to remind yourself

Speaker 1 here are a few things to change

Speaker 1 not how you look,

Speaker 1 but how you look at yourself.

Speaker 1 A little glamour magic will do the trick

Speaker 1 As she wrapped my purchases in brown paper and ribbon,

Speaker 1 she explained that this was self-care as spell work,

Speaker 1 a way to use loving action,

Speaker 1 to remind myself that I matter

Speaker 1 and that I deserve to be well cared for

Speaker 1 and even pampered.

Speaker 1 She pressed a stamp into an ink pad

Speaker 1 and then on to the paper.

Speaker 1 It left a mark of their logo,

Speaker 1 a book with ribbons marking the pages,

Speaker 1 and a cat sitting on a shelf.

Speaker 1 She slid the parcel across the counter

Speaker 1 and the inked cat in the logo

Speaker 1 swished its tail and winked at me.

Speaker 1 I chuckled,

Speaker 1 thanked her,

Speaker 1 and carried my treasures home

Speaker 1 for an evening of glamour and care.

Speaker 1 As I unpacked the parcel

Speaker 1 on my kitchen table,

Speaker 1 I found a bottle of rose water

Speaker 1 and pulled the stopper out of it

Speaker 1 to smell the sweet scent.

Speaker 1 I knew it had a hundred uses

Speaker 1 and was glad she'd given me a rather large bottle.

Speaker 1 Next,

Speaker 1 there was a box of hand-crafted tea.

Speaker 1 The label simply read

Speaker 1 glow,

Speaker 1 and it recommended that it be steeped for three minutes exactly

Speaker 1 and drunk for increased radiance.

Speaker 1 I set it on the shelf beside my teacup for later.

Speaker 1 Next from the package,

Speaker 1 I took out a candle in a jar that smelled of lavender,

Speaker 1 a bottle of witch hazel

Speaker 1 that had a cartoon witch named Hazel on the tag,

Speaker 1 and an oil that shimmered like gold.

Speaker 1 The last thing out was a simmer pot packet,

Speaker 1 which I immediately took over to the stove to get started.

Speaker 1 From the cupboard, I pulled my largest soup pot

Speaker 1 and filled it with water at the tap.

Speaker 1 Then I clicked on the gas

Speaker 1 and set it to warm.

Speaker 1 The packet had long spirals

Speaker 1 of dried orange rind,

Speaker 1 rose petals,

Speaker 1 sticky vanilla pods

Speaker 1 that had been split

Speaker 1 and were full of tiny, fragrant seeds,

Speaker 1 and a few cinnamon sticks.

Speaker 1 I tipped them into the pot

Speaker 1 As it began to steam,

Speaker 1 and stood for a few moments,

Speaker 1 watching the vapor rise

Speaker 1 and make shapes in the air.

Speaker 1 Hearts and stars,

Speaker 1 and a long jagged line of lightning

Speaker 1 that struck me with a sudden feeling

Speaker 1 of power and assuredness.

Speaker 1 I breathed it in.

Speaker 1 I'd been a part of the village circle of witches for a few seasons now.

Speaker 1 And one of the most magical things I'd learned to do

Speaker 1 was breathe

Speaker 1 slow and deep

Speaker 1 and feel it moving in my body.

Speaker 1 I left the shapes of steam drifting through the kitchen

Speaker 1 and carried my other treasures to my bedroom vanity and set them out.

Speaker 1 I had a grandmother who kept a vanity

Speaker 1 as if it were an altar.

Speaker 1 The mirror was spotless.

Speaker 1 The tabletop spread with a pretty embroidered cloth

Speaker 1 that she changed weekly,

Speaker 1 and all her cosmetics

Speaker 1 and lotions

Speaker 1 were in fine glass jars.

Speaker 1 She had an atomizer

Speaker 1 with a long stem

Speaker 1 and tasseled bulb at its end.

Speaker 1 And she used a powder puff

Speaker 1 on a pearly handle.

Speaker 1 Even her rings

Speaker 1 and necklaces

Speaker 1 were stored in a velvet-lined box

Speaker 1 that looked to my eyes like the kind a queen would have

Speaker 1 in her dressing room

Speaker 1 the message it sent

Speaker 1 was that the care she deserved

Speaker 1 was intentional

Speaker 1 special

Speaker 1 and yes

Speaker 1 deliberately glamorous

Speaker 1 I'd gotten away from that kind of care a while back.

Speaker 1 I took a moment now to tidy up my space.

Speaker 1 I cleared off the tabletop,

Speaker 1 tossing out scraps of paper and clothes tags

Speaker 1 that hadn't made it into the wastebasket.

Speaker 1 Then I wiped the surface of dust

Speaker 1 and set out the bottles.

Speaker 1 While I wasn't as interested

Speaker 1 in lace and powder puffs

Speaker 1 as Gran had been,

Speaker 1 my vanity was still decorated

Speaker 1 just

Speaker 1 in my own style

Speaker 1 there was a photo strip

Speaker 1 from the booth in the park

Speaker 1 tucked into the frame of the mirror

Speaker 1 funny faces and a stolen kiss

Speaker 1 I had a small dish for my rings that I'd made in a pottery class

Speaker 1 and a bud face

Speaker 1 with a fresh flower in it at all times.

Speaker 1 Right now it was a stem of moonflower

Speaker 1 that bloomed in the dark.

Speaker 1 I thought back to the instructions I'd been given at the shop.

Speaker 1 Slow down

Speaker 1 and notice how each thing smells and feels.

Speaker 1 Play music that makes you feel good.

Speaker 1 Wash away the old energy

Speaker 1 and replace it with a clearer vision of your own worth and beauty.

Speaker 1 And even though I still had lots to learn about magic,

Speaker 1 it sounded easy enough.

Speaker 1 I lit the candle

Speaker 1 and pulled up a playlist of favorite songs

Speaker 1 that made me feel like dancing

Speaker 1 and went to wash my face.

Speaker 1 Warm water,

Speaker 1 suds,

Speaker 1 and a slow massage at my temples and jaw.

Speaker 1 It was working already.

Speaker 1 I was starting to genuinely

Speaker 1 enjoy this process.

Speaker 1 Back at my vanity,

Speaker 1 I swabbed my skin with the witch hazel,

Speaker 1 which I'd been told was clarifying.

Speaker 1 Clear thoughts, I said aloud.

Speaker 1 Then I splashed the rose water into my hands and pressed it into my cheeks and forehead.

Speaker 1 As I tapped the hydrating liquid in with my fingertips,

Speaker 1 feeling it absorb,

Speaker 1 I also pressed in confidence.

Speaker 1 I am brave.

Speaker 1 I am beautiful.

Speaker 1 I am enough, I said.

Speaker 1 Finally, I squeezed a few drops

Speaker 1 of the shimmering oil,

Speaker 1 fortified with blue tansy

Speaker 1 onto my palms,

Speaker 1 smoothed it over my face.

Speaker 1 I sprinkled a bit more rose water

Speaker 1 onto my hairbrush

Speaker 1 and brushed my locks out with long, patient strokes.

Speaker 1 I looked at myself in the mirror.

Speaker 1 My skin and eyes were glowing,

Speaker 1 my hair shining.

Speaker 1 I could smell roses and tansy.

Speaker 1 I walked to the window,

Speaker 1 pushed it up,

Speaker 1 leaned on the sill,

Speaker 1 and out into the night air.

Speaker 1 An owl hooted in the darkness,

Speaker 1 calling out, Who,

Speaker 1 who?

Speaker 1 I heard my own voice answer,

Speaker 1 soft

Speaker 1 but certain

Speaker 1 me,

Speaker 1 sweet dreams.