Sleeping with Jody

The High Priestess, so sleepy, from the Portico Tarot
by Elizabeth Jordan Leggett.

My absence from writing in the last few months has been fueled by several factors, among them, an extraordinarily active three year old, the loss of the charger to my camera (which I realize now, is an important part of my "voice"), copious amounts of dancing, the co-creation of a large public Animist Solstice Ceremony & Ecstatic Dance event & perhaps most importantly, a profound desire to SLEEP.

This preoccupation with sleep & in particular, dreaming, is nothing new, I have always been a fan. How avidly I pursue the occupation fluctuates over time. Right now, I really dig it. 

During the early stirrings of this most recent bout of sleep fever, I revisited a lucid dreaming video I had watched a couple of years earlier & recalling that I had liked it relatively well. When I listened to it again, it occurred to me that this voice that went by the name of Jody Whiteley, may have produced other videos... & by godz, she has. In the two years since I first encountered her work, she has expanded her collection of videos to over 300 (I think). Her offerings span the gamut, from anxiety to wish fulfillment (& plenty of subjects in between). 

After several months of having this quirky, brilliant presence in our bedrooms on a regular basis, everyone in our household is a keen enthusiast. If I were into gurus, I'd sign on as a disciple. But since I am not, I will just make a spot for her on the Dreaded "Guru Board."

I kept thinking I would write her a thank you letter, but during the mental composition, I decided she would prefer if I just shared my appreciation of her & her work with others. So, to keep is short & sweet, I will offer up an abbreviated list of the reasons why I love Jody Whiteley:

1. She has a wonderful sense of humour.
2. Her ability to assist with dream recall is remarkable.
3. She can put the children to sleep with time lapse illustration like no other.
4. She has helped me markedly improve my skills & confidence as a dancer, while sleeping.
5. She too believes in magic.
6. Although I have never actually used one (yet), I just like knowing that she has made 8 & 10 hour (!) long hypnosis videos.
7. Waking up with Jody is a great way to start the day. Really.
8. I dig her guided meditations (although I never make it to the end because I fall asleep).
9. Her hypnotic bedtime stories work, especially for children.
10. The fact that she has stills of strange, otherworldly rocks set to strange, otherworldly music makes me happy. 
11. She gave me a name for my ASMR, an epiphany which I will elucidate upon more fully very soon.
12. Did I mention that she has a wonderful sense of humour? Even in her dreams.

I will close this love letter to Jody Whiteley by sharing the trailer to her epic dream video, Sleep Hypnosis THE MOVIE Full Length Movie 2013 (I never tire of this dream story) & by saying thank you. Thank you Jody. I will go make you a sandwich anytime, with pleasure.

(We listen to the videos in bed using the YouTube phone app. It is a very different experience that way, with out the advertisements, popups & whatnot. I recommend it, if you have the option.)