i lay down on the hardwood floor of my office and close my eyes. i feel it push against my aching back, but it’s a good pressure — it is grounding, and slowly works out a knot in my shoulder from sitting too long at computer screens.

i know that the vision that comes to me is wholly my own; created by my own thoughts, my own experiences. but if life is divine, and we are alive, we are divine. so, too, are these visions we create for ourselves. i don’t fight what emerges, holding tight to the first ideas that come to me and following where they lead.

i imagine that a mist begins to develop at my feet, growing thicker as it swirls around my ankles and moves up my legs. it moves in time with my breath, though my exhalations do not disturb it. i can feel my pulse in my arms, hands, fingers.

when the mists have fully embraced me, they begin to die back; before my heart can beat again, they are gone.

i am sitting at the edge of a standing stone circle. the monoliths are not especially thick, but they vary in height and width. the sharp edges are dulled by moss. beyond the circle is a mist-filled forest. from its depths, i hear drums. they do not overpower my ears, but i can feel the vibrations in my bones and it makes me feel alive.

the nemeton is blanketed by moss and clover and fallen leaves. at its center, an ancient mound ringed with delicate white flowers. to some, i know this would be seen as a grave — but i know it as a fairy ring, a wellspring of magick and power and intuition. i am at ease in this place, and i know i can tap in to this ley line, this inner truth, to give me strength and wisdom when i struggle to find clarity. it is my own voice, pure and untainted by the confusion of emotion.

beyond this stone circle, through the forest, i know my home awaits. a cottage with both a wild garden and carefully tended rows of vegetables. inside, a hearth and a cauldron where i blend ingredients to nourish my body and soul. a library to nourish my mind. a room to paint and write and create.

a cat rubs against me and as i reach to pet him, i am suddenly returned to the floor of my home office.

this vision is what i am working to build in my every day life. a beautiful, wild garden in the middle of the suburbs. a home that is warm and welcoming and inspiring. a sanctuary that gives me both energy and rest.