As a child growing up in a family of cantadoras (keepers of the old stories), Clarissa Pinkola Estés learned firsthand how a story told at bedtime can soothe away the troubles of the day, and prepare the way for another night’s dreams to follow. Now a beloved cantadora herself, Estés shares this treasured family tradition with us on Bedtime Stories, her own special collection of tales to relax and ease us into sleep. Let’s join this renowned Jungian analyst (and author of Women Who Run with the Wolves) as she explores:

ª  How to use stories as healing companions that open an “aperture” into the divine world of our dreams

ª  The meaning of archetypal figures like Mother Night and the Sandman, and themes such as renewal, enchantment, and transformation

ª  Original tellings of her bedside favourites, including Sleeping Beauty, the Mouse and the Lion, and more, accompanied by original cello and vocal music by Eugene Friesen. Dr. Estés tucks us under the covers, wishes us “sweet dreams,” and invites us to listen as a magic world enfolds and restores us.

Adulthood is only a disguise we wear in the daytime… We listen with the ears of a child to stories, and we imagine images through the spirit of a child… The tribal man, the weaver of cloth, the mother, the teacher—they all come to sleep as children and awaken as children, born anew.

Also by Clarissa Pinkola Estés are The Gift of Story and The Faithful Gardener.