The Greeks original paradise was called the Garden of the Hesperides, and they associated it with Zeus and Hera and with a serpent-entwined apple tree. Dryads were nymphs associated with trees and water.  In Greek mythology, the three nymphs The “Hesperides” were daughters of either Nyx (Night) or the heaven-bearing Titan Atlas.

The “Hesperides” lived on an island in The Garden of Hesperides where there was a tree yielding golden apples, guarded by a  hundred-headed dragon, Lagon. The tree of the golden apples was first presented to the goddess Hera by Gaia (Earth) on her wedding day.  The three nymphs and their golden apples were regarded as the source of the golden light of sunset, a phenomena celebrating the bridal of the heavenly gods Zeus and Hera.  Source 

If Adam and Eve, in the Greek religious system, have become Zeus and Hera, there should be literary evidence for their presence in this garden, and there is. Apollodorus wrote that the apples of the Hesperides “were presented by Gaia [Earth] to Zeus after his marriage with Hera.” This matches the Genesis account: Eve became Adam’s wife right after she was taken out of Adam (Genesis 2:21–25), and the next recorded event is the taking of the fruit by the first couple. Connecting Zeus and Hera with the Hesperides automatically connects them with the serpent and the fruit tree with which they are always represented. …The Judeo-Christian tradition traces the current state of humanity back to a woman, a serpent and a tree. Athena’s idol-image shows us the woman and the serpent, but where is the tree? The very core of the statue is wood—a tree. In both the Greek and Judeo-Christian traditions, a tree is at the core of what happened between a woman and a serpent in paradise. … Athena’s identity as the reborn serpent’s Eve.

From — The Garden of the Hesperides—Eden’s Greek counterpart

Spiritual music can be a valuable aid to meditation. Music can relax us, inspire us and elevate our consciousness.  This summer at sunset my friend and I took turns creating and leading guided meditations for her children, while another friend played a guitar.

Relaxation technique – Tense and release the muscles from your toes to your head until  they become relaxed and peaceful. Notice where there is tension and smooth and calm those muscles in your imagination.

• Tense and release the muscles in your feet and lower legs and allow them to sink into the chair or cushion.
• Tense and release the muscles in your thighs until they feel heavy, then allow them to sink into the cushion or chair.
• Tense and release the muscles in your buttocks, lower back and abdomen until they become calm and fully relaxed.
• Tense and release the muscles in your shoulders, arms and hands until they become calm and still.
• Tense and release your the muscles of your chest and allow them to become relaxed and calm.
• Tense and release the muscles in your neck until they become loose and relaxed.
• Tense and release the muscles in your face from forehead to  jaw, smoothing and calm them in your imagination, until they feel calm and completely relaxed.
• Retain your focus on your breath, following it in and out of your nostrils without changing it.
• Use your imagination to help you fully and completely relax. Start by imagining a beautiful blue sky with a few fluffy clouds lazily passing through. Allow every arising thought to lazily pass through your mind like those clouds, barely noticed.

My guided meditation was inspired by Greek mythology and based on a visualization of  three sisters on a journey to a tranquil island on the back of a flying dragon.

There deep in the center of an ancient forest was a garden, and in the center of the garden was a tree with golden apples, next to a pond where three nymphs were resting at the water’s edge.

Each of the three nymphs left the pond one at a time and shook the tree just once, and each time the tree was shaken a single golden apple fell into the pond below.

Each time a golden apple fell into the pond it floated down a stream a laughing girl picked it up, and mounted the dragon.  When all three sisters had mounted the dragon they flew off into the sunset to share their golden apples with the world.

After the mediation I asked the girls what the golden apples represented to them.  One said happiness, one said laughter, and the eldest said love.  They were all correct, of course. ;)

Driadas. Celtic New Age.

The gentle meditative music is improvisational but has a celtic, folk music, New Age ambiance. I hope you enjoy it.

Related post found in this blog: Childlike wonder and wisdom