Get Sleepy In A California Mansion | Guided Sleep Hypnosis
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Hi, I'm Jessica Porter, and welcome back to Sleep Magic, a podcast where I help you find the magic of your own mind, helping you to sleep better and live better. Thank you everyone for being here. I've been out of the booth for a while. We banked some episodes for the summer so everyone on the team could take a vacation, and it's so nice to be back in the booth.

I've really missed feeling this connection with you guys. And we've heard from lots of people lately. We've heard from someone who's serving as a caregiver for a family member who's getting some much-needed sleep. Someone named Claude who's getting relief from anxiety. Someone who calls themselves Oness, who recently became a subscriber to Sleep Magic Premium. Thank you. And many others who don't seem to be making it even through the intro.

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Over 25 years ago, on September 29th, 1998, we watched a brainy girl with curly hair drop everything to follow a guy she only kind of knew all the way to college. And so began Felicity. My name is Juliette Littman, and I'm a Felicity superfan.

Join me, Amanda Foreman, who you may know better as Megan, the roommate, and Greg Grunberg, who you may also know as Sean Blundberg, as the three of us revisit our favorite moments from the show and talk to the people who helped shape it. Listen to Dear Felicity on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts.

This podcast is supported by FX's English Teacher, a new comedy from executive producers of What We Do in the Shadows and Baskets. English Teacher follows Evan, a teacher in Austin, Texas, who learns if it's really possible to be your full self at your job, while often finding himself at the intersection of the personal, professional, and political aspects of working at a high school. FX's English Teacher premieres September 2nd on FX. Stream on Hulu.

So tonight, get sleepy in a California mansion. I have a weird fascination with buildings. Homes, to be precise. As a kid, I loved to thumb through issues of architectural digest. Give me a cottage or a palace or just a cool apartment in a big city and I get a delicious satisfaction out of being given a tour of the place. I think homes are interesting because they're our shells.

They protect us, and at the same time, they mirror us. There are opportunities for self-expression. A home allows you to feel safe, to put down roots, which allows the rest of yourself to blossom. Homes are a thing. So imagine my delight when I found out about a book called Empty Mansions, the story of a woman named Ugette Clark who, born in 1906, had grown up fabulously rich

but who led a strange and isolated life until she died in 2011 at the age of 104. But the thing that fascinated me the most, she and her mother built a huge mansion in Santa Barbara, just north of where I live, in the 1930s. But after her mother died in 1963, Ouguette never went back to the house, and it stood with every single possession in it covered in a custom-made covering

for almost 60 years. She still owned it, and someone kept the grounds tidy and stood guard on 48-hour notice in case Uget decided to stop by. But no member of the family ever entered the home again. Ever. Upon her death, it was taken over by her foundation and was open to the public just over a year ago. Well, guess who recently took a tour of it? Yours truly. So that's where we're going tonight.

It's called bello sguardo. Enjoy. So get yourself to a safe and comfortable position and let's begin. Allow your eyes to close easily and gently. Welcome back to your body. Welcome home. Bring your awareness now to your breathing. And by bringing your awareness to your breathing, you are focusing. You don't need to do anything interesting with your breath. It's just about bringing your awareness to it.

as everything begins to slow down and you begin this nightly focus which results in letting go ultimately. Good. Now I'd like you to bring your awareness up into your eyelids please and allow your eyelids to feel heavy, heavy and comfortable. Allow your eyelids to feel sleepy and now I'd like you to accept the suggestion that your eyelids are so relaxed that they will not open. Now

You could open your eyelids if you wanted to, but we're just pretending. But I'd like you to pretend so much that your eyes won't open that you can now test them by wiggling your eyebrows. Just give them a wiggle while your eyes remain closed. You just need to do that once. Now this relaxation that you have in your eyelids, this relaxation will soon be moving throughout your entire body. This lovely warm feeling.

So let's imagine it moving back now into your head. Let's imagine that warm relaxation sort of dripping back into your head, taking over every single cell of your brain. Just allow your head to get heavy on your pillow. The day is, it's okay to feel heavy and let go as the muscles of your face are softening and relaxing.

And you imagine warm waves of relaxation lapping up against the beach of your mind. Feel those warm waves of relaxation lapping up against the beach of your mind. As all mental tension disappears like a mist evaporating. Good. And now that warm relaxation now is moving down into your neck.

down through your throat, into your shoulders and down your arms. As your arms are feeling nice and heavy, heavy, like they're made of marble. And as you allow your arms to become nice and heavy, you notice that your hands and fingers are feeling heavy too. Allow your hands to open and all the tension of the day is running out. Your palm and your fingertips

And from this moment on, no sound that you hear going on around you will bother or disturb you as you notice any sounds going on around you right now. Just notice them because from now on those sounds are taking you deeper and deeper into relaxation. Let them take you deeper. Open to them as they bring you deeper and deeper. Good.

The sound of my voice is also taking you deeper and deeper. And that warm relaxation now is moving down into your torso. It's lighter as it moves deep inside your chest, your abdomen. Softer, relaxing you from deep inside, like you're getting a massage from the inside out. And as you feel this soft, sweet expansion,

and relaxation on the inside. Your torso is feeling heavy on the bed as you let go and surrender to this natural heaviness at the end of the day. As the relaxation moves down your legs now, all the way down your legs, through your knees, down your calf, into your ankles, your legs are feeling heavy, heavy, like they're made of marble.

Imagine you're standing on a huge green lawn on a high cliff in Santa Barbara, facing out over the Pacific Ocean. Way down beneath you is a beach with perfect sand, dotted with sand dollars and sea glass. You have an idyllic view. The sky is a clear, vivid blue. The seagulls are squawking.

and you feel a warm breeze against your body. You take a nice deep breath of the briny sea air as you hear the waves crash against the beach below you. You are here to visit the infamous mansion known as Bello Sguardo, Italian for beautiful lookout, and so it is. William Andrews Clark

was born in Pennsylvania in 1839. But it wasn't until he moved west to Montana to follow the gold rush that he began amassing his considerable fortune. He became a banker, and over the years he ended up owning railways, newspapers, and copper mines. Clark was a character of his era, wiry and spry,

with a fastidiously groomed beard and mustache. He wore bowler hats and bow ties and chomped on cigars, and he was as ambitious as he was shrewd. You turn around and walk across the expansive green lawn, perfectly manicured and surrounded by windswept cypress trees. A fox trots across the grass. It's summer,

and a litter of kits was born on the property just a few months ago. Upon becoming a senator from Montana in 1901, Clark was accused of bribing the state legislators whose votes he had needed. Although he spent the next six years in Washington, it was Clark's bribery scandal that led to the passing of the 17th Amendment,

which stipulated that from then on, senators would be elected directly by the people. When asked about it, Clark pulled out his cigar and said, "I never bought a man who wasn't for sale." You are now standing on a large expanse in front of the house. This is the carport.

designed to park and display cars back when they were pre-war roadsters with classic grills, big round lights, and running boards. As you look down, you notice that the carport is a mosaic made from thousands of stones selected from the beaches of Southern California, all set in concrete.

These smooth black and white stones are placed on their sides so they look almost like the humps of tiny whales breaching the surface of the water. You reach down and run your finger along the smooth, warm surface of a stone. It is soft, polished by the sea over hundreds or thousands of years. Touching it, you go deeper and deeper.

into relaxation. By 1901, Senator Clark had married his second wife, Anna, a woman 39 years his junior. They had a happy marriage, but in 1925, William Clark passed away, leaving behind Anna, not yet 50, and their daughter, Huguette. A lover of all things French, it was Anna who commissioned this extraordinary home.

You look up from the carport and see it. Belos Guardo. It is huge, constructed from large limestone blocks dotted with large multi-paned windows. There's a shallow terrace in front of the house with a classical stone balustrade and railing. Two stories high and over 23,000 square feet in size, it could be the home of a nobleman

in the court of Louis XIV, until you notice the palm tree swaying behind it. The carport leads to steps up to the terrace. You feel warm and relaxed as you walk toward the house and its entrance. A set of glass French doors, framed by classical stone columns and topped by a triangular stone pediment carved with floral designs,

You peer through the glass. Anna and Huguette spent their summers here for almost 20 years. They were exceptionally close and kept to themselves. The three guest bedrooms at Bellos Guardo were rarely used. As you look through the glass door, you see straight through to a sunny courtyard at the back of the mansion.

It has a reflecting pool lined with lush orange trees, heavy with fruit. It's unusual to have a front door aligned directly with a back door, but there was nothing normal about the Clarks. Opening these two doors invites a fresh sea breeze into the main corridor of the house, a 1930s version of air conditioning.

Bellas-Guardo was not the first over-the-top domicile in the family. Although Senator Clark was long gone by the time Bellas-Guardo was built, his widow Anna had taken a cue from him, who'd built his own dream home in Manhattan 30 years before. It was right on Fifth Avenue at 77th Street, and it was famous in its own way.

Dreamed up by Clark at the end of the Gilded Age, it filled the corner of a city block. As gigantic as it was ornate, 962 Fifth Avenue contained 120 rooms and 31 bathrooms. In order to acquire materials for it, Clark purchased not only an entire rock quarry in New Hampshire,

but also a bronze foundry in which his taps, door handles, and other fittings were made. He imported marble from Italy, oak from England, and stripped parts from a chateau in France for the interior. 962 Fifth Avenue, which came to be known as Clark's Folly for its ridiculous excesses, contained four art galleries, a swimming pool,

and the senator even built an underground rail line to bring coal directly to the house. In comparison, Anna's dream home is downright modest. You open the door and enter a simple, elegant foyer. From the outside, this home is clearly enormous, but this entryway feels quaint. Although it has high ceilings,

maybe 14 feet. Its dimensions are small, almost cozy. It's made from the same limestone blocks, beautifully sanded and held together with perfect thin lines of mortar. Because Belosguardo is a home held in amber, stuck in time, not an inch of it has been restored. It is pristine. You enter the main hallway, a long corridor.

You are greeted by a large bronze bust of William Clarke himself, and above him, a portrait of Anna, with her brown hair and warm eyes, looking down serenely. She was painted by a Polish artist named Tadej Stika. The Clarke family loved Stika's style so much that he became very close to the family, even tutoring Huguette in painting.

for several years. You step into a small room off the hallway. Its walls are covered in intricately carved wooden panels. Originally crafted in 18th century France, William Clark purchased them for his home in New York, and Anna had them shipped here after he died. The wood is caramel colored and carved so expertly with nooks and crannies.

Roses, leaves, branches, and birds. The carvings are so detailed. It's hard to believe they were done by human hand. It's the stuff of a 3D printer. And it covers every inch of this warm, inviting room. At its center is a marble fireplace, surrounded by silk upholstered chairs and a love seat. And across from the fireplace...

is a glass display case containing dozens of handheld fans spread open to show off their intricate designs. They are French, Italian, Japanese, and Chinese. Italy began importing fans from the Far East into Europe in the 17th century, and they quickly spread throughout the continent.

Anna Clarke used these fans to stay cool on summer days or to whisper behind at the opera. They have not been touched in over 80 years. You imagine fanning yourself as you go deeper and deeper. As you move down the hallway, you arrive at the dining room. It too is lined with carved wooden paneling, but this time it's darker, made from black oak.

Heavy, dark red velvet curtains are tied back at the enormous windows, letting in some much-needed sunshine. Above the mantle of yet another marble fireplace is a portrait of Senator Clark, also by Tadej Stika. Sitting upright with a stern look, he monitors the dining room in his gray jacket, white vest, and black bow tie.

His thick hair has grayed and his facial hair is styled to a T. Hanging above the dining room table is a sterling silver chandelier. The table has been laid for two, each setting with silver utensils and several crystal wine glasses. You imagine Anna and Huguette sitting in their red velvet chairs, dining together, watched over.

by their patriarch. The last time Anna or Huguette had dinner in Belosguardo was 1953. And when Anna passed away ten years later, Huguette couldn't bear to sell the mansion. Nor did she set foot here ever again. Everything at Belosguardo was covered in place, awaiting a visit that never came. As you leave the dining room and walk down the hallway, you are struck by a painting.

Right at the end, it is large and bathed in light. It was painted by Huguette after all her years of study with Tadei Stika. It depicts a Japanese woman wearing a light blue shawl, almost like a nun's wimple, wrapped over her head and shoulders. Beneath it, she wears a lavender garment with a subtle incandescent shimmer.

She's walking in the snow in her traditional wooden sandals over socked feet. There is a pagoda far in the distance behind her, and she has clearly left it. The sky is gray. Her gaze is downward, and she holds her hands together under her garment as if in prayer. A silvery rope belt.

is knotted over her hands, its elegant tassels hanging down in front of her, like a large rosary. Ouguette lived the rest of her life in New York City, giving away her fortune, one check at a time. She supported her helpers, her friends, her doctors. Having had a fortune heaped upon her, she heaped it on others.

giving away tens of millions of dollars over her lifetime. With no heirs of her own, she supported starving artists. She put the kids of her friends through college. She bought houses for her personal nurse and sent large checks to people she barely knew. The Japanese woman in Uget's painting is solitary, serene,

pondering the deeper meaning of existence. She's walking away from the world. Is this Uget's image of herself? Isolated, yet at peace? Giving away her material riches until she's stripped down to a smaller, saner existence? It's evening now, and the sun has gone down over the Pacific. Studying Uget's painting has made you very relaxed.

But there's one more room to see. As you say goodnight to the Japanese woman, you enter the music room. It is long with cream-colored walls. Two enormous crystal chandeliers hang from the ceiling, casting a sparkly light on a baby grand piano and several elegant seating areas. But the most attractive item in the room is in its center. A harp.

Anna was a passionate harpist, and this is where she practiced. You sit down at the harp, and your whole body relaxes, going deeper and deeper. You pull it toward you and allow the top of the instrument to lean against your shoulder, and its weight feels good, comforting. You reach out your hands and begin to stroke the strings gently.

as your chest begins to vibrate. It feels soothing, relaxing. The vibrations of the strings moving now through your whole taking you deeper and deeper. And now like magic, you know how to play the harp as if you'd taken lessons like Anna had. And you begin plucking at certain strings with one hand

while your other hand continues to stroke the strings. This massaging of the strings is known as glissando, gliding, gliding, and you are gliding as you close your eyes and let go, merging with this ethereal sound as you drift and float and dream.