The Knock at the Garden Gate | Day #1 | July 2025
A 5-day immersive soul return adventure through Wondermere
Welcome to Wondermere, dear soul.
You’ve just stepped into a tender corner of The Garden… a living story-world where joy is sacred, play is healing, and becoming yourSelf is the most wondrous journey of all.
This is where your Divine Inner Child is never too much.
Where magic is ordinary.
Where slow, soulful creativity is a portal back to wholeness.
Whether you're curled up in the Storykeeper’s Loft, wandering the mossy paths of Hearthglow Hollow, or simply pausing here to breathe… know this:
✨ You are always welcome in Wondermere.
And you belong just as you are.
If what you read here lights a spark in your heart, I warmly invite you to support this magical realm by becoming a paid subscriber.
✨ Paid members receive:
Monthly Whispers from Wondermere
Printable playbooks + coloring pages
Soft rituals, birthday blessings + surprise drops
And access to The Storykeeper’s Loft
But truly? Whether you choose to subscribe or simply wander with us for a while…
Your presence is felt.
Your magic is real.
And this space is for you.
The Journey Begins...
You didn’t stumble here by accident, my friend.
That ache in your chest?
That quiet exhaustion behind your smile?
That whisper that’s been tugging at the edges of your awareness?
It’s all been pointing to this.
You’re not being called to escape the world…
You’re being invited back to yourself.
This is not a quest for answers.
It’s a return to your own soul… one truth, one breath, one shimmering step at a time.
And the gate?
It’s already open.
Thalen is waiting at the threshold. Wondermere is ready to receive you.
Let’s begin.
The Fog Before
You don’t remember exactly how you got here.
But somehow, you’re standing in the hush between worlds.
The air feels different… soft and wild, whisper-thick like something sacred is about to begin.
There’s moss beneath your feet and the feeling of stars above, though the sky is veiled in dreamhaze.
You pause.
Your breath softens.
You think, “This must be a dream.”
But it’s not.
You’re not dreaming.
You’re arriving.
And you’re not alone.
Something — someone — is watching you. Not in a way that startles, but in a way that says:
“I’ve been expecting you.”
A soft caw breaks the silence.
You look toward the sound and see him… a sleek crow perched on a crooked fence post beside a tall gate that shimmers faintly in the mist.
His feathers are deep midnight.
One eye glints violet.
A single feather is tucked neatly into the band around his leg.
He cocks his head.
Then speaks — not with his beak, but with a voice that curls straight into your mind like memory:
“It’s heavy, isn’t it?
That thing you’ve been carrying.”
You don’t answer.
You don’t have to.
He already knows.
“You’re not lost.
You’re just on the edge.
And this?”
(He nods toward the gate.)
“This is the way in.”
The Gate Opens
The crow hops off the post, landing lightly on the mossy path.
The gate swings open without a sound… just a rush of cool wind that smells like cedar, stardust, and memory.
He glances back at you over his wing.
“Before you step through…
Tell me this:
What part of you needs the most care today?”
The question moves through you like a chord being struck.
You don’t need to think.
You already know.
🌀 Choose the Season of Your Soul:
Take a quiet breath, then choose what’s most true for you today:
1️⃣ “I feel stuck. I’ve lost direction in my life or work.”
2️⃣ “I’m burned out. I don’t even know what I need… I just feel tired.”
3️⃣ “I’m filled with self-doubt. I want to believe in myself, but I keep shrinking.”
4️⃣ “I’m in transition. Something’s ending or shifting, and I don’t know who I am.”
5️⃣ “I just want a soft place to land. I don’t need fixing. Just holding.”
Your choice will guide where you arrive tomorrow.
In Wondermere, the realm meets you where your soul speaks.
Closing Whisper from Thalen the Crow
“Wondermere isn’t here to impress you.
It’s here to hold you.”“This place doesn’t respond to perfection.
It responds to longing.
And yours?
Was loud enough to open the gate.”
© 2025 Wondermere™ by Dawna Kreis
All content is lovingly crafted and protected. Please don’t copy, reproduce, or share outside the Garden Playhouse without permission.
Select illustrations co-created with the help of AI, guided by Dawna’s original character designs and imagination.
If you’re loving the Friendfolk...
And if something here made your heart feel a little more seen,
there’s a simple way to support the magic:
✨ Buy Me a Cup
Think of it as tucking a note of kindness beneath the Storykeeper’s door…
a one-time gesture that helps keep the lanterns lit in Wondermere.
Every sip fuels the next Friendfolk tale, the next map sketch, the next soft whisper of belonging.
Your presence is already a gift.
But if you’d like to give a little more, the door is open, and always grateful.
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