Summertime. Long sunny days and enchanted evenings are here for us to take pleasure in. Enjoy the scent of the flowers, the sounds of the birds and the insects and the sight of nature full blown. Summer reminds me of Shakespeare’s Midsummer’s Night Dream. It seems easy to communicate with all of the various nature spirits in the summer. It’s also a good time to dream. Through dreams, we can get in touch with our higher selves. In dreams we can gain insight to help us reach our highest potential and enjoy the path that we travel.
People have long been involved in working through issues (mental, emotional, physical and spiritual) using dreams. There are many interesting dream theories. The “silver cord” theory connects our physical body to our spiritual body by a cord. During sleep our dream bodies take off to explore the realm of the spirit. The silver cord ensures that we eventually come back to our bodies. The lessons, symbols and experiences that occurred during our flight can then be tapped into when we learn how to interpret our dreams.
Carl Jung theorized that the function of dreams is to balance disturbances in the conscious part of the person. Messages can go back and forth between various levels of consciousness while we are in a dream state. This information provides insight for us to become whole and healthy. Another theory compares our minds to a computer. Life experiences are recorded and archived within our subconscious. During sleep, the spiritual self (which knows what is true and real) has the chance to sort information and delete errors in the databank that may not be helpful in coping with daily life. Certainly dreams can be used as a tool to bring health and balance to the whole person.
Certain herbs have been used to enhance the dream process since recorded time. Herbal bedtime beverages and herbal sleep pillows were commonly used to aid the dream experience. Herbs commonly grown in our gardens, such as aromatic lavender, rosemary, peppermint, sage and lemon balm can be used to enhance relaxation, sleep and dreams. A fresh peppermint sprig under the pillow is said to encourage dreams of a psychic nature. A garland of rosemary over the bed is used to discourage nightmares. A few pieces of sage under the pillow may help you to cleanse your aura and experience dreams that will bring wisdom. Fresh bundles of herbs such as mugwort, lemon balm and lavender can all be placed under the pillow to aid the dream process.
Try a cup of relaxing herbal tea at bedtime. Vervain, skullcap, oatstraw, chamomile and lemon balm are very calming. These herbs have the reputation for inducing insightful dreams. A teaspoon of herb per cup of boiling water is the usual recipe for herbal beverages. Other good dream herbs are kava kava, hops and linden. You may find any of these herbal brews helpful for relaxation sleep and dreams.
Herbal pillows are a popular way to use herbs to bring on insightful messages while we sleep. Dream pillows can be purchased at your local health or metaphysical store, but you can also create your own herbal blends from dried herbs. Try the following recipe. You can put together your own blends as well.
Smudge or cleanse your sleeping area by burning sage, spraying with blessed water or essential oil sprays or incense. Before retiring create a protective barrier around you through visualization. Visualize bright light surrounding you. This protective shield will ensure that only information in line with the light/God/Goddess will come through for you.
A moment of prayer or meditation at bedtime is helpful if you would like to remember your dreams. Ask for information that will be helpful for the question that you are seeking an answer to. Simply state your intention in your meditation. Designate a notebook or special book and dedicate it to your dream work. Keep it at your bedside so that you can record the images while they are still fresh in your mind. Record your dreams for at least a month to look for patterns and themes. If you recall emotions, colors, animals or symbols in the dream, record them as well. Books about using dreams to help you on your path can be found at your favorite bookstore or at the public library in your locale. Pleasant dreams!
Pleasant Dreams Herbal Blend
This recipe make enough for several small pillows (4 x 4 inches)
1 ounce dried chamomile
2 ounces dried lavender flower
1/2 ounce dried mugwort herb
1/2 ounce dried peppermint herb
1/2 ounce dried rosemary herb
1 ounce dried rose petals
Combine herbs in a half-gallon sized glass canister. Stuff a 4x4 cloth herb bag or hand-made pillow with the mixture and place under the pillow at night. Store the remaining herbal blend in a cool, dark place for future use. Don’t forget to meditate and state your request to receive the information that is best for you at this particular time. Using your dreams to for personal growth is not an overnight process. Stick with it for at least a month and you will find wisdom and inspiration to guide you as you travel the path of life.
By Karen Stokes, RN