I feel like I’ve been in a dreamy mood for days. Perhaps it’s all the Piscean energies activated by this lovely new moon. Or maybe it’s because I’m feeling a bit sleep-deprived – too many late nights spent engrossed in projects coupled with the clock change which always throws my rhythm off. Or maybe it’s because I’ve been talking about dreams and dreaming goddesses.
But today, when I just couldn’t seem to settle my mind into any linear left-brain tasks, and when I finally gave up and succumbed to the rainy-day energies, I found myself putting on my alchemist costume and doing some herbal blending. I thought at first maybe I’d make some herbal beads but that felt like more of a time and energy commitment than I was willing to invest. It was then I realized it was time to mix a new batch of herbs for my dream pillows.
Herbal pillows used to promote sleep and dreams have been used for centuries, and the recipes for what to put in them are as numerous as there are makers. They’re meant to be tucked inside pillowcases or directly under pillows, or simply laid next to your pillow, so their fragrance wafts its magic throughout the night (or perhaps during a delicious afternoon nap).
Some time ago I created a bunch of dream pillows to gift my friends with, and I started by painting little rectangles of muslin, which I then sewed together and stuffed with an herbal blend. The photo above is one I made for myself. I’ve also made a few using vintage hankies that belonged to my grandmother and I especially love those. If you don’t like to sew you can use muslin bags or other light-weight fabrics – just make sure you tie them tightly so the herbs don’t leak out.
I like to refresh my blends every couple of months so I simply open the stitches in my pillow, empty out the old material and fill it up with new.
Here’s a peek at the blend I made today. I temporarily rested some crystals in it, both to add their beautiful energy to the blend and to give them a little refreshing little treat as well. Win-win.
My blend includes mugwort, hops, lavender, chamomile, rosemary, and rose petals.
Other choices might be sweet marjoram, peppermint, catnip, lemon balm, lemon verbena, spearmint, calendula, mullein, jasmine petals. I’d always encourage using organic materials – you certainly don’t want to make a habit of prolonged breathing in of any pesticides.
After all we are looking for sweet dreams.
So tell me do you have any practices to encourage sleep? Any special dream practices? Do tell, I’d love to hear.
What a neat idea the dream pillows Deborah. I love the one you have made here. I love using essential oils either on myself or on a tissue in my pillow case to help me sleep… often I like to use lavender. Thank you for sharing.
I love essential oils as well Suzanne. That’s a great idea to tuck an annointed tissue into you pillow case. I’m getting sleepy just thinking about it. 😉
I love your dream pillows. I have used essential oils but the idea of the dream pillow is very cool. It would be great to have something like that to slip into my pillow case and the intention behind the creation would just add so much to the mix. Thank you for sharing this.
It IS fun creating a pillow, and working intentionally is such a powerful and wonderful way to do things. It’d be great to add essential oils to your pillow as well.
I usually have no trouble falling asleep. Fatigue will do that to you. Staying asleep in the early morning, though is another matter. Years ago when I had this problem for hours I researched sleep and found out about the wake-sleep cycle. Now with this knowledge when I awoke I knew it was normal and imagined myself floating on water and diving back down into sleep. So simple and it worked. To make my dreams peaceful, I imagine falling asleep in my hubby’s arms. Thanks for the post. I love the idea of the scent pillows. Definitely something to make when I have some time which will be today at 3pm.
What lovely imagery to use to help you get back to sleep! And I hope you have a lovely weekend Sheila filled with lots of time for creative adventures.