I believe dreams are our subconscious mind’s way of making sense of the subtle and overt messages we receive during wakefulness. When we enter the dream state, our mind gets to work putting these bits and pieces of information together like a puzzle. Some of us remember our dreams, while others don’t, and scientists theorize that dream recall depends on how sensitive we are to external stimuli, like light or noise, while sleeping1. Those more sensitive to external stimuli may experience semi-wakefulness during sleep, which helps dreams stick in our memories. On average, we spend about two hours every night dreaming in 5-20 minute intervals2, which is fascinating considering how long dreams can feel with complete beginnings, middles, and endings.
I love looking for symbolism in dreams, and interpreting and deciphering the messages of dreams is one of my favorite things to do. There are the usual symbols, like dreams of fish indicating that someone’s pregnant, and dreams of actual pregnancy meaning the birth of a new way of being or a new project. Some symbols are specific to my West Indian heritage and have significant spiritual meanings that are just for me.
My dreams are vivid, cinematic, and sometimes prophetic, but always entertaining. Some dreams are nonsensical and seem purely for my mind’s amusement. I once dreamed that I was part of a team of astronauts sent to the Moon to test its viability for human life. To our surprise, a violent Moon Mecha lived there, and we had to fight for our lives. After many casualties, we returned to Earth as Moon Survivors, and I became an advocate for climate justice. After all, if we learn to care for each other and the abundance the Earth provides, we won’t have to risk our lives fighting Moon Mechas to colonize the Moon.
Some dreams have messages beneath the surface, waiting for my conscious mind to dig them up. A couple of months ago, I dreamed that I was being terrorized in a grocery store by two people wielding knives and banana-guns (they were bananas, but also guns). When people laughed at my cries for help, I began terrorizing my antagonizers back. This dream felt like a manifestation of my experiences of being sexually harassed and those experiences being dismissed by the people I trusted and confided in. In the end, I reclaimed my power by turning the tables on my aggressors without fear. Who has the banana-gun now?
I’m also a dream-walker, appearing in the dreams of loved ones as a benevolent visitor. I joined an astroherbalism retreat after a friend’s encouragement and I spoke highly of her to anyone who would listen when I was there. When I returned, she told me I appeared in her dream with a mortar and pestle, peacefully making herbal medicine in the background. An affirmation that she felt my love and affection across distance and consciousness.
Though the jury is still out on why we dream, we know that we all do it, whether we remember them when we wake up or not. To dream, we need to sleep, though lucid dreaming has an element of conscious awareness without being fully awake3. We experience dreaming in non-REM and REM sleep, but going through the complete sleep cycle nourishes our bodies and minds and allows us to benefit from the healing properties of sleep. Our bodies need to be relaxed to sleep well and a nightly tea before bed can help us get there. Giving our body a chance to relax by calming our central nervous system can help it tend to its maintenance duties. Getting a good night’s rest can4:
Improve digestion, absorption of nutrients, and elimination (our gut/digestive system is intrinsically tied to our brain/nervous system)
Improve immune function
Strengthen our cardiovascular system (invaluable during an ongoing pandemic with a virus that attacks the pulmonary and cardiovascular systems)
Reduce inflammation
Steady metabolism
Increase detoxification via the liver, kidneys, etc.
Making a nightly tea part of your bedtime routine can create a habit that signals to your mind and body that it’s time for bed, easing you into the restfulness necessary for sleep. Even the process of making the tea can soothe your central nervous system if you’re present and mindful of the steps as you make it. The following are just a few of my favorite herbs for rest. If you’re making a tea blend with multiple herbs, I suggest picking only one of these herbs to make a sleep blend. They’re powerful enough alone but play well with other gentler supportive herbs.
California Poppy (Eschscholzia californica): This bright beauty is associated with the Moon, Neptune, and Pisces. Like many Moon plants, it closes its petals at night, and on cloudy or windy days. It’s a powerful sedative native to California, but widely distributed throughout Mexico and much of what is now known as the southwest United States. Many Indigenous people of the Americas, including the Payómkawichum, Cahuilla, Ohlone, and Pomo5 use the California poppy for its calming qualities and to alleviate pain. Like its cousin opium poppy, the California poppy contains an opiate “fuzz” that is responsible for its pain-relieving and soothing properties. Unlike its cousin, the California poppy is nonnarcotic and nonaddictive. Highly impressionable and receptive, Pisces can be easily swept up in the swirling current of the external emotions and thoughts of other people. When our thoughts and emotions begin to spiral and it becomes difficult to discern which ones are ours and which ones belong to others, we can turn to this powerful sleep aid to calm the wake and slow things down. Caution: should not be used during pregnancy.
Maypop (Passiflora incarnata): One of the flashier sedative-nervines, Maypop gently relaxes all body systems. It’s associated with the Moon, Venus, Sun, Neptune, and Cancer. It’s also known as Passionflower, a name given to it by missionaries because the three stigma in the middle of the flower reminded them of the three nails used to crucify Jesus and the 10 petals and sepals represent the apostles. I don’t know if they meant to make a pun with stigma/stigmata, but I digress. Maypop’s Venusian qualities make it a useful herb for libido when anxiety makes it difficult to relax into pleasure. It blends well with cardio herbs for stress-induced hypertension and respiratory herbs for asthma and anxiety-provoked lung issues. The spirit of Cancer can be kind and protective, but also worrisome, which can create unnecessary fears and anxieties. Maypop quiets the mind and clears racing thoughts like clouds revealing open, blue skies. Perfect for creating a blank slate to dream on. Caution: may be too strong to use during the day and may worsen sluggish depression. Use caution during pregnancy and with sedative and cardiac medications.
Skullcap (Scutellaria lateriflora): I wrote a little about Skullcap and offered a recipe for Midnight Dreams tea in my post about the full moon in Scorpio on May 23rd. Skullcap is a powerful sedative-nervine associated with the Moon, Neptune, Pluto, and Scorpio, the sign of deep feelings and perceptions, passion, and taboos. Like Scorpio energy, it helps us plunge into the depths of our subconscious and connect with our deepest thoughts and feelings. Both the leaves and flowers are used to make Skullcap tea and it is a supportive herb for insomnia, hyperactivity, anxiety, agitation, and sensory overload. Due to its Scorpionic nature, Skullcap is particularly useful when insomnia and the over-thinking that comes with anxiety are fueled by feelings of shame or guilt. We can overcome shame or guilt through vulnerability, and the dream state is one of the most vulnerable states we can be in. Skullcap can be a powerful and gentle companion as you explore the depths of the dream world. Caution: similar to Maypop, Skullcap may be too powerful to use during the day, and though gentle enough for children to use, it may interact with psych and pain medication.
Eichenlaub, J., Nicolas, A., Daltrozzo, J., Redouté, J., Costes, N., & Ruby, P. (2014). Resting Brain Activity Varies with Dream Recall Frequency Between Subjects. Neuropsychopharmacology, 39(7), 1594-1602. https://doi.org/10.1038/npp.2014.6
Dream. (2024, May 9). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dream&oldid=1223003139
Voss, U., Holzmann, R., Tuin, I., & Hobson, J. A. (2009). Lucid Dreaming: A State of Consciousness with Features of Both Waking and Non-Lucid Dreaming. Sleep, 32(9), 1191-1200. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/32.9.1191
Groves, M. N. (2016). Body into balance: An herbal guide to holistic self-care (pp. 56-65). Storey Publishing.
Biodiversity Atlas of LA. (2024, June 26). California poppy, Eschscholzia californica. Biodiversity Atlas of LA. https://biodiversityla.org/species/iconic/ca-poppy/
I may have to try some of these! I have chronic insomnia and I'm unfortunately out of touch with my dreams because of it. Are there any places you'd recommend buying from?