A few months later, I received some more mugwort to make a dream pillow for my birthday. I made a pillow-covering myself, and my wife embroidered a dreamy design on it. As my birthday drew near, I gave serious thought to how to initiate my dream pillow. I couldn't accept the possibility that an herb would make my dream for me. Anyway, I didn't want to operate on that principle. Then I realized that my nose never sleeps, and so the fragrance of the herb might serve as a constant reminder to dream. On the eve of my dream quest, therefore, I meditated with the dream pillow and put my nose in the pillow frequently during the day to establish a connection between the fragrance of the herb and my desire for a special dream. When I went to bed, I lay with my face right in the pillow and, as I breathed in the scent of the mugwort, I repeated my petition for a dream. I let the scent carry the meaning of my intention to dream and carry me off to sleep with it. I don't know if I was actually aware of the scent all night, but it hit my nose in the morning and brought with it the most wonderful dream.

Since that time, I keep my dream pillow hidden away in a special box, to prevent its scent from attracting other associations. I bring out the pillow only on those important occasions when I have a special reason for dreaming. I now find that the scent of the mugwort has for me very distinct associations, bringing with it memories of those special events in my dream life. The fragrance now serves as a very intimate reminder of the connection between me and my dreams.

I still don't know if there is something special about the herb, mugwort. Perhaps other herbs would work as well, or even incense, as long as contact with the fragrance was restricted to occasions for dreaming. But if you would like to give mugwort a try, send $4.50 to Lhama Herb Company (2482 Telegraph Avenue, Berkeley, California 94704) and they'll ship you 8 oz. of mugwort, just enough to make a comfortably sized dream pillow.

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