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Mrs. Sand Man, bring me a dream

Heidi RicePost Independent Staff
Post Independent/Kelley Cox
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NEW CASTLE – “Oo-oo, Dream Weaver, I believe you can get me through the night,” crooned Gary Wright in his song “Dream Weaver” during the mid-1970s.Susan Mountjoy, of New Castle, also helps people get through the night with the help of her “dream pillows” that contain a variety of herbs which she claims helps people sleep and dream.”These are for people who can’t sleep well, who have bad problems sleeping or who want to dream,” Mountjoy said. The small 4-inch by 4-inch pillows contain a variety of natural herbs which Mountjoy gathers from the mountainside or grows herself.

“All dream pillows must contain sweet hops and mugwort,” she explained. “You have to have those two together. Sweet hops helps you sleep and mugwort helps you dream. I also use only plants that are indigenous to this area and to the Colorado Native American culture.”A pillow may contain herbs such as white sage, cedar, sweetgrass, catnip, rose, pine needle, lemon balm, mugwort, sweet hops and mint. The covers of the pillows are made from 100 percent cotton and come in a variety of patterns.The dream pillows are placed inside a a regular pillowcase right underneath where you lay your head so you can inhale the fragrance of the herbs while you sleep.Mountjoy makes her pillows in a two-story log cabin that is decorated with a Native American flair that includes an abundance of baskets hanging from the ceiling, Indian rugs adorning the walls and the floors, incense burning and Indian music playing softly in the background.

About 13 cats grace the outside and inside of the cabin, as does Edward – the incredible snoring 13-year-old Boston Terrier. If you ever thought your spouse snored too loudly, you definitely have not met Edward. Outside, 40 chickens roam the property and keep the cats in line.Originally from San Diego, Calif., Mountjoy spent her summers in the Laguna Mountains with a Native American woman who was a friend of her grandparents. The woman made and sold dream pillows, as well as other items, at a roadside stand.”People would come from all over and she got me into it,” Mountjoy recalled. “We would wake up and talk about our dreams.”Mountjoy can make about 12 dream pillows in an hour and sells them on e-Bay and on the Internet through her business, “Laguna Naturals,” along with skin care products, gift baskets and therapeuticals for mind, body and spirit.



Her customers are from all over and some swear by the pillows.One woman had a husband in his 50s who was a Vietnam veteran, and had never slept well since the war. She e-mailed Mountjoy requesting a dream pillow, which she put in her husband’s pillowcase unbeknownst to him.”She said that for the first time in the 25 years she’d known him, he slept through the night and didn’t dream about battles or his buddies getting blown up,” Mountjoy said. But not everyone may benefit from the dream pillows, she pointed out.

“There are three groups of people who can’t use dream pillows – smokers, people who wear a lot of cologne or the elderly – because their sense of smell is diminished,” Mountjoy said. “You need to breathe in the herbs, which works on your subconcious, because your subconscious is where you get your dreams.”Dream pillows have a long history throughout the world and are mentioned in mythology and old folklore, Mountjoy said.”Except they all use different herbs,” she added.The dream pillows can be purchased for $5 by either ordering via email at lagunanaturals@comcast.net or calling Mountjoy at 970-984-3757.


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