Catching Dreams

Catching Dreams
 
You would probably be hard pressed to find someone these days who hasn’t seen or heard of a dreamcatcher. They are beautiful works of art with great purpose and rich history. You can purchase them fully made, or even purchase kits to make them yourself. I was lucky enough to be gifted a beautiful one by a Native American friend when I was 16, and still have it today. While we may know the basic meaning of them, there is so much more to them we may not be aware of.
 
There are two tribes that are often associated with the origins of them. Both of these tribes had deities based on the spider who was part of the creation story of the dreamcatcher.
One was the Lakota. Their (male) spider deity was Iktomi, who was known as a trickster, shape-shifter, and provider of lessons. Surprisingly, given this, their belief about the function of the dreamcatcher was actually the opposite of what you might think. They believed that the web actually trapped good ideas so they would not be forgotten; letting the bad ones pass through the center without harm to anyone.
 
The Second is the Ojibwe tribe. Their spider deity, Asibkaashi (Spider Woman), was considered a protector. Their beliefs surrounding the function of the dreamcatcher is the one we are most familiar with today. They trapped the bad dreams in the web to be destroyed in the morning sunlight, while the good ones were filtered down to the sleeping person. This is the meaning we will be working with in this post.
 
Each part of the dreamcatcher has meaning and function. The ones listed below are from the Ojibwe tribe.*
The hoop represents the circle of life, and was originally made of red willow wood, though is made of a plethora of materials these days.
The web is a tribute to the aforementioned Spider Woman that was a protector. It serves to trap the dreams as a spider web traps its prey; the center of which is considered its heart. This was traditionally made of thread or wool.
The beads that are often included in the design have varied interpretations. Two of which are that a single bead represents the spider that weaved the web, and multiple beads represent multiple dreams trapped within the web.
Feathers are not just a beautiful decoration, they are the way in which the good dreams travel down to the sleeping person after being filtered through the web.
Gems, which have their own meanings/uses and provide their own vibrations, can be used to replace the beads within the web, or the feathers hanging below (especially when feathers are not attainable). How they are used is up to the artist.
Arrowheads. Now, these are used primarily in medicine web dreamcatchers, and are placed in a cross formation in the center of the web. They point in the four directions the wind blows, representing the four sacred winds, and provide protection from misfortune.
Even the number of  points within the web have meaning. These are:
5 Points: the stars above
6 Points: Eagle (the connection to Creator and all that is spiritual)
7 Points: Is a call out to the 7 Prophesies (7 phases in the life of the people. You can find more on this at HTTPS://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seven_fires_prophecy )
8 Points: represents Spider Woman
13 Points: represent the 13 moons
 
As you can see, there is much to learn/ know about dreamcatchers. This is just the a basic rundown. They are readily available for purchase in many beautiful forms, and colours, from a variety of vendors, some of which are owned/operated by Native Americans**, who make them themselves. While I do own more than one, my favourite is definitely the one that was made for me (that I mentioned earlier). My objective with this post is to educate, however, I am by no means an expert.
 
So…Do you own any dreamcatchers? Would you? If you do, do you believe that they work for you? Have you ever been given one, or given one to someone else? Do you think knowing more about these magical tools (of any kind) gives you more respect for them, or allows you to better utilize them? I would love to know.
 
*You can find more on this at HTTPS://purechakra.com/blogs/a-hippie-spirituality-blog/deciphering-dreamcatchers-and-their-legends-meanings?srsltid=AfmBOop3Und8N51qOdePc6mwgh6i1mLyPkZ9wC3fjwy
 
** quichua.ca (Ojibway owned an operated out of Ontario)
 Tsainkonativegifts.com (Squamish Nation)
wanuskewinggiftshop.com (First Nations, Metis, and Inuit artists across North America)