Mandalas and Dreamcatchers
There has been some confusion regarding Chris Simon's tattoo. It is a mandala rather than a dreamcatcher. I have scoured the Internet, looking for legends and other cultural information on these sacred Native American symbols and am sad to say there wasn't much out there to be found. However, after two hours worth of searches, I did find the following info:
MANDALAS
"Mandala (mahn dä´ lä) is a Sanskrit word meaning center and circle. It conveys the notion that any center is tied to its circumference and any circumference is always determined by its center. Together they represent wholeness.
Examples of mandalas abound in nature. Every cell in our body, for instance, is a living mandala. So is the iris of our eye, a snow crystal, a bird's nest, a bicycle wheel, and Planet Earth herself.
Mandalas have been known to all cultures throughout history. Individual designs vary greatly but they always have the following characteristics: a center, cardinal points that can be contained in a circle, and some form of symmetry. They can be very simple or extremely complex as in ancient Tibetan religious designs, Navajo sand paintings, and huge stained glass windows in medieval cathedrals."
(Note-The cardinal points are points of the compass: North, South, East and West)
Mandalas in the West
"There is also a tradition of healing circles in the west. Powerful symbolism is seen in Native American sand paintings, medicine wheels and shields. Medicine wheels represent the universe, change, life, death, birth and learning. The great circle is the lodge of our bodies, our minds and our hearts. Although there are many parallels to the Tibetan mandala, Native Americans never used the word mandala to describe their sacred circles.
In Europe, Hermetic mandalas, though usually linear, may also be circular. Alchemy, the Kabbalah, geometry and numerology play an important part of their design and creation. In his book The Western Mandala, Adam McClean writes "(Mandalas)...can be seen to be keys that unlock the mysteries of our soul's architecture. If we choose to use them in this way, they can lead us deep into the mysteries of our inner world."
The architecture of Gothic cathedrals shows another way towards illumination. The stained glass rose windows were built during times of plague and war. Like mandalas, they were meant to be a symbol of the enlightenment of the human spirit. Sitting in the earthly darkness, contemplating the light pouring through the inspired designs prompts a powerful experience."
DREAMCATCHERS
The Dreamcatcher Legend
"It is believed that dreams both good and bad
float through the air all day and night searching for their destination. While sleeping under a Dreamcatcher, one may feel secure that all bad dreams being confused and ill-intentioned
get caught in the web to perish with the first light of day, while the good dreams, knowing the right way,
easily slip through the centre hole, and work their way down the web, catching all the energies of the stones and adornment, float down the feathers and into the dreamers head. One need never fear bad dreams again while sleeping under a blessed or smudged Dreamcatcher."
Other Interesting Facts
- The Dream Catcher was originally made by tribes such as the Ojibwa (aka: Ojibwe, Ojibway and Chippewa), from a hoop of bent willow with a webbing of sinew. The Native Americans hung them in their sleeping areas and sometimes carried them in dances and ceremonies.
- The Native Americans of the plains knew that dreams hold much meaning. The night air would bring the dreams to their people, both good and bad. So a web was woven of sinew, supple wood, beads and a feather, to catch the dreams as they drifted past.
- Hung from a baby's cradleboard or near the sleeping area in the lodge, it was believed to sort dreams, catching the bad ones while letting the good dreams flowed through to the dreamer. The good dreams would take the path of the web to its center and would float gently down the trail of beads and, like the feather, drift down into the minds of the sleepers below. The bad dreams would struggle with the web and always become entangled. The night would pass on and the bad dreams would be left to perish in the rays of the new day sun.
