![](dream-1.gif) Long ago when the word was young,
an
old Lakota spiritual leader was on a high mountain and had a vision. In his
vision, Iktomi, the great trickster and teacher of wisdom, appeared in the form
of a spider. Iktomi spoke to him in a sacred language. As he spoke, Iktomi the
spider picked up the elder's willow hoop which had feathers,horsehair, beads and
offerings on it, and began to spin a web.
He spoke to the Elder about the cycles of life; how we begin our lives as infants,
move on through childhood and on to adulthood. Finally, we go to old age where we
must be taken care of as infants, completing the cycle. "But", Iktomi
said as he continued to spin his web, "in each time of life there are many
forces; some good and some bad. If you listen to the good forces, they will
steer you in the right direction. But, if you listen to the bad forces, they'll
steer you in the wrong direction and may hurt you, so these forces can help, or
can interfere with the harmony of Nature." While the spider spoke, he
continued to weave his web.
When Iktomi finished speaking, he gave the Elder the web and said, "The web
is a perfect circle with a hole in the center. Use the web to help your people
reach their goals, making good use of their ideas, dreams and visions. If you
believe in the great spirit, the web will catch your good ideas and the bad ones
will go through the hole." The elder passed on his vision to the people and
now many Indian people hang a dream catcher above their bed, to sift their dreams
and visions. The good is captured in the web of life and carried with the
people, but the evil in their dreams, drops through the hole in the center of the
web and is no longer a part of their lives. It's said that the dream catcher
holds the destiny of the future.
Bring me all of your dreams,
You dreamers,
Bring me all of your
Heart melodies,
That I may wrap them
In a blue-cloud cloth...
Away from the too-rough fingers
Of the world.
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