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Dreamcatchers are many things - one can enjoy them simply for their beauty, but there is a purpose behind them. As legend goes, the Dreamcatcher was placed over a baby's cradle. Its function was to catch "bad" dreams, so that the baby would not dream them, and allow "good" dreams to float down the feathers and enter the child's Dreamtime. The bad dreams, being caught in the net, disappear in the light of the morning. In this manner, harmony is bestowed on the child's life and he/she walks in harmony. (www.pacifier.com/~weare/legends.html)
There is another story that I came across concerning a Lakota spiritual leader and a vision that he was given. High on a mountain, Iktomi, the great trickster and teacher of wisdom, appeared in the form of a spider. Iktomi spoke to the Elder about the cycles of life, and the forces of good and bad that are present in each of them. He warned that there are many things that will try to interfere with the harmony of nature. As the Iktomi spoke, he was weaving a web within a hoop that the Elder had with him. The Elder was told to use the web to help himself and his people reach their goals, and to make good use of his peoples ideas, dreams and visions. The Elder was told that if the people believed in the Great Spirit, then good ideas would be caught in the web and bad ideas would go through the hole. (Slightly different from the previous version, eh!) The Sioux now use the Dreamcatcher as the web of their life. The good ideas and visions are caught in the web, the bad ones pass through the center. (www.cia-g.com/dreamcatcher_legend.htm)
Dreamcatchers are interesting constructs - within a hoop (and the hoop sized vary) there is a tightly woven web, with an open circle at the center. The information that I read was twofold: that the good dreams came through the circle in the center, then traveled down the feathers into Dreamtime, or that the good dreams are caught in the web and the bad ones pass through the center. While the reasoning varies - the result is the same: bad dreams are sent away, and good dreams are allowed to manifest in Dreamtime.
Dreamtime is when our defenses are shut down - when the mind is at rest, and we connect most easily to our Higher Selves and to Great Spirit. The information that we need to bring harmony into our lives - to bring resolution to our daytime problems - comes to us in Dreamtime. Anything that we can do to heighten the quality of Dreamtime is to our benefit, and to the benefit of those in our lives.
I was Blessed in that through my Internet contacts I came to be friends with a lady who makes Dream Catchers. Because I know her, I trusted her. I had her make Dream Catchers for both my sister and I. Each Dream Catcher was individual to the person receiving it (my sister also knew this lady). Woven into the web were tiny beads, crystals and objects that represented who we were as individuals - what our lives were.
Both Dream Catchers now hold places of honor within our homes. My sister placed hers on the inside of her front door. For her - this is a prime location, as she works from home, and has clients coming into her home on a daily basis through that door. My Dream Catcher is currently in my bedroom. I am planning a move, at which time the Dream Catcher will have place of honor in my study (I also work from home, and this is where I do my work).
Would the energy of the Dream Catcher enhance your life? Dreamcatchers can be found locally for many people, and they can also be found on the Internet. Some of my favorite sites are: www.pacifier.com/~weare/legends.html, www.teresastrinkets.com/dreamcatchers.html, www.oldwestgifts.com.
Thank you for visiting my Shamanism pages. May your day be Blessed.
Mitakuye Oyasin - For All Of Our Relations.
Bonnie Cehovet References: www.pacifier.com/~weare/legends.html www.cia-g.com/dreamcatcher_legend.htm
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