Popularly known as good luck charms, a traditional dream catcher was intended to protect the sleeping individual from negative dreams, while letting positive dreams through.
Whether a dream catcher is cultural appropriation depends on how you use it. Use of the dreamcatcher in insensitive or mocking ways is seen as inappropriate. But you can do some things to make sure you appreciate Native American culture while using a dreamcatcher.
Native American dream catchers from the Ojibwe tribe were traditionally used as talismans. Their purpose was to protect sleepers, especially children, from bad dreams, nightmares and evil spirits. Native Americans believed that at night the air was filled with dreams, both good and bad.
With their beautiful feathers and distinguished patterns, dream catchers are indeed an artifact that spreads a calm and pleasant aura in your home. Not many know that these beautiful decor items have significant meanings as well. They not only add to the aesthetic vibe of your room but also regulate the energies.
The main drawback of dreamcatchers is that they should not be sold or given as gifts because the recipient would lose their good luck charm. The legend says that if you receive a dream catcher as a gift, you must give it away willingly so the person giving it will still have good luck.
Ideal placement for a dreamcatcher is over the bed. All kinds of dreams are drawn into the dreamcatcher and caught in its webs. Only sweet dreams make it through and slide down the feathers gently. The dreamcatcher's web traps all negative thoughts and energy, which release themselves in the morning.
All the different coloured ones are protective in their individual way. However, there are many who prefer the white and blue coloured dream catcher. These colours symbolize purity and hope. The white colour also symbolizes goodness, freshness, and light.
Bedroom: The primary purpose of these sacred items is to shield sleeping people, especially babies and children, from bad dreams and their negative effects. So, hanging them over or near the bed is the ideal placement of dream catchers.
Dream catchers are always supposed to be gifted to a person and not taken on purpose. Sometimes, even a piece of bone or a tooth... anything that is important to the person making the dreamcatcher was put in to remind them of the aim.”
For the most effective results, the dream catcher should hang above the crib or bed and must be exposed to sunlight. It functions by filtering the good dreams from the bad dreams; it captures bad dreams and only allows good thoughts and dreams to enter the unconscious mind.
It originates in Anishinaabe culture as "the spider web charm" – asubakacin 'net-like' (White Earth Nation); bwaajige ngwaagan 'dream snare' (Curve Lake First Nation) – a hoop with woven string or sinew meant to replicate a spider's web, used as a protective charm for infants.
Dream Catcher is also sometimes named as “Sacred Hoops”. Traditionally, these were used as talismans to keep people, usually children, away from bad dreams. Native Americans believe that the night air has both good and bad dreams.
Those who believe in dream catchers say that they act as a filter for dreams. They send good dreams to the sleeper and the bad dreams away. Traditional dream catchers are made with eight points where the web attaches to the hoop. These eight points represent the eight legs of a spider.
According to Feng Shui scripture, decorating Dreamcatcher creates positive energy in the house. This also brings positive thinking among the family members. The best place for it to have the maximum effect, it should be placed in balcony, verandah or on a window.
Much like our own energies, a dreamcatcher's energy needs to be reset every once in a while. Smudging the dreamcatcher is a way to sacredly bless it and allow it to work in the way that it should, encouraging you to only remember the good dreams that you have.
There are no scientific studies that prove, that dreamcatchers can help you with your sleep issues,, however, dreamcatchers are used for thousands of years to protect children and adults while they sleep.
How Often Do You Change a Dreamcatcher? While you can keep a dreamcatcher for many years or even your whole life, you may want to change it periodically. Most spiritualists say that you should change your dreamcatcher if you start experiencing nightmares and need a change in your sleep schedule.
Wind chimes blowing, bringing great sound, and pleasing, This ornamental bell is rich of feng shui symbolism, and in Chinese culture, hanging it can bring you good luck. The wind bell is feast for the eyes and perfect for self-cultivation.
Dreamcatchers are not just round hoops decorated with feathers, beads, and other trinkets. Every aspect of a dreamcatcher, from its shape to the various décor accessories, have a specific meaning.
Typically the DreamCatchers will last anywhere between 1-2 years depending on the way they are taken care of, daily wear and also the products that are used on them.
While the size of the Dream Catcher does not matter, it is the web that needs to retain its traditional form, for the charm not to modify into a mere showpiece”. Reading though the legend, to satisfy my curiosity, the Native Americans believed that the night air is filled with dreams both good and bad.
The hanging decoration dream catcher is perfect for car decorations, for wall decor hanging ornaments. You can hang them easily on your rear-view mirror or anywhere in your home or office.
The orange dream catchers are associated with stability and warmth, so it is common to place them in meeting rooms and dining rooms to promote good relationships. An orange dream catcher must never be absent in a great home that seeks the blessings of the spirits.
If you want a dream catcher for its actual purpose, catching negative dreams, then yes, it needs to be above where your head is when you sleep. It can be hung on the wall or from the ceiling. If you want it more for decorative reasons, it doesn't matter.
Dream catchers are often used to keep children from having nightmares and are intended to gradually dry out and fall apart as the child gets older. The belief is that the air is filled with dreams. These dreams are full of meaning and may be either good or bad.