The meaning and magical power of a dream catcher - application and manufacture

In modern society, Eastern and Western cultures, religions, beliefs are mutually integrated and complement each other. However, when accepting various amulets, talismans, and amulets of other peoples, it is important to understand their history, purpose and action.

Dream catchers came to us from the Indians of North America. In many tribes, such as the Ojibwe, Navajo, Cree, Cherokee, Iroquois, etc., such wicker amulets were used to protect the home from disease and evil spirits. It was believed that evil spirits, illnesses and bad dreams became entangled in the woven web, while good spirits and good dreams could pass through holes in the pattern.

Dreamcatcher: general concept

A dream catcher is a popular amulet for the home that protects dreams.
Among peoples who believe in the world of spirits, it is believed that terrible dreams are generated by dark forces. Therefore, to protect against nightmares, a talisman is needed. The catcher of gossip is woven in such a way as to let only good through and trap evil between the threads.

By protecting those sleeping from evil spirits, such an amulet helps solve many problems: improve health, attract success, get answers to questions.

Description: what it looks like

There are several types of dream traps. Most often they come in the shape of a circle, but there are other options, for example, in the form of a spiral or triangle.

Each “trap” has 3 required elements:

1. The hoop is a symbol of the cycle of life.
2. A “web” of threads inside the hoop is a filter for perfume.
3. The hole in the center is a passage for good forces.

Also often, flowing feathers are attached to the “trap” - paths for spirits. Stones, beads and animal skins are woven into the traps.

Purpose of use: who is the “trap” suitable for?

Most often, the amulet is used by those who need to cope with stress, anxiety, insomnia and nightmares. However, as a protection against evil forces, the “trap” is suitable for everyone.

Films of the same name

The amulet often becomes a full-fledged character in works of art. The sci-fi horror film of the same name, based on the Stephen King novel, was released in 2003. The plot centers on four childhood friends who have to fight aliens. The film received mostly negative reviews and was a box office failure.

Another film with the same name, not related to King's novel, was released in 2021. This picture is more consistent with “The Hunter”. The plot centers on a child who is tormented by nightmares. The film was released in the US in April 2021 and received fairly low ratings. The film's release in Russia is scheduled for August.

History of appearance

It is believed that dream catchers first appeared among the Indian tribes of North America. However, they are also used by other peoples who believe in the world of spirits, for example, Siberian shamans.

The Indians have a beautiful legend that tells where the dream catcher came from. When the leader of the Dakota tribe was sitting on a hill and meditating, a patron spirit appeared to him in the form of a large spider. They talked about the meaning of life, about life and death. At the end of the conversation, the spirit took a willow branch, bent it into a ring, and wove a web inside. He said that all the bad things from the night's dreams will get tangled up in this web and burn in the dawn rays of the sun. Since then, the Indians began to make such amulets.

Where to place the amulet?

A dream catcher is an amulet intended for the room in which a person sleeps. There are two placement methods:

1. The product is hung above the bed or over a baby's cradle.
2. The amulet is attached to the window frame in the bedroom. It is believed that dreams come to a person through a window. The catcher will miss good dreams and delay nightmares.

It is important to place the catcher so that it receives direct sunlight during the day. With sunrise, the amulet will be cleansed daily of accumulated negative energy. When a product hangs in a shaded place, it is not freed from negativity. As a result, bad energy passes into a person through sleep.

Main types and options

Despite the fact that the action of the catcher of each nation is almost the same, everyone makes them a little differently.

Classical

Nowadays, the amulet of the Navajo tribe is considered classic. It is often found in movies or gift shops.

The amulet is a wooden hoop with a woven mesh inside and a hole in the middle. Flowing feathers are attached to the hoop below.

The dream catcher is a powerful talisman of the Navajo Indians.

Indian

This is the name of the “trap”, which is considered traditional by the Ojibwe and Cree tribes. This is a hoop made of wood, inside of which there are 8 or 12 radial threads, where 8 means the number of spider legs, and 12 means the cyclicity of time.

It is not customary to attach feathers to such a talisman.

Asian totem

This catcher looks like an Indian one. But unlike it, in the center of the Asian catcher there is a picture with the owner’s Zodiac sign. Also, figures and pictures of animals are attached to such a talisman.

Kytgyem - a “trap” for the dreams of Siberian shamans

The catcher of Siberian shamans has a slightly different purpose than the Indian and Asian ones. Shamans used the catcher to communicate in dreams with the spirits that were caught in it.

The Siberian catcher is made according to more strict rules. It should have 36 thread attachment points. The threads must be black or blue. In the center of the catcher there is a piece of animal skin - a bait for spirits. From the skin to the edges of the “trap”, 1 more red thread is woven in a spiral between the threads. She symbolizes the sun. There are 4 laces coming out from the center of the leather. These are paths for spirits. Sometimes the hoop is braided with strips of animal fur.

Kytgyem is a shamanic dream catcher.

Slavic

The Slavs made amulets against insomnia in the form of dolls. For example, in Siberia it was a forked branch braided with threads. Like the Indian trapper, the doll was hung above the bed.

Varieties of Dream Catchers

Dream catchers have been used for centuries, by different peoples. In this regard, several types of this amulet have appeared, having both small additions and a completely different form:

• Navajo. The most famous version of the amulet for the common man. It consists of a hoop with a web stretched over it.
• Ojibwe Web. It is considered the very first variety of Dream Catcher. It resembles the version from the Navaja tribe, but you need to weave it in such a way that bait is placed in the hole in the middle: dried meat, a small tuft of hair.
• Seven lights. Radically different from all other catchers. It is a spiral symbolizing the legend of the “Seven Lights” - the eras predicted by 7 prophets.
• Kytgyem. It is an Asian version of Dreamcatcher. Used by shamans of Siberia and Altai. The legend of the Mansi people “About the Sleepy Man” is associated with this amulet. In appearance it resembles the classic catcher of the Ojibwe people.

The shape of the male and female version of the catcher should not be combined; they differ in appearance by the weaving pattern and each should be used according to its own rules.

The nuances of decoration and the role of each element

Each element of the catcher - its shape, color and material - has its own meaning.

1. The circle means wholeness and infinity.
2. The willow branch symbolizes life: at first it is fresh, then it dries up and breaks.
3. “The Web” is a map of the roads of human life. They can be intertwined, short or long, curvy or straight.
4. Feathers symbolize lightness, breath and wind. For female catchers, an owl feather is used as a symbol of wisdom, for male catchers - an eagle feather (the personification of courage).
5. Beads, stones, knots and horsehair give the amulet strength.

Meaning of colors

The colors of the amulet are also of great importance, because each has its own energy:

1. White is the color of purity and tranquility.
2. Green is charged with the energy of growth and development.
3. Pink symbolizes love and tenderness.
4. Orange represents sunlight.
5. Red has fire energy and increases self-esteem.
6. Purple is the color of wisdom. He pacifies.
7. Black is the color of resilience.
8. Blue - symbolizes harmony with the world.

The colors used in making a dream catcher have a special meaning.

What does filling the catcher mean?

Each element present on the dream catcher has its own meaning. All tribes endow the jewelry used to make the amulet with a special magical meaning.

Beads:

• single - a symbol of a spider that weaves its web;
• four at once - used to indicate cardinal directions;
• many, randomly placed throughout the grid - symbolize the dew of a fresh morning, renewal, the beginning of a new life.

The Indians chose wood or bone to make beads. The rarest were jewelry and gems - as a rule, these materials were not common among the tribes of South America.

Feathers:

• For future warriors, feathers of eagles and other feathered predators were used in amulets. The main thing is that their owner is proud, strong and resilient, and can give the boy courage and courage.
• Amulets with owl feathers were made for girls - after all, this wise bird could, with its protection, make the future mother smart and prudent.
• The general meaning of these decorations is air, breath, i.e. the most necessary thing for a person in life.
• Color:
• Black - symbolized the masculine principle, cold and night, death and illness, the world of the dead, the West;

Blue – feminine principle, sky and clouds, lightning and thunderstorm, moon, water, sadness, north;

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• Green is a symbol of earth, plants, summer;
• Red – day, war, injury, thunderstorm, east;
• White – snow and winter, death, south;
• Yellow is a symbol of the Sun, dawn and the coming day.

Criteria for choosing an amulet

To choose the right amulet, you need to understand the purpose for which it is purchased or made.

For myself

If the amulet is used exclusively as an interior decoration, you should pay attention only to its aesthetic effect. Materials and colors can be chosen according to your mood. For example, synthetic feathers or bead patterns can be used to make such a catcher.

However, if the catcher works as a talisman, you need to make sure that it is made only from natural materials. Bird feathers should be undyed and picked up during the bird's molt, rather than plucked.

You can make the amulet yourself. In this case, there will be no doubt about the quality of the “trap”, and each of its elements will be chosen consciously and with meaning.

For a gift

The catcher can be given as a decoration and amulet.

If it's just decoration, you don't have to follow any special rules.

The amulet can only be given with sincere love and wishes for good. Presenting the catcher with negative feelings, such as anger or envy, can get the person into trouble.

Ritual for charging the amulet

When the amulet is made with your own hands, it is charged with the energy of the master. Therefore, after purchasing a catcher, you should clean it and perform a special ritual with it in order to charge it with your energy.

There are different rituals for charging the amulet. One of them is charging with the help of the sun.

The ritual is carried out during the waxing moon. To do this, you need to take the “trap” outside and expose it to the sun’s rays.

Activation of the amulet using the sun's rays.

Then try to feel the love for nature, the universe and pronounce the spell:

“Reveal to me all the secrets of the universe, Guardian. Surround me with warm light, protect me from dark thoughts and evil intentions.”

How to activate and clean?

Before use, refresh the Catcher from negativity. The best way to remove bad energy is sun treatment. This way all bad dreams are burned out. But to enhance the effect, place the sleeping amulet under a light breeze. To cleanse and charge energy, you can hold a lit candle near the catcher. To activate, the words are said: “Open my dreams, dreamer, open the melodies of my heart, so that I can be enveloped in a blanket of a light cloud and protected from the rough world.” At the same time, you need to visualize positive thoughts to yourself and not wish anything bad. So, the Catcher acts even more powerfully.

Ways to clean a dream catcher

The catcher, like other amulets, requires periodic cleaning, because it constantly passes different energies through itself. There are several ways to clean amulets:

1. To cleanse the amulet with the help of the sun, you need to take it outside and place it so that the sun's rays pass through it. The more time it takes to clean, the better.
2. You can use a church candle for cleaning. To do this, you need to move a lit candle around the amulet until it burns, imagining how the negative energy burns in the flame.
3. In winter, you can clean the catcher using snowflakes. To do this, you need to take it out for a while in the snow.

Where should you hang the amulet?

Rules:

• choosing a place so that air currents pass through the catcher (this way he will catch more dreams);
• being near the owner’s sleeping place, preferably at the head of the bed (strengthens protective qualities);
• exposure to sunlight during the day (morning rays destroy evil spirits).

The best place for the amulet is the head of the bed at a short distance from the wall, in a strip of morning light. If it is not possible to place the talisman exactly this way, hang it in the center of the room or near the window.

If there are natural stones in the snares, they do not need to be cleaned of negative energy, but it is important to protect them from irradiation so that the minerals do not lose their beauty. Mystics believe that in a room guarded by a catcher with stones, you can never open the curtains, but the space will still be clean of negativity. If protective minerals are used (turquoise, hematite, carnelian), hang the item in the center of the room.

The best place for snares is the head of the bed

If a trap is made with malachite and without other stones, it requires regular energetic cleansing.

Those who practice lucid dreaming are advised to hang a trap near the place of spiritual practice.

DIY tips and tricks: step-by-step instructions

You can make a catcher yourself. It's easy even for beginners if you follow the step-by-step instructions. To make a catcher-amulet, you must use only natural materials. However, if the catcher is made solely as a decorative element, it can be made from anything. Required materials and tools:

1. Willow branches or the inside of the hoop for the base.
2. Floss or iris threads in different colors.
3. Feathers.
4. Beads and stones for decoration.
5. Ribbons and fabric for braiding the base.
6. Scissors.
7. Glue.
8. Needle.

You need to start making a dream catcher with the selection of materials.

The basis

The willow branch must be carefully bent into a ring and one end braided around the other. In this case, the base does not need to be braided with threads or ribbons, because it already looks beautiful.

If a hoop or other artificial ring is used as a base, it must be braided with threads or ribbons.

To braid a ring with thread, you need to insert it into a needle and fold it in half. Next, the thread is placed on the ring from above, the needle is inserted behind the ring from behind and pulled between the 2 threads. In this way, a knot is formed from the thread, which is tightened tightly. This manipulation is repeated until the ring is tightly braided.

"Web"

To create a “web” inside the ring, you can use the following weaving pattern:

1. First, the attachment points on the base are designated. To do this, you need to measure the circumference and divide it by the number of attachment points and a half. For example, if the circumference is 60 cm and you need 8 attachment points, 60 is divided by 8.5.
2. The thread is fixed at the first point. Then it extends to the second point, bends around the warp and thread on the left. This creates a ring around the base. Next, the thread is pulled to the next attachment point.
3. The next circle is made in the same way as the previous one, but the middle of the thread of the previous circle is taken as the attachment point.

Scheme for weaving a “web” for a dream catcher.
During the weaving process, you can decorate the catcher with beads and stones by stringing them on a thread.

You need to leave an empty ring in the center of the weaving.

Other techniques are also used for weaving, such as macrame or crochet.

Decorations

To decorate the catcher, you need to attach several threads to the bottom of the base and to its sides. Beads are strung on threads and secured at the bottom with a knot. Feathers are attached to the ends of the threads.

Shape - classic option

The traditional shape of a dream catcher made by the Ojibwa tribe is a round or teardrop-shaped hoop that is about 10 ms in diameter. It is bent from a vine, entwined with tendons, painted red according to ancient custom. Nettle fiber forms a kind of mesh in the inner space of the rim, similar to the weaving of “snowshoes”. To knit it, 8 fastenings are made along the entire perimeter of the hoop.

The mesh is made by gradually narrowing the nodes in a circle with an indispensable central hole. It is mandatory to use beads and feathers suspended from the hoop, which are selected as individual additional amulets.

Tattoo meaning

Nowadays it is popular to depict a dream catcher in a tattoo. And although such a picture does not have any magical properties, for some, the presence of the outlines of the amulet on the body gives psychological comfort.

In addition to the meaning of a talisman, such a tattoo can reflect a person’s love for the forces of nature, his interest in magic, folk or Indian culture.

A dream catcher in the form of a tattoo will protect a person from negative energy.

Interesting video on the topic

The video presents ways to create a circle for an amulet, methods and materials for weaving it, and shows the process of creating a cobweb.

Dream catchers are protective amulets that help a person avoid the influence of evil spirits at night, as well as receive clues for the future and find harmony in family relationships. A large number of varieties allows you to choose the version of the amulet with which the most comfortable connection will be established. It is also permissible to use not a real object, but its image on the body in the form of a tattoo.

Possible harm and dangers

A dream catcher is a magical item associated with the world of spirits and energies.

Before buying or making such a talisman, you need to know about the dangers associated with it:

1. In order for the “trap” to let positive energies through and retain negative ones, and not vice versa, you need to be careful when making it: use the right materials and know what each element of the amulet symbolizes.
2. In order not to charge the amulet with negativity, when making it you need to concentrate on good thoughts.
3. To prevent negative energy from accumulating in the amulet, it should be cleaned regularly (once a month).
4. You can only accept a talisman as a gift from people you know. At the same time, you need to be sure that they do this with good intentions, because a talisman given with negativity can bring misfortune to the owner.

If the “trap” is used for decoration, it does not pose any danger. However, if such a talisman was purchased in a special store of magical attributes, it is unknown how it was used before. Therefore, it is better to clean it.

How to choose

In order for the trap to help, the features of its appearance are taken into account. Avoid buying generic cheap products. A talisman made of plastic and artificial feathers is useless. Some even attract insomnia and bad dreams. An amulet made from natural materials with positive thoughts will bring goodness to a person.

Selection rules:

• for a woman's trap with owl feathers;
• for men - eagle feathers;
• for insight into the past with parrot feathers.

Feathers from live birds are used for production.

You can use taken from:

• polar owl;
• falcon;
• hawk;
• buzzard;
• eagle owl.

When choosing a trap, look closely at the pebbles woven into it. Plastic and glass counterfeits make the product useless. Only natural ones are appropriate.

The most useful:

• rauchtopaz (protects, increases sensitivity, improves memory);
• amethyst (clarifies thoughts, drives away bad dreams, helps to get to the heart of events);
• rock crystal (promotes lucid dreams);
• obsidian (protects, protects from attacks of ill-wishers).

You can decorate snares with stones

When choosing, do not pay attention to the sizes - any fit. Focus on your taste.

Another factor of choice is the design of the center. If it is open, the amulet attracts good visions. It is universal and suitable for everyone. The product, the center of which is covered by a bead, must be regularly cleansed of negative energy. This is suitable for a person experienced in working with amulets.