Dream catcher witchcraft is a spiritual practice that combines the use of dream catchers with witchcraft rituals and beliefs. Dream catchers are traditional Native American objects that are believed to protect individuals from bad dreams and evil spirits. They consist of a hoop with a woven web or net, often decorated with feathers and beads. The aim of a dream catcher is to trap negative energy and bad dreams, allowing only positive energy to pass through. In dream catcher witchcraft, the dream catcher is used as a tool to enhance and amplify magical intentions and manifestations. It is believed that the woven web of the dream catcher acts as a filter, capturing negative energy and transforming it into positive energy.

Dreamcatcher Legend And How It Came To Be

Native Americans of the Great Plains believe the air is filled with both good and bad dreams. According to dreamcatcher legend, the good dreams pass through the center hole to the sleeping person. The bad dreams are trapped in the web where they perish in the light of dawn.

It is believed that the woven web of the dream catcher acts as a filter, capturing negative energy and transforming it into positive energy. Witchcraft rituals, such as spells and affirmations, are often performed in conjunction with the dream catcher to manifest specific desires and goals. Dream catchers are often hung above or near a sleeping area to protect against negative energy during sleep.

How the Dreamcatcher Came to Be

Iktomi spoke to him in a sacred language that only spiritual leaders of the Lakota could understand. As Iktomi spoke, he took the elder's willow hoop — which had feathers, horse hair, beads and offerings on it — and began to spin a web.

He spoke to the elder about the cycles of life and how we begin our lives as infants. We then move on to childhood and in to adulthood. Finally, we go to old age where we must be taken care of as infants, thus, 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 will hurt you and steer you in the wrong direction.”

He continued, “There are many forces and different directions that can help or interfere with the harmony of nature and also with the Great Spirit and all of his wonderful teachings.”

All while the spider spoke, he continued to weave his web … starting from the outside and working toward the center. When Iktomi finished speaking, he gave the Lakota elder the web and said, “See, the web is a perfect circle, but there is a hole in the center of the circle.”

“Use the web to help yourself and your people … to reach your goals and make use of your people's 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.” (Note: Some bands believe the bad ideas are caught in the web and the good ideas pass through to the individual. Either account is acceptable.)

The Lakota elder passed his vision on to his people. Now, the Sioux use the dreamcatchers as the web of their life. Traditionally, it is hung above their beds or in their homes to sift their dreams and visions. Good dreams are captured in the web of life and carried with them … but the evil dreams escape through the center's hole and are no longer part of them. (Note: Some bands believe the bad ideas are caught in the web and the good ideas pass through to the individual. Either account is acceptable.)

Lakota believe the dreamcatcher holds the destiny of their future.

Obtained from historical documents and believed to be public domain.

Lakota Culture

• Oceti Sakowin — Seven Council Fires
  • South Dakota Reservations
  • Seven Lakota Values
  • Four Directions
  • The Star Quilt
  • The Medicine Wheel
  • Seasons & Moon Calendar
  • Lakota Quillwork & Beadwork
  • Tipi
  • Winter Count
  • Morning Star
  • Inipi
  • Women’s Dance Styles
  • Men’s Dance Styles
  • Powwow Etiquette
  • Dreamcatcher Legend
  • Origin of the Lakota Pipe
  • The Legend of Devils Tower
  • Iktomi the Trickster
  • The Great Race
  • Buffalo
  • Eagle
  • Dog
  • Horse
  • Turtle

  Dreamcatchers

  Sometimes referred to as "Sacred Hoops," Ojibwe dreamcatchers were traditionally used as talismans to protect sleeping people, usually children, from bad dreams and nightmares. Native Americans believe that the night air is filled with dreams, both good and bad. When hung above the bed in a place where the morning sunlight can hit it, the dream catcher attracts and catches all sorts of dreams and thoughts into its webs. Good dreams pass through and gently slide down the feathers to comfort the sleeper below. Bad dreams, however, are caught up in its protective net and destroyed, burned up in the light of day.

  Dreamcatcher Meaning: Web, Feathers & Beads

  All parts of the authentic Native American dreamcatcher have meaning tied to the natural world. The shape of the dreamcatcher is a circle because it represents the circle of life and how forces like the sun and moon travel each day and night across the sky. The dreamcatcher web catches the bad dreams during the night and dispose of them when the day comes. As for the good dreams, the feathers act as a fluffy, pillow-like ladder that allows them to gently descend upon the sleeping person undisturbed. There is some contention when it comes to the meaning of the beads that often decorate the dreamcatcher. According to some American Indians, the beads symbolize the spider—the web weaver itself. Others believe the beads symbolize the good dreams that could not pass through the web, immortalized in the form of sacred charms.

  Not a Indian produced goods as referred to by US Code Title 25, Sec 305 and seq.

  Black Pouch Dream Catcher

  Dream Catchers: Totally Not Pagan, You Guys

  I love perusing Etsy and Pinterest and getting great ideas and seeing all the clever crafty things that other people are doing to celebrate their spirituality, I really do. But for the love of Zeus’ kidney, y’all. DREAMCATCHERS ARE NOT WICCAN. They’re not even NeoPagan, if we use NeoPagan in the context of “modern Paganism based upon proto-Indo-European religious beliefs.”

  Want a dream catcher? Consider the cultural context.

  They’re Native American. And while there’s absolutely nothing wrong with appreciating Native American spirituality, it’s completely a terrible idea to appropriate it. In other words, if you’re not Native American, you are lacking the cultural and societal context in which something sacred like a dream catcher actually works.

  Now, before you send me an angry email, or comment below with OMG UR SO DUMB DON’T TELL ME WUT TO DO, let me clarify this. Can you create a dream catcher of your own if you want to? Go for it, I’m certainly not going to drive to your house and scold you. I learned how to make them myself, and it’s a fascinating and meditative process. But it’s really important to consider the WHY of the creation. It’s also super important not to cheapen it – in other words, if you want to create one to hang in your home because it calls to you spiritually, that’s great. But if you make one out of plastic and neon and hang a bunch of shitty fake crystals on it and sell it in your Etsy shop as a REAL WICCAN DREAM CATCHER NATIVE CRAFT, it’s possible that some of us will judge the shit out of you.

  Taté Walker is Mniconjou Lakota and an enrolled citizen of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe of South Dakota, and blogs about issues of interest to Native culture. She says, “The savvy among us know appropriation encourages the dominant culture to forget Natives are modern, contemporary people struggling to overcome nearly 600 years of campaigns to wipe us off the map.”

  Walker suggests that if you really want to honor Native culture and show your appreciation for it, there are other ways to do so besides buying a bunch of dream catchers. She has an excellent article on how non-Natives can be allies to the indigenous peoples and their beliefs and practices. In short, she recommends:

  • Supporting Native artists
  • Learning about and backing Native-led movements
  • Calling out appropriation when you see it
  • Supporting non-Native businesses that actively honor Native culture and craftsmanship

  Fordham University Law professor Susan Scafidi defines cultural appropriation as “Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else’s culture without permission.” This includes, obviously, spiritual objects, such as dream catchers.

  Scafidi, author of Who Owns Culture? Appropriation and Authenticity in American Law recommends, in an article over at Jezebel, that you “Consider the 3 S’s: source, significance (or sacredness), and similarity. Has the source community either tacitly or directly invited you to share this particular bit of its culture, and does the community as a whole have a history of harmful exploitation? What’s the cultural significance of the item — is it just an everyday object or image, or is it a religious artifact that requires greater respect? And how similar is the appropriated element to the original — a literal knockoff, or just a nod to a color scheme or silhouette?”

  The History Behind Dream Catchers

  It is believed that dream catchers originated with the Ojibwe, or Chippewa, peoples of North American. Tribal communities existed primarily around the northern part of the United States and the southern regions of Canada, in particular, around the Great Lakes. Today, the Ojibwe people make up the fourth largest First Nations population in America, and the second largest in Canada. Their history is a long and fascinating one, and the dream catcher stems from one of their earliest legends.

  In Chippewa mythology, Spider Woman, who was called Asibikaashi, cared for the people of the land, but especially the children. It was Asibikaashi’s job to teach them the stories of their people, and to keep them safe, but as the population grew and spread, it became harder and harder for her to keep a watchful eye upon everyone. In Spider Woman’s honor, the grandmothers began making webs of their own, made of sinew and plant fibers, wrapped around tear-shaped hoops fashioned from the pliable willow branches that were so abundant.

  These handmade spider webs were hung over children’s sleeping areas, to filter out bad dreams and only allow good thoughts to pass through. Feathers were hung at the bottom of the web, and the idea was that the good dreams would travel down the feathers to the child, allowing him or her to ignore the bad ones, trapped in the netting.

  According to Native Languages, “During the pan-Indian movement in the 60’s and 70’s, Ojibway dream catchers started to get popular in other Native American tribes, even those in disparate places like the Cherokee, Lakota, and Navajo. So dream catchers aren’t traditional in most Indian cultures, per se, but they’re sort of neo-traditional, like fry bread. Today you see them hanging in lots of places other than a child’s cradleboard or nursery, like the living room or your rearview mirror.”

  Today, many Native Americans see the commercial wholesaling of dream catchers as cultural appropriation – again, going back to what non-Natives may see as cultural appreciation, many people of tribal backgrounds see as a way of perpetuating and profiting from stereotypes.

  So, does this mean you can’t have a dream catcher if you want one? Not at all – the dream catcher police aren’t going to come over and confiscate it. But, like so many other aspects of modern spirituality, if you’re not a Native American, it’s important to think about not only why you want a dream catcher, but how you go about obtaining it.

  Dream Catcher image from lininhamonfredini via Flickr, Licensed through Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-2.0)

  

  They are believed to help individuals experience more restful and peaceful sleep, as well as prevent nightmares and unwanted spiritual interference. By incorporating witchcraft rituals into the use of dream catchers, practitioners aim to harness the power of both practices to protect and manifest positive energy in their lives. Some practitioners of dream catcher witchcraft may also incorporate herbs, crystals, or other magical tools into their rituals to further enhance the power of the dream catcher. The chosen materials are believed to have specific properties and energies that align with the intentions of the practitioner. It is important to note that dream catcher witchcraft is a personal and individual practice, varying from person to person. Each practitioner may have their own unique rituals, beliefs, and intentions when it comes to working with dream catchers and witchcraft. Overall, dream catcher witchcraft is a blending of Native American traditions and witchcraft practices, aiming to protect against negative energy and manifest positive intentions. It is a spiritual practice that combines the power of dream catchers with the rituals and beliefs of witchcraft..

  Reviews for "Dream Catchers and Moon Magic: Harnessing Lunar Energy in Witchcraft"

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  Dream Catchers and Astral Projection: Exploring the Witchcraft Dimension