Southwestern Dreamcatcher

Dream Catchers

Native American Spiritual Tools

The dream catcher is hung over the bed at night. The night air is believed to be full of dreams, both good and bad. According to legend, the dreamcatcher will protect the dreamer from the bad ones by trapping them in the web.

With the dreamcatcher in place, only the good dreams will be allowed through to the sleeper. These good dreams will be able to find their way to the hole in the centre of the web and from there down the feathers to the sleeper. The bad dreams will be caught and trapped in the web until they are dispersed by the light of the morning sun.

The definition of "good" and "bad" dreams needs some clarification. Better terms would perhaps be "benevolent" and "malicious". Some very unpleasant dreams can actually be useful to us as a warning or because they contain some important message. A well made dreamcatcher will let these pass.

Dreamcatcher Designs

You can buy dreamcatchers from many sources - or make a dream catcher of your own. Some craft stores sell dreamcatcher design patters.

Traditional dream catchers were only a few inches in diameter. Nowadays it is possible to buy or make dreamcatchers that are far larger than these. Such designs are not true to authentic history - but that's not to say that they won't work for you.

Today the basic dreamcatcher design is well known and popular in many fields apart from bedroom furniture For example, some people also like to buy jewelry - for instance earrings or necklaces - with dreamcatcher designs. It's difficult to see how these can have any relevance to the traditional use of the catcher, however they do look good.