2023-05-25 07:29:08
A dream catcher as a remedy against nightmares
Originally they come from the indigenous cultures of North America, but today dream catchers can be found as souvenirs all over the world – from Ibiza to Santa Fe. Anyone who buys such a wind chime decorated with feathers and pearls should know a few things.
With its round shape and the threads spun in it, the dream catcher symbolizes a spider’s web in which bad dreams get caught
Those: Getty Images/Apostoli Rossella
EThere are souvenirs that can be bought all over the world because they are universal and stand more for an attitude towards life than for the memory of a specific place. A prime example of such a product is the dream catcher. Wind chimes decorated with feathers and pearls can be found wherever hippies went in the 1970s and left traces of their lifestyle. Whether Goa, Ibiza, Marrakech, Bali or Santa Fe, between raffia baskets, colorfully embroidered textiles and incense sticks there are always a few dream catchers that originally come from the indigenous cultures of North America.
The idea behind it is charming: With its round shape and the threads spun in it, the dream catcher symbolizes a spider’s web in which bad dreams get caught. As soon as the new day dawns, the “trapped” nightmares are neutralized by the morning sun.
Because positive dreams are lighter and more luminous, they slip through the web and reach their destination, the peaceful sleeper. With a dream catcher over the bed you don’t have to be afraid of nightmares anymore. All demons disappear and the beautiful dreams take over the regime.
The circular shape of the dream catcher also represents Mother Earth and eternity as it has no end and no beginning. At the same time it symbolizes the cycle of the sun and its daily return. Feathers hang from each dream catcher. They are placeholders for the birds that carry away the bad dreams into the sky when the first rays of the sun appear.
The feathers hanging from the dream catcher symbolize birds that carry away bad dreams into the sky
Quelle: Getty Images/Shanna Baker
Adornments increase the power of the dream catcher. In this way, pearls ensure that bad thoughts and dreams are kept busy at night and do not affect the sleeping person. Comfort can be increased with crystals, and stamina with horse hair. Protection and serenity come into play again through the use of the color turquoise.
It is important to clean dream catchers regularly. Since it carries a lot of bad dream residue over time, it should be washed off with herbs like sage or with a little soapy water every few months. This is how it stays functional.
Where does the dream catcher originally come from
The first dream catchers come from the Anishinabe culture, who lived in the Great Lakes region of North America. Also known as Ojibwe in Canada and Chippewa in the US. The name means something like “first people”, the Anishinabe are one of the largest indigenous ethnic groups in North America with more than 330,000 tribal members. Other sources speak of the origin of the dream catcher among the Lakota, who belong to the tribal group of the Sioux and were also at home around the Great Lakes.
It was from these areas that the dream catcher moved spiritually and geographically in the 1960’s and 1970’s when it was elevated by the Pan-Indian movement as a symbol of unity among the various tribes and as a hallmark of First Nations culture. Then in the 80s he became to the Product of the Native Craft movement, which popularized indigenous handicrafts before making it to the forefront of esoteric-tinged New Age accessories in the ’90s.
A circumstance that some Native Americans criticize – they are bothered by the commercialization and see a cultural appropriation of the dream catcher by old and new hippies. Anyone who buys a dream catcher today should be aware of this problem, i.e. know, recognize and respect the cultural contexts and traditions.
It is also important that the right people benefit from the sale of this spiritual wind chime, i.e. the local First Nations, who make their living from the souvenir trade, should not be deprived of this source of income.
A good place to buy a dream catcher is Santa Fe, the capital of the US state of New Mexico. Every August, it hosts North America’s largest Indian market, the Santa Fe Indian Market.
Also recommended is the daily market in front of the governor’s palace, which has been around for six decades. A daily lottery ensures that as many artisans as possible benefit from the sales area in turn. A chat with the sellers is always possible.
If you are in Goa, Ibiza or Morocco, you can of course also buy dream catchers there. But please don’t do this spiritual object injustice and hang it over your bed at home – and not over the minibar.
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