Dream Catchers Meaning

What do Dream Catchers Mean? What is their history and where do they come from?

Dream catchers can be traced back to the Ojibwes people, also known as Chippewa, self-name, Anishinaabe. They are an Algonquian-speaking North American Indian tribe who lived in what is now Ontario and Manitoba, Canada; and Minnesota and North Dakota, U.S. Stretching from Lake Huron
westward onto the Plains. Their name for themselves means “original people.”

Ojibwe dream catchers were made from willow trees and feathers and they were meant to capture the negative dreams that float through the air allowing only the positive dreams to slip through its web.

In fact, the Ojibwe word for a dream catcher is asabikeshiinh, which translates to spider, referring to the web-like pattern woven over the hoop.

What are the dream catchers meaning? The hoop itself is circular to symbolize the path the sun and the moon traveled each day throughout the sky. The feathers act as ladders that helps the positive dreams reach the sleeping person.

Legend tells that Asibaikaashi, known as Spider Woman, would take care of every creature of the Earth. She would lean over the cribs and beds of the children and weave the strong and delicate webs to capture anything negative. Since she had a prophecy to fulfill and had a difficult time taking on the task all on her own, the women around these children helped her by making the protective webs for their loved ones.

How to Clear a Dream Catcher

What happens to the negative dreams that are caught in the web of the dream catcher? Could it fill up and no longer work as intended? The dreams caught in the web are destroyed by the sunlight in the morning. That is why it is important to place the dream catcher, not only near where you are sleeping, but also in a place where it can receive direct sunlight in order to get rid of the negative dreams trapped within it. It is also not a bad idea to periodically cleanse the catcher. One way you can do this is by using sage. Be sure to focus on your intention as you waft the smoke through the intricate threads of the dream catcher.