Have you ever given a thought about the pretty dreamcatchers that you hang on the walls of your room?

Dreamcatchers are spidery ‘sacred hoops’ with feathers and have long been a part of Native American religion, lore, and art, originating with the Ojibwe, or Chippewa, and the Lakota, a confederation of seven Sioux tribes. Dreamcatchers were gradually adopted by some neighbouring nations through intermarriage and trade. As one might suspect, the purpose of a dream catcher is to catch dreams—that is, to trap bad or evil dreams and channel good dreams to the sleeper. Dreamcatchers are usually placed in a window or above the bed, allowing the good dreams to drip down the feathers onto the sleeper. Some consider the dreamcatchers a symbol of unity among the various Indigenous Nations, and a general symbol of identification with Native American or First Nations cultures. An Ojibwe legend recounts that the dreamcatcher originates with Spider Woman, known as Asibikaashi who took care of the children and the people on the land. As the Ojibwe Nation spread to the corners of North America it became difficult for Asibikaashi to reach all the children and the mothers and grandmothers wove magical webs for the children, using willow hoops and sinew, or cordage made from plants. According to many, using a dreamcatcher in its intended purpose is nothing more than a form of practicing occultism as Native people can sometimes see into the spiritual world of darkness, dreamcatchers, or anything to do with the occult, merely attract evil spirits and demonic activity and provide no protection from them.

Essentially, a dreamcatcher is intended to manipulate the spirit world. Some people believe in the efficacy of dreamcatchers. Others are unsure but are superstitious enough to keep one in the bedroom. Still others see dreamcatchers as part of a cultural history or a piece of art that looks good dangling from a rear-view mirror. Though dreamcatchers are available in all pretty colours, there are underlying meanings in the different colours which will help you decide what coloured dreamcatcher you would like to hang in your bedroom. Colour can indeed influence a person; however, it is important to remember that these effects differ between people. Not every colour is your colour.

• A Red Dreamcatcher: Red is the colour of fire and blood, so it is associated with energy, war, danger, strength, power, determination as well as passion, desire, and love. Red is a very emotionally intense colour. It enhances human metabolism, increases respiration rate, and raises blood pressure. In heraldry, red is used to indicate courage.
• An Orange Dreamcatcher: Orange combines the energy of red and the happiness of yellow. It is associated with joy, sunshine, and the tropics. Orange represents enthusiasm, fascination, happiness, creativity, determination, attraction, success, encouragement, and stimulation.

• A Yellow Dreamcatcher: Yellow is the colour of sunshine. It’s associated with joy, happiness, intellect, and energy. Yellow produces a warming effect, arouses cheerfulness, stimulates mental activity, and generates muscle energy. Bright, pure yellow is an attention getter.
• A Green Dreamcatcher: Green is the colour of nature. It symbolizes growth, harmony, freshness, and fertility. Green has strong emotional correspondence with safety. Dark green is also commonly associated with money. Green has great healing power. It is the most restful colour for the human eye; it can improve vision. Green suggests stability and endurance.
• A Blue Dreamcatcher: Blue is the colour of the sky and sea. It is often associated with depth and stability. It symbolizes trust, loyalty, wisdom, confidence, intelligence, faith, truth, and heaven. Blue is considered beneficial to the mind and body. It slows human metabolism and produces a calming effect. Blue is strongly associated with tranquillity and calmness. In heraldry, blue is used to symbolize piety and sincerity.
• A White Dreamcatcher: White is associated with light, goodness, innocence, purity, and virginity. It is considered to be the colour of perfection. White means safety, purity, and cleanliness. White has a positive connotation. White can represent a successful beginning. In heraldry, white depicts faith and purity.
• A Black Dreamcatcher: Black is associated with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. Black is a mysterious colour associated with fear and the unknown. It usually has a negative connotation. Black denotes strength and authority; it is considered to be a very formal, elegant, and prestigious colour. In heraldry, black is the symbol of grief.

Choose for yourself, what colour you want to symbolise for your emotions. This has a psychological effect, and colour influences perceptions that are not obvious. Colours can also enhance the effectiveness of placebos.

Radhika Boruah
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Image credits: etsy.com
Feature Image credits: wikipedia.com