How do you "clean out" a full dreamcatcher?

Question

My 8 yr old son has a dreamcatcher above his bed. He has been having some bad dreams lately, and he is under the impression that his dreamcatcher is "full". Is there a ritual that I can walk him through to "clean out" the dreamcatcher. I think this will hopefully ease his mind a bit at bedtime.

Answer 1

I would tell him that the feather needed to be replaced. It is believed that the dream catchers web catches the bad dreams and the good ones ride down to the feather to get through. So although I have never heard of a feather going bad. Maybe or son is Old enough to need a new feather. Possibly he might even be able to help you find the perfect one to replace the old one with. Beat the drums (pots and pans will do if no drums can be found.) and help him change it out

Answer 2

Traditionally, you can use sage (as a smudge stick) for cleansing of spaces. Only problem is, burning sage smells very like another herb that the law frowns upon. So if you're in an apartment or other people-intensive area, you may want to opt out of the smudging.

An easy way to cleanse a dream catcher (I'll include the smudge as part of this) and include your son in the process, is as follows:

You will need:
Sea salt
about 1 cup warm water (tap water is fine)
smudge stick
the dreamcatcher
a stirrer
and an uncluttered area (like a table)

Set all the items on the table. Some people use a special dish for the water and/or salt, but its not needed.
Mix a handful of the sea salt with the warm water and stir with stirrer. Let it stay there for the next step.
Have your son hold the dreamcatcher by the hanging cord. (There is a belief that putting anything through the dreamcatcher can disrupt it's good influence.)
Light the smudge stick and allow the smoke to go all around the dreamcatcher. (You can explain that sage is a cleansing agent used by Native Americans at this point, if you'd like.)
Put out the smudge stick, or lay it down in an ashtray.
Stir the salt water again, and hold the dreamcatcher while your son can do the next part.
Put fingertips in salt water, then flick at the dreamcatcher. It's okay if the water goes through the dreamcatcher. (You can also use it in a spray bottle if the dreamcatcher is not leather. If it is leather, don't let it get too wet!)

That's it! You can, of course, use the saltwater and/or smudge stick in your son's room if he wants, to help cleanse it of any remaining "bad vibes".

Best of luck!

Answer 3

What I do is smudge my dream catchers with sage, sweetgrass, or cedar. Say a prayer from the heart, quiet or outloud. Wash/purify the dreamcatcher with a douse of smoke from a smudge. It doesn't have to be a big ritual, just a smudge. Or, you can talk to him and cheer him up by pretending to wash it with him, with a dry sponge, but don't use water, it might wreck the dreamcatcher. If he believes in the dream catcher, the dream catcher is working. Even adults can believe in a dreamcatcher.

Answer 4

Any thing you make up will be fine, as long as it's involved, imaginative and meant only as a bit of fun, as in not a serious attempt to solve your Son's problem with nightmares(unless he lives in a Tee-Pee, there would really be no need to "air-out" a dreamcatcher)!

But I see where you are coming from: perhaps if he believes in the dreamcatcher, that belief alone may stop his bad dreams. A type of "sympathetic" Magic approach. Personally, if his dreams are causing him problems, I would delve deeper, but if it's nothing that dramatic then I see no reason why doing something like this could not go someway to relaxing him for his bed-time.

Good luck.

Answer 5

I know this may not be as "ritualistic" as the others, but...

The real tradition of the dreamcatcher dictates that the dreams caught in the dreamcatcher disappear in the morning when the light hits them... they kind of sizzle and fade away.
(They are dreams, and belong in night, so that makes sense).

So that's "the story". It is very simple, but not might be enough for what you are looking for.

However, a simple ritual of taking it off the wall and "airing" it out to dry in the sunlight, or placing it where the sun's rays hit it might be nice, because it is so easy, and he can do it without supervision.

So that's the traditional belief. Good luck.

Answer 6

Make a ritual with him, where you use salt to cleanse the dreamcatcher.

Answer 7

I've also hear of taking the dream catcher outside and giving it a little shake to clean them out.

Answer 8

My mom always taught me to shake out the dream catcher outside or vacuum them out. May be silly but I feel u should vacuum and not shake. If shaken outside what would stop the dreams from coming back in or given to someone else..

Answer 9

Smudge the dream catcher

Answer 10

Be careful of establishing "ritauls" with an eight year old.
More important is to find out why is causing his distrubing dreams. That is first step.

You can always pour Holy Water over dreamcatcher.
Us dab of olive oil (BIBLICAL) to anoint dreamcatcher and let him
assist.