You'll find it in jewellery too, such as earrings and pendants, and in clothing and art. Your dreamcatcher should now have a web of threads across it, with some delicate beads adorning the center. Once this is done, you can work the thread back to the hoop and tie it off securely. These days the symbol of the dream catcher is used in a variety of products – not just catchers to hang up. Before your dreamcatcher is completed, you should thread some small beads onto the innermost loops. The act of hanging up a dream catcher represents that you're keen to be more aware of your dreams and want to catch the good ones and hold onto them. The circle or hoop represents nature and the circle of life, which is an important aspect of Native American tradition. There's a lot of meaning and symbolism associated with dream catchers.

The good dreams are allowed to drift down to the sleeper, whilst the bad dreams come become tangled in the web, where they destruct as the first light of dawn shines upon it. The dream catcher, or sacred hoop as it was often known, is hung above the bed so that it can catch the dreams and thoughts on its inner web. They believe that during the night all dreams – good and bad – float around in the air. Dream catchers were traditionally made by Native American Indians as a form of talisman to protect people from bad dreams and nightmares.

Original traditional dream catcher