Blood of the Pure - Chapter Eight - Dreamcatcher

Dream Catcher

 -Dream-net or Sacred Hoop -

The folk-charm we know today as the ubiquitous "dreamcatcher" was originally a very small charm, a tiny hoop, usually of willow-wood, filled in with an interlaced webbing of sinew or plant fibers to resemble a spider's web.

 The first dreamcatchers were crafted by the Ojibwa people (Chippewa) and were probably derived from or inspired by snowshoe designs.

Most dream catchers were used as protective charms for infants. The "spiderweb" would trap negative spirits that cause disease, nightmares, etc., and protect the child. The negativity caught in the web would be destroyed by the rising sun. According to most sources, the original dreamcatchers were made in honor of Asibikaasi, or Spider-woman, whose magical webs even had the power to trap the sun.

Over time, these charms were adapted by other bands, each of whom developed their own methods, materials, and origin stories.

There is some argument over whyat constitutes a 'genuine' dreamcatcher. The monster-sized, ornate leather wrapped dreamcatcher with large feather dangles, stones, and beads is largely a product of the modern resurgence of interest in native cultures that occurred in the sixties and seventies and do not represent any actual ancient traditions. Likewise, even though many modern tribes have adopted and modified the design, they are not traditional in the strict sense, and neither are many of the 'ancient legends' associated with them.

Blood of the Pure - Chapter Seven - The Eye of Horus

 Eye of Horus

Eye of Ra

(Udjat, Wedjat)

It represents the sun, and isassociated with the Sun God Ra (Re).

The mirror image, or left eye, represented the moon, and the God Tehuti (Thoth). (A very similar concept of the sun and moon as eyes appears in many religious traditions)

According to legend, the left eye was torn from Horus by his murderous brother Seth, and magically restored by Thoth, the God of magick. After the restoration, some stories state, Horus made a gift of the eye to Osiris, which allowed this solar deity to rule the underworld. The story of this injury is probably an allusion to the phases of the moon as the eye which is "torn out" every month.

Together, the eyes represent the whole of the universe, a concept similar to that of the Taoist Yin-yang symbol. Spiritually, the right eye reflects solar, masculine energy, as well as reason and mathematics. The left eye reflects fluid, feminine, lunar energy, and rules intuition and magick. Together, they represent the combined, transcendent power of Horus.

The Eye of Horus was believed to have healing and protective power, and it was used as a protective amulet, and as a medical measuring device, using the mathematical proportions of the eye to determine the proportions of ingredients in medical preparations) to prepare medications.

The Masonic all seeing eye, the Eye of Providence symbol found on American money, and modern Rx pharmaceutical symbol are all descended from the Eye of Horus.

Blood of the Pure - Chapter Six - Solar Cross

Solar Cross

(Odin's cross, Wheel of Taranis)

The solar cross is probably the most ancient spiritual symbol in the world, appearing in Asian, American, European, and Indian religious art from the dawn of history.

Composed of a equal armed cross within a circle, it represents the solar calendar- the movements of the sun, marked by the solstices. Sometimes the equinoxes are marked as well, giving an eight armed wheel. (The swastika is also a form of Solar cross, emphasizing movement.)

The cross in its most simplified form (shown above) is known in Northern Europe as Odin's cross, after the Chief God of the Norse pantheon. It is often used as an emblem by Asatruar, followers of the Norse religion.