Materials
4" - 5" metal or wooden ring
4 - 5 yds leather suede lacing
3 - 4 yds waxed string
Beads and feathers to decorate
Scissor
Glue
One clothespin

1. Start with the web. To make this, tie one end of the waxed string
to the ring. Make 10 to 12 half hitch knots around the ring, spacing
them about 3/4" to 1" apart. Keep the thread pulled snug between the
knots. Make the last knot a little closer to the first knot, as this
prevents a large gap from forming.

To Make a Half Hitch Knot
Pass end of string around ring. Wrap short end of string under and
over long part of string pushing the end down through the loop you
just made. Pull the string tight against the ring. This is a half
hitchknot.

2. Begin the next row of web in the middle of the thread you have
already woven on the first row. However, instead of tying the string
in knots around the first row of thread, just weave in from one
direction and out the other (front to back, or back to front; make
sure you keep the same direction that you used on the front row).
Continue weaving this way in a spiral until you have a small hole in
the center, but remember somewhere along to way to slip a small bead
or two onto the string to get woven into the web. This represents
the bad dreams caught in the web. It gets harder to weave as you get
closer to the center, so the weaving takes time and patience. Once
in the center, tie a small knot in the cord, add a tiny drop of glue
to the knot to hold it, and cut off any remaining string.

3. Cut approximately 9 to 11 feet of the leather suede lacing. Glue
one end to the ring, and hold it in place with one hand as you use
your other hand to wrap the ring with the lacing. Once you have made
a couple of rounds around the ring, you can then use a clothespin to
hold the lacing to the ring while the glue dries. (I use a fast
drying glue gun. It makes it easier.) Be very careful not to twist
the lace. When finished, cut off any excess lacing and glue the end
to the ring, again holding it with the clothespin until the glue
dries.

4. Cut a 6" to 8" piece of the lacing to make the loop used to hand
the dreamcatcher. Fold this piece of lacing in half and tie a knot
in the open end. At the top of the ring, attach the lacing by
slipping the loop in through the ring then pulling the knot end
through it and pulling the knot end so that it pulls the "hanging
loop" snug against the ring.

5. To make the hanging sections, cut the remaining lacing into two
or three lengths to hang from the ring. How you do this and how long
is your choice. Then begin decorating these lengths with beads and
feathers. Again, the styles, sizes, and colors is up to you. To
attach feathers, run a bead or two of the lacing, the put the quill
end of the feather just below them, add a drop or two of glue to it,
and then slide the beads down the lacing over the feather. If any of
the quill end of the feather sticks out above the beads, cut it off
as flush as you can to the bead.

This is just one of many methods used to craft dreamcatchers. You
will discover as time goes by that you become more skilled at
crafting these beautiful works of art and will begin finding your
own special way of creating them. You will also discover that each
one will have one similarity that defines you as the creator. This
is a subconscious "signature" that puts a little of the maker into
the dreamcatcher and gives the dreamcatcher it's power

SIRENS: Also called Mermaids, these are exceptionally beautiful
female spirits. They look lovely and sing so softly and sweetly that
men, especially sailors, fall under their spell. They are however,
very dangerous to know. Usually four to five feet in height they
often have a tail like a fish. Living beneath the sea, but close to
shore, they use their fabulous looks and seductive songs to lure
sailors onto the rocks where their ships are wrecked. Watch out for
Sirens on soft summer moonlit nights, when the silver sea seems
still and welcoming. Then they are seeking young men to drag down to
their wonderful palaces beneath the waves. The Sirens have a Queen
called Lamia, but she won't spare you. In fact if you hear their
sweet songs as you sail the seas, close your ears.

VODYANY: Quite the ugliest of elementals this fantastic creature
resembles a naked, fat, humanoid pig. He is about three foot in
height with a huge wobbly belly, bright red snout and is always
dripping wet. This water spirit can sometimes be seen sitting at the
side of rivers or ponds waiting for children, his favourite victims.
He holds a thick club with many colored ribbons on and uses this to
batter them to death. Some believe the Vodyany takes the souls of
drowned people and keeps them in glass jars. Not on many people's
party lists.

KELPIES: Also known as Mer-Men. These are the male equivalent of
Mermaids. Young and usually very handsome, they play the harp and
enchant the ladies with their music. Some say Kelpies are shape-
shifters and describe them in various forms, such as half man half
fish. Or as having long beards, yellowish teeth and red caps on
their heads. In some countries the Kelpies are thought to ride
dolphins and carry three pronged forks, like Neptune. Kelpies are
said to be soul stealers that take drowned humans to their
underwater homes. If you hear the gentle tones of a harp as you walk
beside some lake, river or pond beware. The Kelpie is a greedy
spirit and will snatch you down into the watery depths if it gets a
chance.

In transformational dream work knowledge of dreams and the skill to interpret them are only two skills among important others. In transformational dream work one further learns: how to enter the sleep and dream states; how to gradually and progressively over time work within the dream state while dreaming; how to emerge from the dream and sleep state; and how to reenter for greater dream memory and understanding. Sage in future correspondences will explore and present many of these tools.
ENTERING SLEEP
To enter sleep and dreams one should not be too exhausted. One should be relaxed and stress free. If not take a short gentle walk, listen to relaxing music or do deep breathing and relaxation exercises. When in bed continue relaxing and practicing gentle, slow, even breathing. Let your body melt into the mattress as if it were a warm wet rag. Ideally, the body should become so relaxed in bed, you are not aware of it. There are various ideal postures, but for now let's keep it simple. Sleep on your back or on your right side. (Don't' sleep on your stomach, though).
In later issues of Sage, elaboration on working with the breath and focusing the mind will also be introduced. For now, one can enter sleep and dreams by meditating through watching the breath while becoming absorbed in its sound, and the awareness of being aware - that one is pure consciousness, the inner Self. Let the in-breath and out-breath be of equal length - five seconds or longer each way. One should particularly note the space between the in breath and out breath, in which the breath stills and stops for a spell. Let this stillness at both ends of the breath be of equal length, and rest in this "space." This is when one easily experiences the inner Self.
One who has learned the currently popular Christian meditation called the Prayer of the Heart - focusing on the breath and spiritual heart center while repeating a short prayer or name of God - can integrate this practice here as entering sleep.
As one meditates in this way, one eventually enters a protected and sacred "sleep" and experiences and passes through higher dreams, or by-passes most dreams and enters a deep rejuvenating dreamless sleep in a higher state of consciousness. One may or may not remember these deeper experiences of the night, but one may feel the effects on awakening from the feelings of greater peace and rest.
In an ancient Eastern text, the Yogavasistha, there is the story of Bhusunda a sage in the form of a crow who lives in a wish-fulfilling tree. He has lived longer than any on earth has ever lived. When questioned by the sage Vasistha how he lived so long, Bhusunda attributed his longevity to his contemplation (meditation) on the life-force (prana) centered in his heart. He tells Vasistha that through constantly watching his breath and the movement of the life force with it, he has achieved a state of purity and an unshakable state of mind - "total equanimity" - which he does not lose "whether I am awake, asleep or dreaming." The Concise Yoga Vasistha {Swami Venkatesananda, 285, 1984}.
AWAKENING FROM SLEEP AND DREAMS
On awakening in the morning it is important to remain perfectly still before arising. If one doesn't move a muscle and keeps the mind quiet, one can more easily keep a continuity of consciousness with the dream state and thus more readily remember one's dreams.
While keeping the body perfectly still in the position you began to awaken, trace back in your mind any dream impressions. At first these may be fleeting. Just go back in your memory to whatever images or impressions you were aware of. It may have just been a feeling or thought, a color or simple form; a part of a dream or a whole dream. Whatever it is, trace it back from the last part of it that occurred back in time to earlier parts, if possible. Then, gently arise and immediately write it down. If you remember or trace back a whole dream experience, go to its beginning and then trace back further to see if the time before it, leads you into an earlier dream. You may remember the ending first, but no matter - trace it back until you recall as much as possible. Always look to see if there was an earlier dream or some other faint impression after finishing recalling all or parts of a dream.
When immediately writing these down after arising, write in the order they occur in your mind. You may find they occur in the order you were recalling them in bed. After writing one dream or those segments remembered, always look inside your memory for recollections, no matter how faint of another. Thus, you will trace back in time while writing as you did while in bed. You may even recall dream segments or whole dreams as you write which you did not recall in bed. Over time you may even begin to have spontaneous insights into the meaning g and nature of the dream. It is important to know both the nature of the dream and the meaning of the dream.

Translated from Greek, the word "astrology" means "the study of the stars." Astrology focuses on how the positions of the celestial bodies (planets, stars, etc.) impact human affairs, personality and more. Indeed, a number of people believe that astrology can be used not only to explain events that occurred in the past and that are currently occurring but also to reveal events that will occur in the future.


The Zodiac and Astrology Charts
Ancient astrologers used the constellations to develop the twelve signs of the zodiac. The signs of the zodiac are assigned to people based on their date of birth:

* Aries (March 21 to April 20)
* Taurus (April 21 to May 21)
* Gemini (May 22 to June 21)
* Cancer (June 22 to July 23)
* Leo (July 24 for August 23)
* Virgo (August 24 to September 23)
* Libra (September 34 to October 23)
* Scorpio (October 24 to November 22)
* Sagittarius (November 23 to December 22)
* Capricorn (December 23 to January 20)
* Aquarius (January 21 to February 19)
* Pisces (February 20 to March 20).

The signs listed above and their corresponding dates are those of the topical zodiac, a system on which the majority of Western astrologers base their work.

Chinese Astrology
In Chinese astrology, there are no constellations, as there are in Western astrology. Instead, the positions of the major planets (Venus, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars and Saturn) as well as the positions of the Sun, Moon and comets at the time of a person's birth are used to determine that person's destiny in Chinese astrology.

The Chinese zodiac uses 12 animal signs to represent the different types of personalities:

1. Rat
2. Ox
3. Tiger
4. Rabbit
5. Dragon
6. Snake
7. Horse
8. Sheep
9. Monkey
10. Rooster
11. Dog
12. Pig.

These animal signs are assigned according to a person's year of birth.
Astrology Critics
Although approximately 30 percent of Americans believe in astrology, many members of the scientific community consider astrology to be a pseudoscience. Ivan Kelly, a writer whose articles are often critical of astrology, once wrote that astrology:

" … has no relevance to understanding ourselves, or our place in the cosmos. Modern advocates of astrology cannot account for the underlying basis of astrological associations with terrestrial affairs, have no plausible explanation for its claims, and have not contributed anything of cognitive value to any field of the social sciences."
Despite such critics, however, a number of people continue to turn to astrology to better understand themselves and their place in the universe.

What is a Ouija board? Ouija boards came into existence as a parlor game in the mid-1800's, when spiritism and channeling were at the height of fashion. The word "Ouija" is a blend of the French and German words for "yes." Adolphus Theodore Wagner first patented Ouija boards, sometimes referred to as "talking boards," in London, England on January 23, 1854. In the patent, Wagner called his invention a "psychograph" and its purpose was to read the minds of people with "nervous energy." By 1861, Frenchman, Allan Kardac, was describing the Ouija board as instruments with which to open communications with the spirit world. In seven short years, the Ouija board had evolved from a mind-reader to portal of communication with the dead.

Modern Ouija boards were developed by inventor William Huld. Huld sold his patent to Parker Brothers in 1966. Ouija boards, as we recognize them today, look nothing like the original prototypes. The 20-25 million Ouija boards sold by Parker Brothers consist of a rectangular game board that is covered with a woodcut-style alphabet, the words yes, no, and good-bye, and the numbers 0-9. Also included with the "game" is a heart-shaped plastic planchette. The planchette is the 'pointer' that is supposed to glide over the board under the direction of supernatural forces and form comments and questions by pointing out questions and comments. Parker Brothers has marketed Ouija Boards under the tagline, "It's only a game - isn't it?"

Ouija Board - The Deception
Satan and his demons can use the Ouija board to give advice, or even to guide a person in a certain direction. This guidance will even seem to be true, good, and helpful. Satan and his demons pretend to be caring. They try to appear as something that appears harmless. The Bible says, "And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve" (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).

Satan and his demons will do this in order to get a person even more deeply involved in spiritist practices. Things like the Ouija board appear to be innocent at first, but soon a person finds themselves addicted to guidance from the spirit world - thereby allowing Satan to control and destroy their life. 1 Peter 5:8 warns us, "Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." The Ouija Board may be advertised as just as game, and that is exactly what Satan wants us to believe.

Ouija Board - The Truth: Are they Evil?
Sadly, many people are deceived into believing that Ouija Boards are just a game. The truth of the matter is that God views channeling, or consulting spirits or the dead, to be a serious sin. Deuteronomy 18:11-12 says that anyone engaged in these practices is "detestable to God." According Old Testament Law, the Israelites were supposed to stone (execute) anyone who was a medium or a channeler (Leviticus 20:27).

Why does God take such a hard line on things like Ouija Boards - something that many people view as a game? In Isaiah 8:19-20, God says this: "When men tell you to consult mediums and spiritists, who whisper and mutter, should not a people inquire of their God? Why consult the dead on behalf of the living? …If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light…" God points out that we need to come to Him for answers. Because God is omniscient and omnipresent He knows everything and He is in control of everything. Asking charlatans and unknown entities for advice can be worse than fruitless; it can be dangerous. God wants us to trust Him!

True recurring dreams are noted to have the same scenes or are at
least nearly identical. Nightmares are similar to recurring dreams
with the exception that nightmares may contain different storylines
while maintaining the same theme.

Each of these dream types hold the same function, however.

Recurring dreams attempt to alert each of us to specific "signs" in
our lives and continue to do so until we actually receive and
understand its purpose. Once we accept what the dream is trying toconvey and acknowledge its true meaning, the recurring dreams will
cease. Please note that if similar life issues arise, in the future,
the recurring dream may replay itself to aid in that instance as well.

Below are some examples of questions one can ask him/herself when
faced with a recurring dream.

1. Are my recurring dreams manifesting from a desire in waking life?
If so, am I acknowledging the desire or repressing it? Is there a way
to bring it to fruition, to obtain results to my wish?

2. Are my dreams linked to emotions such as anxiety or fear? Can I
uncover the emotion's source?

3. Do any symbols stick out in my mind? If so, what do I think those
symbols mean?

4. Does anything in my dream resemble waking life? If so, what
specifically does it seem to mirror?

5. What are my reactions and feelings when I wake up? Why might this be, and is there anything specifically in the dream that may be
causing this?

These dreams may appear as frustrating because they do recur, however one must know that it is for the betterment of his/her own well-being.
So please heed these statements: Pay close attention to the themes and individual symbols and see how it relates to waking life. Do not look upon the recurring dream lightly for the subconscious is only trying to strengthen the person as a whole. Furthermore, it is best not to ignore these dreams because they will only get worse.