I just entered "middle age" and have had a dream that recurs once in a while, and I've tried to find dream interpreters to find out what it means, but so far, nothing that really makes sense. (My ancestry consists of Irish/Cherokee Indian) I've been having this dream since I was about 16 or so. If anyone thinks they have an answer I'd love to hear it. The dream is as follows: It is pitch black and I am looking forward. I can't see them, but I know that there are many people here and we are forming a huge circle. We are also holding hands. There are "drums" softly playing and some chanting going on. A small Indian woman in a beautiful leather beaded dress and head dressings walks directly in front of me, making eye contact. She is chanting something over and over again.It almost sounds like "New tauw (like the sound in owl) shan-tah", or something along those lines...over and over again. The flutes and drums are still playing. She takes a small "drawstring style" tiny purse from her clothing, and pours what looks like sand or something in her hand. She's still chanting. She throws several handfuls on the ground in front of me, and a fire begins to burn growing taller and taller in front of me like a wall of fire. It forms an arrow with the head of the arrow point directly in front of me. I'm wondering what this means, when I wake up. That's it. Same dream every time I've had it, ending in the same place.

Hi Tracey,

You don't mention how you are feeling in this dream. When I first read this dream, I made the assumption that you were neutral, or curious, but when I went back and re-read it - there is no mention of how you are feeling.

As recurring dreams tend to the important messages, I do think it's important to know what you felt.

The dream itself looks like an initiation dream. Like you've got lots of support, yet something is expected of you.

The beautifully dressed Indian woman (who could either be representing a priestess figure, or your higher self - both even ) take something from her purse - and purses generally represent feminine power. This stuff looks like sand - which in this context could represent magic or time.

Fire is a very powerful symbol for initiation.

And then the arrow points at you. You

I think if this were my dream, I'd see it as a message of the importance of stepping into my own power - doing what my soul promised it would do when I incarnated here.

That's why I'd love to know the emotions you experienced in the dream - if you were terrified and feared for your life, that would change the meaning significantly

Anyway, that's just where I'd start if this were my dream

Tracey if this were my dream I would be asking the questions below:

1) In my dream I am one of many people forming a circle, holding hands. Do I have a sense of:
a) The gender of the people in the group (I might start by seeing if I know the gender of the people on either side of me and see if this tells me anything).
b) The age range of the people in the group. Are children and/or old people part of the circle?
c) Do I have a sense of whether my hands are up or down whilst holding hands with people either side? (It may be one up and one down, in which case is the left or the right hand up?).

I would also consider going back in to the dream to see if I could learn how it moves from being pitch black to my being able to see the Indian woman. What senses are at work here, and how do they change? As I gain sight do any of my other senses - hearing, smell etc - become weaker?

great interpretation deanne!is there someone holding you hand or someone very near you you wouldn t maybe aware of because of what s going on?you look like mesmerized by the whole thing.
i d definitely see this as a wake up call too.

Hi, Friends. To answer some questions, it is pitch black, then I notice a "glow" (as if there is a fire burning in the distance somewhere) when the Indian woman appears. Correction, though, for Deanna. The arrow is not pointing at me, but "ahead" in front of me. So I guess you'd say it's pointing "North". Yes, I am one of the people holding hands. Our hands are relaxed and down, much like you'd hold hands while walking or so. As far as emotions, I am not afraid. It's more like I'm wondering what I'm doing here, and curious mostly as to what she keeps chanting over and over again. I feel as though the sexes of the individuals in the circle is a mixture of male and female. I do not sense any children there. I feel they are all adults. Sensations are dull if not almost nonexistent. I "know" I am holding hands with people on each side, but don't necessarily "feel" their hands. I can hear fire crackling. I could hear that before the arrow showed up. I feel as though I'm at some sort of very important "event". Party wouldn't describe it. It's something more serious than a festivity. I will go ahead and add here that my whole life, I've "seen and felt" things I shouldn't. Known things in advance, for example. Had "dead people" (Some I did and some I did not know) come to my dreams trying to talk to me about people or things I mostly had no clue about. It was hard to tell if they were "dreams" or "real". My mother once took me to church for the "laying on of hands" to make this stop. Until my baby brother almost committed suicide because he was experiencing the same things. Then she told him about me and told him to talk to me. I can "sense" people's auras, and turn on or off the visuality of them and get an instant read of one's personality and what they are feeling. I can sense presences around people, or in rooms. Sometimes things pop into my mind about people. I have always felt "odd" or "out of place". I learned to keep it to myself because people tend to think you're crazy. Imagine my suprise one day a few years ago when one of my sons, my then 15 yr old son asked me if I believed in ghosts. I'd always shielded them fromt his and NEVER told them about myself. I asked why. He told me he'd seen them. He described them, and asked if I believed in it. We then had to have a chat about it. To tell the truth, most of the time, I wonder if it's all really "real" or if I might be a little "mental". At any rate, this Native American dream started around my teenage years and comes back to revisit from time to time. I've tried everything to figure it out. I've not told many about "me". I guess if they find me on the web, they'll know now. LOLOLOL

as forthe arrow pointing north,north is the realm of the spirit, ans spirit is fire.i dstill say it is a wake up callto embrace your gifts.if you have them it is for a reason and you should let them take you back to who you really.i know what you mean when you say you re getting mental,but i don t think you are,well this is not what i feel about you.having your son bringing back the subject toyou is a clear sign,especially if allyour family has a gift.moreover it still works out as being directed toyou as you seemto be the center of attention especially if that indian woman is watching you.isee lots of people having their attention directed towards you.but there s also someone very close to you that holds your hand and is waiting for a kind of answer,someone you don t seem to be directly aware of but for which you count a lot.
keep the flame alive!

Hi Tracey,

Both Deanna and Gemineye have brought out some good points. North does represent the realm of Spirit. It seems as if something is expected of you, as Deanna Says. Asha has some good questions to ask yourself.

"She takes a small "drawstring style" tiny purse from her clothing, and pours what looks like sand or something in her hand. She's still chanting." This is a medicine bag and she keeps loose tobacco in it. Tobacco is a very sacred plant to Indians. She is probably a Medicine Woman.

"New tauw (like the sound in owl) shan-tah"

Nun'-da (similar to new tauw) is the "moon" in Cherokee language.

Chan-tah-cha is "panther" in Cherokee language.

Tau in Kiowa language could be reference to "boy".

I am pulling out just sounds that may or may not be of any significance.

So, we have "north", "moon", "panther", and "boy".

I often have similar dreams like this involving Ancient Ones of Native American peoples. If this were my dream, I would take it to mean that I must focus more on my spiritual path, go within and listen to the voice of my soul which is eternal, find my strengths, and bring them forth to help others. (north - spiritual; boy - youthful spirit; moon - intuitive; medicine bag/woman - spiritual powers; panther - strength,cunning, stealth, courage) The panther (or cougar, puma) could be your power animal/animal spirit guide.

PS: Tracey, you are not mental, just very spiritual. The medicine woman could very well be an aspect of yourself, like a healer of spiritual leader. You more than likely have true gifts within you that you have not discovered yet that will greatly enhance not just your own life, but will help others also.

Deanna's Spirituality forum is a great place to check out these aspects of yourself with others who are also very spiritual and have found within themselves gifts they never realized they had till they began having discussions among each other.

Thank you, Phyllis!
I almost bit my tongue when you mentioned different sounds that likened to Cherokee words. My ancestry is primarily Cherokee Indian and Irish.
It make a lot of sense.
Now I just have to figure out how to find what my strengths are and what to do with all of this.
You mentioned that maybe the panther is my animal spirit guide. I had to giggle, because I have always been mesmerized by panthers at the zoo, or to see them on tv or whatever. Something about their eyes is almost hypnotic.
Anyway, thank you SO much. I will check out the forum you mentioned.

Hi Tracey!

I felt there was a connection I'm Cherokee, Irish as well w/some Polish heritage. I walk closely w/my Spirit side (Native American on my mothers side).

The first thing that came to me was more than a dream. I went between past-life and Spirit Guide and then a message.

The medicine woman felt to me to be a guide. "The Arrival" those two words came equally as swift.

I believe the next step, when you're ready, is to pick up where that dream left off (the arrow). I feel the woman comes in the name of God/peace, so a holy woman.

I believe you are a "see-er." And something you do or are doing, teams up w/a group of people preparing people for the trials to come. Past the arrow, I feel you will see more, again, the woman in the dream feels like she's saying:

"When you're ready."