Prayer beads

Discussion of ritual tools and other items used in the Craft.
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Moon Petal
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Prayer beads

Post by Moon Petal »

I’ve been reading about prayer beads and I’m wondering if it’s a just a tool for meditation and connecting to a deity then wouldn’t a gemstone work just as well? How do prayer beads differ?
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Siona
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Re: Prayer beads

Post by Siona »

Having an actual set of beads allows for a few things. In some traditions it's used to count chants without actually having to focus attention on counting. For example, 108 is used in many eastern traditions. The significance as to why can vary, but it can reflect a specific number of important scripture versus, represent various 'building blocks' of the universe, etc. Muslim prayer beads usually contain 99 beads, symbolic of the 99 names of Allah, as well as three sets of prayers which should be recited 33 times each (3x33=99). Some help you remember which order of prayers to pray, like the Catholic rosary has certain number of beads, smaller and larger, etc, and set prayers are said for each one, and each bead also focuses on a mystery of Christ one can meditate on. Eastern Orthodox prayer ropes may have 33 knots, as Jesus died when he was 33 (among other numbers).

Prayer beads in modern paganism can be used similarly. I know Kemetics who use strands of 42 beads for the 42 purifications. Or Hellenics who use say, 143 beads for the Delphic Maxims. Or maybe 12 beads for the 12 Olympic deities. Celtic pagans might have a strand broken into groups of three. Norse pagans might use sets of nine beads for the nine worlds. In hedgecraft one might use a rope of knots to represent descending into the unseen world, ascending back into the seen, etc. The number and symbolism behind it becomes part of the meditation. The repetitive movement of the beads/knots becomes meditative itself. It also helps one dedicate a certain amount of time to practice, something a lot of people struggle with in a busy life. You remember to sit down and pray your beads.

After repeating it so often, your body and mind come to know it. If, say, you want to sit down and do a repetition of 108 beads, you get into the meditation, and come out of it as you approach the end of the set, because you get a feel for the time it takes. That can be helpful for some who sit to meditate and go, okay, but how long do I stay this way?

That said, you can certainly meditate and chant without beads, or with another tool, such as a worry stone (a gemstone), drum, or something else. There are tons, and tons of ways to meditate, chant, pray, connect with deity, connect with the universe. Prayer beads are just one way - well, a family of many different ways as mentioned above, but not everyone uses them.
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SpiritTalker
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Re: Prayer beads

Post by SpiritTalker »

Strands of prayer beads are made of stones, seeds or highly scented rose wood or sandalwood. A chant or prayer is said for each bead as offerings & repetition aids meditation. People string their own symbolic sequences or refer to maylas with 108 beads as has been detailed by Siona. I made a single decade circlet with 13-beads of Rose quartz & green aventurine spacers.

The full 150-bead rosary has 1 bead to symbolize each Bible psalm. Beads are grouped in 5 sets of 10, times 3 to equal 150, yet the focus is on the New Testament. One prayer is repeated on the divider beads & another chanted on the strand between dividers. The position in the pattern tells you which story you're supposed to be meditating on. There are 4 different sets of 5 stories grouped by related themes to choose from.

Meditating with quartz beads, or whatever stone you like, uses the properties of the stone itself to effect the meditation.
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Moon Petal
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Re: Prayer beads

Post by Moon Petal »

I had a custom set of beads to Aphrodite made. They are stunning and I can’t wait to use them.
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