Do you use prayer beads?

[Katja]

Any type, any religion-- Catholic or Anglican rosary, Hindu or Buddhist mala, Orthodox komboskini/chotki, Muslim tasbih, Pagan beads, Bahai beads, beads you invented yourself, etc. Do you use them? Have you made your own?

(I know there have been topics about this in the past, but it's been quite a few years, and I wasn't sure if I should resurrect older threads or create a new one.)

 

[Vinayaka]

Yes.

 

[Quintessence]

I've made my own, because the odds of someone selling what I was looking for were basically zero. The Four are a cornerstone of my tradition, so I wanted something to use as a focus for invocations to the Four. There's a local shop that lets you create your own beaded jewelry. I went there one day and picked out a number of natural stone beads to represent the Four.

 

[Salvador]

I don't use prayer beads, but I've known somebody who used beads for a different purpose than prayer.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

I am non-religious but I was thinking about making some for my own meditation practice. I do some woodworking and I have a wood lathe I can make beads with. Ethically harvested with local wood.

 

[Saint Frankenstein]

I have a set of mala beads with skulls made of bone to meditate on impermanence.

 

[Vinayaka]

I am non-religious but I was thinking about making some for my own meditation practice. I do some woodworking and I have a wood lathe I can make beads with. Ethically harvested with local wood.

I have thought of that too. Recycled wood is ethical. Really round beads would be a ton of work though.

 

[ADigitalArtist]

I have thought of that too. Recycled wood is ethical. Really round beads would be a ton of work though.

Yeah if you want them very precise spheres it takes more work. There are very good rounding chisels but for old school, low speed treadle lathes you practically have to sharpen between each bead to get a good cut. Electric lathes are easier.

 

[Vinayaka]

Yeah if you want them very precise spheres it takes more work. There are very good rounding chisels but for old school, low speed treadle lathes you practically have to sharpen between each bead to get a good cut. Electric lathes are easier.

I made a single ball for my granddaughter with several kinds of wood in the pattern. Tough but doable. It rolled quite well. Beads don't have to be perfect though. Revolt has a treadle lathe. Mine is a cheap basic electric. What do you have?

 

[ADigitalArtist]

I made a single ball for my granddaughter with several kinds of wood in the pattern. Tough but doable. It rolled quite well. Beads don't have to be perfect though. Revolt has a treadle lathe. Mine is a cheap basic electric. What do you have?

Treadle. Old Victorian style lathe bed on a restored singer sewing base.

 

[Ellen Brown]

I still have my Muslim Prayer beads, though the reason they are used now seems empty to me.

 

[Spirit of Light]

No i dont use beads. But i have heard about them

 

[Katja]

I've made my own, because the odds of someone selling what I was looking for were basically zero. The Four are a cornerstone of my tradition, so I wanted something to use as a focus for invocations to the Four. There's a local shop that lets you create your own beaded jewelry. I went there one day and picked out a number of natural stone beads to represent the Four.

How do you use them? Just as a tactile focus, or also for counting? What do they look like?

I am non-religious but I was thinking about making some for my own meditation practice. I do some woodworking and I have a wood lathe I can make beads with. Ethically harvested with local wood.

That would be neat. If you do, please post pictures.

 

[crossfire]

I don't use a mala nor a prayer wheel. I've never felt the need to.

 

[Ellen Brown]

How do you use them? Just as a tactile focus, or also for counting? What do they look like?




That would be neat. If you do, please post pictures.

I've been reading a story set in a Navajo (American New Mexico) background. I am unaware that they use prayer beads but there is just lots of jewelry.

 

[Quintessence]

How do you use them? Just as a tactile focus, or also for counting? What do they look like?

Mostly a tactile focus. There are four sets of them, which of course corresponds to there being four Elements. For each set, I utter a recitation that has something to do with qualities of the Four or correspondences of the Four. They are all real stone/mineral beads. I might have written down exactly what the beads were somewhere, but it looks like the Air one is aquamarine, the Fire one carnelian, the Earth one is a sandstone, and Water is sodalite. There are also five spacers representing Quintessence and I think those are onyx. They're cylindrical rather than round. Small brass spacers separate each bead too, and the ends have a little tassel with hematite and quartz. It was a fun project!

 

[Katja]

Mostly a tactile focus. There are four sets of them, which of course corresponds to there being four Elements. For each set, I utter a recitation that has something to do with qualities of the Four or correspondences of the Four. They are all real stone/mineral beads. I might have written down exactly what the beads were somewhere, but it looks like the Air one is aquamarine, the Fire one carnelian, the Earth one is a sandstone, and Water is sodalite. There are also five spacers representing Quintessence and I think those are onyx. They're cylindrical rather than round. Small brass spacers separate each bead too, and the ends have a little tassel with hematite and quartz. It was a fun project!

Oh, neat. I assumed you had incorporated all into one set of beads.

 

[Quintessence]

Oh, neat. I assumed you had incorporated all into one set of beads.

Well, it is on a leather string, so it is basically one set of beads. Maybe a picture would have been better... haha.

 

[Carl Smith]

I use rosary beads for prayer. It is made up of olive wood. Whether you belong from any religion, I don't think so you need any special rosary beads to do pray. Thank you!

 

[Ellen Brown]

I just found my Islamic prayer beads. I'm careful with them because there is the admonishment about repetitive prayer.