Prayer Beads

Image by Ryuugakusei via Flickr

Religions from around the world have used prayer beads as portable guides for remembering prayers and practicing mediation. Originating in India, the traditional 108 identical beads, usually made from the seeds of sacred plants, helped Hindu mystics focus there minds while chanting mantras. Buddhist monks and nuns borrowed the practice early on, possibly during the life of Buddha himself. They spread the practice through out Asia. It is still a fixed practice through the East. Buddhist, brought the rosary west ward, reaching Egypt, and established monasteries throughout Central Asia, and the eastern parts of what we know as the Middle East. When Christianity and Islam came into contact with Buddhism, they borrowed the rosary, and changed the design to fit their own symbolism. For example: the Muslim rosary has 99 beads, representing the 99 names of God, and one larger bead representing God himself. The one used by Benedictine monks, use 150 bead rosary, representing the 150 psalms. The most common, is used by Catholics, is the 55 Marian rosary, created by St. Dominic in the early 13th century.

As far as anyone knows, the pagan religions of the Western world, didn’t use rosaries before the arrival of Christianity. Modern pagans borrowed the rosary, changing it, just like the Buddhist, Christians, and Muslims have done. Adopting, and reshaping it to fit the needs of their own faith.

They can be used to honor deities, elements, ancestors, and help with spells.

These are some of the symbols, colors and numbers that can be used to make a rosary, they may vary depending on path, and personal preference. I‘m just putting this here , so others can get some ideas.

Colors:

• Red: Energy and vitality. Love. Corresponds to fire and the south.
• Orange: Fulfillment and abundance
• Yellow: Creative insight and new beginnings. Corresponds to the east.
• Green: Nature, fertility, money. Corresponds to earth and the north
• Blue: Wisdom, peace. Corresponds to water and the west.
• Violet: Spirituality

Numbers:

1. Unity of all things.
2. Duality.
3. Wisdom, prudence, harmony, completion, and perfection
4. Expansion, manifestation
5. Self control, and clarity
6. Harmony, beauty, reconciliation, Sun and universe
7. Victory, love, transformation, and magic
8. Clarity, intellect, wholeness and safety
9. Foundation, imagination, transformation, and the Moon

Symbolism:

• Acorn: life force, forest deities.
• Ankhs: Egyptian hieroglyph for life, close links to Goddess Isis.
• Bees: Messengers, wisdom
• Birds: Air element, the soul.
• Butterfly: Transformation,
• Cows: fertility, Sacred to many deities, including goddess Hera
• Eagles: transformation, clear sight, sacred to Zeus.
• Eye of horus: protection from evil.
• Flames: fire element, fire deities like goddess Pele (Hawaiian) Stones
• Agate: Courage, confidence
• Amber: Calms nerves, mental clarity
• BloodstonE: Life force, can be used for rosaries dedicated to warrior deities, weather magic.
• Citrine: Element of air, mental clarity, and insight
• Garnet: Element of fire, strong will, banish nightmares, and dream recall.
• Jasper: Protective stone, banishes negative magic.
• Moonstone: Lunar energies, calms the mind, help deepen meditative states, and the Moon.
• Quartz: Mirrors and amplifies any energy it encounters.