Pagan Prayer Beads

Corvus: ...thinking about making myself some prayer beads, and figuring out what i want to do in that regards

EvonneT.Story: out of what?

Corvus: not sure yet

the simplest of course would just be a knotted cord

EvonneT.Story: i love the Fimo stuff

Corvus: i'd like to do one using semi-precious stones

EvonneT.Story: what kind of prayer beads are you making?

Corvus: well, i have two sets in mind simuletaneously....

EvonneT.Story: yes?

Corvus: one would be a simple strand of fourty beads--either all lapis, or a mix of amber and jet, or maybe amber, jet and lapis

Corvus: 40 being significant as an offering to the Goddess in traditional Wicca

Corvus: the other strand i have in mind is something which is a kind of minder-piece; having beads representing each of the sabbats and 13 esbats, the five elements, and the triple faces of Goddess and God--still adding ideas to that one though

EvonneT.Story: interesting

i don't know any Wiccan that has done this

in buddhism you have 108 beads

EvonneT.Story: it is apparently a sacred number

Corvus: there's a few out there; it's become semi-popular to "convert' Christian rosaries to Wiccan ones, and some folks have taken to crafting their own "rosaries", using the christian one as a model

Corvus: ya, i've been seeing a lot of those on ebay, while looking for beads....some wth the full 108, others with 54

EvonneT.Story: some times you just have a small cycle of 18 beads

EvonneT.Story: and you do that so many times

Corvus: all kinds of different types too--green jade, rose quartz, wood, bone...

EvonneT.Story: everyone likes to have the ones made from bodhi tree seeds

but they are not really made from those

those seeds are teeney little specks

Corvus: heh

EvonneT.Story: i was given a strand of 108 wooden beads from the Tibetan monks

:)

Corvus: very cool!

EvonneT.Story: i was happy

:D

Corvus: a special gift

EvonneT.Story: yes, and a nice surprise

I am looking at beads now. i like the color variation in the turquoise

http://www.buddhistmala.com/store/tibetan_turquoise_mala.html

Corvus: very cool

EvonneT.Story: for some reason i like the red beads in it too

http://www.buddhistmala.com/?gclid=CIStiJLYgo0CFQaHHgodDm_ziQ

they have examples of all the different semi-precious stones on the side bar

http://www.buddhistmala.com/store/stone_malas.html

EvonneT.Story: the azurite is pretty too with the different colors

i thought i would like the amber the best

but i don't

Corvus: heh...it is rather....yellow *lol*

EvonneT.Story: lol

Corvus: i'd have to mix amber with something else; i can't deal with that much yellow at once...

EvonneT.Story: they have different colors of amber too

the green and red amber is pretty

but some are more expensive than others

Corvus: yeah...has to do with the quality of the amber, the coloration, and it's rareity

EvonneT.Story: so you want to do the psychic self defense stuff

?

cat

chat

lol

Corvus: *lol*

More Beads and Sacred Numbers

Corvus:  well, on the note of prayer beads and the like, repitition can help a person protect themself psychically--by focusing their mind on some other concept, which prevents them from getting "snagged"

EvonneT.Story: kewl

like a chant

freeing yourself from negative thoughts that you can't stop at the moment

Corvus: yup--the chant itself can be protective in focus and nature as well--like the famous "yea, though i walk through the valley of death, i shall fear no evil"

my stepfather credits that psalm with helping him to survive being a POW in cambodia

EvonneT.Story: l love the 23rd psalm

especially the parts about walking beside the calm waters

EvonneT.Story: and laying down in green meadows

Corvus: course he changed the next line to "for i am the meanest motherfucker in that valley1" as his own token of prsonal empowerment

EvonneT.Story: yikes

i don't have his version on a little prayer card

what will you say for each bead?

Corvus: *lol* well, it was a very bad time....he doesn't like ot talk about it, and it's affected him all his life--he's only now starting to "get over it"

EvonneT.Story:  what will you say for each bead? [for the Wiccan rosary]

Corvusi haven't decided yet for the complicated one with the sabbats, esbats and all--likely something specific for each bead, relating to it's meanings....

for the 40-bead strand though, that would more likely be a "working tool" type of thing--for any type of repetitive chant, or meditation or the like

EvonneT.Story: i like the repetitive chanting

Corvus: rhyme and repitition

EvonneT.Story: it is easy to get lost in

Corvus: two common features in the 'old school" practice *lol*

EvonneT.Story: http://www.cauldronfarm.com/prayerbeads/index.html#wicca

this "classic" Wiccan bead necklace has 51 beads

Corvus: yes, ran across that site while looking online...

EvonneT.Story: interesting take on the prayers

no prayer excerpt on the academic prayer beads

i bet it is

"may i pass this test...

may i pass this test

Corvus: *lol*

EvonneT.Story: please may i pass this test...

Corvus: in wicca, certain numbers have particular significance; three is a commonly known one, since so much is done in triplicate--three goddesses, three gods, threefold rule, etc

EvonneT.Story: three is big in buddhism

and christianity too

in witchcraft

alchemy

three is just darn good

Corvus: 8 is another frequent one; there's 8 sabbats, 8 tools, 8 ways of making magic, etc

EvonneT.Story: 8 is one of my favorites

but mostly when it is laying down

;)

Corvus: *lol*

EvonneT.Story: i think last week we ended on a mention of blessings

Corvus: then there's the fivefold blssing, which consists of 8 kisses

EvonneT.Story: that is sweet

Corvus: 5 times 8 = 40; 5 + 8 = 13

which is where those two numbers come from *lol*

Blessings

EvonneT.Story: blessing is a way of bestowing good energy

the 40 seems like a luv necklace now

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqUAluDvuU4

i put up the links to that utube film

this is where the woman and her child have a near death experience

they are underwater for some incredible amount of time

what a story!

there are 8 segments to it

but what she comes up with seems like a kind of blessing

as a healing to the earth

you offer your good, positive feelings to the earth

her take on it is kewl

like her example of sitting in a chair, having a beer and watching the game

you realize how darn good it is

and spark that happy good feeling into the earth

:D

i laughed... but i like it

Corvus: heh

it's a good concept

EvonneT.Story: in 17 days, she is planning a big event

greenwich meantime 11:11

but i have not read to find out what that event is exactly

Corvus: *lol* the 11 11 significance

EvonneT.Story: i think we are all supposed to spark a good feeling into the earth at that time.

i like blessings as a special and easy spiritual self defense

the guy across the street curses your land

you turn around and bless it

case over

that is the celebration of the harvest, thankfulness of the spring coming, many things are blessings.

Corvus: kinda like the anti-hexes done by Powwows and other folk magicians--it largely consists of countering the hex with a blessing

EvonneT.Story: exactly

blessings is a transmutation of the negativity

if someone is bugging you

you somehow come up with the power to bless them

thus repelling them

or even bringing out the more positive qualities that respond to the higher energy

Corvus: yup, transformation through negation

EvonneT.Story: i find that tough though

sometimes i want to give them a good slap first

:-0

but it is a great power to be able to bless those that curse you

and when everything else is good, an easier technique to follow

Corvus: anoher method is to negate it/transform it through humor or laughter

EvonneT.Story: i am better at that one. :D

those are still higher energies than cursing, anger, etc.

Corvus: yup

EvonneT.Story: i see a lot of the opposite online

people really ride out the anger

Corvus: yah, saw that going on in a chat room tonight...a member got banned due to some nasty attitudes and actions towards folks in the room, and the negativity continued--people were dwelling on it--it was stpreading to infect other rooms as well

EvonneT.Story: it is something to see the spread the other rooms as well

Corvus: it happens particularly when a lot of the same people frequent the different rooms, but a few new people are involved

EvonneT.Story: do you do a lot of beading?

Corvus: not really; i know a little bit of this and that, but not much

Corvus: heh....my whole thing is i don't want to "reclaim" a set of prayer beads from some other faith--just strikes me as "rude"

EvonneT.Story: it struck me as sort of conflicting

EvonneT.Story: to take jesus off

and put your star on

hahahhahah

Corvus: heh...especially considering that a lot of rosaries are dedicated specifically for the Catholic fiath; all the ones i own were blessed and given to me after the blessing. I couldn't "reclaim" those, it's just "wrong" to me

disrespectful to the concept of the gift, the thought behind it, and the faith it is presented and used in

EvonneT.Story: oh yes! i definitely can see that.

EvonneT.Story: i am heading off line

thanks for coming!

i am up early tomorrow

good luck with your beading!

i am interested to hear what you come up with

Corvus: *lol* ty, sleep well ;

;)