On the 8th Day of Christmas, My Soul Self Gave to Me Prayer Beads

Growing up in a Southern Baptist Home, the nearest I ever came to any type of “prayer beads” was when I saw a rosary in the home of a friend of mine.

I never really understood the use of a rosary until I took instruction to become a member of the Catholic faith in 1978. (Interesting side note: the sweet Jesuit priest who taught our class didn’t think I was serious enough and made me repeat the class! I think he was really surprised to see me when I showed up for the second series of classes that were held weekly for six weeks at St. Rita’s Catholic Church in Dallas.)

My in-laws bought me a rosary and took me to dinner to celebrate my first communion. The rosary came in a pretty box and it sat in my bureau for several years. I’m not really sure where it is now.

Flash forward to 2003 and Steve and I are studying mediumship and meditation and he suggests that prayer beads would really help with our meditation practice.

I bought a child’s rosary and kept it in my purse. I liked the dainty size and compact nature of the child-size prayer aid. I could pull it out for my early morning meditation or anytime during the day when I wanted to center and go within.

A few years later, I bought a beautiful mala of picture jasper, which was hand strung and tied by my friend Arthur Graye of Green Man Studios. Arthur makes beautiful prayer malas and each one is unique and hand-crafted.

(http://www.shopthegreenmanstudios.com/collections/prayer-beads )

As I hold the strand and count the 108 beads, I am able to go inside and “into the gap,” as Wayne Dyer puts it. My husband Steve says that counting gives the Left Brain something to do, while the Right Brain connects with Spirit for healing, communicating or just “Be-ing.” I agree.

Why Picture Jasper? Well, if you remember, I select crystals intuitively and then look up the meaning later. In this case:

“Picture jasper helps create harmony, proportion, creative visualization, positive things in business pursuits. It brings and shows hidden messages from the past as well as hidden thoughts, fears, and hopes. These qualities make it useful in crystal healing as an emotional/psychological healing stone.”

There are also prayer bracelets, made of gemstones and crystals. Wear the bracelet and then take it off to count the beads for your own meditation. You can get a meditation bracelet or mala of prayer beads in almost any gemstone, wooden beads and some seeds.

Whether you select a hand-crafted prayer mala, a rosary or make your own prayer beads, learn to meditate with a gemstone creation and make your meditation or prayer time a special part of your day.