craftgrrl | Pagan Prayer Beads (Reply)

Thanks to everyone who commented positively on my last post. I don't make much jewelry. I actually started out making the rosaries and prayer beads I have below, then kind of got into jewelry as a side-effect. It's nice to know I'm not a total loser in that respect.

Wanted to share with you the main thing I do: prayer beads. I started out wanting to make a set for myself, then I made two, and then I had some beads left over so I tried another thing, and it grew and grew from there. I'll be showing my work at an Art Show at the end of the month, so I'm a little nervous. Under the cut are the ones I completed recently with a wee bit of explanation. The pics all pretty big, even the smaller ones, so people with dial-up should maybe run in terror.

The kind of prayer beads/rosaries I make aren't exactly traditional. They're for a pagan audience, basically, but are based on the modern Anglican rosary. Most of them have 33 beads arranged in three cycles of 11 beads. There are a ton of ways to use these for prayer or meditation, including a modification of the Anglican prayer cycle or just by saying the same prayer/mantra on each bead like the Buddhists do.

Most of these are Goddess-centered, but some have power/totem animal charms on them instead. As you might be able to discern from this selection, I love purple and I love dragons.

Heaven & Earth #1 (small) (large)

Heaven & Earth #2 (small) (large)

The main stone used in both of these pieces is Tiger's Eye with Amethyst and Lapidolite respectively. With the first I was going for a team effort - the Goddess and the dragon working together. The second one I designed to have more male energy.

Celtic Goddess #1 (small) Moonstone/Amethyst

Celtic Goddess #2 (small) (large) Lapidolite/Rhodonite

These were made with Christians who worship the female devine in mind.

The Whole World (small) (large) Lapidolite/Amethyst

The Mother's Love (small) (large) Rose Quartz/Lapidolite

Night Sky (small) (large) Moonstone/Lapidolite

These are the most common type I make - a purple Goddess with a non-animal charm/pendant on the end.

Raven Totem (small) (large) Tiger's Eye & Mother of Pearl

Watery Dragon (small) (large) Amethyst/Lapidolite

I don't make many specific totem/power animal sets b/c I never know if other people relate to their power animals in the same way, see the same qualities/attributes in them, or even feel the same connecting energy from the stones that I do. However, these just insisted on being made, and I really love the dragon one.

Wrist Mala (small) (large) Lapidolite

Rosary - Mala (small) (large) Mother of Pearl, Charoite, Blue Lace Agate

Both of these are based on traditional Buddhist Malas. I substituted a Goddess figure for the tassel in both of them, and with the larger one I gave it a sort of Rosary shape.