Friday October 24th, 2008
Prayer Beads
The use of prayer beads is common in all major religions, though each tradition dictates it’s own configurations and practices. In the Christian tradition, the desert fathers of the first few centuries were known to recite the 150 Psalms daily and use knotted ropes as a means of keeping track. Others wanting to emulate this practice began stringing small stones together instead. Today, Catholic, Orthodox, and Anglican Christians all have their own versions.
Since I’m not Catholic, Orthodox, or Anglican, I have created my own configuration - though they are very close to Anglican prayer beads and Muslim Misbaha - without any obvious religious symbols and wear it double-looped on my wrist (which would be frowned upon in those traditions). Mine are made up of three sets of 10 identical beads separated by 3 distinctive beads - the numbers and colors are symbolically significant for me and the 3 groupings of 10 are a convenient tactile aid for working through set prayers.
Experiment with your own design and configurations! When given as a gift, you might consider including a list of different prayer practices that could be used with the beads.
Materials:
- A length of cotton, hemp, or leather cord approximately 15 inches
- A set of fasteners
- 30 matching beads of your choice
- 3 matching beads of different shape (and possibly color) than the previous 30
Tools:
- Scissors or nail clippers
Instructions:
- Cut the cord to desired length based on the number of beads you’ll be using. Be sure to leave lots of extra length for tying knots.
- Tie one end to one piece of the fastener.
- String your beads in the order and configuration you’ve chosen.
- Tie the other end to the second pice of the fastener. I like to leave about 1/2 inch of slack for sliding the beads one at a time during prayer.
- Trim the excess cord.
Cost:
Cord: $2-3
Beads: $.05-$.50 each, depending on your choices
Fasteners: $2-3
Time:
Once you have decided on a design and have all the materials, it only takes a few minutes to actually string the beads!
November 1st, 2008 at 8:52 am
Jason,
Here’s a variation I made a couple years ago for my kids. They use them with a traditional Sunday School song, but families could write their own prayers or meditations to suit any religious bent. I’ve also made these with various charms on the end: a dressmakers figure to symbolize the Feminine Divine, a fish for my friend who is connected to earthy spirituality, etc.
http://www.monkfish-abbey.org/blog/20050928/childs-prayer-chain/
p.s. the beads were from old necklaces. i bought a bag of jewlery from value village for $20 and took it apart. even the medallions and crosses were in the bag! also, one word of warning. don’t string them on anything but soft flex wire (available at fusion beads/bead stores.) i tried string and beading wire that wasn’t coated, and they broke. yep. i’ve strung these beads three times now!
November 1st, 2008 at 11:15 am
rachelle,
nicely done! i love that you included the prayer chain in your post so we can see how it can be used. btw, i opted for hemp rather than wire because i want to be able to wear mine on my wrist, and i just don’t like the stiffness of wire. but you’re right - it requires occasional re-stringing.
one more thing: i’ve always loved the header photo on your blog!
January 10th, 2009 at 9:45 am
hi, ive decided to make prayer beads in my home,ive placed several ads so for,are there any rules to follow on this? please give me some advise,i will be very thankful for any help.god bless. nettie.ps i like yors alot
March 5th, 2009 at 12:27 am
Is there anyone out there that make prayer beads and quote me a price according to the specifications I would submit?
March 5th, 2009 at 8:13 am
nettielpowell,
There are no rules unless you’re trying to follow a specific tradition. A catholic rosary must follow very strict rules; Anglican prayer beads have a specific design, but they wouldn’t be considered quite as stringent. Muslim prayer beads come in a couple variations. You can just google these to find instructions. I would say unless you’re Catholic, feel free to experiment with different designs and configurations according to your needs.
Richard,
Alan Creech makes prayer beads. I’m not sure if he’ll do it according to specs. You’ll have to ask him. Go to alancreech.com/rosaries
April 4th, 2009 at 8:12 am
Wearing a rosary around the wrist was an accepted practice in the 1500s. Have a look here.
April 4th, 2009 at 8:13 am
Oops, the link didn’t come through.
http://paternosters.blogspot.com/2005/04/balthasars-acorns.html
April 4th, 2009 at 10:21 am
Thanks for that link Chris!
January 16th, 2010 at 3:31 pm
How many beads does a rosary have? I know the Muslim use 18 beads. A Buddhist one uses 108 beads.