Prayer Beads

What are prayer beads? In the most general sense, prayer beads are a system of tracking prayers, chants, or scriptures to bring us into a contemplative mindset and become aware of the greatness of life, God, or enlightenment. 

Throughout history, there have been many forms of prayer warriors in many different cultures such as monks, imams, or priests, who dedicate their lives to focus on the greatness, sacrifices, and blessings of God. Prayer beads are both a physical tool and a symbol of this dedication. For all of us, prayer beads are designed to relieve daily stress and bring our attention from the physical body to the spiritual body. 

My journey with prayer has been lifelong but it wasn't until I met my pet praying mantis, Stirbee, that I paid more attention to my prayer practice. In this blog post, I will share what I taught her about the different ways of praying.

By organizing the major world regions into their major religions, we can learn how others have used prayer beads throughout history. These regions have slight distinctions from the Western view of God. Middle Eastern religions believe in the same God but use the translation name Allah and Eastern religions believe in enlightenment rather than a form in the likeness of man.

In Eastern religions, about 27% of the world believes in deities or monks who help in the path to enlightenment. Of this 27%, about 55% practice Hinduism, 26% practice Buddhism, and 22% practice ancient Asian religions such as Confucianism, Taoism, and Shintoism. The origin of their prayer beads dates back to the 8th century in South Asia. The design of their prayer beads is called Mala or Japa Mala beads. They are typically in a necklace form of 108 beads which represents the 108 snails that rested on Buddha's head to protect him from the sun while he meditated. With each bead, it is common to repeat a mantra in your head or chant out loud.

In Western cultures, about 32% of the world is a type of Christianity that believes in Jesus, the son of God, whose life starts the beginning of our modern calendar. Of the 32%, 50% practice Catholicism, 37% practice Protestantism, and 11% practice Eastern, Oriental, or Greek Orthodox. Each of these Christian distinctions has a different history for their prayer beads. In Catholicism, around the 3rd century, prayer ropes were first used in Egypt, in the 12th - 15th century they were developed in Europe, and then the term Rosary was first used in 1597. The Rosary is designed as a necklace of 59 beads with a juncture of the Virgin Mary and beneath her is her son, Jesus, on the cross. There is more than one way to pray with the Rosary, even on different days of the week. In the Greek Orthodox practice, back in the 4th century, Pachomius the Great established a prayer rope with knots called the Komboskini, these had 33 knots for each year of Jesus' life on Earth. As monks, they originally kept track of their prayers by tossing pebbles into a bowl but then found that holding a loop with knots was easier and more portable. In the 1980’s, Protestants blended both types of Christian prayer beads into the Anglican Rosary which is a simplified design of 33 beads and a plain cross.

In Middle Eastern cultures, they believe in God, and God's name is translated into Allah, they also believe in Jesus as a prophet, and his name is translated into Isa. Of the world, about 26% are practicing Muslims, of the 26%, 85% are Sunni and 15% are Shia. Their prayer beads are called Tesbins which date back to 800 BC and originated in India. The design for the Tesbins is a loop of 99 beads for each name of Allah, the prayer includes 33 Glorious is God, 33 All praise be to God, and 33 God is great.

Another version of prayer beads that provides energetic protection is called the Evil Eye. Some scholars date them back to ancient Greek and Roman times which spread to the Middle East and Turkish cultures as early as 5000 BC. The idea for the Evil Eye symbol is that the eyes guard against misfortune, ward off evil, and protect you from unconsciously picking up negative energy. Santorini blue is the most common, promoting calmness and relaxation, and other colors have different meanings.

For me, the evil eye bracelet design also symbolizes the Ophanim angles, Thrones, or “whirling wheels”  that function as the chariots of God described in Ezekiel 1:15-21 “The rims were high and awesome, and all four rims were full of eyes all around”. Later in Ezekiel 10 when God orders to pour out blessings on a household, “the cherubim spread their wings to rise from the ground, the wheels did not leave their side”. These angles symbolize Godly servants in constant divine watchfulness.

With all of these different practices of prayer beads, I like to focus on the practice of gratitude. When I pray, I loop them around my palm and focus my attention on a higher power. I enjoy the sounds they make when two or more are gathered as they remind me that God is always with me, in every movement, in the weight of the beads, when I'm alone, when I'm with others, and when I'm traveling. 

I also like to think about where these beads came from in different parts of the world. The gems of our natural environment were used to describe the foundation of heaven in Revelations 21:15-22, including layers of jasper, sapphire, agate, emerald, onyx, ruby, topaz, turquoise, and amethyst. The material of the bead has a gravitational grounding, spiritual uplifting, and psychic protection which holds the energy of my collective prayers.

My body particularly enjoys the practice of praying because I notice my nervous system shifting to the parasympathetic or relaxed mode. This releases tenseness in my shoulders, bringing in a fullness in my breath which delivers oxygen throughout my body. I notice an enhanced mental clarity, helping me to release worry, bring myself to the present, and find a deeper sense of gratitude. 

With multiple perspectives on religious history, prayer, and rituals, I like to also share a perspective from American philosopher, poet, and leader, Walt Whitman who wrote 

We are the skald, the oracle, the monk and the knight, we easily include them and more, 
We stand amid time beginningless and endless, we stand amid evil and good

skald - a composer and reciter of poems honoring heroes and their deeds
oracle - a priest or priestess acting as a medium whom God speaks through

In teaching Stirbee how to pray through visiting different sacred spaces, reading different works, and learning different prayer practices, I came to realize she was teaching me so much more about my relationship with life, God, and enlightenment. It is truly a blessing that she came into my life and uplifted my growth in divine spiritual protection. Thank you, Stirbee.

January 29, 2024