...The Power of Prayer Beads...

What is the point of a string of beads and charms strung along a length of cord? For the crafter it is a challenge of symmetry and design under the fingers of one who loves to create. The act of choosing the materials, beads and charms is one that invokes a special kind of focus that escapes those who do not play with such things. The feeling is shared by those who are the creators of a spiritually inclined tool used for the most basic form of meditation that anyone, of any faith, can utilize.

I remember being very young and going to Easter mass with my family. After the service they had these tiny plastic eggs with rosary beads inside, miniature sets for children. I distinctly remember being very excited about them, and I have always loved miniatures of any kind so this is a memory that stands out in my mind. Another memory of the rosary beads being an important part of life were the ones my mother kept in her dresser. These ones were from somewhere far away, Ireland perhaps, and had a tiny chamber filled with holy water. I eventually bought her a set made of emerald green beads, not real emeralds but the color of them, because I knew how she loved them and emeralds are her birthstone. Even today, she has several sets, and brought back a life size set from somewhere she went on a religious retreat. They are enormous! And they hang around a large framed image of the classic virgin Mary, mother of God.

All through my life though, I never saw a man who had a set of rosary beads, besides a priest. So that was another thing that I considered when I started making my own prayer beads. Also crossing my mind when creating them was the fact that maybe a simple strand of beads could bring the thought of renewal in the sense of spirit for an individual, no matter what path, no matter male or female.