Making a Set of Meditation Beads

There are many forms of meditation and countless ways to produce the inner quietude and focus so useful for relaxation, healing, and personal growth. Meditation Beads can be a terrific aid to many of these. They consist simply of a closed strand of beads, but their use is legion. Their construction, as is their use, is a very personal thing, but the guidelines below will help you to make a set of your own.

The first step to making your set of beads is to decide on the size of your strand. Some prefer a necklace-length strand because of the way it feels to hold and that fact that it can be worn as a necklace. Others prefer a bracelet length for compactness and convenience. The length is a matter of personal taste.

Next, select the beads you’ll want to use. Choose beads that you find attractive or meaningful and of a size that you can easily feel and manipulate with your fingers, but still get between 28 and 112 beads on your chosen length of cord. Although they don’t have to be uniform in colour, they should be uniform in size and feel so that you cannot distinguish between them by touch.

The number is up to you, but less than 28 will likely prove too few and more than 112 will likely prove unnecessary. Many find it preferable to select a multiple of some number that is meaningful to them. For example, if you stay in tuned to the natural cycles of the moon, then 28, 56, or 84 beads might prove meaningful to you, relating to the number of days in one, two and three moon cycles respectively.

Next, choose a Centre Bead, one that is larger and can easily be distinguished from the others by feel alone. This bead will be the one to let you know that you have worked through a chosen number of beads when you reach it. Now select the cord that you will string your beads on. It should be quite strong but sufficiently thin so that your beads slide easily along it without snagging. Artificial sinew or necklace string should be ideal.

Finally, string your beads. Some like to make a ritual out of it, which is as personal as the beads themselves. If you would like to try a ritual but aren’t used to that sort of thing, try this one: Choose a quite time when you’ll not be interrupted and place all your selected materials out in from of you. Centre yourself with a few moments of deep breathing or meditation, and then welcome the beads into you life-journey. Express appreciation for them and your hopes that they will help you in your journey. Then, begin stringing the beads, acknowledging each one as you place it on the strand. End with the Centre Bead and secure a tight knot in the cord. Some find it convenient to have the Centre Bead fixed on the strand, while others prefer to have it slide freely as well. I like to leave about three to four inches of un-beaded cord in the loop, so that I can slide the beads on the cord.

Spend some time with your beads. Develop a relationship with them. This may sound odd to many, but your beads can become a talisman for you, a source of comfort, without superstitious or religious connotations. Carry them with you and otherwise keep them close to you for at least several days at first. After that, do care for them, keep them in a safe and honoured place, and you will reap a greater benefit for your efforts.

Copyright © 2002  Phoenix Life-Coaching.

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