Prayer Beads are finding widespread appeal, even apart from the spiritual traditions in which they originated, reports the New Age Journal (July/August).
New interpretations of beads used for mediation and prayer, such as Rosaries and Buddhist and Muslim prayer beads, “are becoming popular. Web sites and workshops are springing up. Both artists and spiritual practitioners are even creating large prayer-bead wall hangings,” writes Maggie Oman Shannon. Some of the beads are of the traditional variety found in Catholic or Eastern religious traditions, while others are original creations or use features from a variety of traditions.
Most use them for prayer and meditation, serving as a connection to and reminder of God. Others believe that the beads carry a spiritual value in themselves in a somewhat similar to crystals. “The vibrations of prayer remain in the beads and I am able to retrieve energy from them when I desire,” says one practitioner.
(New Age Journal, 42 Pleasant St., Watertown, MA 02472)