Divination

Magic and Meditation with Pagan Rosaries and Prayer Beads

Magic and Meditation  
with Pagan Rosaries and Prayer Beads  
by John Michael Greer and Clare Vaughn Red Wheel
Weiser, 2007

 

Rosaries are used in many religions, and today’s Pagans have adopted this practice as well. Pagan rosaries have multitudes of uses; they’re not only used for prayer, but also for spellwork, chants, meditation, various Pagan rituals, and even for pathworking (my favorite).

Pagan Prayer Beads, by John Michael Greer and Clare Vaughn, is a handy guide on how to plan, make, and use your own handmade Pagan rosaries. What a fabulous magical craft!

Pagan Prayer Beads is easy to follow, and despite some of the technical parts that teach you basic beading techniques, it is light reading. The three main chapters deal with designing rosaries, choosing your materials, and making the actual rosary. Other chapters are devoted to the types of rosaries one can make, spells and rituals to use with them, and rosaries you can wear as stylish jewelry. A glossary of beading terms at the end of the book is very helpful, as is a list of beading suppliers. I have personally ordered from several of the suppliers listed in the book and I highly recommend them.

Pagan Prayer Beads is studded with useful tips on how to choose your beads, how to shop in a bead store, and how to go with your gut feeling and contact your personal deities if you’re stuck while working on a project. These stories get your creative juices flowing.

Even though the book tends to have a slant toward making Druidic rosaries, (a natural tendency since both authors are Druids) other traditions are well represented. I enjoyed the heck out of creating a “Triple Goddess” Rosary;

I can also suggest that the reader try making the Druidic “Four Elements”

Rosary, Wiccan “13 Moons” Rosary, or special rosaries for ancestors, or any major event in your life, such as a wedding, birth, wiccaning, etc.

There was only one drawback to this book: I would prefer for the pictures to be in color instead of in black and white, because it would add extra charm to the beautiful rosaries pictured. Nonetheless, I would recommend Pagan Prayer Beads to any Pagan or beading enthusiast who is interested in bringing the divine to the palm of their hand.

CAROLINA BLAHA-BLACK.

RATING: 4½ Broomsticks


» Originally appeared in newWitch #17

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