Witch and Devotional Prayer Beads
The use of beads as a way of keeping track of devotional actions, such as prayers, stretches back across the mists of time, with the earliest known use of beads dating back hundreds, if not thousands, of years. An example of this is a collection of nassarius shells threaded on a cord that were found in a southern African cave that has been dated to around 70,000 BCE. While these beads may have been used for decoration, it is clear that since that time, humans have been crafting beads from clay, bone, stone, glass and crystal, as well as seeds for numerous purposes.
In India, it is believed that since the 8th century BCE, holy men have used a strung set of beads to assist them in their meditation and prayers. Today, this practice continues where sets of beads are used to count repetitions of prayers, mantras, or chants across various religious as well as spiritual traditions, as well as reciting passages from sacred text, or simply used as a meditation tool to help calm the mind.
The use of prayer or counting beads is varied and can be found within Hinduism, Buddhism, Shinto, Islam, Sikhism, and the Baháʼí faith, as well as various Christian denominations, such as the Roman Catholic Church.
When it comes to Witch and Devotional Prayer Beads, there are numerous styles of beads. However, the images on this page are an example of ones that can be found through my LunaNoire Creations etsy store.
To learn more about these beads and how to use your set, I have written a booklet that is free to download:
