Prayer Beads

I mentioned in an earlier post how I’ve taken to wearing a small mala or Buddhist rosary or chaplet. I see its use in a variety of ways. Just wearing it is a small reminder of promises I’ve made to myself and the universe about attention and care. Once in a blue moon I use it as a counter while following my breath. More often I use it as “worry beads,” simply clicking the moments…

Now while working on Sunday’s sermon and looking for information on an entirely different subject I ran across this fascinating site on prayer beads that includes among other things links to other sites addressing aspects of prayer bead theory and practice. One disapointment for me was following a link to my old friend Professor James Casebolt’s “sermon on Unitarian Universalist prayer beads” only to find it broken. Sadly, a google search didn’t turn it up, either. Surprisingly to me, there was also a reference to another UU friend the Reverend Erik Walker Wickstrom’s use of prayer beads. A remarkably comprehensive overview.

You might enjoy a visit to Karen’s Prayer Beads. I did.