This page contains ideas for Pagan spiritual practices that I have adopted. I invite you to find inspiration from them for your own practices. If you have an interesting spiritual practice that reflects your Pagan religious values, I'd like to hear about it.

Pagan Prayer Beads

The Buddhists use prayer beads and wheels. Christians use the rosary. Islamic prayer beads are called tasbih and Hindus, Sikhs and Baha'is use different forms of prayer beads. Prayer beads and ropes have been used for centuries to help people pray and meditate. Pagans, too, can use prayer beads to help them focus their thoughts and meditate on the energies of the universe or Spirit. Pagan prayer beads are also a good practice for times when you have to wait. You may be in line or are waiting for a bus or train, you may be in the waiting room, you may be sitting at home waiting for the pizza to arrive, or you may just be sitting in the sun waiting for dinnertime: these are all good times to pull out your prayer beads and begin a simple and easy meditation.

Prayer beads give your hand a simple activity to do while you engage in a simple and relaxed form of meditation. For those who have trouble meditating, or for those who enjoy adding a tactile sensation and activity to their meditation, prayer beads are a great tool for this spiritual practice. In times of stress or when you need a way to pass away the time without resorting to aimless mental wandering and a loss of patience, you can take out your Pagan prayer beads and work them between your fingers as you focus your thoughts on an appropriate phrase or statement. In this article, I will talk about the construction of a set of Pagan prayer beads and then I will discuss ways to use it.

Any necklace or short chain of beads can be used to make a prayer chain. All that is necessary is that the beads can be moved between the fingers from one end to the other. Different religions use prayer beads and each can be made to reflect the religious principles of that religion. A Pagan prayer chain, then, should reflect Pagan principles. I encourage you to create a chain that best represents your values and needs but I will offer an example of how I created mine so that you can use it as a place to start thinking about your own. In the following chart, I describe the types of beads I used to create my chain.

The types of beads I used were a rectangular connector, several round colored beads, several smaller spacer beads, one square bead, a pentagram pendant, and a hook that could attach to my belt. The actual chain when put together looked like the following:

Each of the beads has significance in relation to my Pagan spiritual path. The 8 long connector beads relate to the eight sabbats. The 13 small spacers represent the 13 moons in a year. The 3 colors of the main beads represent the forces of Light, Love, and Life which I call the God (gold), Goddess (white), and Child (black). They are repeated five times to represent the five precepts of my tradition: Reason, Respect, Responsibility, Reverence, and Revelry. The square bead at the end stands for the four elements and is also used as a reminder that the chain is ending. I used wooden beads and I use hemp for the connecting thread because both are strong materials representative of Earth.
To use the prayer chain, I connect it to my belt until I need it. While I wait I take off the chain and begin on the end with the hook. I work the beads between my thumb and forefinger. With each main bead, I repeat mentally one of three lines of a mantra (a repeated phrase used in meditations). When I hit the next set of three beads, I repeat that mantra. Each mantra is repeated five times. On the final mantra, my fingers reach the square bead and that is the signal that I have completed one round. I then flip the chain so that I catch the beginning of it and can then begin again. With each set of the three beads, I use a three part mantra such as “as above, so below, so mote it be” or “as within, so with all, so mote it be.” The second mantra represents to me the reality that the way I perceive the outside world is dependent on my state of mind within. If I can find peace of mind within myself I am more likely to find peace elsewhere. I know, of course, that just saying a mantra will not suddenly cause world peace but any small I can make is worthwhile and I know that a peaceful state of mind makes it easier for me to deal with the chaos the world may throw my way.

In addition to the mantra itself, I use sets of five mantras (one length of the prayer chain) as a way to bring about this internal peace. For the first three sets I concentrate on relaxing and calming the self. During the second set I focus on raising positive energy through my breath and on the third set I feel myself sending this positive environment out to all around me. In this way, I am making it possible for others to enjoy this peaceful state of mind with me.

I invite you to design, create, and wear your own Pagan prayer chain and carry it with you when you need it. It can be an easy and useful way to find inner peace and connect with the energies of the universe while maintaining your Pagan values. It may also become a way for other Pagan contemplatives discretely identify with each other.

Most of the Pagan Folk I know enjoy wearing a pendant that represents their spiritual viewpoint. Wearing a pendant lets you identify yourself as a practicing Pagan (even if only to yourself). It is a physical reminder of the principles of your faith. So, the idea of wearing of pendant will not be a new one to many Pagans but the acts of putting on, wearing, and removing a pendant can become an important part of a Pagan spiritual practice. These can be public acts or private ones – that will depend on your personal preference, of course. Wearing a pendant outside of your clothing or hidden beneath your clothing is one way of choosing whether or not you will make your practice private. Whether you wear a pendant out or in will be up to you. For me, it depends on the place and the circumstance. For example, I do not wear my pendant out at work. I think the workplace should be free of religious expression so that all the people working there, regardless of faith, will feel comfortable in that working environment. This assumes that the workplace, as most are, contains employees of many different religious persuasions. I do, however, often wear my pendant out when going into town or just walking about. I have seen many people wearing their religious jewelry (mostly in the form of crosses) and feel that all people of all religions should feel free to display their personal religious symbols in public spaces. I want people to know what I believe and let them know that it is all right to be open about who you are.

Exactly what symbols or designs you should have on your pendant will also be a matter of personal preference. Many Pagans, of course, wear a pentagram or a design that incorporates a pentagram but I have seen other star shapes used as well. The seven pointed so called “Fairy Star” is popular as is the unicursal hexagram designed by Aleister Crowley. Whatever design you use, it should speak to you personally – reminding you of the main precepts or focus of your Pagan beliefs. What is important is that the symbols are deeply meaningful to you and that you can explain those symbols to others if asked to do so (assuming you wear your pendant out, of course). Just the act of wearing a pendant on a regular basis is a spiritual practice because you have endowed your piece of jewelry with religious significance and you allow your pendant to remind you of that meaning. There is, however, more that can be done to increase the meaningful practice of wearing a pendant. Specifically, the acts of putting on a pendant, experiencing that pendant throughout the day, and removing the pendant in the evening can become a part of a greater practice.

One thing that can be done when putting on your pendant in the morning is to recite a short prayer, oath, or set of spiritual principles. I like to recite my oath as a member of the Sacred Order of Living Paganism by saying: “through Reason, Respect, Responsibility, Reverence, and Revelry do I vow to live in Spirit.” These five principles are reminders of the five precepts that all brothers and sisters of the Order must agree to live by while being active members. However, a vow taken is pointless if it is not something that guides one's life. By reminding myself of those precepts everyday, I remember to take them to heart and live by them. The act of saying them as I put on my pendant reminds me to repeat my vows and then adds the meaning of those vows onto the significance of wearing that pendant.

As I wear the pendant throughout the day, I can feel it against me and use that sensation to remind me of its significance and of the vow I took before I put it on that morning. Another way I can use the pendant throughout the day is to look at it, especially in challenging times, and allow its symbols to remind me of my spiritual connection to the universe. My pendant is packed with meaning. The five pointed star and circle on it has deep significance by itself and I can gain great insight from this one symbol alone but my pendant also has symbols relating to the eight Sabbats; the phases of the moon; deity symbols; sun moon, and earth symbols; and the letters SOLP (the Order's acronym). Each of these symbols can provide meaning and guidance to me as I contemplate on the pendant itself. The pendant, more than just a mere piece of decorative jewelry, can actually be used as a tool for contemplation and meditation throughout the day.

At the end of the day, some people remove their pendants before going to bed. Doing so can also add to the spiritual practice of wearing a pendant. As you remove your pendant, you can take just a few moments to consider how well you lived up to your vows that you committed yourself to when you first put it on. Review your day with compassion to yourself and others. If you feel that you might have not lived up to your own values consider ways of doing better the next time rather than punishing yourself. Let this short moment of contemplation be a chance for you to work on improving your actions and your values. Also, take a moment to consider the joys you may have experienced on this day. Be thankful for them and consider ways to increase joy to yourself and to others. Then, remove your pendant and place it in a sacred space for the night until you can return to it again the next day. Through doing these simple acts, you can make the wearing of a pendant a significant daily reminder of your values to yourself and others and turn the habit of wearing a pendant into a simple but effective daily spiritual practice.

last update 10/01/06