PRAYER BEADS
Priced from $65 to $85. Sets with earrings and a wood cross are $85/ sets with earrings and a clay cross are $75. Price reduced by $10 when ordered without earrings.
Often called Anglican Rosaries or Anglican Prayer Beads... I prefer the more inclusive reference of just Prayer Beads since anyone may use or wear them. I make mine in wearable, over the head lengths, by adding more small spacer beads than the usual hand held sizes. Mine do still have the 33 significant bead count. They come gift boxed with the information and prayer offerings below.
PRAYING WITH BEADS
researched and offered by Nancy Denmark
purpose...
Praying with beads serves as a tactile aid to focus one's attention, but what one attends to in prayer is individualized. There is no set format of prayers, and in the Anglican tradition can be personalized to one's own use. The tactile nature of moving from bead to bead, involves the sense of touch in prayer, aids in keeping the mind from wandering, and helps create a sensory rhythm that may more readily lead us into stillness with God. Try to pray with the beads in an unhurried pace, letting the repetition sooth and enable heart, soul, and mind to rest in the stillness of God, while also allowing time for prayerful listening and reflection.
symbolism...
While prayer beads have ancient histories in many faith traditions, the 33-bead design and method of prayer was created through the prayerful exploration of a contemplative prayer group led by an Episcopal priest in the 1980's. Because of this origin, they are often called Anglican prayer beads or Anglican rosaries but are by no means limited to use by Anglicans alone. The numbers and configurations of the beads are symbolic. There are 33 (significant) beads divided into four weeks of seven, four cruciform beads representing the cross, and an invitatory bead. (I may use insignificant spacer beads to aid in the rhythmic movement of the fingers and to create wearable lengths). The use of 33 beads represents the years of Jesus' life on earth. The large bead above the cross, called an invitatory bead, invites us in to the circle of prayer. The 4 large cruciform beads of the circle, form points of a Cross, represent 4 Gospels, and 4 points of the compass reminding us of the Great Commission to take the gospel to the "ends" of the earth. The cruciform beads divide the circle into 4 weeks with 7 beads in each week. The number 7, a very symbolic number, can represent the days of Creation, gifts of the Spirit, 7 sacraments, and 7 church calendar seasons. Praying around the circle, symbolizes ones journey on the wheel of time. The real time in which we journey is further symbolized by the divisions of the beads into calendar groups like 7 days, 4 weeks, 1 month, and 1 year when the circle is prayed 3 times.
a method for use...
A suggested method of praying with the beads begins with holding the cross during the first prayer, then moving to the invitatory bead to say the next. Enter the circle of prayer with the first cruciform bead stopping at each (significant) bead for prayer while moving around the circle to the right. It is suggested one pray the circle of beads 3 times, symbolic of the Trinity, and "completing" a symbolic year. One may finish a prayer session by praying on the invitatory bead leading you out of the circle and finishing with a prayer at the cross. I find the Lord's Prayer to be a suitable choice for ending a prayer session while holding the cross. Remember there is no right or wrong way to pray with the beads. The beads and suggested prayer method are intended as a tool to help each individual in their own personal prayer life.
personalizing the experience...
I highly recommend each user personalize their own experience by writing or choosing their own prayers. Let hymns, psalms, a prayer book or bible, be starting places to collect your own. One may find it easier to start with prayers that are already familiar to you or presently residing in your memory. You may find it meaningful to change the wording of familiar prayers to use I in place of we. I find the use of 1 prayer divided into 7 phrases to be helpful in creating a more sensory rhythm and flow when praying the weeks. Many of the prayers in my own collection bring familiar tunes to mind and can be mentally sung or chanted. As the prayer practice becomes more natural, then slowly introduce new prayers to your own collection. I am including some prayers I collected and arranged for my own personal use, and my offering to you. Please do not feel limited to these or any particular prayers.
Prayer Offerings
in prayer order
The Cross
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
The Invitatory
Let the words of my mouth
and the meditations of my heart
be always acceptable in your sight,
O Lord my strength and my redeemer.
Cruciform Bead 1
The Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom then shall I be afraid?
Week 1
(pray a phrase on each bead)
Christ be with me
Christ within me
Christ behind me
Christ before me
Christ beneath me
Christ above me
Christ to comfort and restore me
Cruciform Bead 2
O sing unto the Lord a new song
for he hath done marvelous things
Week 2
Glory be to God on High
and on earth peace good will towards men.
I praise thee
I bless thee
I worship thee
I give thanks to thee
for thy great glory.
Cruciform Bead 3
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Week 3
May these eyes see Christ in all.
May these ears hear with the heart.
May these lips bring kisses of peace.
May these hands be obedient to the work.
May these arms lift those who have fallen.
May these legs be faithful to the journey.
May this heart love in abundance.
Cruciform Bead 4
May the peace of God which passeth all understanding, keep my heart and mind in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son, Jesus Christ my Lord.
Week 4
I am but one
but I am one
I cannot do everything
but I can do something
What I ought to do
by the grace of God, I will do
Lord, what will you have me do?
repeat prayer cycle 2 more times
When exiting the circle on the 3rd round,
use this prayer on the invitatory bead
In Him, I live and move and have my being.
close by saying the Lord's Prayer
while holding the cross
optional substitutions:
for Cruciform prayers
God is my hope and my strength,
a very present help in time of trouble.
I lift mine eyes up unto the hills,
from where my help comes from
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path
Guide me waking O Lord,
and guard me sleeping
That awake I may watch with Christ,
and asleep I may rest in peace
Thou only, art holy; thou only art the Lord;
thou only O Christ with the Holy Spirit,
art most high in the glory of God the Father.
for Weeks
May the words I hear this day with my
outward ears/
through thy grace,/
be so grafted inwardly in my heart/
that they may bring forth in me/
the fruit of good living/
to the honor and praise of your name,/
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
O be joyful in the Lord all ye lands
Serve the Lord with gladness
and come into his presence with a song
Know that the Lord He is God
It is He that hath made us
We are his people & the sheep of his pasture
Enter his gate with thanksgiving and praise
The Lord is my strength
and my shield;
my heart hath trusted in him,
and I am helped;
therefore my heart danceth for joy,
and in my song
I will praise him.
Often called Anglican Rosaries or Anglican Prayer Beads... I prefer the more inclusive reference of just Prayer Beads since anyone may use or wear them. I make mine in wearable, over the head lengths, by adding more small spacer beads than the usual hand held sizes. Mine do still have the 33 significant bead count. They come gift boxed with the information and prayer offerings below.
PRAYING WITH BEADS
researched and offered by Nancy Denmark
purpose...
Praying with beads serves as a tactile aid to focus one's attention, but what one attends to in prayer is individualized. There is no set format of prayers, and in the Anglican tradition can be personalized to one's own use. The tactile nature of moving from bead to bead, involves the sense of touch in prayer, aids in keeping the mind from wandering, and helps create a sensory rhythm that may more readily lead us into stillness with God. Try to pray with the beads in an unhurried pace, letting the repetition sooth and enable heart, soul, and mind to rest in the stillness of God, while also allowing time for prayerful listening and reflection.
symbolism...
While prayer beads have ancient histories in many faith traditions, the 33-bead design and method of prayer was created through the prayerful exploration of a contemplative prayer group led by an Episcopal priest in the 1980's. Because of this origin, they are often called Anglican prayer beads or Anglican rosaries but are by no means limited to use by Anglicans alone. The numbers and configurations of the beads are symbolic. There are 33 (significant) beads divided into four weeks of seven, four cruciform beads representing the cross, and an invitatory bead. (I may use insignificant spacer beads to aid in the rhythmic movement of the fingers and to create wearable lengths). The use of 33 beads represents the years of Jesus' life on earth. The large bead above the cross, called an invitatory bead, invites us in to the circle of prayer. The 4 large cruciform beads of the circle, form points of a Cross, represent 4 Gospels, and 4 points of the compass reminding us of the Great Commission to take the gospel to the "ends" of the earth. The cruciform beads divide the circle into 4 weeks with 7 beads in each week. The number 7, a very symbolic number, can represent the days of Creation, gifts of the Spirit, 7 sacraments, and 7 church calendar seasons. Praying around the circle, symbolizes ones journey on the wheel of time. The real time in which we journey is further symbolized by the divisions of the beads into calendar groups like 7 days, 4 weeks, 1 month, and 1 year when the circle is prayed 3 times.
a method for use...
A suggested method of praying with the beads begins with holding the cross during the first prayer, then moving to the invitatory bead to say the next. Enter the circle of prayer with the first cruciform bead stopping at each (significant) bead for prayer while moving around the circle to the right. It is suggested one pray the circle of beads 3 times, symbolic of the Trinity, and "completing" a symbolic year. One may finish a prayer session by praying on the invitatory bead leading you out of the circle and finishing with a prayer at the cross. I find the Lord's Prayer to be a suitable choice for ending a prayer session while holding the cross. Remember there is no right or wrong way to pray with the beads. The beads and suggested prayer method are intended as a tool to help each individual in their own personal prayer life.
personalizing the experience...
I highly recommend each user personalize their own experience by writing or choosing their own prayers. Let hymns, psalms, a prayer book or bible, be starting places to collect your own. One may find it easier to start with prayers that are already familiar to you or presently residing in your memory. You may find it meaningful to change the wording of familiar prayers to use I in place of we. I find the use of 1 prayer divided into 7 phrases to be helpful in creating a more sensory rhythm and flow when praying the weeks. Many of the prayers in my own collection bring familiar tunes to mind and can be mentally sung or chanted. As the prayer practice becomes more natural, then slowly introduce new prayers to your own collection. I am including some prayers I collected and arranged for my own personal use, and my offering to you. Please do not feel limited to these or any particular prayers.
Prayer Offerings
in prayer order
The Cross
Glory be to the Father and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now, and will be forever. Amen.
The Invitatory
Let the words of my mouth
and the meditations of my heart
be always acceptable in your sight,
O Lord my strength and my redeemer.
Cruciform Bead 1
The Lord is the strength of my life;
of whom then shall I be afraid?
Week 1
(pray a phrase on each bead)
Christ be with me
Christ within me
Christ behind me
Christ before me
Christ beneath me
Christ above me
Christ to comfort and restore me
Cruciform Bead 2
O sing unto the Lord a new song
for he hath done marvelous things
Week 2
Glory be to God on High
and on earth peace good will towards men.
I praise thee
I bless thee
I worship thee
I give thanks to thee
for thy great glory.
Cruciform Bead 3
Create in me a clean heart, O God,
and renew a right spirit within me.
Week 3
May these eyes see Christ in all.
May these ears hear with the heart.
May these lips bring kisses of peace.
May these hands be obedient to the work.
May these arms lift those who have fallen.
May these legs be faithful to the journey.
May this heart love in abundance.
Cruciform Bead 4
May the peace of God which passeth all understanding, keep my heart and mind in the knowledge and love of God, and of his Son, Jesus Christ my Lord.
Week 4
I am but one
but I am one
I cannot do everything
but I can do something
What I ought to do
by the grace of God, I will do
Lord, what will you have me do?
repeat prayer cycle 2 more times
When exiting the circle on the 3rd round,
use this prayer on the invitatory bead
In Him, I live and move and have my being.
close by saying the Lord's Prayer
while holding the cross
optional substitutions:
for Cruciform prayers
God is my hope and my strength,
a very present help in time of trouble.
I lift mine eyes up unto the hills,
from where my help comes from
Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path
Guide me waking O Lord,
and guard me sleeping
That awake I may watch with Christ,
and asleep I may rest in peace
Thou only, art holy; thou only art the Lord;
thou only O Christ with the Holy Spirit,
art most high in the glory of God the Father.
for Weeks
May the words I hear this day with my
outward ears/
through thy grace,/
be so grafted inwardly in my heart/
that they may bring forth in me/
the fruit of good living/
to the honor and praise of your name,/
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
O be joyful in the Lord all ye lands
Serve the Lord with gladness
and come into his presence with a song
Know that the Lord He is God
It is He that hath made us
We are his people & the sheep of his pasture
Enter his gate with thanksgiving and praise
The Lord is my strength
and my shield;
my heart hath trusted in him,
and I am helped;
therefore my heart danceth for joy,
and in my song
I will praise him.
