Six Religions That Incorporate Wood Beads In Their Prayers

There are many forms of prayer across many religions. Speaking to divinities has been done through strict religious dogma and through numerous rituals and traditions best suited to be closer to God and for prayers to reach their intended destination. Prayers with the aid of wood beads are one such ritual. There are six major religions that incorporate beads in their prayers including,

Ø  Wood Beads in Hinduism

Ø  Buddhism

Ø  Islam

Ø  The Bahai Faith

Ø  Sikhism

Ø  Christianity

WOOD BEADS IN HINDUISM

Hinduism is one of the first religions that incorporated prayer beads in their prayers. These beads were used during “Japa” or -the repeating of a deity’s name. The prayer beads were used for repetitive prayers, spiritual exercise and for meditation. Most “Mala”- or wooden prayer beads- have 108 beads.

BUDDHISM

Malas used in Buddhism contain lesser number of beads as compared to Hindu Malas. This makes them easier to hold and pray with especially when making different prostrations. Wood beads are made from the Tulsi plant and, Bodhi tree and Sandal wood. Sometimes, precious stones are added to the beads e.g. Carnelian and Amethyst.

ISLAM

The beads are known as Misbaha in Islam. The names of God in Islam are 99 in number and the beads are therefore 99 in number. However, some prayer beads are 33 in number where the faithful is expected to recite the prayers three times. Most beads are made of wood and it is common to see Muslims reciting prayers using these beads. However, some sections of Islam e.g. Ahmadiyya and Salafi shun the use of these beads claiming that they were not used by early Muslims.

THE BAHAI FAITH

Bahai faith adherents are required to recite a prayer 95 times a day, every day. To aid in doing this, there are prayer beads, 95 in number are usually carried by the faithful. Although it is not a strict requirement for Bahai Faith members to recite this prayer, most recite them religiously. The prayer beads are made from wood.

SIKHISM

Sikh Faithfull’s use Malas  to recite prayers white quoting verses from the Guru Granth Sahib. Some of the worshippers wear these beads on their clothes and around the waist.

CHRISTIANITY

In Christianity, most prayer beads are to be found in the Catholic denomination. Commonly known as the Rosary, the prayer beads are used by millions of Catholics to recite the Hail Mary, the Lord’s Prayer and a Gloria Patri. It is also used to recite the Apostle’s Creed and the Salve Regina. The Rosary is also used for meditation on the mysteries and life of Jesus Christ. Most Rosaries contain 33 beads representing the years of Jesus Christ.   

The Magical Effects Of Soothing And Aromatic Wooden Beads

Wooden beads are soft beads and give a soothing pleasure to eyes. They are light weight, and sometimes aromatic and simple. As the wooden beads are made of wood, the necklaces formed using them will be light weight compared to the ones using the other types of beads. Also the aroma produced by some of them makes it a choice to many people, including the teenagers.

Wooden beads: apart from ornament making

The wooden beads are used for different purposes. One of the important uses is the medicinal purpose. The necklaces made using some special type of woods with medicinal quality helps in treating skin related diseases. The wooden beads with medicinal values even help in blood circulation. Even if there is no medicinal quality, a necklace created with wooden bead normally will not cause any negative reactions on the body.

Types of wooden beads

The wooden beads are available not only as artificially created ones, but also as naturally seen ones. This natural availability gives them a religious value. The natural beads, Rudraksha are related to many religious beliefs like Hinduism in India. The necklace and bracelets created using the Rudraksha beads, single Rudraksha bead tied in the hand etc. are different traditions seen in Hinduism. Rudraksha is an essential part in Hindu saints and their chantings.

No age bar

The wooden beads are age friendly. Everyone from children to the old aged people loves to wear them due to one or other reasons. For some people it can be religious, for some it can be medicinal, and for some it can be something else, like as a key chain or as a decoration or a hair band etc. 

The wooden beads are preferred in the toys in which the beads are used. Small kids normally have a tendency to take everything to their mouth. Here the wooden beads can be a lesser evil compared to the plastic beads and other types of beads. Wooden beads can also be dangerous in such cases, but in comparison, will cause less danger only.

Making of wooden beads

It is comparatively easy to make a wooden bead. There is no chemical processes involved, no molding, but need only proper cutting. Large varieties are possible in this case also with proper paintings, dyeing and waxing methods.

Cheap availability and being a mere wood do not lessen the demand for wooden beads, but it always remains as a choice for both the jewelry makers and the buyers.

How to Make a Statement Necklace out of Wooden Beads?

Are you glad that now the statement necklaces are back in the trends? Thank God!! Now you can wear something different than just plain and boring pendant necklaces. You may find a large amount of variety in the market now but there is always one thing anyone would love and it is making a necklace out of wooden beads at home.

Who says you cannot make anything good out of the wooden beads? I would like to share with you one of my personal favorite projects on making a statement necklace.

Materials Needed

You will need beads in different sizes i.e.

·         12 beads of 25 mm

·         12 beads of 20 mm

·         6 beads of 16 mm

·         12-24 beads of 12 mm

·         4 to 7 double rings

·         2 to 3 strand end bars

·         Nylon monofilament

·         Chain

·         Nose pliers

·         Scissors

Method:

·         Now here is what you need to do. Follow the pattern below to string the beads into the nylon monofilament. You can also make your own variation in the pattern, it is never harmful to use your own creativity. You can fill the chain with more beads in case you do not want to show the chain much.

·         Once you are happy with the length, it is time to tie the monofilament into a knot on each ring having 3 strand end bars. Make sure you leave 2 inches overhang of the knotted monofilament so that you can tuck the strands of beads back in.

·         You have to attach a chain with the 3 strand end bars in case you are not adding enough beads in the necklace. After this, you have to attach a toggle clasp to the chain.

It is a simple necklace but it is surely enough to let you make your own style statement. It all depends on you to introduce some variations in the style by adding more beads. You can also play with colors and sizes. It is going to be a wonderful idea to gift this amazing necklace to your best friend. She will love your effort and as it is an elegant piece, she is never going to say No to it.

When choosing the wooden beads, you are required to be a lot careful in terms of quality. In different marketplaces, you are going to come across different quality in beads and jewelry findings. If you are a beginner then you might have trouble in picking the right quality but if you into jewelry making, the only thing you will be overwhelmed by is variety itself.

Many people think that nothing can be made out of wooden beads so they avoid using them; instead they use some luxury beads so that a nice and luxurious jewelry item can be created. As long as you are using the best quality beads, you can make a lot of stuff out of the beads made from wood too. All you need is ideas and the jewelry making supplies and you can create more projects likes this right from the comfort of your home.

Unique Facts to Know About Wooden Beads

Facts never lie and you will understand the heat of that statement better when you are considering wooden beads for your jewelry work. Wood is just one of the materials that are used for making beads but the facts attached to it are just amazing and unique. They are what you will rarely experience with any other material. It will be very important for you to grasp these facts prior to making any purchase move for your wooden beads. They will help in the decision making process.

• Light in weight- dry wood is light in weight while wet wood is heavy. When making beads, the dried wooden material is used which means the resulting beads come with light weight. Therefore, it is a fact that beads made of wood are light in weight. There are many types of wood material used but hardwood is the common one.

• Versatile- unlike other materials, you can curve any type of beads out of wood with ease. Whether you want an oval shaped bead, rounded beads or cylindrical beads it will be all possible. It remains a fact that wooden beads are versatile and that is something you cannot achieve with materials like metal or plastic.

• Durable- wooden material is capable of withstanding very many damaging effects especially minor ones that other materials will not. For instance, wooden material will not be affected by scratches which are visible on glass or plastic materials. Unless they come under intense pressure from actions like hard hitting, wooden material is durable and cannot get damaged that easily. That is a clear fact.

• Unique properties- wood as a raw material for making beads comes with very unique properties that make it stand out from the rest. For example, wood comes in very different colors as well as texture which is determined by the type of tree it has been sourced from. Some trees have dark wood while others have light wood. Also, there are those trees which are naturally smooth and others rough in texture. Those are some of the properties that only wooden beads come with and it’s yet another fact to digest.

• Attractive- by nature, wooden material is very attractive and that is why many people prefer it for jewelry works. Actually, you might not even have to paint your beads in any color since the natural attractiveness of wood is enough. In cases where you will want to enhance the aesthetic value, wood can be painted to different colors and even change that without problems. Just count any other material that can withstand that. Possibly very few or none thus wooden beads are just unique.

These facts are so many that you cannot exhaust them. It is heartening to know that making wooden beads at home is one of the simplest tasks to accomplish. You will not need to have any expertise in accomplishing that unlike other materials where some skills will be necessary. For instance, you cannot just cut metal like that but it’s vital you know how to use cutters and many other aspects.