A mala is a string of prayer beads, and japa is the practice of moving through them one at a time while repeating a mantra. Japa means to rotate. The rhythm of the beads passing through your fingers and the sound of the mantra together settle the mind, which is the whole point of it.
Mantra means revealed sound. The power is not in what the words mean. It is in the vibration made when the sound is spoken, either aloud or inwardly.
Why 108 beads
A mala usually has 108 beads, or a multiple of nine. There is one larger bead that sits outside the count, called the sumeru or meru. It marks where you begin and where you end.
You start at the sumeru and rotate through the beads until you reach it again. If you are going round a second time you turn the mala and work back, rather than crossing over the sumeru bead.
The number is not arbitrary. The heart is described as having 108 main nadis, the channels through which energy travels out to the rest of the body. The body also holds 108 marmas, the points where muscle, bone, joint, artery and nerve meet.
The knot between each bead
Traditionally there is a knot between every bead on a mala. It keeps the beads from rubbing, it keeps them from scattering if the cord ever breaks, and it gives your fingers something to find in the dark.
That knot is where my own work started. The micro macrame I make now is the same idea carried further: knotted cord holding a stone, worked by hand, one at a time. A mala holds 108 of them. A pendant holds one crystal in a basket of the same knots.
There is a line I have carried with me for years. The beads are the seeds that will be grown into true knowledge of the Self. The threads are the force, joining all beings together.
Wearing one
A mala is a meditation tool first. It can also be worn, and it can be laid on the body where it is needed. Used daily, it takes on the intention of the practice, and whatever crystals are in it bring their own qualities with them.
If you would like something knotted for you, the pieces I make are all worked the same way, one crystal at a time.
Keep in touch
Annie writes occasionally about the forks, the crystals and what she is making. No schedule, no selling. Leave your email if you would like to hear from her.
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