Some may look at the malas I create and see jewelry. They may not know or recognize that a mala is so much more than a piece of jewelry. I notice that a lot at in person events, and I am always grateful to teach people about the layers of meaning that the malas hold.
Let me tell you what I see.
I see stones pulled from the earth, worked until smooth and round, retaining their original energy and now containing the energy of those who worked to bring them forth, shape them, and ready them for the next step on their journey.
I send blessings of thanks to all the hands that have touched these stones.
I see beads gathered, the colors and energies swirling around me, brought to my hands by some greater force (I do not choose to name it, you may call it God, Universe, coincidence).
I see the energies the stones carry through my hands, as I hold them, noticing how different they all feel – I can close my eyes and hold them and notice subtle differences, because energy is a subtle force.
I see my heart guiding me to choose this bead, and then that, and then the next, as a design comes together, sometimes comes undone, before at last settling into its next step on the journey, the step before it meets the one for whom it was created.
Yes, I believe that each and every stone in each and every mala has come together for a specific person, at a specific time, for a specific reason (whether known or unknown) and in that belief I trust.
Do I look at the malas that have been created by my hands and see a piece of jewelry, a simple product to be sold? No.

photo credit: Carolyn Clement
I see sacred vessels filled with unique energy, ready and waiting to meet the one it was made for.