Gemstone Rosaries Perhaps the most important consideration
when buying rosary beads is the
beads themselves. Each bead equals a prayer
and it is the beads your
fingers will have the most contact with when you
pray. My favorite rosaries
are made with gemstones, each one glowing with
a different beauty and gravid
with meaning. Blue lapis, for example, has a
unique royal blue color and it
was valued as much as gold in ancient Egyptian
times. The Pharoah himself
wore this gemstone set in gold. Rosaries with blue
lapis would, according
to tradition, "strengthen the mind and prepare
it for spiritual awareness."1
So, this gemstone is especially fitting
for rosaries. Another gemstone,
adventurine, is also appropriate for rosaries;
ancient Tibetans used it to
increase visionary powers. This gemstone is said
to increase your powers of
perception. Therefore, as you pray, you are more
able to find direction.
The gemstone malachite, a beautiful Irish green stone,
is also supposed to
increase visionary powers. In addition, it is credited
with enhancing
personal powers and protecting children from bad dreams. A
friend of mine
gave green malachite rosaries to her son for his First Holy
Communion
because this gemstone is supposed to give children emotional security.
The
lovely pale pink of the rose quartz gemstone is another good choice for
rosaries. Used by ancient Egyptians and Romans as a beauty aid, it is also
said to " foster personal self-acceptance." 2 Inner peace is both a
prayer
objective and an aid to prayer, so this gemstone is particularly well-suited
to rosary beads. Whether you choose your gemstone rosary beads for their
beauty
or their meaning, or both, these semi-precious stones will enhance
the rosary
you choose. You can pick out your cross and center in gold or
silver, and
select the gemstone beads that you like best, making your
rosaries truly unique
and personal, as rosary beads should be. 1 "Stone Power". Dorothee
L. Mella. Warner Books, 1986.
2 ibid. |
