What are Story-Beads?

Story-Beads are non-denominational prayer and meditation beads. These hand-held strands of beads allow you to tell your own story, the story of what matters to you. By choosing your own symbols, assigning your own meanings, and exploring their various uses Story-Beads build a spiritual practice into your everyday life, one that reflects the wants, needs and beliefs that you have now.

Story-Beads are a means of focusing. When working with prayer and meditation beads it’s a question of what you want to focus on. Do you want to focus on a meditation technique such as breathing, or mindfulness? Do you want to focus on your relationship with the Divine, in whatever form you believe? Or are you looking to remind yourself of what you are trying to bring into your life, such as health, peace of mind, prosperity or even personal goals? Story-Beads can act as a focusing tool.

Story-Beads are a tactile experience allowing prayer and meditation to become a multi-sensory experience. Unlike bracelets and necklaces, Story-Beads are designed to be held, touched and explored. Their design encourages you to explore their usage in a freer way and discover for yourself what feels right.

Story-Beads are non-denominational. They borrow from many traditions without adhering solely to any one religion or creed. They are neutral in nature and open to wide interpretation so that, as a spiritual practice, they can fit into an already existing belief set just as easily as they can stand on their own.

Story-Beads are a reminder. They are a reminder that Spirit is infused into every aspect of our lives, even the ordinary everyday ones. They are a reminder that magic is alive and well in the world and wishes do come true. They are a steady reminder that we have goals and aspirations, desires and needs. They are a reminder that we can take time for all these things by simply reaching out and touching a set of Story-Beads.

Why Pray?

In the realm of traditional prayer, I am a relative novice. Once I said my prayers each night in order to sleep but I left the religion of my childhood when I was sixteen and set off down a different path; in doing so I lost that way of praying. Now, I admit, I rarely sit down and “pray” – not for others, not for guidance, not for myself. I am far more comfortable and well-versed in less traditional forms of prayer. I’ll light a candle for a friend in need. I’ll check in with my intuition to see what I feel to be the next best step. I’ll scribble requests to the Universe in bright magic marker throughout my journal. It took many years to realize, and then accept, that these were all valid forms of prayer

Everyone has a different story about prayer. I have my own story and it tells me why I pray:

• I pray to remind myself that I have faith.
• I pray for guidance and strength.
• I pray when I want to send love and support to loved ones.
• I pray when I can do nothing else.

Why tell stories?

Our stories are at the very heart of who we are. In fact, the stories we believe to be true about ourselves define who we are. It was true for me when I was an ugly duckling becoming a swan, and it is still true as I uncover the warrior’s story in my life.

Our culture loves stories. I read novels, watch movies, and read picture books to my children night after night after night. And I know that I’m not alone. We all recount the events of the day at the dinner table or retell over the phone our most recent harrowing exploit. We all read the paper, or indulge in our favorite magazine or weekly TV show. With all that reading and watching and telling, many of us are more familiar with story than we are with prayer.

For a long time I believed that prayer had to be done in a certain way, addressed to a certain deity in a prescribed manner. I turned away from what I thought of as a constricting practice. There were times I felt I didn’t know how to do it right, and other times when “doing it right” just didn’t feel appealing.

Stories, on the other hand, I knew! Stories are about play – they’re “pretend.” There isn’t a right way or wrong way. Bringing in that aspect of play relieved my fear of “doing it wrong.” Combining prayer with the familiar and non-threatening comforts of storytelling allowed me to reclaim this powerful and effective practice. Suddenly, I could pray again and in a way that made sense to me.

Uncovering Your Story

Taking time to focus on our personal stories leads to a fuller and richer inner (and outer) life. Story-Beads are intended to help build a variety of spiritual practices that reflect that life and those stories. However, “What’s your story?” can be a daunting question, too big to jump into all at once. Uncovering the story of my life has taken years of thought, writing, meditation, tears and a long journey to find a much needed sense of safety.

So, I invite you to start small. This website is set up with a wide variety of suggestions and starting points just waiting to be explored and built upon. My invitation to you is to browse around until you find something that appeals to you, something that makes your heart sing or that makes you tingle with possibility. Start from there; what story could your beads tell you? I look forward to hearing all about your journeys and the ways that you find to work, play and explore your Story-Beads.

Bright Blessings,
Deborah

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