WORKING WITH BEADS
by contemplativeinquiry
Recently I wrote about the balanced cross (1), linking it to the paidirean (pahj-urinn) prayer beads of the Ceile De (Culdees), a modern monastic order based in Scotland. This post is about the beads and my work with them. Beads like this were part of the original Ceile De tradition and are known to have been used in the days of Columcille (St. Columba).
There are 150 beads, each about 5 mm wide. They are made of unstained rosewood and were left immersed in rose damask oil for a month. As well as scenting the beads, the oil gives the beads a pinkish colour. A cross hangs from the beads – at heart level when worn as a necklace.
Each Paidirean is ceremonially strung in Scotland by a Ceile De Order member. The process takes two hours and involves prayer, meditation and continuous chanting during the stringing. Then a blessing is spoken over the completed Paidirean which is anointed with water and with oil from a local holy well, used for at least 1500 years. The Paidirean is an object of power as well as beauty.
I am not a member of the Ceile De, and when I acquired the Paidirean they knew that I would work with the beads in my own way. I bring together meditation and prayer. I work with the Soham mantra, with Satish Kumar’s understanding (2) that it means ‘you are, therefore I AM’. Whilst I am mindful to my breath, to the mantra and to the movements of the beads, mindfulness is a means and not the purpose of the practice.
The purpose is to make an offering to Spirit – an offering from one lamp to the light, one wave to the ocean. After some hesitation and experiment, I have adopted the word Spirit, rather than Goddess or God, to address the Divine. It is more universal and inclusive as, for me, befits a panentheist view. In making my offering, I am aware that Soham also works laterally, including relations between all beings within the web of life, just as the Druid prayer speaks of ‘the love of all existences’. Ultimately, we are recognising the divinity in each other.
Spirit is not beyond us in some other realm. It is here, now, and everywhere. When I work with the beads, I am making both an offering and an affirmation.
(1) https://contemplativeinquiry.blog/2025/01/04/the-balanced-cross
(2) Satish Kumar You Are therefore I AM: A Declaration of Dependence Totnes: Green Books, 2002
Contemplative Inquiry 
A lovely reflection on how you work with the beads, thank you. I’m particularly interested in your choice to use the word Spirit as I consciously choose to use Goddess in more recent times. I do this to acknowledge how I see the original essence of creation that some might call Creatrix – essentially the belief for me of the Divine Feminine being the basis of all. I think it is also partly to do with ‘as above so below’ as a belief, in that I feel a need to tip the balance towards feminine energies in the Otherworld to implore Goddess to be more present in this world. It’s a hard concept to explain but I’m not the only one to recognise that over time there has become an inherent disrespect of the feminine within humanity. Without getting into worldwide politics and feminism all I can say is that as a woman I feel this need to ally with feminine energy. I know that good old Ronald Hutton when he’s talking about Wicca refers to Gods and Goddesses being a part of spiritual practice but that the Goddess just tips the balance and takes up a little more space quite rightly – as he says Wicca is the only truly feminist religion of the world.
Thanks for your comment. What you movingly say makes complete sense, not least given the reassertion of toxic masculinity going on now. I hope that my very recently adopted ‘Spirit’ never becomes a desertion or betrayal of Goddess values. I think of ‘Spirit’ as holding a sense of the Divine Androgyne, restoring a lost wholeness and re-integrating spirit and matter. That seems to be my road to follow now. Every blessing on yours.
I moved to using ‘Shining Ones’ instead of Gods and Goddesses as there seem to be many sorts of Otherworldly beings and I’m not sure how to, or if it’s necessary to, actually sort out who is who or what exactly. ‘Panentheist’ seems to best describe my spiritual understanding at the moment too.
‘Shining Ones’ is very evocative language is you are wanting to point to the plurality within the Divine without specifically sorting out who is who or what. Thank you for sharing this resonant term.
Really interesting to see how you’ve brought praying your beads together with Soham which I’ve used in the yogic practice ajapa papa. As I also use prayer beads and that mantra it’s got me thinking about how beads and mantras fit together.
Ps I meant ajapa japa. Stupid autocorrect!