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Making Animal Prayer Beads
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Two animal chaplains explore interfaith and interspecies beading. Learn how to create your own animal prayer beads!
I have always been fascinated by rosaries. Born and raised Presbyterian, those strings of beads felt somehow beautifully mysterious and a little scary. I didn’t understand precisely how they were used, and as a kid, I worried I’d be struck by divine lightning if I dared pick up a set.
Many years later, I stayed in a busy Catholic guest house in Manhattan. One morning, the front desk clerk offered me a basket of brightly colored iridescent rosaries and asked, “Would you like one?” I nervously replied, “But I’m not Catholic.” He smiled and countered, “That’s okay. You never know when you might need some prayer help.” I selected one, placed it in my pocket, and came to find it comforting. Later that day, a Catholic friend was sobbing while explaining a challenging life experience. Voilà! Out of my pocket came a beaded gift for her.
Since that powerful encounter, I created an “Animal Rosary” practice for spiritually minded people who care about and for other species. I’ve shared it with active Catholics, curious Protestants, and Eastern Orthodox folks who traditionally use a prayer rope known as a komboskini. I suggest new uses for Buddhist mala beads, Hindu japa beads, or strings used in the Sikh or Bahá'í faiths. Ifa practitioners are not left out, either, as we discover ideas for cowrie shells. My Wiccan and Pagan friends tend to grab their witches’ runes or druid beads. Regardless of our spiritual tradition, we find all ways to touch each bead, uttering together phrases for the more-than-human world.
Although I always encourage people to adapt the practice for their needs, my animal chaplain colleague’s turn brought it to a whole new level. Rev. Pamela (Aurora) Hunt is an interfaith minister, flower essence consultant, and passionate interspecies environmental activist whose 31-bead string creates a meaningful garland for interspecies prayer, drawing on a mashup of Wiccan, Tibetan, and Catholic inspirations.
Let me walk you through the process so you can create your own!
Creating the Garland
String the garland in the order listed below. In between each “prayer bead,” place a smaller “seed bead,” which helps your fingers move easily from one prayer bead to the next without confusion during use.
Beginning Bead:
1 large glass bead, preferably in the shape of a heart
Along the strand are sets of four matching “species beads” alternated with sets of three “creator beads,” as shown in the photograph to the left.
Divine Creator Beads:
5 sets of 3 brass beads that represent your connection to the Divine
Species Beads:
4 green glass beads (Plant Kingdom)
4 blue glass beads (Aquatic Life)
4 red glass beads (Pollinators)
4 brown glass beads (Land Dwellers)
Tie off the strand using an additional “final bead” or tassel.
Preparing to Pray the Garland
- Take a moment to settle your thoughts.
- Breathe gently.
- Now, inhale for the count of four.
- Hold for the count of four.
- Exhale for the count of four.
- Pause for the count of four.
- Repeat two more times.
- Pick up your bead garland and hold it with your dominant hand.
- Let the strand gently drape across the backside of your fingers while holding the large beginning heart bead between your thumb and index or third finger, depending on your preference or spiritual tradition.
Praying the Garland
- Heart Bead: Hold the Heart Bead and offer:
“As I am part of the Divine Creation, with my own inner world and life, so are all species part of that Divine Creation with their own inner world and life. Connected and yet separate, each whole and sacred.”
- First Set of Creator Beads: Gently move the Heart Bead down with your thumb so that your finger and then your thumb rest on the first of the three Divine Creator Beads. Recite one line for each of the three beads, moving it gently with your thumb as you did before.
First Creator Bead: “Divine Creator of all life.”
Second Creator Bead: “Grant me wisdom and compassion.”
Third Creator Bead: “For all species of the earth.”
- Plant Kingdom Beads: Moving each of the four beads across your finger one bead at a time, recite the following:
First Bead: “For the plants of the deep forest.”
Second Bead: “For the plants of the dry desert.”
Third Bead: “For the plants of the treeless plains.”
Fourth Bead: “For the plants of the regal mountains.”
- Second Set of Creator Beads: Repeat the same words as the first set.
First Creator Bead: “Divine Creator of all life.”
Second Creator Bead: “Grant me wisdom and compassion.”
Third Creator Bead: “For all species of the earth.”
- Aquatic Life Beads: Recite one line for each bead, moving it gently with your thumb.
First Bead: “For deep ocean invertebrates.”
Second Bead: “For windswept lake gill-bearers.”
Third Bead: “For still pond amphibians.”
Fourth Bead: “For winding marsh habitats.”
- Third Set of Creator Beads: Continue as before.
First Creator Bead: “Divine Creator of all life.”
Second Creator Bead: “Grant me wisdom and compassion.”
Third Creator Bead: “For all species of the earth.”
- Pollinator Beads:
First Bead: “For the tireless buzzing bees.”
Second Bead: “For the moonlit glistening moths.”
Third Bead: “For the vibrant colored butterflies.”
Fourth Bead: “For the soft-winged beetles.”
- Fourth Set of Creator Beads:
First Bead: “Divine Creator of all life.”
Second Bead: “Grant me wisdom and compassion.”
Third Bead: “For all species of the earth.”
- Land Dweller Beads: Move through the final group of species beads.
First Bead: “For those that scurry or leap.”
Second Bead: “For those that slither or crawl.”
Third Bead: “For those that climb or fly.”
Fourth Bead: “For those that lumber or trot.”
- Fifth Set of Creator Beads:
First Bead: “Divine Creator of all life.”
Second Bead: “Grant me wisdom and compassion.”
Third Bead: “For all species of the earth.”
- Final Bead: As you hold the final bead, let the Heart Bead rest in your other hand. Pause a moment in contemplation and again recite as you began:
“As I am part of the Divine Creation, with my own inner world and life, so are all species part of that Divine Creation with their own inner world and life. Connected and yet separate, each whole and sacred.”
Take a deep breath and consider your deepened connection to the more-than-just human world.
Want more interspecies prayer practices? Read “A Centering Prayer for Cephalopods and Marine Mammals.”
About the Author
Sarah Bowen is an animal chaplain, multifaith educator, and award-winning author of Sacred Sendoffs: An Animal Chaplain’s Advice for Surviving Animal Loss, Making Life Meaningful, & Trying to Heal the Planet and other books. She...
Spiritual Practices
