108 Bead Mala - Carnelian

A mala of 108 carnelian beads, warm orange to deep red-amber, no two quite the same shade. Carnelian is read in crystal practice as the stone of courage and motivation, the one for starting something, so a carnelian mala is often chosen for a mantra said at the beginning of the day or a new venture.

A mala is the string of 108 beads used in Hindu and Buddhist practice to count a mantra, a practice called japa. The traditional way is to hold it in the right hand, draped over the middle finger, and move from one bead to the next with the thumb, avoiding the index finger, which in that tradition stands for the ego.

The beads are about 6 to 8mm and the strand runs 60 to 80cm, so it can be worn long as a necklace or wrapped three or four times at the wrist between sessions. Each mala is imported direct from Ahmedabad, and because the beads are natural stone, size and length vary slightly from strand to strand.

Beads approximately 0.6 to 0.8cm; length 60 to 80cm. Weighs 54g. From India.