Thank you for joining me on this journal.
I wanted to create a space where I could share a little more than Instagram allows for, where I can explore and share the spiritual practices that help me on the off chance that it might help you too.
This first post is about malas; how I make them, how I use them and why I use them.
Where it all started…
In 2017, I decided to do a mala-making workshop. I had wanted a mala for ages, I admit mostly because they looked pretty. I didn’t really know much about them, but I loved the idea of them. I wanted to use crystals more and more in my life, but wasn’t mad about much of the crystal jewellery I had seen so it occurred to me this was a great way of wearing crystals and might also firm up my floundering meditation practice.
Before I did the workshop, I had a friend ask if I could make her a mala too. And after that she asked for another one for her friend. I loved making them so much. It was a process I felt at ease with. I could use my reiki to connect distantly to help figure out what crystals to use and I quickly settled into a divination approach, keeping my own personal tastes out of the design process and building a relationship with my trusted pendulum. This brought me into a richer and deeper understanding of crystals and of course, has over time firmed up that meditation practice.
I’m learning as much as I can about mantra, about using malas, about how to work with crystals and I am looking forward to sharing more of that with you as I learn. Sharing is caring!
How I make Malas...
It occurred to me early on and especially after completing my advanced reiki training, that the energy in which something is created really informs and impacts it. The process of making a mala is naturally a very meditative one for me. I knew I wanted to make them in the most energetically ‘clean’ way. They are energetic objects, so it is paramount they are made in a way that not only respects their vibration, but protects it and actually enhances it. Through the ritual of making of the mala, even more power is instilled into it because energy goes (and grows) where attention flows. Gotta love a rhyme.
This ritualised process is what I think makes my malas different to many. I am not a production line. I am not a factory. I do my best to create a sacred space, where vibration is everything. What does this actually look like? Well, I firstly light candles, incense, sage and Palo Santo, honouring the elements (earth, air, fire, water and ether), the directions (north, east, south, west, above, below, within) and call on my guides and ancestors to support me and protect the space whilst I work.
I then empower my reiki, calling in the reiki energy to flow through my hands. I wash them, use an anointing oil to energetically cleanse and align them and I set to work.
I usually make a mala whilst reciting mantra, either along to a track or just in my head or out loud. Sometimes I chant, sometimes I sing. And sometimes, if it feels right for the piece, I allow the music to create the energy, for instance, listening to a shamanic drum track. Most of the time there is a mantra involved though.
This further instills the vibration of the mantra and the intention in to the mala and helps to give my malas their energy. Many tell me that as soon as they open their parcel, they can feel the energy buzzing from their mala.
I wear my mala most days. I have several, but not as many as you might think!
In case you’re interested: I have
One I made in my workshop.
One I bought from the lady I learned from.
One rudraksha seed based mala with the intention to provide protection when out and about.
One that is all lapis lazuli, used for healing work carrying the vibration of the medicine buddha and used with the mantra ‘tayata om bekhanze bekhanze, maha bekhanze bekhanze ranziah samudgate soha. Forgive the spelling.
One more mala I made recently intended to help evolve me further along with visioning, journeying and manifesting.
I recite mantra throughout the day, often in the shower. Of course. Everything resonates in the shower! Often when doing tasks around the house. Always when making a mala. I am understanding mantra on a much deeper level after bringing it into my daily practice and I will share more about which ones I use and why in other posts.
How to Use a Mala
Firstly, sitting in a comfortable position, hold the mala in the right hand. Lay the beads so that you are holding with your thumb the first one next to the guru bead. Then, as you say your mantra, pull down with your thumb and feel for the second bead. I always lay beads at the base, the ‘heart’ or 27th or 81st position, which is a quarter or 3 quarters way through, at the ‘throat’ or the 54th position which is half way through. This gives a little indication through touch of how far you have come round the mala, without being too obvious or distracting. The stones also correlate to the chakra centres so when I write up my Message from the Mala readings, there is an extra layer of insight to be discovered.
Why I use a Mala
Aside from actually finding them brilliantly useful in meditation, the mala has become such a significant object in my life. I have come to really value their spiritual meaning and my name, solis is a part of that. The word mala means ‘garland’ in Sanskrit. And solis means ‘sun’ in latin. I considered the Sanskrit word for sun but I loved the union of Indian and Latin as it spoke of a universality, a union of East and West and the common threads of language that we share as many words we have now are derived from Sanskrit. So, my name means ‘sun garland’ or ‘garland of suns’. I’m a complete and unashamed devotee to The Sun. It is my life force and fills me with immense joy and deep deep peace when I’m bathed in sunlight. The mala represents this divine source of life to me.
Also, the guru bead is said to hold the power of the mala, storing up the repetitions of mantra, storing intentions, prayers and manifestations. To carry it with you, to wear it, is to remind and hold dear these intentions and this power. To allow yourself to align with your mala, to wear it and use it and welcome in the transformative power of the crystals and mantra, we surrender to the rhythm and the flow of life. This is what they mean to me.
I’d love to hear your thoughts, experiences or questions on malas or anything related to this post! I will share more on this subject so please do get in touch and let me know your thoughts. I’m excited to build a community where we can share what we know and learn from each other.
Namaste x
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