japa mala mantra

japa
“recitation”
mala
“garland”
mantra
“that which when reflected upon
gives liberation”
A strand of beads known as a mala strand or a
strand of prayer beads is a tool used to count the
repetitions of a mantra or prayer that you wish to
repeat a certain number of times and to focus your
intention on.
It is said that as you use a mala strand it takes
on the energy of your mantra and becomes more
empowering the more you use it. For this reason, it’s
thought that each prayer or mantra should have its
own dedicated strand. (Good thing you’ll be learning
how to make them so you can make several!)
For the strand I’m going to be making in this class,
I will be using purple cord, round coco beads
(which come from the shell of the coconut) and a
small “rainbow” of colors for my tassel and beaded
tube bead. Various wood (sandalwood, rosewood,
bayong, redwood, olivewood), seeds, bone and
gemstones all carry different attributes, as do colors.
When selecting your own supplies, consider the
symbolic meanings of the colors and bead material
for the specific prayer, affirmation or mantra/chant
you’d like to use the strand with in practice.
Materials
beading cord - .5mm (I prefer Superlon 18), 32" (81cm)
7–8mm beads, 27
seed beads (I love size 11/0), 64 (a gram typically has about 110 beads)
larger bead, 1
embroidery floss/other fibers (for tassel)
scrap of cardstock, approx. 2" x 4½ " (5cm x 11cm)
sharp scissors
tapestry needle
T pin (optional)
beading needle
nymo fine beading thread
beading mat (optional but recommended)
Part I
knotted beads
1. If you’re using .5mm cord, each knot you tie will use up
just under ¼" (6mm) of thread so we need at least 7"
(18cm) just for knots! I find a strand of about 32"(81cm) to
be comfortable to work with; not so short that I have very
little to work with when I’m at the finishing stage but not
so much that it’s laborious to tie a knot and thread with for
each bead.
2. Thread on one bead and position it in the center of the
length of cord. Tie one overhand knot to one side of it.
3. Tie a second knot on the opposite side and use a T pin,
or tapestry needle to snug the knot close to the bead.
4. Add a second bead to one side of the center bead and
repeat with a snugged-up knot.
5. Continue alternating beads and knots down one half of
the length and then the other until you have strung and knotted all 27 beads. Hopefully you still have two
tails of cord that are about 5"–6" (13cm–15cm) each. With the two tails held together, tie one final knot,
snugging it up to the final knots on each end of the strand.
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Part II
Peyote Tube Bead
1. Cut about a 24" (61cm) length of nymo beading
thread and thread one end on a beading needle.
Thread on a stopper bead. (Ideally, this will be in a
color that is different than the beads for your tube,
but if you don’t have any extra colors, just try to
remember that the end bead is not a part of the pattern.) Thread the needle through the stopper bead,
then bring the needle around and thread it again
through the bead in the same direction to you’ve
basically created a loop around it. Pull it gently down
the thread to leave a tail of about 5" (13cm).
2. Thread on eight seed beads. I like to have a solid
border at the top and the bottom of the finished
tube with a random mix of the other colors between.
To replicate this, thread 1 border color bead on first,
then 6 mixture beads and end with 1 border color
bead for a total of 8 beads. Note: if you pull firmly
on this row of beads, you will slide the stopper bead
down the thread a bit. No biggie, just pull the whole
clan back up a bit to reclaim your 5" (13cm) tail.
3. You’re probably holding the strand now with the
needle end at the top and the stopper bead hanging
down. Rotate this around and hold the row gently
between your index finger and thumb of one hand
with the stopper facing away from you and the
working end (with the needle) of the thread pointing
toward you.
4. Thread on 1 border color bead and slide it down to
meet the last border bead you strung on. Insert the
needle not through that last border bead but through
the first mixture bead, just above it.
5. Adjust the two adjacent border beads so they look
like little feet at the bottom of the row.
6. Thread on another mixture bead and skip the
bead above where you needle last came out and insert the needle in to the next bead that is jutting out.
7. Repeat two more times until you come out the
top border bead. Your row now has little bumps of
beads sticking out. It may look a little unruly; hang in
there—it gets easier!
8. Flip your work around again. Thread on another
border bead and then insert the needle through the
bead above it that is jutting out.
9. Thread on a mixture bead and insert the needle
through the next bead that is jutting out. Repeat
until you come out of the top border bead.
10. Continue rotating the work at the end of each
row and adding new rows until you have 8 border
beads (meaning 8 rows) on each end. You needle
should be on the opposite side as your stopper
bead—so they are kitty-corner from each other.
11. You’re now going to “zip up” the tube. Form the
flat weave into a tube shape. The ends should fit
together to continue the brick pattern.
12. With the needle coming out of the last border
bead, insert it into the new border bead that wants
to now sit beside it. Then go back to the other side
with the next bead down that is jutting out and
insert the needle through it and then the next bead
down on the other side that is jutting out and so on,
zig-zagging back and forth, essentially sewing up the
tube.
13. When you reach the opposite end and come out
of the last border bead, remember not to go through
the stopper bead. Remove the stopper bead.
14. Thread both tails back through the pattern and
trim the excess thread.
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Part III
Tassel
1. Fold the scrap of cardstock in half so that
when folded it is 2" x 2¼" (5cm x 6cm).
2. With the folded edge at the bottom and leaving a short tail at the bottom, wind your fiber/
floss around the folded piece. 20–25 wraps is
good. If you want a second color in the center of
the tassel, wrap that color first about five times
and then the outer color on top of it, being sure
to have several wraps on either side of the inner
color.
3. Thread a tapestry needle with a contrasting color and go between the cardstock layers,
working at the top where it’s open and easier.
4. At the top, use the thread to tie a knot, securing the wraps tightly.
5. Carefully remove the fiber bunch from the
cardstock and cut through the loops at the bottom.
6. I also like to twist the knot at the top to the
inside of the folded fiber bunch.
7. With a new length of contrasting fiber, tightly
wrap the bunch about ⅜" (10mm) from the knot
to create the tassel “ball.” I find this easiest to
hold a 3" (7cm) tail against the bunch with my thumb of one hand as I
wrap the fiber around it with my other hand.
8. When it looks like you have enough (10 wraps or so), tie the working
end to the tail end you were holding with your thumb in a knot.
9. Use the tapestry needle to thread the ends through the bunch to
hide them and trim.
10. Use sharp scissors to give your tassel a little haircut and make her
ends nice and even.
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Part IV
Final Assembly
1. Thread both mala strand tails through the tube bead and the large bead.
2. Use the tapestry needle to thread one tail through the loop at the top
of the tassel from left to right and thread the other tail through the loop
from left to right.
3. Thread both tails back up through the large bead and then the tube bead.
4. Gently snug everything up so there is no slack. Bring the tails around
the two threads going through the tube bead in opposite directions by
crossing them in the back and then tie them in a knot in the front, just
above the final knot on the mala strand.
5. Thread the tails a final time down through the tube bead and trim them.
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