SCIENTISTS HAVE HAD THEIR SAY ABOUT THE BIG BANG
theory and the dawn of a new culture for years, but until recently
symbols like sacred beads, or prayer beads, have generally been
omitted in such discussions despite the fact most of the world's
inhabitants — nearly two-thirds of the planet's population
— pray with beads, which some scholars have theorized
naturally evolved from the abacus, the Chinese counting instrument
that also used beads. (Spirituality on a String, Maggie Oman
Shannon and Eleanor Wiley)
 However, archeologist Richard Klien, a Stanford University
professor, takes the dawn-of-a-new-culture discussion in an
exciting new direction. In a Stanford Magazine article last
year, Klien disagreed that upheavals like the Russian and French
Revolutions, or the construction of the first cities, or even
the introduction of the internal-combustion engine effected
the greatest social changes. Klien contends that the most influential
revolution occurred in East Africa roughly 45,000 years ago.
He suggests that if beads were among humanity’s first
symbols, they represent one of the most important revolutions
in our species' career — the dawning of modern behavior:
“…Once symbols appeared we know
we’re dealing with people with advanced cognitive skills
who could not only invent sophisticated tools, weapons and develop
complex social networks for mutual security but could also marvel
at the intricacies of nature and their place in it, people who
were self-aware...” (1)
What does history reveal about ancient sacred beads?
In his book, The Dawn of The Human Culture, archeologist
Randall White of New York University, who specializes in the
study of upper-Paleolithic art (earth embedded), believes that
beads, perforated shells, pierced animal teeth, and other ornaments
were remarkably symbolic and sacred to the ancients.
White’s research indicated over 30,000 years ago the
intricacy of beads required extraordinary time and effort, implying
notable profound symbolic meaning. White’s experiments
illustrate a single bead typically required one to three hours
to craft.
In Sungir, Russia, occupied 29,000 years ago, ancient Sungars
who had to invest substantial time finding food and keeping
warm, in addition to other challenging circumstances, still
managed to produce 13,000 beads. Three thousand beads were discovered
in an adult male grave; the remaining 10,000 beads were divided
between two children’s graves. (Recalling a single bead
required as much as three hours to craft, such a collection
of beads could easily have taken as much as 39,000 hours to
generate, or five years!) The abundance of beads could have
easily signified that the children buried in the graves occupied
a special position or status in their respective society.
 What significance and/or purpose did the ancient beads
symbolize?
A handful of fragile ostrich eggshell beads were excavated from
a Kenyan site called Enkapune Ya Mato, or Twilight Cave, established
40,000 years ago. Sediment found in the cave reveals a record
of important cultural changes during the past few thousand years.
According to writer Mitchell Leslie, “…they appeared
to be the earliest known jewelry. But some anthropologists think
they are much more. The people of the Twilight Cave may have
exchanged them as ritual gifts or tokens making the Cheerio-like
object the oldest known example of symbolism. …”
(2)
Of particular interest is the commonality and widespread application
of beads as symbols across many different cultures due to the
inherent value the symbol(s) provide:
“… In addition to helping keep one's
place in structured prayers, prayer beads also symbolize the
commitment to spiritual life. With their circular form, a string
represents the interconnectedness of all who pray. Each bead
counted is an individual prayer or mantra, and the rote repetition
of prayers and mantras is meant to facilitate a sole focus on
the prayer or mantra itself...” (3)
Based on Shannon and Wiley’s observations, it’s
of little surprise that the use of prayer beads — or similar
customs involving symbols — is also evident in non-Christian
practices across a far-reaching cultural, religious, and spiritual
spectrum: the ancient Egyptians used beads, perhaps as a means
of bringing luck, dating back to 3,200 B.C.; Native American
beadwork honors their spiritual ancestors; African history reveals
beads were used as a form of communication and in rituals evoking
the power of gods; Hindus used prayer beads for counting breaths
and repeating mantras; Buddhist bead practices served to attain
enlightenment; Islamic bead practices helped Muslims praise
Allah; and even within Judaism—long considering “prayer
beads” as a form of paganism—a prayer shawl, known
as a tallit, features craftsmanship that is based on a number
of specified knots, quite similar to prayer beads.
Did the ancients project “intention” onto
these sacred beads?
In her Book of Intentions, Dianne Martin writes about
‘intention’: “Our whole world changes with
intention. The collision and interactions of intentions profoundly
affects our behavior, our environment, our communities, our
world, the universe, and, therefore, ourselves.” Did the
ancients know this?
A Beliefnet interview with Wayne Dyer, discussing his book
The Power of Intention, features a significant quote
by Carlos Castaneda: “There’s an immeasurable indescribable
force, which shamans called ‘intent’ and absolutely
everything that exists in the entire cosmos is connected to
it… an invisible source that ‘intends’ everything
into the universe.”
Discovering how our ancestors around the world gave purpose
and meaning to their beads helps provide remarkable insights
into many of our present-day religious customs. Ancient Hindu,
Islam, Christian, Judao, Native American, and African cultures
all gave tremendous importance to their beads: ceremonial, spiritual,
in celebration, as currency, as part of healing rituals, as
a form of status (power and wealth), but it is within the act
of prayer we can most recognize the symbolic and far-reaching
significance of beads.
 Many portraits of Jesus Christ as a child include coral
beads. Why?
Author Melody describes in her book Love Is in the Earth:
A Kaleidoscope of Crystals how coral vibrates to the astrological
sign of Pisces. Is this surprising? Not according to Melody’s
findings, which suggest that the coral/Pisces relationship assists
imagination, visualization, and intuition. It helps one to both
understand the qualities of the mystic and to bring one into
communication with the past spiritual masters of this world.
Such a process can expedite and accelerate the transfer of knowledge.
(Also, in reviewing the significance of minerals in history,
crystals alone are mentioned in the Bible more than 200 times!)
Witnessing the dawn of this new spiritual era unfold, is intriguing
from all angles, especially if the use of beads and other precious
resources becomes as significant and sacred as it was 45,000
years ago. Ultimately symbols such as beads unite us both spiritually
as well as universally (as a single people living on the same
planet). Think about it: In how many other ways does evidence
exist of such far-reaching human unification? In our modern
attempts to use highly evolved technology to “unite”
humankind, perhaps we’re overlooking an existing, totally
simplistic and fully attainable method of universal connectedness
that lies in a “simple” string of beads?
In keeping with examining our history in order to learn about
our future, perhaps such a powerfully symbolic and purposeful
symbol as a collection of beads—one that is embedded with
sacred intentions—can in fact influence a shift toward
spiritual unification and make this journey of living a more
peaceful existence for all.
References:
1. Suddenly Smarter,
Mitchell Leslie, Stanford Magazine, July-Aug. 2002
2. Mitchell, July-Aug. 2002
3. Maggie Oman Shannon and Eleanor, Wiley in A String and
a Prayer
© 2005, Cynthia
M. Long
|
|
