How to Make a Prosperity Mala Necklace - DIY with Soft Flex Wire
Happy Lunar New Year! This week on Free Spirit Beading with Kristen Fagan, learn how to make a mala style necklace for prosperity strung with Soft Flex beading wire. Malas are a great addition to your meditation practice. I have chosen prosperity as my word of the year and this mala is one way I plan to call in that energy this year. Do you have a word of feeling you would like to bring in more of this year? You can wear or meditate with a mala to be mindful about the energy you want to cultivate. We use the Maneki-Neko (beckoning cat) and beads from Soft Flex Company's Lunar Design Kit along with Citrine and Pyrite, known as gemstones of luck, prosperity and abundance.
Supplies:
Soft Flex .019/Medium Beading Wire - Red Coral
Saturn Beads from Lunar New Year Design Kit
Maneko-Neko Ceramic Cat from Lunar New Year Design Kit
6mm Gemstone Rondelles (I used Pyrite)
8-10mm Gemstone Rondelle (I used Citrine)
Tassel
Making a mala style meditation necklace is a thoughtful way to infuse your adornments with intention and wear as visual talisman. Mala have been used for centuries to help their owners set intentions, meditate and manifest their desires. Traditionally, a mala has 108 beads with knots in between which assists in counting your mantras during meditation. Gemstone are often added to infuse meaning based on their special properties.
Why 108 beads? 108 is considered a sacred number. 108 represents the universe. It is said that there are 108 energy lines that converge to form the heart chakra. The distance of Earth from the Sun is about 108 times the diameter of the Sun. The diameter of the Sun is 108 times the diameter of the Earth. In astrology, silver is thought to represent the moon, the atomic weight of silver is 108.
In addition to the 108, you can add decorative spacer beads (not counted in 10). A guru bead is in the center at the bottom here strands come together and is considered to represent the student-teacher connection. Below the guru bead is the tassel that represents enlightenment.
How did I set the intention for Prosperity in this design? I made these choices in my design all around the idea of calling in prosperity:
I chose to use the maneki-neko bead as my guru bead. The maneki-neko ('beckoning cat') is a common Japanese figurine which is often believed to bring good luck to the owner. There’s actually a meaning behind which paw the Maneki Neko cat is holding up. If it’s the left paw, this is supposed to attract customers. If the right paw is raised, this invites good fortune and money. This cat is holding a Japanese coin from the Edo period; a ryo was considered to be quite the fortune back then.
I chose to use the gemstone Pyrite as my 108 beads. Pyrite is said to attract wealth, success and protection.
I chose to use the gemstone Citrine as my decorative bead. Citrine is said to bring happiness, positivity and abundance.
I chose to string on red color Soft Flex beading wire. Red is the color of energy, passion and action.
I chose to work with the number 6 for my beads. The number 6 is considered lucky in Feng Shui, because it means 'flow' in Chinese. The number 6 also represents happiness and blessings. A number of businesses display the number 6, to invite good fortune and wealth.
I set up my design as follows:
I hope you enjoyed learning about the symbolism and thought process that went into making this design. I'm smitten with it! Creating with intention and crafting a story with your jewelry designs brings an extra bit of magic for the wearer.
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Kristen Fagan is a Website Graphic Designer and Jewelry Making Educator for Soft Flex® Company. She is the co-author of Seed Bead Revolution, an artist and creativity guide. She lives in Arizona with her husband, their two sons and two dogs. When she's not painting, drawing or beading, she enjoys reading, yoga, exploring the outdoors and traveling. Her favorite stones are Turquoise, and Quartz and she can't bead without Bead Stoppers. Contact her at Kristen@softflexcompany.com or visit her Website | Facebook | Instagram