etsy store launch!

    

     IT'S 'day after launch day!'  Yesterday, I officially launched my Etsy store after months of preparation, work, prayer, meditation and excitement.  If you read through to the bottom, you'll find an exclusive coupon code to use for a limited time in my Etsy store!  This is my way of reaching more people with healing energy work than just through individual, one-on-one session work.  I create custom, handmade, hand-knotted malas.  What's a mala, you ask?  Well, let me start by telling you about how I got interested in malas and then I will give you the traditional mala explanation.

​When I do my session work, I always have a beaded cross necklace in my hand-it's one that I put together from some beads that I had and a wooden cross that I love.  It's not anything fancy, but it keeps me grounded and reminds me to where I turn for my guidance and answers.  I use it to help clear out the 'dust' in my mind at times when things get a little cloudy. 


​     As I began my Yoga Teacher training last year, I really dove deep into the philosophy side of Yoga and discovered these beautiful and spiritual necklaces called 'malas.'  Malas are traditionally used for meditation and prayer.  It is typically made up of 108 beads with a 'guru' bead and a tassel at the bottom.  Between each bead is a hand-tied knot.  So, what do you do with a mala?  Here's the beautiful thing, you decide what to do with it.  In the Buddhist tradition, malas are used for mantra repetition-you touch each bead as you repeat your mantra and turn it either clockwise or counterclockwise as you move around your mala, skipping over the guru bead at the bottom.  You can also use it for breath work-one breath per bead as you work your way around.  Using it during prayer is also very powerful, it helps center and focus your prayers and keeps you in the present.  Many people wear them around everyday, as well.  It's just a matter of how you need your mala to work for you and it's a very personal decision for you to make.   

​     The different materials used to construct a mala are very important.  I could go on and on about this.  I won't though, you would be reading all day.  What I will say is this, you should be very picky about your mala.  It should be one that really resonates with you and that you connect with.  Every mala is made differently.  It can be made up of wood, stone, crystal, plastic, glass-you name it!  I love to use gemstones and wood for my malas.  I'm very careful and considerate about where I get my materials from.  The thing that I ran into when I was searching for my 'perfect' mala was that I was finding that the quality was not what I was needing.  I bought three malas from the same company, and not one of them had the knots between the beads.  The knots between the beads signifies to me that the person constructing it has put the energy and intention into the mala that it deserves and it is a very spiritual part of the mala necklace.  Without the knots, the mala was worthless to me.  That doesn't mean that the same mala wouldn't be priceless to someone else, but it was a point that was very important to me.  Why couldn't I make my own?   Not to sell, just for me.  My first one was a pink zebra jasper, lava stone and clear quartz mala.  I loved it!  I started to get requests from clients to make malas for them!  Then, I decided that I needed to go a step further and integrate it into my business as a way to reach out further. 

     The process I use to create a mala starts before any beads go on the string.  I figure out which materials are going to be put together and why.  The 'why' is so important.  Each mala carries a certain energy for healing and intention.  I use Reiki to make sure the materials (gemstones, wood, stringing cord, tassel, counterparts) are all clear and that they all mix well.  Then, the stringing begins, each bead is loving strung and an intention placed with every hand-tied knot in between.  The guru bead is picked to help balance out whatever beads are on the mala or as a spiritual guide.  I like to say that the beads pick themselves, I intuitively know which ones go where.  I do not lay out a pattern beforehand.  I have tried this several times and it just doesn't work for me!  

​     My favorite part of this entire process is that this is a way for me to spread energy healing without having to just do one-on-one sessions with clients.  My intention has always been to help as many people as I can in as many ways possible.  With the purchase of one of my malas, know that you are receiving not only a piece of jewelry, but one that is infused with energetic healing and love.  If we could all find ways to spread love, compassion, kindness, empathy and understanding-I know this world would begin to heal from all of the darkness that threatens on a daily basis.    

​     There you go!  I hope that gives you some insight into my malas as well as to what they are exactly and why I make them.  For a limited amount of time, I am offering a $10 discount off of any 108 bead mala purchase through my Etsy store!  Grab the coupon while you can and enjoy browsing!

​Enjoy 10OFF to receive $10 off every 108 bead mala ordered until Aug 31st, 2017!


​Love and Light~
​Mandi
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