The Mala is a string of 108 beads or knots and has been used for thousands of years in the Hindu traditions. They are likely one of the inspirations for the use of stringed beads in other religions/ traditions as prayer and meditation tools.
I have been using the inspiration of the mala for a long time for trance work, spirit walking, and magical practice. I have found it to be extremely effective, especially when guiding others who have a very difficult time with more common forms of meditation. They can also be an extremely powerful tool in magical crafting.
Trick of Mind and Body
I have come across so many people who struggle with getting into a meditative state. This difficulty spills over and stifles their ability to get into an altered state of consciousness that allows for trance work and spirit walking. These are also people I find who benefit the most with using the mala technique.
It is also the quickest technique I have found to get people to the state needed to receive visions and allow their spirit to travel outside the physical body. This is because the actions involved in the technique. The movement in counting the beads is training the body to be focused and then distracted by the action. The repetitive mantra, said out loud, is focusing and eventually distracting the conscious mind through the activity.
When the body and conscious mind become distracted by the physical acts – it allows the soul/ unconscious mind to wander and come to the forefront. The more you practice with it, the quicker the results because you are literally training your brain that this act is a trigger to reach an altered state of consciousness.
Repetition is Key
I have experimented with different lengths of beads and the size of the mantras – Repetition is key.
The Beads
I do feel the 108 repetition is important, especially in the beginning. I have gotten a lot of grumbles from this due to the time one will need to carve out for the practice – but if it is important to you, you will find the time. This goes for anything we want to do or learn. We carve out time for all kinds of other activities.
The 108 gives enough solid time to do that kind of mind and body training. It is the same way we train our brains and muscles for any activity – repetition. I also find doing it as a daily practice, at least in the first couple of months really solidifies this training.
The Mantra
The size of the mantra also seems to matter, at least in quickening the process. You don’t want it to be too long in my opinion for two reasons. First, you are memorizing this, so the longer the mantra, the more time it will take to memorize it and say the mantra through the 108 beads. The reason you want to memorize it, is so you can do the work with your eyes closed, eliminating other distractions. I have found this to be an important piece to the work I am discussing here.
The second is precision – the words you choose, the results you are looking for, can get clouded when you add too many “prettying up” words. You want something simple that conveys the objective you wish to accomplish with this session. We will get deeper into this below but needed to mentioned here.
The first mantra I used personally was more of a longer prayer I wrote. It was extremely effective but also took me about an hour and fifteen minutes to complete. That can sometimes be a difficult amount of time to chunk out on a daily basis with all of life’s other needs.
On the flip side of that – too short of a mantra, especially in the beginning, can slow down how fast you can train the body and mind and get to the right internal state for results. I know a few who have tried to use just a couple of words, taking less than 10 mins to complete, and even though they finally got there, it did take them much longer than others.
So I would say to try to shoot for something that lands you somewhere between 15-30 minutes when first starting out. Also, for the most effective results, make it into a daily practice. After you have sufficiently trained your mind, body, and spirit – the time aspect won’t really matter, as you will easily move into the state once you have begun.
Results Based Practices
My concern is focused on the results of a practice. What actually works and brings clear results. This is a center indicator for my own practices. If I am going to share in more of a teaching format though, these practices have to be tested and evaluated through others using them and the results they are able to get. To see if the practices hold for others, and that others are able to achieve the same/ similar results.
I spent almost a decade mentoring people individually in this practice. I have had people start to have experiences in the first couple of times of doing this process, and some who have taken a month or two. I have yet to have someone though who couldn’t get to the altered stated of consciousness that allows for trance or spirit walking by going through this exercise. So I feel pretty confident in this process.
What It Looked Like
The counter can be a fancy set of beads or just a string with 108 knots in it. The material doesn’t seem to matter. My first was just a simple hemp string with knots tied into it – My current set turquoises colored set of beads. Both worked beautifully.
My first mantra was more like a long prayer than what we would consider a mantra. It was when I was first building those foundational skills with The Morrigan and wanted to develop more controlled vision and spirit walking abilities. It went something like this:
Goddess Morrigan,
allow me to walk in your energy.
When my road is dark and when it is light,
when it is twisted and when it is straight.
To walk with you means to have Faith
Faith requires sacrifice,
Sacrifice does not exist without love.
At this point I was looking at building deeper connection. As our partnership grew, the prayer/ mantra changed, reflecting where we were in that partnership and what I was working on.
I do not recommend something this long unless you are really willing to dedicate the time to it consistently. Start smaller.
My current daily mantra is a shortened version of a very long prayer to the Goddess Hel. The shortened version is a combination of Runes that represent each section of the larger prayer and then Galdred. I also do not use this particular mantra as a working, but more of an honoring of our connection and partnership. It is also one that those in the Death’s Emissary course will be taking up as a daily practice for its duration.
These types of mantras can be used for devotional purposes – to enhance direct communication with Spirits/ Guides/ Deities- to explore or build skills – and even in magical practices – all through the art of trance and spirit walking.
Mala Inspired Mantras in Magical Practices
The structure of the mala can be a very effective tool in spell-crafting. Setting a clear intention, the repetitive action to focus all your energy and mind on that goal/outcome, and releasing it with the power of voice (speaking it out loud).
The more skilled you become in this and spirit walking – you can also do that work on the energetic plane. Seeing and manipulating the various energies and strings that need to be moved, altered, or woven to create your desired effect.
An example of magical practice for reducing anxiety and boosting confidence. The mantra could be something such as: Quiet the mind of doubt and fear – they have no place here – I walk in the calm confidence of my inner strength and knowing.
This is just an example. You can use the premise though for pretty much any kind of working. Things to keep in mind:
– It may be longer because this will be you doing one time or perhaps a couple but probably not a long term/ daily.
– Be very clear in the words you choose. Do they reflect the goal or outcome you are wanting to achieve? Are they clear about any parts that need to be removed/ unblocked in order to achieve that? If I am just doing the mantra aspect and not going into direct energy manipulation aspect, I will also look at it as if I’m dealing with a Djinni – Asking “how could these words be twisted and the outcome changed by that?” This article explains it more: A Change in a Word Can Make All the Difference.
– In spell work emotion behind the spell – what you are feeling during it and thinking about the result – is what fuels the spell.
– Tone of voice as you as saying it. You are putting out a physical vibration with the spoken words and their rhythm and tone matter here. Does the tone reflect the different aspects of the spell? Does it match the emotion behind the spell that is fueling the words? Play around with it if need be. Experiment and see what produces the right result.
Mantras Without the Mala Aspect
There are some mantras that you can build with the mala technique, and then use in any space or context without the need of the full technique. You could view it through the lens similar to that of seals or sigils, except it is a spoken version. You have already created, developed, and grew/fed that tool (the magic inside that mantra). Now as you face situations in which to use it, all you need to do is speak the spell mantra a few times to activate it.
I have had a lot of strange and scary events when it comes to cars. So when running into construction, bad weather, car issues, and things such as that when driving, I say the mantra “Safe and Uneventful” either several times or throughout the area I am going through. It is a calming effect psychologically, but it is also pulling forth and weaving that magic around me as I move through it. Since starting this practice, I have not encountered those types of issues, and always make it to my destination safely.
Ending Thoughts
The Mala itself has significance when it comes to Hindu/ Buddhist practices, but the structure and way of using it as a tool is used throughout many culture and traditions. The repetitive action, that produces the distraction/ training the mind and body, allowing the spirit/ subconscious to be at the forefront, and creating/ honing the skill in order to bring it forth at any point, is the goal.
I am a results based person. This means I want real measurable results with the things I decide to incorporate in my practices, as I am sure most – if not all – do. I have experienced the abilities and results of this technique in various forms, and it can be some of the most powerful and potent magic.
It is also the quickest technique that I have found to take someone from no experience – to being able to gain clear communication, visions, and walk in spirit. It is why I use it most often with beginners and those who have not had success with other meditative techniques. Both of these groups tend to want to experience quicker results and have a stronger skeptic inside them. It does take some time and dedication but the technique is consistent in my experience.
If you have never tried it – I highly suggest trying it. Especially if you have had difficulty with other meditative techniques or struggled in trance, direct communication with spirit/ Deities, or spirit walking (astral/ out-of-body travel).
If you have only used it for prayer – perhaps consider using it for more magical uses and spell- crafting purposes. Experiment, play around with it, and see what you can create.
If you are just looking for something to help honor or strengthen the bond between you and a Guide/ Deity, incorporating something like this can be extremely helpful. You are sacrificing your time, being present in the act, and opening a line of communication between you. Make it something that you can complete in about 10 minutes and you can make it into your daily or weekly practice (if you want one).
*For those who are interested in the Death’s Emissary course mentioned above you can go here for more details and full course outline. There are still a few spots left for this year (year long course) and two different payment plans (the full year cost is $550). As I mentioned before, the class sizes will remain relatively small so everyone can get all the depth, individual one-on-one help they may need, and connect together as a community. Everything will be recorded, including the live discussion groups, so you won’t miss anything along the way. – The private server with additional resources will become available to participants this month, and classes will start in October!
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