A Pagan Rosary

I have been creating Rosary Prayer Beads

You can order yours through me by emailing me Email to order handmade witchy items

I love making things and each item that I make is created in sacred space and cleansed and blessed before I send it out.

History of Rosary

Many cultures have used prayer beads in one form or another for thousands of years. Around 800 B.C., the Phoenicians used a circle of beads in their worship of Astarte. This "rosary" is seen on some early Phoenician coins. The Buddhists use strings of beads to recite their mantras, and the Hindus chanted the many names of their god.

The use of prayer beads is also well known amongst the patriarchal religions. The Catholic rosary is probably the best known of these. The Eastern Orthodox Christians use a rosary called a "chotki," which is made up of 33, 100, or 300 beads, on which they chant "ord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner," or one of its variations. The Muslims also use a string of either 33 or 99 beads, called a "tesbih," on which they recite the Beautiful Names of Allah.

How I Pray the Rosary

Please note: What follows is a description of how I pray the Rosary. It is intended to help other Wiccans/Pagans to adapt the Rosary in its Catholic form to one which they find meaningful. Therefore, if you disagree with how I do things, feel free to change/adapt it to something you prefer. In each section, you will see a link. This will take you to a page with sample prayers for each section of the rosary.

This form of the Rosary uses the Catholic rosary. These can be easily obtained from any Catholic supply store, or you can search online for a site that offers free rosarys.

Preparing to Pray the Rosary

First of all, it is important to set the mood for prayer. It's best to find a time when you can be alone and undisturbed (unless you plan to pray with others). I also like to play some music softly in the background, and to light a candle when I pray. If it's possible, I'll burn some incense at my shrine (I have a wall shelve with statues of the Goddess and some candles and holy water).

To begin prayer time, I make the Sign of the Pentagram. This is similar to the Christian Sign of the Cross, and it is mentioned in Raven Grimassi's book "The Wiccan Mysteries: Ancient Origins & Teachings." Using your first two fingers, touch the forehead, then the right breast, up to the left shoulder, over to the right shoulder, down to the left breast, and finally, back again to the forehead. If you like, anoint yourself with holy water or oil.

The Crucifix

Some Pagans may feel uncomfortable about the crucifix, but keep in mind that the cross, in its earliest forms, was equal-armed, and symbolized balance between the masculine and feminine aspects. Also, the crucifix can serve as a reminder of the many myths of the dying and rising aspect of the God. However, if you feel uncomfortable using the crucifix, replace it with a symbol that you prefer. After a while of having my rosary, I decided to replace the crucifix with an ankh.

On the crucifix, I recite a creed of my beliefs. This is similar in idea to the Nicene or Apostles' Creeds, and is a short summary of what I believe in. Of course, I believe in much more than what is written in the creed, but if I were to put in everything that I believed, it would be too long! The idea here is to create a simple prayer that affirms the basic beliefs you hold dear.

The Dividing Beads

These beads appear in a few places: between the crucifix and a set of three beads ("Trinity beads"), after the three, and between each decade. The prayer used on these beads can be anything you choose, such as a doxology praising the Goddess.

Trinity Beads

In the Catholic tradition of the rosary, there is nothing signficant about this set of three beads, but I felt that they were an excellent part of the rosary with which to honour the Goddess as Maiden, Mother, and Crone, so my prayers here honour each aspect of the Triple Goddess.

The Medal

Here, I like to say a short prayer, or recite a piece of sacred scripture. I use the Bible, but you can use whatever source you choose. My favourite scripture quotes are the ones from the Bible which praise the Goddess as Wisdom/Sophia, especially Wisdom 7:22-8:1 and Proverbs 3:13-18. If you are praying for a particular cause or on someone's behalf, this is where I would mention it.

The Decades

On the decades, you can use the same prayer for all five, or a different one for each decade; it just depends upon your preference. I use short prayers that focus on one or two ideas, rather than lengthy prayers here. If you like, you could create prayers to focus on the Sabbats, moon phases, certain myths you are drawn to, etc. I haven't written any for these occasions, but if I do, I will post them here.

Concluding Prayer

The final prayer of the Rosary is said on the Medal. You can use any prayer you like, but I like to reflect on the final words of the Charge of the Goddess, since they remind me of the Goddess within myself:

"And for you who seek to know Me, know that all your seeking and all of your yearning are of no avail, unless you know the mystery; that if that which you seek you find not within yourself, you will never find it without. For behold, I have been with you from the beginning, and I am that which you shall find at the end of desire."

After the final prayer, I kiss the medal (as a sign of reverence, since the image on my rosary's medal is of Mary), and then make the Sign of the Pentagram again, thus ending my recitation of the Rosary.

~~~

The Goddess Rosary

THE LADY'S PRAYER (or the "OUR LADY")

This can be said while fingering the big beads on the Rosary. 

Use the Glory Be (below) for the wire/string before the large beads,

and then finger the large bead and say:

Our Lady who is the Essence of the Earth

We have called you by many names*

Return now unto Your People

Speak Your Will, and it shall be done

As Above, so Below.

Please give us each moment: our life, light & love.

If we have let you down,

Please forgive us and cleanse us,

According to our own willingness to forgive others.

And deliver us from Spiritual Evil

For You are the Goddess, Queen of the Universe,

Yours is the Power, the Grace, the Wisdom & the Beauty

Age unto Ages

Ah-Main

*When I use this prayer to invoke the actual presence of the Goddess, 

I like to recite at this point a list of Her many names, such as: 

Asherah, Maria, Miryam, Isis, Diana, Shakti, Tara, Brigita, Venus, 

Sophia, Demeter, Freya, Gaia, Tiamat, Oshun, Quan-Yin......

~~~

Y H V H    (Tetragrammaton)

My Rosary prayer, and indeed my whole religious belief system, 

is based on the Quaternity (as opposed to Trinity). 

As its name implies it has four members:

Y - God-the-Father

H - Goddess-the-Mother

V - Holy Son

H - Holy Spirit / Daughter

This Godhead, the Quaternity, is expressed by the Y H V H name of the Divine, 

which is where we get those mis-pronunciations like Yahweh and Jehovah.  

The Y H V H has been called the Tetragrammaton, which in Greek simply means "four-lettered Name."  

For a scholarly (and Kabbalistic) explanation of how the four-part Godhead came to be, 

read this article, Shem ha-Mephoresch.  

You have to scroll down a bit to find the portion that explains the YHVH deities.

Kabbalists and both modern and ancient Jews say that the Y H V H name cannot and should not be pronounced, 

it is the magikal Ineffable Name. They refer to the Name as HaShem, which means, literally "the Name."  

When a modern Jew writes the English word, God, they always spell it thus: 

G-d  with a dash in the middle, out of respect. 

Many of the ancients (and nowadays a few moderns) dedicated their entire lives to 

figuring out the "true" pronunciation of YHVH, the Ineffable name. 

Modern Jews believe (and are taught in Jewish schools) that Jesus Christ 

obtained magikal and healing powers by learning the 72 magikal names of G-d, 

all forms of YHVH, and had them tattooed onto his arm.  

Jews, of course, do not believe Jesus was divine.  

Tattoos are anathema to Jews to this day, and getting magikal names tattooed on your arm 

was considered "cheating."  

Like ancient and modern Jews, most Esoteric Kristians tend to shy away from tattoos.  

But we don't believe Yeshua had any tattoos either!  

He got his magikal powers from his direct-connect with the Godhead.  

Indeed, he was a channel for the third person of the Quaternity, the Vahv, the Sacred Son.

There is a way that the mystic or serious seeker after god/dess can "hear" the original pure sound of YHVH's name. 

The still small voice in your head may "whisper" the true pronounciation to you if you practice a certain special but very simple breathing exercise/meditation with the four letters. This takes awhile, maybe months, and you must be sincere. Sometimes a mantra of "reveal thyself, reveal thyself, reveal thyself," over and over again convinces the Divine of your sincerity, shows Them that you really long for Them, desire only Them.  

We teach this easy but ancient mantra exercise in our Esoteric Mystery School email lessons. 

And our Order of Melchizedek, the Priest(ess)hood of YHVH, devotes their work and service to the Quaternity. 

If this resonates with you, you may wish to join the Order of Melchizedek, 

High Priest of El Elyon (Most High One).  El Elyon was of course also known as Yahweh, YHVH.

~~~

The Glory Be

(also called Y H V H Prayer-Song)

By Katia Romanoff

This can be prayed on a rosary or prayer rope.  

The Glory Be is to be said when you finger the wire/string that comes right before the large single beads. 

Those large beads, by the way, are called Pater Noster beads, meaning Our Father, 

because the regular Rosary has you say the Lord's Prayer, also called the Our Father, while fingering them. 

(On some Rosaries the single beads are not made larger, so you just know them because they're single

---set apart from----the groups of ten little beads, called decades.)

On wire before large single beads:

Say one Glory Be as follows:

Glory Be to the Father, to the Mother,

And to the Sacred Son,

And to the Lady Holy Spirit

They are the Four-in-One

As it was in the Beginning

Is Now and ever Shall Be

World without End

Age to Ages, say Amen

-Dr. Katia

Hail Mary  1

adapted by Linda Seekins

Hail Mary Magdalene, the Lord has wed thee.

Blessed art thou among women,

and blessed is the fruit of thy womb and Jesus.

Holy Mary, mother of Kings,

give aid to us seekers now and in the hour of our need.

Hail Mary 2

by Darlene Kenney

Hail Mary, full of grace

The dust of whose feet are the hosts of heaven,

You are the white moon among the stars

And the desire of human hearts.

You are the mystery that if that which I seek

I find not within, I will never find it without.

For You were here at the beginning

And You are that which is attained at the end of

desire.

A Prayer from a Catholic Prayer Card

My Queen, my Mother,

I give myself entirely to Thee,

and to show my devotion to Thee,

I consecrate to You this day

my eyes, my ears, my mouth, my heart,

my whole body without reserve.

Wherefore good Mother,

as I am Thine own,

Keep me and guard me

as Your property and possession.

The Chorus of "Hail Mary, Gentle Woman,"

A Catholic hymn written by Carey Landry

Gentle woman, quiet light

Morning star, shining bright

Gentle Mother, peaceful dove

Teach us wisdom, teach us love