The Jesus Prayer: Handmade Prayer Wheel/Pendant/Medal on Chain, for Meditation, Calm, Peace
"A handmade medal/pendant/'prayer wheel' on a chain, of the Jesus Prayer. The prayer is an ancient vehicle used to infuse calm and steadiness into one’s everyday life and, at a deeper level, to continually shift one outside normal patterns of thought (the chattering mind) and toward a more direct experience of the presence of Wisdom and peace. The prayer, which, in a sense, is an answer to St. Paul’s admonition to 'pray without ceasing,' seems to have its explicit origins in the practice of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, around 500. It took root and was developed in the Eastern Church (particularly in monasteries, as at Athos), and eventually moved further out into the world (as clearly evinced by a fine recent documentary, Mysteries of the Jesus Prayer). The prayer has a number of variations; one of the most common ('Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me') is inscribed on this medal. One method of saying the prayer is to recite, out loud or silently, the first half as one inhales, and the second half on the exhale, over and over, until the mind calms and one begins to experience not one’s racing thoughts but rather the 'peace beyond all understanding.' The medal has ten 'knots' so one can count, as with a rosary, while saying the prayer, and also has, on one side, a pilgrim walking, and on the other, a person meditating. Although begun as a practice of monks and ascetics, the prayer embodied in this medal, which was handmade at In the Company of Saints, is a way to integrate one’s day-to-day life with consciousness of a quieter, purer reality."
I designed, carved, and cast the medals myself (see last 3 photos). The medals, cast in lead-free pewter, are made so they can be taken with you anywhere. The medal comes on either an 18-inch or 24-inch stainless steel chain with a lobster clasp. Each necklace comes in a felt jewelry pouch with a history card that states the above-given text.
Dimensions of medal: 1.2 (h) x 1.2 (w) inches
