From the book "Spell Crafts" by Scott Cunningham & David Harrington
This Mandala is designed to create Psychic Awareness.
Items Needed:
16 inch embroidery hoop
Purple felt
#0 beading needle
Purple or blue thread
Blue #10 gauge glass seed beads
Purple #10 gauge glass seed beads
Scissors
Household glue
A large, flat rock
A blue candle and candle holder
1. Assemble all items. Put felt onto embroidery hoop and secure. Thread needle, knot one end of thread, and push needle through center of felt from reverse side. Pull thread taut.
2. Place one blue bead onto thread of needle; sew tightly onto center of felt. This is the center bead--the middle of the project.
3. Sew a purple bead beside the center blue bead. Position it as close to the center bead as possible. Sew purple beads in a circle around the center bead, once again closely positioning them. Make the beads touch each other.
4. Sew a circle of blue beads around the purple circle.
5. Sew a circle of purple beads, then a circle of blue, a circle of purple, a circle of blue, a circle of purple.
6. Sew a circle of blue beads. When you've sew the last bead in this circle, tie off the thread and firmly knot on the reverse side of the felt. (by this time you should have eight concentric circles of alternating colors of beads around the center blue bead.)
7. Remove beaded felt from the hoop. With a pair of sharp scissors, carefully cut off the access felt as close to the last circle of beads as you can. Ensure that you don't cut any of the threads that secure the last ring of beads.
8. Glue Psychic Mandala onto the rock with household glue. Be sure of your placement. (If you can't find a suitable rock, glue the Mandala to a flat piece of driftwood or some other natural object.) It is now ready for use.
9. Hold the completed Psychic Mandala between your palms. Breathe deeply and close your eyes. Send it peaceful, soothing psychic energy.
When you wish to use the Psychic Mandala, light a blue candle. Place it behind and to one side of you so that its light shines onto the Psychic Mandala. Turn off all the other lights in the room.
Gaze at the concentric circles. Say in a hushed voice:
Sacred Circle of Second Sight,
With Magick Rings of Nine;
Bring me Psychic Visions tonight
While gazing at this Sign.
Sit comfortably and contemplate the Psychic Mandala. Don't stare; gaze. Blink naturally if you wish. Soon your Higher Consciousness will be awakened. Be still and listen.
Night is the best time to promote Psychic Visions. Be sure that you are alone when you make the attempt.
Some History on Beads...
From the earliest times, we've created forms of self-decoration. This is understandable. Early humans must have looked in wonder at the fantastic colors and patterns that decorated the creatures of the land, sea, and air. In contrast, humans must have seemed quite drab.
To compensate for this lack of natural ornamentation, our ancestors created the earliest forms of jewelry, using bright feathers, shiny stones, unique shells, seed pods, even teeth and bones. Stringing such objects on tough grasses or on thin strips of animal hide, the first necklaces, belts, armlets, and anklets were created tens of thousands of years ago.
Many examples of such early forms of jewelry have been recovered at prehistoric archaeological sites. Seemingly mystical incisions found on some of these items, viewed in light of our knowledge of ritual jewelry use in later cultures, suggest that these necklaces and pendants were worn for more than bodily adornment. They were most certainly thought to imbue their wearers with the Magickal properties of the materials from which they were made. Even in this far distant time, jewelry was associated with Magick.
Perhaps the earliest form of Magickal jewelry was found on the skull of the prehistoric Grimaldi man, which was carbon dated at approximately 90,000 B.C.E. Placed around the top of the skull was a circlet made from matching, small, round marine mollusks strung in a bead-like pattern. These were the forerunners of the perfect glass beads that weren't to be made for several millennia.
Today we know that these beads originated in ancient Mesopotamia, in the areas now occupied by Iran and Iraq. Smooth, highly polished carnelian beads were found on a necklace of Dentalium (tooth-shaped) shells dated to perhaps 5,500 B.C.E. Additionally, archaeologists excavating the royal cemetery of Ur found exquisite beads of gold and precious stones. Beads made of such expensive materials must have been the sole property of royalty, and were often intimately related to specific deities. Beads were also used as amulets to drive away evil or talismans to attract specific, beneficial energies.
Soon, however, the masses were demanding their own beads. Faience (a form of self-glazing clay) was used to make less expensive beads. In Egypt, around 1500 B.C.E., glass was finally developed. This revolutionary process was soon used to create glass beads and imitation precious stones.
Ancient Egypt sent glass beads to the more "barbaric" peoples of Europe. Soon, this means of decoration became a medium of exchange and barter unhindered by local currency; hence the term "trade beads."
The first European bead factories were established in Venice and Murano, Italy. Mass-produced beads became widely available, and soon made their way to the United States.
Before the coming of the Europeans, American Indians fashioned beads from a variety of materials including bone, claw, and stone. Perhaps the most famous of these was wampum, which was made from clam, conch, and periwinkle shells. The word "wampum" originated in the Algonquin term wam pum peak or wamponage, meaning "string of beads."
Settlers and traders to North America brought beads with them. Eventually, the European glass beads were used as money, as well as for the decoration of clothing and ritual objects.
European explorers spread trade beads around the world. Soon, these small glass wonders, in various sizes and colors, replaced many other locally-produced beads. Their shimmering appearance, wide range of colors, and easy availability ensured their universal acceptance, even in religious and Magickal applications.
Today, many beads are available for far less
than a cent each. But they still haven't lost their aura of
Magick.