108 Beautiful Beads: My review of Tiny Devotions' Malas.

108. It's a sacred number in many cultures and the number of beads found in a mala. Some use them for prayer, some for setting intentions, others for guidance while chanting their private mantra 108 times. No mater how you use them, many will agree, the mala is a powerful object. Not merely a necklace but a tool that brings luck and protects us. 


My newest mala is the Black Onyx Mala from Tiny Devotion. It is a beautiful blend of a Black Onyx Guru bead with Rudraksha seeds and semi-precious gems and pearls. The Black Onyx stone has been thought of to repel negativity and bring the wearer strength and focus. The Rudraksha seeds are known as the eyes or tears of Shiva and bring protective qualities. The combination together definitely does something for my soul. When I wear the mala I feel a spike in my energy and ready to conquer new challenges. 


I find when I meditate with my mala and work through my mantra the beads pass easily yet purposefully through my fingertips. Each bead holding a sacred moment in time for me. The Guru bead always warms with my wear and touch, reminiscent of how your cheeks feels after someone sneaks a kiss. 


The Tiny Devotions malas are beautifully crafted in Canada and arrive in a small silk bag, perfect for gifting. Tiny Devotions as a variety of beautiful malas with sacred stones as well as simpler malas, perfect for men or women who want a little less bling in their prayer beads. 

If You Planted Your Heart, What Would Grow?

It's the beginning of February and smack dab in the middle of the month is Valentine's Day. For some of us it is a  wonderful holiday, for others it's just another day, and for some it is a heartbreaking reminder that they're single. I have been guilty of responding in all of these ways and probably various combinations. However in the past few years I have been using the holiday as a reminder to check in on my heart.

One of my favorite questions to meditate on is "If you planted your heart, what would grow?". It's a tough question to answer and even more difficult to answer truthfully. Sure, I would love to say that my heart would only grow a tree of fruit that is made up of beautiful light and nourishing love but the reality is my heart would also grow some less than favorable fruit at times. As someone who is comfortable wading in the light and the dark, and the area in between, I have grown comfortable seeing the bruised fruit.

When you think of nature and the fruit that gets damaged on the tree or is stunted and ceases to grow, you know it falls down to the ground. It falls and the nutrients seep into the soil. This enables the tree to grow. I relate this to the darker parts of my heart. The dark comes from experiences that may not have felt great, but those experiences provide for me. They nurture my soil and allow me to grow bigger, brighter, healthier fruit.

So in honor of a month where we are surrounded by hearts in one form or another I invite you to sit for awhile and ask yourself "If I planted my heart, what would grow?". Don't shy away from the ideas that are less than lovely. Embrace all the bits and pieces and honor the dark and the light in your heart. Once you take ownership of all parts of the tree of your heart you will be aware of it's strengths on all levels and see all the wonderful areas that it will continue to grow.