Last week, in preparation for taking or retaking vows at the Monastery of Annwn, one of our monastic devotees led an online prayer beading session threading beads relating to our nine vows.

I received my first set of beautifully crafted prayer beads from my friend, Aurora J Stone, as a gift for taking my initial vows. I use this set to connect more deeply with Gwyn and the mysteries of Annwn.

Therefore I decided to make a simpler set to represent the vows. I chose nine wooden beads from a local supplier, with knots between them, and added the pendants of my winged horse and Annuvian hound spirits (which had lost their original ‘home’ as the necklace I wore them on had broken). For me this represented a physical binding, with the black cotton string, of my monastic vows with my spirit guides.

I am hoping that, together, they will guide me through the next three years of my temporary vows. I will be consecrating them when I take those vows on the new moon on Saturday.