November/December 2002 Living Now
Interview with Eleanor Wiley

by Connie Hill

Eleanor Wiley makes and sells exceptionally beautiful prayer beads and has taught hundreds of others to make their own prayer beads in workshops around the world. Her new book is A String and A Prayer: How to Make and Use Prayer Beads.

Connie: Eleanor, how did you get started making prayer beads?

Eleanor: A friend asked me to help her make some necklaces for our Northern California Bead Society and instead of saying I can't--which is my normal way of doing things when I don't know how to do something, I said "I don't know how." This left the door open for me to be taught. So I made some beads and people bought them, which was a total surprise. Then I made myself a piece with a transition goddess I had bought in Bali. The Director of Nursing at the hospital where I worked badgered me until I finally sold it to her. Then I just kept making beads. They turned into prayer beads when I looked up the word bead, which it turns out means to pray. So with that knowledge my beads turned from necklaces into prayer beads.

In 1993 I went to the Parliament of World's Religions and was very interested in the interfaith aspect of that conference. My prayer beads always honored all traditions rather than just one. Then in 1999 I was teaching a workshop in Austin Texas for the Omega Institute and Tom Grady, who is a literary agent, came and asked me to do a book. He wanted it to be a kit book, so I designed the sacred wheel of peace that honors all traditions to go in the kits. That book venture fell through and I was left with this lovely wheel (which has the symbols of the six major religions and on one side says "A place to begin). Later I was asked to rewrite the book proposal and A String and A Prayer is the book that came from that new proposal.

Connie: What is the Parliament of World's Religions?

Eleanor: It is a gathering that initially started in 1893 at the Chicago World's Fair. That was when Vivekananda first came to the US. One of my friends gave me the flier. I said "Don't give me one more flier for a retreat. I don't have any money, blah, blah, blah..." She said "Just look at it Eleanor."

I looked at it and knew I had to be there. It was truly the most amazing gathering and it took place at the Palmer House in Chicago--8000 people from all over the world--every religion you have heard of and not heard of. It was a ten day gathering to design a global ethic and it was wonderful! It truly changed my life. I listened to the story of the sacred wheel given by Jim Kinney. I bought the tape and brought it home and six years later I found the tape when I was designing the wheel of peace.

The Parliament happens every 5 years. The second one was in Cape Town, South Africa in 1999. I taught a workshop at that one. I had the wheel done just in time to take with me. The next one will be in 2004 in Barcelona Spain. I just sent a sacred wheel of peace to each board member of the Parliament because they serve for free. My next plan is to send wheels to every member of congress. I'm going to send out an email and ask people if they will buy them wholesale for $10 and send them to their congress people.

Connie: If people who read this article want to participate can they reach you through your web site?

Eleanor: That would be great. The address is www.prayerbdzs.com.

Early in my bead making career I went to a retreat with HH the Dalai Lama and Father Lawrence Freeman, the head of World Community for Christian Meditation. I made string of beads for both of them. When I make beads the intention of making them is important, not whether the other person gets them. So I took two sets of beads off to India, having no idea if I was going to get them to either person. It was a very small retreat, with only about 100 of us and I had everybody in that community pick them up and say a prayer for them. So they were a gift from all of us not just me.

Connie: So what are the most interesting things people have put on prayer beads?

Eleanor: One person brought a wonderful beach rock that looked like a skull. We wrapped it with wire so it looked like a mummy. Another person put on a grandfather's pen knife. People have strung beads for their weddings: taken things from both families and blended them into one set of beads; also, acorns and shells and many other things.

If people can just get out of their own way and let the beads talk to them, let spirit guide them, that is what is important.

Connie: What do people do with their beads after they make them?

Eleanor: Some people wear them; some hang them on their wall in their sacred space; some use them as traveling altars; some make small pieces and keep them in their pockets; some people hang them in their cars.

Connie: Is there anything else you would like to say before we end?

Eleanor: Well, no, except don't let the fear of not doing it right prevent you from making beads. Trust your own self. And that you can make the beads on your own, but taking the class is like going to a quilting bee. People gain so much more from each other by doing it in community, so the class is a great place to do this work.

Connie: Thank you, Eleanor.

Join Eleanor Wiley at New Renaissance Bookshop on Sunday, Nov. 10 for her prayer bead workshop. Call 503-224-4929 or visit www.newrenbooks.com to register.

Connie Hill works at New Renaissance Bookshop and is a local astrologer. She can be reached at 503-291-8229 x2.