Woven Prayer Rope – Mount Athos

Description

The Athonite prayer rope for the hand is woven with high-quality, elastic thread.

The prayer ropes are woven according to a tradition that goes back centuries. One of the earliest forms of a prayer aid might have been the gathering of small stones or seeds and moving them from one spot or container to another during the “rule” of prayer or during the “rule” of small or large prostrations. There is also the story of a monk who thought to make simple knots in a rope and use it in his daily prayer “rule.” However, the devil would undo the knots and frustrate the poor monk’s efforts. Then, an Angel appeared and taught the monk a special knot, as it is now formed in prayer ropes, consisting of multiple crosses. These knots the devil could not undo due to the presence of the crosses.

With the help of the prayer rope, one can say short prayers, such as the prayer of the tax collector: “God, be merciful to me, a sinner,” the prayer to the Theotokos: “Most Holy Theotokos, save us,” or other short prayers to the guardian angel, to individual saints, or to all the saints. The usual form of such a prayer is: “Holy Angel – or Holy (such-and-such), intercede for me.” By converting the words of these short prayers into “have mercy on us” or “intercede for us,” or including the name(s) of those we wish to pray for, we can also use the prayer rope for intercessory prayers for others. The same applies to prayers for the departed: “Grant rest, O Lord, to the soul of your servant.