Beadwork is one of the oldest known jewelry-making practices.
Beads have been in use throughout millennia. In ancient times people made them out of shells, stones, seeds, and berries. With the technological advancements, the craft progressed.
People started making beads out of glass, gems, precious stones, metal, and other materials, developing fabulous, extraordinary, and worldwide-known types of beads.
Beading is a traditional form of body decoration in various cultures. Its purpose is more than ornamental.
Traditionally speaking, beads can represent a person’s social status and are associated with spiritual powers.
The color of beads is a worthy factor connected to beads’ spiritual energy and meaning.
Spiritual Meaning of White Beads
White beads embody the universal meaning of the color white. Generally, white beads symbolize purity, serenity, divinity, peace, and harmony.
Although they may be a piece of sophisticated ornamental jewelry, they hold much more spiritual power.
White beads carry the purifying energy of the color white. White encompasses all other shades of the specter.
White represents purity, innocence, chastity, honesty, cleanliness, divine powers, spirits of heaven, spiritual journey, connection with the deities, etc.
Therefore, white beads symbolize all these concepts, principles, and ideas. In various cultures, white beads express the possession of spiritual, divinatory, and healing abilities.
White color has always been associated with the spiritual world.
Beads and their colors are other tools for mankind to express their ideas and cultural concepts, and fathom the mysterious connection with the realms we cannot easily reach.
White beads express universal ideas associated with the white color.
For example, in African beadwork, the white beads represent purity, morality, and innocence. They represent pure feminine qualities and morals.
The girls and young women in African cultures traditionally wear white waist beads.
White waist beads are a symbolic guarantee of their virginity.
However, we don’t know whether this has to do with the introduction of Christian beliefs into the regions of Africa.
The mixture of local tradition and Western concepts could have resulted in such a custom.
In Christianity, the white color symbolizes purity, virginity, innocence, and the powers of heaven. The white color has always been associated with peace, the higher realms, and cleanliness.
The origin of the white color meaning probably resides in the collective unconsciousness.
White beads, characteristic of African traditions, represent the spiritual calling.
Those who accept their call wear white beads as a symbol of the peace they feel for fulfilling their ancestors’ wishes by accepting their destiny as a healer.
White Sangoma Beads Meaning
Sangoma beads are a type of bead jewelry worn by traditional healers in South Africa.
Sangomas, the healers, enjoy great appreciation and admiration among their people. They can diagnose and heal people suffering from emotional, physical, mental, and spiritual troubles.
Sangomas perform rituals, practice divination, and have knowledge and practice in the use of herbal medicines.
Most importantly, they fight evil powers and restore the healthy state of an affected person.
Their work is of great importance. Moreover, most sangomas are female, although there are no restrictions or rules related to the sangoma calling.
Sangomas’ activities have to do with their connection with the spiritual world.
Beads are a way of expressing the connection with a particular type of spirit or deities. White beads are associated with good Abalozi spirits who give the chosen ones psychic abilities.
Abalozi spirits are associated with water and the ability of clairaudience. They can inspire prophetic dreams. White beads and white candles are something they work through.
The Orisha of air and purity, Obatala, has similar qualities to those of Abalozi spirits.
The worshipers of this Yoruba religion deity wear white elekes (the strings of beads). This Orisha is a mighty one, as he participated in the shaping of the world.
He was there at the beginning of time and created human bodies, finishing his creation by adding heads.
He manipulates the energies of the cosmos and he can read minds. He is associated with intelligence, education, wisdom, and philosophy.
White Waist Beads
Waist beading is a common practice amongst various African peoples.
They are jewelry pieces for women and symbolize beauty, femininity, general well-being, fertility, and coming of age.
They can be worn as fashion pieces, for weight control, and for traditional and spiritual purposes.
Waist beads come in different colors. White waist beads represent simplicity, modesty, humbleness, innocence, purity, honesty, morality, and truth.
In African traditions, females wear them as a statement of their moral qualities and virginity.
White Mala Beads
Mala beads are prayer bead strings used in Hinduism, Sikhism, Jainism, and Buddhism.
Their purpose is to help the one who recites mantras concentrate. Mala is also used for counting the repetitive elements of certain spiritual practices.
A typical mala bead garland counts 108 beads. All beads in a mala are of the same size and material, that is, of the same color.
Each mala loop has an additional meaning according to the shade. What is the potential of white mala beads?
White mala beads are associated with the concept of the Whole. They represent wholeness, peace, and purity, which are universal associations of the color white.
However, white mala beads have a specific energy and purpose.
White mala beads enhance intuition and spiritual awakeness and awareness.
In addition, a white mala stabilizes energies and brings peace and harmony.
Pearl and clear quartz mala are considered white mala beads, although the two materials are not white in the purest sense.
Pearl mala beads are usually made of freshwater pearls. They look gentle and evoke a happy state and calmness of the mind.
White Beads Color Combos
When combining beads of various colors, it would be good to have in mind the meaning and symbolism of the colors involved.
Colors have a special energy and unique symbolic meaning. Of course, you can always do the beadwork based on your aesthetics alone.
The color white encompasses all colors of the specter. In that sense, white beads’ color combinations are particularly interesting as white beads carry the symbolism of the color white and the other color involved.
Black and White Beads Meaning
Black and white beads would make any jewelry piece edgy and striking. The contrast of the colors creates a bold statement.
Black and white beads combined represent the union of opposites, the indivisible power of yin and yang, light and darkness.
Black and white beads tell about the two sides of the coin, the two principles that cannot exist without one another.
A black and white bead bracelet or a necklace is an excellent choice for people of sharp and courageous character or those who need to sharpen up a bit. Black and white is a synonym for exclusiveness.
Black and white beads represent the opposing but co-dependent principles, the importance of finding the balance between the two, mastership over opposing energies within, and the ability to control the most extreme aspects of our person.
Red and White Beads Meaning
Red is the color of passion, fire, blood, energy, love, desire, war, and much more.
White represents purity, cleanliness, gentleness, chastity, humility, peace, divine forces, spirituality, etc. It seems there are no two more contrasting colors than red and white.
The nature of the black and white combo aforementioned is different.
They represent the idea of balance between the two principles, while red and white appear opposite in another way.
Red and white beads combined symbolize the tempered vital energy.
The divine white calms the burning vibe of the color red. Red and white beads could be a good choice for people who need to tone down their passions and impulsive character.
Moreover, red and white beads have great importance in African folklore.
They stand for the Orisha of fire and iron, lightning, and fire. According to Yoruba tradition, Orishas are spirits-deities in connection with the Creator.
There are similarities with other African traditions, particularly those from southern Africa.
People gifted with healing and spiritual powers, traditional healers, diviners, and sangomas, are connected with divine spirits. They wear beaded jewelry symbolizing a particular deity or spiritual powers.
The Orisha of fire and iron, whose beads are red and white, is one of the most powerful and terrifying ones.
This deity is similar to protective Nguni spirits from the South African belief system. They represent protection, power, and war.
Red and white sangoma beads meaning is that of these powerful spirits of war and protection.
Blue and White Beads Meaning
Blue and white beads represent serenity, peace, flow, calmness, cleanliness, clarity, and wisdom.
This combination symbolizes motherhood, nurture, care, protection, intuition, empathy, and emotion.
The color blue is associated with the water element. It stands for the depth of thought and emotion.
The blue planet, Neptune, rules the mysterious sign of Pisces. The blue color is associated with dreams, imagination, silence, thoughtfulness, mystery, and elusiveness.
In the Orisha system, beads of blue and white colors represent the goddess of the ocean waters, Yemaya. She embodies the principle of motherhood. Her power is immense.
Her characteristics are similar to Ndau spirits of the ocean. These spirits are associated with female healers in particular.
White Bead Bracelet Meaning
There are numerous ways to enjoy the white beads’ elegance and spiritual energy.
White bead bracelets could be a nice choice. One of the precious stones used for making white bead bracelets is howlite.
Howlite is a gem of compassion, empathy, kindness, tenderness, self-care, and open-mindedness.
Howlite stones help us balance our inner energy. It especially helps in situations of conflicts and various types of problems.
This gemstone can assist you in finding more understanding in situations you face.
Howlite is good for those who are particularly self-critical. Howlite helps us get rid of the unhealthy thoughts oriented toward ourselves.
Howlite white bead bracelet is an excellent jewelry choice for people who suffer from anxiety and hyperactivity.
It soothes the turbulent flow of emotions and brings silence and tranquility, allowing you to relax and think more clearly about things.
A white bead bracelet made of this lovely, gracious whitish stone is a perfect choice for hasty, impulsive people who find it hard to control their urge to react without even considering the situation they find themselves in.
Howlite stone is especially good for anger management. Although a passionate, fiery temperament has its good sides, it often requires adjustment. This gemstone brings inner peace, serenity, and graciousness.
A white bead bracelet symbolizes peace of mind, calmness, honesty, clarity, serenity, morality, dignity, and spirituality in general.
White Bead Necklace Meaning
In the African south, those connected with the spiritual world wear white beads around their necks.
White bead anklets and bracelets also represent their special status, while some healers wear white beads around their heads.
White Beads in a Dream
Dreams about beads have various meanings. The interpretation is strongly related to the color of the beads.
White beads in dreams can represent different things.
Having in mind the rich and beautiful symbolism of white beads in various traditions, we can say that dreams about white beads are generally positive, as white beads stand for purity, honesty, morality, and everything else recounted above.
Dreams about white beads may indicate a rite of passage, a transition, and a spiritual journey.
White beads are associated with a spiritual calling. If you dream about working with white beads or wearing them it indicates an important change in your life.
The change could be of spiritual nature. White beads in a dream indicate spiritual enlightenment.
They symbolize your new self, an inner change. The change you are about to experience is not external but internal.
White beads stand for the openness of the mind, so dreams about white beads represent new insights, a personal revelation, even.
Dreams about a particular arrangement or a piece of jewelry featuring white beads could have a more specific meaning.
For example, dreams about white waist beads, a traditional and meaningful type of African jewelry, speak about virginity, purity, and innocence.
Dreams about making white beads tell about dedication to a spiritual path.
Dreaming about wearing bead beads represents an initiation into a new, enlightened phase of life.
Dreams about collecting white beads tell about perseverance and true faith.
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