Mantras + Moonlight

ERIN BENSON

Mantras and Moonlight came to be in a wonderfully unexpected way. It was August 2020, and I was traveling to my hometown in the Adirondacks to be with my best friend for her father’s funeral. The world was still locked down and we were limited in what we could do or where we could go. With a week’s worth of free time, I was eager to find something to do while I was in town.

This journey really began two years prior when I started to practice yoga, and consequently was introduced to the idea of using meditation as a tool to heal and grow. My best friend is a yogi, and has many malas filling the walls of her dressing room. On seeing them, I was immediately transported back to the visits we made to my grandmother’s home,and being dazzled by her closet filled with sparkly lavaliers.

An even greater memory arose from when I was seven years old and my favorite aunt, a total hippie, gifted me her love beads. I remembered how special I felt as she draped them around my neck.

They are a gift I treasure to this day.

I decided that afternoon in upstate NY that I would like to make a mala for myself and hoped it would make my new interest in meditation even more special and personal. The entire process was exciting and yet at the same time became a meditation in itself for me. As soon as I completed it, I knew I wanted to make more. Sharing photos of what I had made with friends, I was definitely encouraged. My friends loved it and wanted me to make them one as well.

So, on a cool evening in Upstate New York in the middle of August, Mantras + Moonlight began.

It fascinates me that I am part of an age-old ritual to adorn oneself with beautiful stones that are mystical and talismanic. I enjoy the idea that we are able to receive those energies and intentions that are embedded in a human experience that spans across all cultures and ages.

The malas I create are more than the beads that are tied together. I start off by finding stones that meet an aesthetic and a spiritual meaning sought by the subscriber. I then spend some time with those meanings and allow their intention to speak to me. When I send off the mala to its new owner it comes complete with a mantra as a result of my meditation with it and a description of the meaning of the stones used.

When I first started meditating it seemed difficult. Could I shut my mind off for any length of time? At first it was difficult, but using my mala made it much more accessible. Repeating my mantra while touching each of the 108 beads allows me to clear away whatever else is in my mind while focusing on the intention the mantra provided. It has certainly led to healing and growth, and I won’t lie, I also use it as a beautiful necklace when it suits my outfit.

Recreating the gift that my aunt gave me when she shared her love beads with me is exactly what I am trying to do with the malas from Mantras + Moonlight. I desire to share the power of the mala and spread the love imbued into each one.

Erin Benson is a social worker, plant lover and owner of Mantras + Moonlight. To see her collection of made-to-order malas or to place your own order, visit https://www.instagram.com/ mantras_and_moonlight/