Prayer beads are a useful spiritual practice, as long as one knows what to pray while fingering the beads. A good friend of mine sent me a set of prayer beads a few years ago, but because I was stressed, the cord holding the pieces together broke and my inexperience with spiritual practices made the experience a fruitless endeavor.
In time, I realized that thinking of the human spirit as the eternal soul poses a similar unsolvable puzzle This approach also requires explaining how, and perhaps when, ensoulment occurs, i.e., how and when a human acquires her/his soul or spirit. Furthermore, this approach creates problems of body-spirit dualism with which theologians, philosophers, and scientists have wrestled unsuccessfully since Descartes. Finally, it’s far from certain that the Christian Scriptures unambiguously support belief in an eternal soul.
Reece Marshburn is a composer and member of St Gabriel’s Episcopal Church in Portland, OR. Here he offers a reflection on composing; viewing it as both spiritual practice and piece of belonging to community