With a rich and diverse history dating back to around 800 AD, the practice of saying the rosary (or a place where roses grow) blossomed rapidly.
Over the centuries, many forms emerged. It was St. Dominic who first referred to the practice of reciting three bouquets of fifty prayers each (prayers tracing back to the lay Medieval practice of prayer after monastic chanting of each of the 150 Psalms of David).
The symbolism is deeply rooted in Western consciousness.
As most species of roses have five petals each, it came to represent the five wounds of Christ and became quickly associated with the Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven. The rose is the national flower of England and the U.S. state flowers of New York, Georgia, North Dakota, and Iowa. It is the recognized flower of Valentine’s Day and is often associated with love. It’s fragrance too has come to connote transcendent self offering, humility, grace and peace.
A walk in a rose garden with a set of rosary beads in hand is a wonderful way to invite all of one’s senses to open to the sacred mysteries.
It is the very essence of simplicity: walk slowly through the garden, slow down your breathing. Stop on each bead and breath peace. Bathe in the silence. No need to use a lot of words or any in fact.
Simple, easy, open and thankful.
© The Harried Mystic, 2013. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from this blog’s author and/or owner is strictly prohibited.
The Harried Mystic 
Leave a Reply