The Mystical Tibetan Dzi Beads

All that is known is that these stone beads arehand. One story tells about a man who saw this
covered with mystical patterns (eyes, strips) and areinsect in the mountains, and threw his hat to catch it.
an important part of the Tibetan culture. To this day,When he took off his hat, the insect turned into
Tibet and its culture are shrouded by mystique.stone. These "insects" were sometimes found in the
The meaning of the word Dzi corresponds to theexcrement of cattle or in the horns of dead animals.
meaning of the words "shine, brightness, andThe insect theory is often used to explain why they
sharpness." People in this part of China have alwaysare often found together - forming a kind of a
attached great importance to jewelry – jewelry"nest". One legend states that even after the beads
is used as a way to show the status of a person, asare dug out of the ground, they continue to move
well as it has great religious significance. Even thefor some time.
poorest families keep some beads as amulets.Another legend states that they came out of a
The present religion in Tibet is Buddhism; however, itmountain. They flowed down this mountain's slopes in
is believed that the beads came at a time whenstreams. One angry woman threw a glance at the
there was another religion in Tibet – Bon. Thismountain, and their flow froze.
follows from the strange drawings on the beads,There's also one modern story, which became a kind
which point to shamanism and witchcraft. It is difficultof "urban legend". It states that all of the passengers
to say anything for sure about Dzi beads, as Tibetanon a bus would have perished in a road accident, if
culture prohibits any archaeological expedition on itsone of them was not carrying a bead.
soil. Scientists have been talking about these beadsAll these stories confirm the belief that Dzi are
for years due to a lack of documented evidence. Wemagical and can protect their owners from trouble
only know that they were used as amulets to boostand disease. Traditional Tibet medicine uses powder
power.from the intact (not broken) beads in a mixture with
Tibetans believe that Dzi are of supernatural origin.other magical substances, for the treatment of
There are many different stories and legendsepilepsy.
surrounding them. Their appearance is linked toThe beautiful mystical Dzi beads seem to carry a
ancient times, when demigods wore them as jewelry.very strong energy. It is believed that they protect
Whenever Dzi got damaged, it was discarded, as itagainst all types of failures, and bring prosperity,
would lose its powers once damaged.wealth and health to their holders. They vary
There are several stories about Dzi beads beingdepending on the type of luck that you want to
insects. These stories tell that these beads wereattract.
insects that lived in the earth, but they would turn toThese beads are often used by feng shui
stone when they came in contact with a humanpractitioners in combination with other amulets.