I was raised to be "a good Catholic boy". At least, as far as my parents were concerned. For my first Communion I received a rosary from my uncle (himself a priest). I didn't know exactly what this thing did or what it was for or how it worked, but I kept it under my pillow as my parents instructed.

In school I was taught how to pray the rosary and - in secret, during troubling times - I would find myself fully utilizing it. Never did it erase my troubles, but I had my first glimpse of inner space that the meditative arts can reveal.

Much later in life, I found myself again with a personal crisis. However my cosmological views had changed. I had fully rejected those old beliefs, having found them to be wholly woven from ancient myths. Instead of converting to pure atheism, I decided to explore the commonalities of the various religions - stripped of their nationalistic or superstitious components. My discoveries lead me back to the use of talismans such as this one here.

I have since developed a bit of a fetish for fetishes, so to speak.

As for this device, it is strung in the mala style - consisting of 108 consecutive beads. The skulls are set after every eight beads. There is a black tasseled "counter" bead set, which can be used to keep track of devotions. I use a seed bead as a spacer, and a clove hitch between every bead. This minimizes loss in case of breakage.

I don't know what flavor the beads are. I just picked them up off the bargain rack at the local bead store. The skulls are made of bone. I didn't hand carve those either. I bought 'em at Fire Mountain Gems. The tassels, however, are handmade.

BTW, if I were to receive a personal request, I might find the time to commit to it. Let me know.