The red string talisman is a global practice of religions and spiritual beliefs, cultures and continents, and various folk customs throughout the ages.
A scarlet or crimson thread is worn as a bracelet or band on the wrist of the wearer - a protective shield against evil or a mindful reminder to attract good.
my blood band
The tradition is not explicitly superstitious or religiously followed by believers of major faiths - Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, Muslim, Christian, etc.
Many cultures wear red to ward off the evil eye. There are sacred texts associated with wearing a red band as well.
At a women's voice retreat in Bali last year our circle of women unraveled a ball of red wool - tying a length of it around each member's left wrist.
As we wound each round, we invoked personal prayers for beloved women ancestors and descendants in our blood lines, biological lineage, and teaching hierarchies.
My band weaves nine individual strings - myself, my mother, my daughter; my sisters, resisters, rebel warriors; my ancestral clan mothers, my blood descendant daughters, our female saints and sages.
These are the girls and women of blood and bone who have merged with me in body and soul. Together we face what the world gives and takes - we absorb it all and share it equally.
This is our sacred bond.
