| Awareness Beads |
Awareness Beads are awarded to every student upon attaining 6th Geup (Green Belt). Intended to help the student
hone their awareness skills, they are as meaningful as a tool of self-development as a symbol of dedication and loyalty.
A mark of pride, many students sport their awareness beads at all times outside of class, fixing them again and again as
they break. This process of renewal is meant to symbolize Rising Phoenix's ideology of continual refinement.
The Symbolism
The black cord symbolizes experience. The white beads represent purity. The interwoven, red string stands for the
Rising Phoenix, an indomitable spirit and the endless pursuit of betterment. Traditionally, the cord is made of silk and
the beads of bone. This contrast of finery and crudeness is meant to symbolize the universality of truth.
How to Wear Your Awareness Beads
The awareness beads were developed from prayer beads, and they might be thought of with the same tender respect
as such a spiritual accessory. They should be worn on the left wrist and, when removed, carried in the right hand.
Donning your awareness beads should be done by holding the loop-side pinched between the middle and index fingers
and clasping the magnetic ends with the remaining fingers. Taking hold of the "tongue," interweave this length of cord
through the "mouth" of the bracelet. First, go inside and under the loop, then bring the cord outside and over the
opposing cord. Finish by going back under and inside the far side of the loop, concluding with what remains of the
tongue being pulled back towards your initial entry point. The picture below helps demonstrate:
How to Use Your Awareness Beads
In envisioning the awareness beads, we wanted something to remind students of the importance of "being on guard."
We knew that no matter how much they wanted to be, they would have trouble staying in this heightened state unless
we forced them to keep vigilant. Our environment no longer necessitates us to stay aware. Hence one might think of
the awareness beads as an assignment, to keep on your guard, for the length of an hour a day, every day, until a
better awareness becomes habit. Practice with your awareness beads between classes or when going on errands,
during walks in the park or idle moments waiting at the bus stop. You needn't practice a whole hour, but shoot for it.
The results will be well worth the effort. Use your awareness beads by clicking off one bead for every observance you
notice in your environment. This observance could be profound like a disgruntled man standing aside the road, or
mundane: a crack in the sidewalk or a leaf fluttering down from above. Think always of how this observance might
threaten your person, but don't confine yourself to only noticing such observances. The idea is to get your mind rolling;
it doesn't really matter what puts the gears in motion, only that they're turning.
Remember to keep your back straight and your head up. Your posture plays a large roll in your awareness. See
through your physical needs; ignore the cold or biting rain; find clarity of mind even at the most frustrating moments.
Smell things, feel things, make yourself alive.
hone their awareness skills, they are as meaningful as a tool of self-development as a symbol of dedication and loyalty.
A mark of pride, many students sport their awareness beads at all times outside of class, fixing them again and again as
they break. This process of renewal is meant to symbolize Rising Phoenix's ideology of continual refinement.
The Symbolism
The black cord symbolizes experience. The white beads represent purity. The interwoven, red string stands for the
Rising Phoenix, an indomitable spirit and the endless pursuit of betterment. Traditionally, the cord is made of silk and
the beads of bone. This contrast of finery and crudeness is meant to symbolize the universality of truth.
How to Wear Your Awareness Beads
The awareness beads were developed from prayer beads, and they might be thought of with the same tender respect
as such a spiritual accessory. They should be worn on the left wrist and, when removed, carried in the right hand.
Donning your awareness beads should be done by holding the loop-side pinched between the middle and index fingers
and clasping the magnetic ends with the remaining fingers. Taking hold of the "tongue," interweave this length of cord
through the "mouth" of the bracelet. First, go inside and under the loop, then bring the cord outside and over the
opposing cord. Finish by going back under and inside the far side of the loop, concluding with what remains of the
tongue being pulled back towards your initial entry point. The picture below helps demonstrate:
How to Use Your Awareness Beads
In envisioning the awareness beads, we wanted something to remind students of the importance of "being on guard."
We knew that no matter how much they wanted to be, they would have trouble staying in this heightened state unless
we forced them to keep vigilant. Our environment no longer necessitates us to stay aware. Hence one might think of
the awareness beads as an assignment, to keep on your guard, for the length of an hour a day, every day, until a
better awareness becomes habit. Practice with your awareness beads between classes or when going on errands,
during walks in the park or idle moments waiting at the bus stop. You needn't practice a whole hour, but shoot for it.
The results will be well worth the effort. Use your awareness beads by clicking off one bead for every observance you
notice in your environment. This observance could be profound like a disgruntled man standing aside the road, or
mundane: a crack in the sidewalk or a leaf fluttering down from above. Think always of how this observance might
threaten your person, but don't confine yourself to only noticing such observances. The idea is to get your mind rolling;
it doesn't really matter what puts the gears in motion, only that they're turning.
Remember to keep your back straight and your head up. Your posture plays a large roll in your awareness. See
through your physical needs; ignore the cold or biting rain; find clarity of mind even at the most frustrating moments.
Smell things, feel things, make yourself alive.
