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Fox
Guest
How do you pray with the chotki?
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Friar_David_O.Carm
Guest
You pray the Jesus Prayer on the knots, “O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” That’s the long form. I just pray, “O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
If there are beads in between the knots, or a different colored bead between the other beads (usually these are found after 10 or 25) you pray this pray to the Theotokos, “O Holy Theotokos pray for us.” or “Most Holy Mother of God pray for us.” if you do not want to use the greek Theotokos.
I have a lovely chotki I bought at our praishes Slavic Festival here in Tucson, it has 100 knots with a blue bead every 10. I try to pray it every day, I usually get half of it done walking from the priory to the school and I do the other half walking home, so I start and end my work day with it.
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ciero
Guest
More traditionally you would do a prostration on the bead dividing the knots. Otherwise it would be just as above.
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Belou
Guest
blue-mariano.com/index.html
I found this website which has information on chotki as well as other types of prayer beads. it is a website produced by a jewerly maker but i found it informative.
I found this website which has information on chotki as well as other types of prayer beads. it is a website produced by a jewerly maker but i found it informative.
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5Loaves
Guest
I pray similar to Br. David, O.Carm. on a hand made one from hand spun wool from the sisters at The Holy Myrrhbearers Monastery.
Confession- I show my Latin side in having a different one hanging on my rear view mirror which I grab not infrequently in sometimes more spontaneous prayer while driving.
I have a 33 knot prayer rope “bracelet” I love but I’ve almost lost it any time I’ve worn it away from home. I very rarely feel comfortable wearing a full size chotki wrapped around my wrist. I have seen more men than women wearing them thus. Maybe it’s a guy gal thing.
Confession- I show my Latin side in having a different one hanging on my rear view mirror which I grab not infrequently in sometimes more spontaneous prayer while driving.
I have a 33 knot prayer rope “bracelet” I love but I’ve almost lost it any time I’ve worn it away from home. I very rarely feel comfortable wearing a full size chotki wrapped around my wrist. I have seen more men than women wearing them thus. Maybe it’s a guy gal thing.
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Fox
Guest
Do you make the sign of the cross before and after the prayers or do the Creed, “The Our Father,” and a “Glory Be” before you start?
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ChotkiSteve
Guest
I use the traditional prayer most of the time as well. But also great for special intentions like sick friends or special events. The chotki or chotki beads are a great tool in enhancing prayer and i use mine several times a day!
Chotki Steve
www.mitzisattic.com/chotki.htm
Chotki Steve
www.mitzisattic.com/chotki.htm
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awatkins69
Guest
I like to say mine in Latin: “Domine Iesu Christe, Fili Dei, miserere mei, peccatoris.” What you can do is breathe in a certain way to enhance concentration. “(Breathe in during addressing)Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God (breathe out, asking for forgiveness), have mercy on me, the sinner.” I got one that fits on the wrist. You wear it on the left wrist. I take it with me to school, so that in idle moments I can say the Jesus Prayer all the time. Mine is made up of 33 “beads”, signifying the number years Our Lord was here on earth with us. It’s black to emphasize penance. It is made of wool to emphasize Christ being the shepherd and we his flock. Chotki are typically made by monks who are praying the Jesus prayer the whole time they make it. The story of the origins of it say that St. Pachomius used prayer ropes as a method of prayer. However, the devil would always untie it. In a vision of the Virgin Mary, she told him to fold the beads in a cross form 7 times, and so the devil would not be able to untangle it. This tradition continues to today. Hope that’s a good bit of information! God bless.
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skinny_pumpkin
Guest
There is no set rule. But there is a tradition of doing the common opening prayers: Heavenly King, Trisagion (Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal…), Holy Trinity and Lord’s prayer followed by pslam 50 (51, west) and the Creed.
There is no problem in going straight into the prayer. It can be shortened. A common Athonite version is, “Lord Jesus Christ, Have mercy on me”.
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Tradycja
Guest
I actually learned how to make them. I touched all of untied rope to St. Josaphat’s tomb in Rome. I haven’t made one in awhile though.
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Alveus_Lacuna
Guest
Actually, the short and original Greek form is translated: “Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on me.” I believe the longer form is Slavic in origin, and it is “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner.”
And the prayers to the Mother of God are not for her to “pray for us.” That is for people influenced by Protestantism. The prayer is: “Most Holy Theotokos, save us.”
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Friar_David_O.Carm
Guest
Actually I think the long form is.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
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Aramis
Guest
You’re the first reference I’ve seen to this form… Prior, the longest form I’ve seen was
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
MCI has a link to a PDF of a scan of an old typeset Jesus Prayer in Old Church Slavonic…
Which reads: Господи Іисусь Христь Сынь Божий помилуй мѧ грешиаго. Предбѧтаѧ Богородиц спаси нас.
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Alveus_Lacuna
Guest
You’re adding in “the living”, it is not a part of the prayer.
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skinny_pumpkin
Guest
This is mostly correct, but according to tradition, it was an angel that appeared and demonstrated how the chotki was to be tied into 9 knots so the devil could not untie it. The 9 knots signify the 9 hierarchies of angels.
The ultimate goal of the prayer is to develop it from a prayer of the nous and have it descend into the heart, where by the grace/uncreated energies of God, it becomes “actualized”, or ceaseless and transforms the practitioner and makes him into a vessel that always is in communion/ or constantly partakes of the grace/energies of God.
The breathing is an aid. It has symbolism also. By breathing in on the 1st half of the prayer, one “receives” God, and in a sense “sustenance”/life. Exhaling on “have mercy on me…” symbolizes the emptying of one’s self, and that there is no “life” without God.
The prayer is aphopatic. approaching the infinite mystery that is God/Christ. It is a method to aid in contemplation of God, and ultimately its goal is Theoria, or direct participation of the divine, Illumination. . As one reaches the heights of prayer, there is less need for these aids.
To sum up, the goal of the Jesus prayer is to “be still, and know that I am God”.
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Stephentlig
Guest
Also the 33 knot represents the 33 years of Christs life on earth and should be prayed in glory to him 
Just thought I’d throw that in there.
Pax Christi
Stephentlig
Just thought I’d throw that in there.
Pax Christi
Stephentlig
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Friar_David_O.Carm
Guest
I am adding nothing, this is the way it was taught to me.
My main point in posting though was to show that the fuller form ends in “a sinner.” not “the sinner.” as was posted by another user.
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Stephentlig
Guest
it does end in ‘‘the sinner’’.
One of the prayers I’ve heard and I’m not sure if this is tied in with the prayer or is the longest form of it is…’‘Lord Jesus Christ, Son and Word of the Living God, through the prayers of Thy Pure Mother, and of all the Saints, have mercy on us and save us.’’
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Friar_David_O.Carm
Guest
Sorry, every reference I can find goes, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.”
We are not “the” sinner, we are “a” sinner.
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