Adopting

[nacho_cheese]

A friend of mine posted about finding comfort in rosaries. (If you're not aware of what they are, I've put a picture of rosary beads under the cut.) I used to have a crystal set myself, as I grew up Catholic, but I ended up donating them to the church I left when I was a teenager, as I had just become Pagan and didn't feel comfortable with the symbolism -- most rosary beads have a crucifix at the end. In hindsight, I sometimes regret that move, as I'd love to still have them as a remembrance from whence I came, but it's over and done. :)

Her post prompted me to wonder: Has anyone here adopted the religious trappings of another faith and either used them for your own purposes as they originally are, or did you alter them to reflect your own spirituality?

I ask because, in light of her entry and my long-donated rosary beads, I've been contemplating making my own crystal Pagan prayer beads. I've seen them done, but I'd like to make my own, and wanted to get others' opinions on how they feel about taking religious symbolism and icons from one religion to use in your own practice.

(Yes, this has been done for centuries by other faiths, including our own and from whom we took them. But I want your personal experiences. :))

Also, I apologize in advance if anything I said above makes little or no sense. I'm sick, and thereby very tired. :)