A collaborative piece made by the artists, Mary Henlin and Meribeth Hasfurther. 108 bead Mala prayer bead necklace for Kali Ma. This Mala is hand knotted in the traditional way, which provides added strength and assurance that you won't lose all the beads should the necklace ever break. This Mala features a silver Kali pendant, a horn carved black skull, bloodstone beads that look splattered in blood, black and gray lava stone, fire carnelian to represent flames, red jade to represent pools of blood, and blue sky jade and blue eye beads to represent her blue form and how she was seen in a vision while in India. This Mala is consecrated with frankincense and myrrh and blessed with the sacred waters of the Ganges river that was collected at the cremation grounds in Varanasi.

25 inches

Sterling silver, horn, bloodstone, lava stone, and fire carnelian on satin thread.

Mary Henlin (b. 1981) is a California-born artist who attended the Academy of Art in San Francisco where she studied Fine Art Photography.

She currently resides in Portland, Oregon where she creates art that walks a tightrope between the breathtaking beauty of Sacred Divinity intermingled with the dystopian elements of society that are unfolding daily. Her combination is so unique that her pieces invoke a reverence, an experience of true Grace.

Mary spent time living in Southern California in the late 90s which inspired her with the rich mixture of Catholic folk art, Mexican street art and visits to the local Botanica that housed a dazzling full room shrine to Santa Muerte. She began her dance with the divine at a young age, collecting statues and creating altar and shrine art.

Her current work started as an art and photo project. She hand made Mary statues and placed them around the city in sacred spots and natural altars. She enjoys creating a spark of mystical transcendence in an otherwise indifferent landscape, and soon others wanted her to make statues for them to leave around on trips or put on their altar. Her art has continued to evolve into the Mysteries of Mary and the Divine Feminine as an increased requirement for powerful female archetypes and dark goddesses has emerged.

Her visionary eye seems divinely guided to create something sacred, something venerated and beautiful in a world of uncertainty. This is no ordinary art. Her statues, altars and shrines are alive with the stream of pure collective consciousness that connects us all. Her pieces are visceral and experiential.

You can find Mary Henlin’s art on altars and sacred spaces around the world.