Namaskār, also known as namastē, is a form of greeting practiced most in the Indian Subcontinent. It is used both while greeting and upon parting company. When a person greets another with namaskar, the greeting is accompanied by a slight bow made with hands pressed together, palms touching and fingers pointed upwards and closely positioned in front of the chest. Along with this, the word ‘namaskar’ or ‘namaste’ is said to the person who is being greeted. The hand position is known as the Namaskar Mudra. (Mudra means a particular hand gesture or position.)

The greeting of namaskar is when the Soul in one person acknowledges and pays obeisance to the Soul in another.

The gesture Namaste represents the belief that there is a Divine spark within each of us. It is also the show of deep respect. Namaste begins with you.

One can do Namaste to oneself as a meditation technique to go deeper inside the heart; when done with someone else, it is also a beautiful, quick, meditation. Our Bracelet serves as a Spiritual Reminder.

(Namaste Bracelet Set seen and Saint Evolution adds a beautiful saints bracelet to the set.)

The Hamsa (containing the Evil-Eye) is a palm-shaped amulet popular throughout the Christian community of Goa, India and commonly used in jewelry and wall hangings. 

(Hamsa as seen in Hamsa Bracelet Set)

The indigenous population of the erstwhile Portuguese colony of Goa underwent a large-scale conversion to Christianity after its conquest and occupation by the Portuguese Empire, led by admiral Afonso de Albuquerque in 1510. After conversion to Roman Catholicism, they were usually granted Portuguese citizenship.^[1] Almost all the present-day Goan Catholics are descendants of these local converts to the religion. They constitute the largest Christian community in Goa and account for 25 per cent of the total Catholic population in India.^[2] TheMangalorean Catholic and Karwari Catholic communities of the Indian state of Karnataka are also largely descended from these Goan converts. 

During the mid-16th century, the Portuguese colony of Goa, especially the city of Goa, was the center of Christianisation in the East.^[4] Christianisation in Goa was largely limited to the four concelhos (districts) of Bardez,Mormugao, Salcette, and Tiswadi.^[5] Furthermore, evangelisation activities were divided in 1555 by the Portuguese viceroy of Goa, Pedro Mascarenhas.^[6] He allotted Bardez to the Franciscans, Tiswadi to theDominicans, and Salcette, together with fifteen southeastern villages of Tiswadi, including Chorão and Divar, to the Jesuits.^[6] The city of Velha Goa was shared among all, since all the religious orders had their headquarters there.^[6] Prior to that, the Franciscans alone Christianised Goa till 1542.^[7] Other less active orders that maintained a presence in Goa were the Augustines, Carmelites, and Theatines.^[8] The first mass conversions took place among the Brahmins of Divar, and the Kshatriyas of Carambolim.^[9] In 1534, Goa was made a diocese and in 1557 an archdiocese. The Archbishop of Goa was the most important ecclesiastic of the East, and was from 1572 called the "Primate of the East".^[10] While the Portuguese rulers implemented state policies encouraging and even rewarding conversions among Hindu subjects, it would be false to ascribe the large number of conversions solely to force. On the contrary, the rapid rise of converts in Goa was mostly the result of Portuguese economic and political control over the Hindus, who were vassals of the Portuguese crown.^[11

^{This process of Christianisation was simultaneously accompanied by Lusitanisation, as the Christian converts typically assumed a Portuguese veneer.[12]} The most visible aspect was the discarding of old Hindu names for new Christian Portuguese names.^[12] The 1567 Provincial Council of Goa—under the presidency of the first Archbishop of Goa Gaspar Jorge de Leão Pereira and after his retirement under that of George Themudo, Bishop of Cochin—passed over 115 decrees.[13] One of them declared that the Goan Catholics would henceforth not be permitted to use their former Hindu names.^[13] Consequently, the converts typically had to adopt the surnames of the Portuguese priest, governor, soldier or layman who stood as godfather for their baptism ceremony.[12] For instance, the Boletim do Instituto Vasco da Gama lists the new names of some of the prominent ganvkars (Konkani: Freeholders). Rama Prabhu, son of Dado Vithal Prabhu from Benaulim, Salcette, became Francisco Fernandes; Mahabal Pai, son of Nara Pai, became Manuel Fernandes in 1596. Mahabal Kamati ofCurtorim became Aleisco Menezes in 1607, while Chandrappa Naik of Gandaulim became António Dias in 1632. In 1595 Vittu Prabhu became Irmão de diago Soares and the son of Raulu Kamat became Manuel Pinto inAldona, Bardez. Ram Kamat of Punola became Duarte Lobo in 1601, while Tados Irmaose of Anjuna became João de Souza in 1658.[14] Since in many cases, fathers and sons were not necessarily baptised in the presence of the same godfather, this would lead to them having different surnames.^[15] For instance in 1594, the son of Pero Parras, a ganvkar from Raia acquired at baptism the new name of Sebastião Barbosa. Later in 1609, another of his sons converted and took the name of João Rangel.[15] As a result, members of the same vangodd (clan) who initially all shared a common Hindu surname ended up adopting divergent Lusitanian ones.^[15

^{However, the converted Hindus retained their mother tongue (which in most cases was Konkani) and caste status, even after becoming Christian.[16]} Based on their previous caste affiliations, the new converts were usually lumped into new Catholic castes. The converts from the priestly Brahmin class were Bamonns (Konkani: Brahmins).^[17] All Brahmin subcastes such as the Goud Saraswat Brahmins, Padyes, the Daivadnyas, and especially the goldsmiths and a few merchants, were lumped into the Christian caste of Bamonn.[17] The converts from the Kshatriya and Vaishya Vani castes became Chardos (Kshatriyas);^[17] and those Vaishya Vanis who couldn't become Chardos formed a new caste Gauddos.^[18] Those converts from the Gaudas, Kunbis and other lower castes were grouped together as Sudirs, equivalent to Shudras.[19]^[20] The Bamonns, Chardos, and Gauddos have been traditionally seen as the high castes in the Goan Catholic caste hierarchy. (wikipedia)

Generally in Goa also, the Madonna for example, is depicted in flowing garb that is almost sari-like, and her feet rest on a crescent moon or medialuna. The crescent moon rests on a sphere representing the world. Since many Goans converted to Christianity under the Portuguese, local religious art developed syncreatic elements: it was predominantly Christian but incorporated Hindu Indian influences. Christians in the Middle East incorporate the Hamsa and evil- eye as well into their religious images and relics.

Are you faced with a desperate situation? The prayer to St. Jude helps remind us that nothing is impossible with God, even help when you feel all is lost and helpless. 

St. Jude was one of the twelve Apostles. Mark’s (3:18) and Matthew’s (10:3) gospels refer to him as Thaddeus (a surname meaning “amiable or “loving”), possibly in part to distinguish him from Judas Iscariot, our Lord’s betrayer! John’s gospel refers to him in the last supper as “Judas… not the Iscariot” (14:22).

( St.Jude medal pictured here in Dream Bracelet Set)

A prayer to St. Jude:

Oh glorious apostle St. Jude, faithful servant and friend of Jesus, the name of the traitor who delivered thy beloved Master into the hands of His enemies has caused thee to be forgotten by many, but the Church honors and invokes thee universally as the patron of hopeless cases--of things despaired of. Pray for me who am so miserable; make use, I implore thee, of that particular privilege accorded thee of bringing visible and speedy help where help is almost despaired of. Come to my assistance in this great need, that I may receive the consolations and succor of heaven in all my necessities, tribulations and sufferings, particularly (mention your request), and that I may bless God with thee and all the elect throughout eternity. I promise thee, O blessed St. Jude, to be ever mindful of this great favor, and I will never cease to honor thee as my special and powerful patron, and to do all in my power to encourage devotion to thee. Amen

This prayer to St. Anthony asks for help in finding missing items:

Saint Anthony, perfect imitator of Jesus, who received from God the special power of restoring lost things, grant that I may find (mention your petition) which has been lost. As least restore to me peace and tranquility of mind, the loss of which has afflicted me even more than my material loss.

To this favor I ask another of you: that I may always remain in possession of the true good that is God. Let me rather lose all things than lose God, my supreme good. Let me never suffer the loss of my greatest treasure, eternal life with God. Amen.

(St.Anthony Medal as seen in Spiritual Wellness Bracelet Set)

Many cultures use talismen, relics, medals or other objects of veneration in our world. In the Western world, medals bearing the likeness of Christ, the Blessed Mother and, more frequently, the saints has been a custom for over a thousand years. The medals offered by Saint Evolution are in that tradition. 

Saint Evolution bracelet medals are spiritual reminders and "bookmarks" in our lives. Often, they bear the image of a saint who we honor, and are reminders to imitate their lives. The holiness of St. Therese of Liseaux, the humility, poverty and charity of St. Francis of Assissi, the apostolate of Mother Seaton, and Brother Andre are virtues to emulate. Medals mark our place and bring us back to being thoughtful, compassionate and kind.

Rather than being simply ornamentation, these bracelets are intended to help us be the kind of people we admire.

(St. Therese Medal seen in Joy Bracelet Set)

St. Michael the Archangel - Feast day - September 29th.

(St. Michael Medal as seen in featured image)

 The name Michael signifies "Who is like to God?" and was the war cry of the good angels in the battle fought in heaven against satan and his followers. Holy Scripture describes St. Michael as "one of the chief princes," and leader of the forces of heaven in their triumph over the powers of hell. He has been especially honored and invoked as patron and protector by the Church from the time of the Apostles.

Although he is always called "the Archangel," the Greek Fathers and many others place him over all the angels - as Prince of the Seraphim. St. Michael is the patron of grocers, mariners, paratroopers, police and sickness.

Michael is mentioned three times in the Book of Daniel, once as a "great prince who stands up for the children of your people". The idea that Michael was the advocate of the Jews became so prevalent that in spite of the rabbinical prohibition against appealing to angels as intermediaries between God and his people, Michael came to occupy a certain place in the Jewish liturgy.

In the New Testament Michael leads God's armies against Satan's forces in the Book of Revelation, where during the war in heaven he defeats Satan. In the Epistle of Jude Michael is specifically referred to as "the archangel Michael". Christian sanctuaries to Michael appeared in the 4th century, when he was first seen as a healing angel, and then over time as a protector and the leader of the army of God against the forces of evil. By the 6th century, devotions to Archangel Michael were widespread both in the Eastern and Western Churches. Over time, teachings on Michael began to vary among Christian denominations. Catholic org.