Over the heads of the saints. We study church terms: what is a halo?

a message appeared that Japanese scientists, using highly sensitive equipment, were able to detect light emanating from a person, invisible to the eye. They considered it an aura and trumpeted the discovery to the whole world.

From other sources I found out that this news is not the latest news, but I have not lost interest in it. It turns out that our scientists found out back in the 60s of the last century that halos are not fiction. We found out, what next?

The head of that research group, and now doctor biological sciences, professor, head of the department of Moscow state academy veterinary medicine and biotechnology named after K. I. Scriabin Alexander Zhuravlev said:

This phenomenon has a long name: spontaneous ultra-faint glow internal organs animals and humans in the visible region of the spectrum due to oxidative processes. I discovered it with my colleagues Boris Tarusov and Anatoly Polivoda.

Discovery of Zhuravlev and his colleagues studied at the USSR Academy of Sciences and hacked to death. The commission's resolution stated that in the submitted scientific work there is neither fundamental meaning nor practical application.

Since 2009, this problem has been taken seriously Japanese researchers from Kyoto University and Tohoku Institute of Technology. Later, bright minds from the University of Tokyo were involved in the work. They rediscovered the discovery of Soviet biophysicists. Researchers placed shirtless people in a completely dark room. They sat there for 20 minutes. At this time, the volunteers were filmed by a high-sensitivity camera capable of capturing even individual photons. The shooting was repeated every three hours from 10 am to 10 pm.

Processing of the resulting images confirmed that the human body glows in the visible range. That is, it emits photons. The radiance is very ghostly and weak - a thousand times less intense than the human eye can catch. But it is there. Which, in fact, is what our scientists were talking about more than half a century ago.

The discovery was considered so significant that the Japanese are now tipped for a Nobel Prize.

Research by Japanese scientists has shown that the aura is most pronounced in the morning, it persists throughout the day, and by the evening it is practically invisible. A brighter glow is observed in the neck, mouth and cheeks.

Let me make a small remark here. The glow, according to all the canons of religion and esoteric treatises, should be above the head in the form of a halo. Scientists' observations of only small bright spots do not at all contradict this statement. They did not see a volumetric glow around the head for the simple reason that they did not have a test subject with a similar aura. A halo is a sign of special spiritual purity and holiness.

There is a third point of view on the discovery of the Japanese. Biophysicist and biochemist Gennady Goroshkin believes that he does not need proof of the existence of an aura, since he himself is able to see it. He spoke about another discoverer of the aura. In his opinion, this is a Russian scientist from St. Petersburg G.K. Korotkov. He was the first in the world to obtain an image of the human aura using gas-discharge imaging. This method allows you to “catch” light on the human body, which is similar to the glow discovered by Japanese scientists.

The gas discharge visualization method is generally accepted and is even used in functional express diagnostics of patients. The uniqueness of the method lies in the possibility of quick, harmless and visual assessment general condition human health, indicating the organs and systems involved in the pathological process, detection of “weak links” in the state of health. Alexander Zhuravlev, already familiar to us, has his own point of view on his colleague’s discovery

Here we're talking about about the Kirlian effect. It occurs when objects are placed in an electromagnetic field. A certain halo really begins to surround them. But it does not arise as a result of life activity. Electrons just come off the surface - any surface - and ionize the air. This glow is captured by photographic film. The picture appears colorful, making it possible to charm and mislead all the ignorant and willing to be mistaken. And the glow that we discovered is the glow of our internal organs.

Zhuravlev also has his own version about the origin of the halos above our heads:

Some people experience a very rare metabolic disorder where they produce abnormal fluorescent sweat. Under the influence of external light, it shines. And this glow can reach such a level that it becomes noticeable. Especially in the dark. And if in ancient times our ancestors saw how one saint’s head began to glow, then this fact was enough for them to subsequently paint an aura-halo around their heads on all icons.

It is no coincidence that scientists disagreed. Judging by their statements, they call completely different physical phenomena aura. But just physical ones. Therefore, I believe that we will not see the truth in this dispute.

I believe that the aura, if it is related to physics as a phenomenon, is only in conjunction with information fields, their multiple memes and egregors. It is necessary to approach the study of this phenomenon, first of all, not with modern optics, but with new ideas about the structure of our entire existence, starting from the creation of man

The appearance of a normal aura is a bluish-purple, or transparent pulsating layer of light that surrounds the body with a cover thickness from 5 mm to 3.5 cm. It pulsates with a frequency of up to 15 cycles per minute. This pulsation appears as a traveling wave, spreading down the arms, legs and torso. The colored rays of the aura are surrounded by a nebula of grayish-blue color, which is brightest near the surface of the body and gradually dims as it moves away. The blue color in the head area slowly turns into yellow, surrounding the head with a crown at a distance of 7 - 10 cm.

When a person begins to sing, his field becomes more extended and brighter. Bright flashes and sparks fly out of it with every breath that precedes the start of a new musical phrase. As the public's attention grows, its overall aura also expands. Connections like large arches extend from the singer's field to the audience's field, and their auras connect. New, collaborative forms emerge through which energy flows from the singer to the listener and back. These forms of energy create the texture and color of the aura that corresponds to the thoughts and feelings that the music generates in the singer and listeners

When a woman is pregnant, her field expands and becomes much brighter. Above the shoulders of the expectant mother, delicate balls of energy in blue, pink, yellow and green are visible.

In 1992, a special device for photographing a person’s aura, the “Aura Camera-6000,” was manufactured in the USA. The picture taken by the “Aura-camera-6000” allowed, according to the developers, look into inner world a person, get an idea of ​​the characteristics of his psyche, emotional state, his qualities and problems.

The main colors of the aura were deciphered as follows:

RED is the color of emotionality and vitality. Strong feelings of any kind, such as anger, fear or love, are represented in red. A person with a red aura has physical vitality, energy, ambition, as well as sexual power. Red - courage, activity, assertiveness.

YELLOW is the color of intelligence, representing the process of change from the unconscious to the conscious. It involves changes and movements of all kinds, especially those leading to purification and growth of the mind. Most often the yellow color is visible as a halo or halo around the head. A person with a yellow aura has qualities such as love, kindness, optimism, and compassion.

ORANGE is a traditional healing color. Like the sun which it symbolizes, it indicates the masculine principle or the masculine side of feminine nature. When visible in the aura, it may indicate that the individual has strong healing abilities, or that the individual is in the process of physical growth or emotional self-healing.

GREEN - color of growth; its presence in the aura usually indicates that a person is in the stage of choosing his attitude towards life, beliefs or behavior. This is a positive color that can appear when a person, unsettled by radical internal changes, believes that his life is going badly.

BLUE is the color of creation, imagination and self-expression. Like the sea and sky, which this color symbolizes, it expresses femininity or the feminine side of a man's nature. A person with a blue aura harbors deep wisdom and inspiration. He is artistic and easily finds harmony with nature, knows how to control himself, and can be devout or spiritual in nature.

GOLD is the color of pure intuition, mental courage and self-knowledge. Shining golden halos can often be seen above the heads of mystics and people in a state of bliss. Gold is a masculine color and is often represented by the sun. It is also the color of purification and healing. Gold - the highest spirituality, enormous life potential, high intelligence.

BLACK is the color of death and destruction and can be read as a sign of depression, especially if it appears as a dark cloud enveloping the patient's head. However, death is a state that precedes rebirth, and destruction is a state that precedes creation and creativity. Black is also considered a color that symbolizes the invisible Divine Light that comes to illuminate and purify the soul. Black - malice, anger; black holes in the aura - health problems, an indicator of painful areas, disturbed energy.

(from Latin “nimbus” - “cloud”, “radiance”) - radiance depicted on icons around the head and symbolizing the presence of Divine grace and the deification of the ascetic. In the God-man Jesus Christ, the halo depicts the Divine glory (grace), originally inherent in Jesus Christ by His Divine nature.

The Christian halo has a prehistory already in Old Testament. For example, when Moses came down from Sinai with the tablets, “his face began to shine with rays because God spoke to him” (Ex. 34:29). In the New Testament, for example, there is a description of the face of the first martyr Stephen, similar to the face of an angel. The halo symbolically reflects the mystery of the Divine presence in righteous man. It testifies to the presence of the Divine, transforming the personality of the saint, certifying his participation, which does not come externally, but resides inside the human soul. The halo symbolically conveys the secret of the blessed one, to which a person becomes involved as he undergoes a spiritual feat and unites with God.

There are several types of halo in Orthodox painting. Most often - and most often in the most outstanding monuments, especially monumental art - with a dark outline of its golden part. This outline could be different, but mainly in the form of one thick line or two thin, parallel ones; sometimes they are just a count. In both cases, a narrow strip was drawn - a light outline - from the outer edge of the halo, approximately the width of a dark white one, but often the same color as the inner part of the halo. This iconography is the most common, and it seems to us the most correct in paracanonical terms. That's what its content says. Let's first pay attention to the dark outline. Since its presence in the overwhelming majority of monuments is obligatory, the conclusion suggests itself about a certain restrictive function of the outline: it is something like a “frame” for the light coming from the saint. We are talking here, of course, about spiritual light - about Light, which, according to Dionysius the Areopagite, “comes from goodness and is an image of goodness.”

Of the modern authors, Archimandrite Raphael (Karelin) thinks interestingly about light. In his speech on the Transfiguration of the Lord, he clarifies: “ Orthodox Church teaches that there are three types of light.

The first type is sensual. Created light, light of physical energies, measurable and characterizable.

The second is the intellectual, inherent in man, spiritual, also created light. This is the light of judgments and ideas, the light of imagination and fantasies. The light of poets and artists, scientists and philosophers. The semi-pagan world usually admires spiritual light. This light can be intense and bright, leading a person into a state of intellectual ecstasy. But spiritual light belongs to the earth. Spiritual realms are inaccessible to him.

The third type of light is uncreated, Divine, the revelation of Divine Beauty on earth and the manifestation of eternity in time. This light shone in the deserts of Egypt and Palestine, in the caves of Gareji and Betlemi (ancient Georgian monasteries), it is embodied in words Holy Scripture, in church liturgy and Orthodox icons”

The halo in the Orthodox icon, while remaining a symbol of holiness, is also a form that reveals the Divine nature of superlight. “Glory to You, who showed us the light!” - exclaims the priest in the last part of Matins. A saint in Christianity acts as a direct witness to the truth, understood precisely as light. But here the meaning of the halo, of course, is not limited to what has been said. The light outline from the outer edge of the halo is a kind of opposition to the dark one: if the latter is the Hidden shell, performing a hiding function (it is apophatic theology), then the first is the key, Revelation, the opportunity for the praying person to see the Light while still on earth; in this case it plays the role of a revealing function (cataphatic theology). Hence white strokes, that is, symbolically consubstantial with gold, but different in substance.

But that doesn’t say everything. Clarifications needed. Gold itself does not emit light, but only reflects it from a real source; so the light of a saint by nature does not belong to him personally, but to God, and shines in the saints, like the sun in gold; “The righteous will shine like the sun,” according to the word of the Gospel (Matthew 13:43), “for they will become by grace what God is by nature,” writes V.N. Lossky, that is, we are talking about a given good, a gift - “good + dati” - and not about some kind of “self-flash”, “spontaneous combustion” of light in a person.

The feat of holiness is a voluntary renunciation of selfhood, a struggle with it. When Rev. Seraphim of Sarov shone with this light of grace before N.A. Motovilov, what did he pray for the day before? - "God! Make him worthy to see clearly and physically with his eyes the descent of Your Spirit, with which You honor Your servants when You deign to appear in the light of Your magnificent glory!”

ABC of Faith

Halo over your head: origin story

There is not one, but several versions regarding how such a symbol of holiness as a halo appeared. According to some scientists, it was preceded by a Greek meniscus - a metal circle that was located around the heads of the statues in order to protect them from birds and bad weather. Other experts argue that the halo around the head arose as a consequence of the tradition according to which a shield was placed on the back of heroes.

The most reasonable interpretation is still considered to be the Greek one, based on mythology. According to ancient legends, the Olympian gods often appeared to people in human form. A clear, dazzling light emanated from them, relating to the luminous ether, the above-ground atmosphere, the habitat of the gods. It follows that glow is a sign of belonging to the gods. A little later, mere mortals who had the honor of becoming on the same level with heavenly representatives began to be awarded it. Over time, the divine glow was slightly reduced, and only a luminous halo above the head was applied to the images. Later, this symbol of holiness was borrowed from the Greeks by Christians, Egyptians, Romans and Buddhists.

Distinctive Features

For Christians, a halo around their heads is still a sign of the Holy Trinity, Our Lady, angels and saints. But on icons he can be depicted in different ways. For example, the face of God the Father has a halo above its head that is triangular in shape or looks like a six-pointed star. The Holy Spirit can also be depicted as a dove with a triangular halo. As for the Savior Christ, they paint a glow for him, in which the cross is inscribed. Jesus may also have a halo, where instead of a cross there are three lines of light or a beam of rays emanating along a radius from the center of the disk.

The halo of the Virgin Mary is round in shape and decorated with twelve stars, a radiant crown or diadem. Angels, martyrs, apostles and saints are depicted with round gold halos around their heads. Patriarchs and prophets usually have a silver glow color.

There are certain differences between the images of halos in Orthodox and Catholic icon painting. In the Christian tradition, a divine halo is drawn around the entire head, and among Catholics, above it in the shape of a circle.

What do the halos above the saints' heads symbolize?

The halo, or solar crown, is considered a sign of a perfect person, a confirmation of his special mental power. Most often, attention is paid to the aura of superpersonality in the head area. This zone of light in the form of a triangle, square or circle speaks of the emanations of the soul, the spiritual energy of saints or divine persons.

Initially, the luminous halo around the head was compared to the solar disk and was considered a manifestation of the power of the Sun, an attribute of its gods. In eastern iconography, solar deities were identified in this way. The halo above the head spoke of endowed power, power or spiritual strength. In secular iconography, such an attribute was the crown.

The luminous halo sometimes acted as an attribute of the Phoenix, which is a symbol of immortality. In some drawings, Satan also has a halo, for example, in Byzantine art. This made it clear that he was also endowed with power.

Color accompaniment and shape

The golden halo usually represented Christian art, among the Hindus it was red, among the ancient gods it was blue. In some cases, there was a rainbow one.

The round halo (halo) in Byzantine art was a distinctive sign of the dead, who were distinguished during their lifetime high morality, and the mercy of heaven descended on them. For example, the Virgin Mary is always depicted with a round and often elaborately decorated halo around her head. For divine persons and saints, the halo is similar, but without ornaments.

A cross within a circle or a cruciform halo is a specific symbol that characterizes the Atonement and Crucifixion of Christ. But a halo in the form of an ellipse speaks of spiritual light.

A hexagonal or square halo indicates a saint among the living or ordinary person, but, for example, the donor. Here the square is considered inferior and serves as a symbol of the earth, while the circle, in turn, is a sign of eternal existence, heaven. The square halo is also interpreted as follows: its three sides are the Trinity, and one is the whole, the head.

The triangular halo is a sign of the Holy Trinity, or Triune God. A halo, shaped like a triangle or rhombus, is depicted on icons of God the Father.

Polygonal halos have always been used to depict persons famous for their virtue, or other allegorical figures. The hexagonal halo spoke of great virtues or, again, emphasized the allegorical nature of the iconographic design. The double aspect of the deity was indicated by a double halo or rays.

How do halos differ among different religions?

It is very informative and interesting to find out what the halos above the heads of saints of different religious denominations mean. Buddha, for example, has a red halo and shows the dynamism of solar activity. In Hinduism, Shiva has a rim of flame, symbolizing the Cosmos. Among the Persians, a luminous halo spoke of the power of Ahura Mazda. In ancient and Asian art, the halo was a favorite means of conveying the greatness of kings, rulers and deified people. cash coins Roman emperors. In Mithraism, the halo is an indicator of the light of the Sun, as well as Mithras as its god. Psychology gives the following designation for the halo around the head: this is the solar crown.

Halo in Christianity

It is believed that the halo came to Christianity from the iconography of Mithraism, which was initially ousted by it from the Roman Empire. It was borrowed from images of rulers and pagan gods Sun. There is an opinion that the halo on the heads of saints first appeared in the Roman catacombs of Calixtus in the 2nd century. They crowned the head of Christ, then in the same way they identified the special divine status of Mary and the angels.

NOTHING

NOTHING, adv. (book). Not at all, not at all, not at all. “One doesn’t interfere with the other at all.” Leskov .

NIMBUS

NIMBUS, halo, husband (Greek nymbos) (special and poetic, obsolete). Shining in the form of a circle around the head (on Christian icons, ancient statues, etc.). “Like a halo, love, your radiance is above all who died loving.” Bryusov .

them

NIMI. creativity from they are in the position after prepositions. With them.

NYMPH

NYMPH, nymphs, gen. pl. nymphs, women (Greek: nymphe).

1. In Greek. mythology - a minor deity, personified depending on where he lived (in springs, meadows, mountains, caves, etc.), various forces nature. “A sleepless nymph wandered along the shore of Peneus.” Pushkin . “Nymphs will flock to my magnificent gardens in a playful crowd.” Pushkin .

2. The second stage of development of the larvae of some insects (zool.).

3. more often plural Labia minora (anat.).

Dictionary Ushakova - (Explanatory dictionary of the Russian language Ushakova D.N., 1935-1940.)

The halo around the head of the saint is a very important detail in Orthodox iconography. Its significance is evidenced by the fact that traditionally, when painting an icon, they determine the space that the halo occupies. The further construction of the composition depends on this.

The halo of the main figure should be at the vertex of an equilateral triangle (symbol Holy Trinity), the sides of which coincide in size with the sides of the base (the symmetry of the icon is a symbol of the correctness and perfection of the depicted heavenly world).

Halo on the icon of the Virgin Mary

History of the halo

The image of a halo, as an attribute of a celestial being, is known in various religions, both in Buddhism and among many pagans, and appeared long before Christianity.

The word “nimbus” itself comes from the Latin “nimbus”, meaning “cloud”. The Greeks and Romans believed that the Olympian gods, when they descend to earth, appear before people in a radiant radiance, in a cloud of light. This was reflected in their images. Also in Ancient Rome halos could be on portraits of emperors. After all, the ruler was also considered a god, and power was sacred.

Christians have adopted external forms this tradition, but filled them with their own, completely new meaning.

Halo Theology

A halo is by no means just a radiance around the head of a saint. Like all details of the icon, it is a multi-valued sacred symbol. First of all, it is necessary to explain the meaning of light itself in the theology of icon painting.

About icons in Orthodoxy:

Uncreated Light

“...There was a certain man named John...he was not the Light, but was sent to testify about the Light. Now there was the True Light, enlightening and sanctifying every person coming into the world.” (John 1:6-8)

In fact, we can say that any icon is an icon of Christ. Even if He is not directly depicted, He is everywhere. All the gold on the icon: halos, shining highlights on the clothes and faces of the saints, the entire golden background is an image of all-pervading Divine grace, fully revealed in the Heavenly Kingdom. All light rays lead to the light source. And the holy man himself is also an image of Christ.

“...And there will be no night there, and they will have no need of a lamp or the light of the sun, for the Lord God illuminates them; and they will reign." (Rev. 22.5)

The halo on the icon is the most luminous area.

If a saint is depicted, then although the radiance emanates from him, we are talking about reflected light. That God sanctifies and transforms human nature. And only on the icons of the Savior do we see the Light Giver Himself.

Separately, it is necessary to explain the shape of the halo. Almost always (exceptions will be discussed below), it looks like a circle. This is the image of eternity. There is no time in the Kingdom of God.

Icon of Tenderness Mother of God

So, light is a symbol of divine grace and, ultimately, of God Himself. If you look closely at the construction of the halo, you will notice that it is outlined by two lines, dark and white. This is no coincidence. There is nothing random in iconography at all. The dark border symbolizes the incomprehensibility and inaccessibility of the Divine. His separation from the created world, transcendence.

But then there is a light line, usually white. White in iconography is akin to gold. This is also light, but a little different. White is the light of Tabor, transformation. And the white stripe around the halo symbolizes the appearance of God in the created world. Light comes to those He created to transform them.
True, you cannot see these two lines on all icons. The canons of icon painting were often forgotten and violated.

Images of the Savior

In general, on the icons of Christ the halo looks the same as that of the saints, but has additional details. This cross is the main symbol of Christianity. The world was saved by the cross. The Lord came here to die on the cross. Through the suffering of the cross, He returns the fallen universe to Himself. Therefore, it is no coincidence that the cross on His halo has expanding ends. It seems to spread into eternity, covering the whole world.

In addition, three letters are always inscribed in the circle of the halo - “ό ώ ν”. The Greek word όών means "Who is." It is needed to emphasize that He who is depicted here as a man is also the Eternal God, the Cause of all existence. The halos on some (rather rare) icons of the Savior enclose an octagon inside. The two squares symbolize two worlds and differ in color.

Icon Jesus Christ

Red, in iconography, is a symbol of earth and martyrdom. In this case, the one that the Savior shed for our world. Blue is the color of the sky, the spiritual world of angels. An eight-pointed star formed by quadrangles is a symbol of the unity of two worlds. As an image of the power of Christ, His dominion over the visible and invisible, this star is depicted behind His head. But this is only the first semantic layer. The same star symbolizes the properties of God Himself.

The blue color in iconography, like black (“blue is like the thinnest darkness... Just as yellow always brings light with it, we can also say that blue always brings with it something dark” P. Florensky), may be an image of the incomprehensibility of God , Its unknowability and inaccessibility to us.

Red is the color of the king, a symbol of the omnipotence of Christ.

In addition, there are differences in the iconography of God the Father. But, since His images were prohibited by the church, and appeared only due to theological illiteracy, they need not be mentioned.

Halos other than a circle shape

In Byzantine icon painting, you can find images of square halos. They had their own semantic content. If the circle is eternity, then the square is the otherworldly, the world of the earth.

The saint with a quadrangular halo is depicted in his earthly life. And the color of such a halo is not gold, but white. That is, this is not yet a fully given Divine grace, as in the heavenly world, but a transforming one, gradually revealed on earth.

Other traditions can be found among Catholics. On Catholic icons, the radiance often forms a kind of crown over the head of the saint. Light descends on him from above, from outside. Then, as in the Orthodox image, the grace of God sanctifies a person from the inside, permeates everything created.

Revered Orthodox icons:

An Orthodox icon is a shrine. It is needed so that the Prototype is revealed to the believer through the image. It is called “prayer in colors”, “a window to the Heavenly World”. Such tasks of icon painting as an art form required the creation of a special artistic language. It can be called symbolic realism. There is no naturalism here, because we are talking about a world that has already been completely transformed, but there are no abstract symbols or allegories.

After all, it is people, real earthly people, who must be transformed. Here matter is combined with Spirit, the visible with the invisible, the human with the Divine.

And the entire icon as a whole, and each of its parts: halos, clothes, objects, colors, lines, composition, through the symbol lead to the Source of being.