end of XX - beginning of XXI century - is unique in many ways, time.Especially for our country and its spiritual culture in particular.The fortress walls of the former worldview collapsed over the world and the Russian people rose hitherto unknown foreign sun spirituality.American evangelism, oriental cults, various occult school for the past quarter of a century had deeply take root in Russia.This had a positive side - Today, more people think about the spiritual dimension of their lives and seek to harmonize it with the highest, the sacred meaning.It is therefore important to understand what is sacred, transcendent dimension of existence.
etymology of the word comes the word "sacred" from the Latin sacralis, which means "sacred."Basis sac, apparently goes back to PIE saq, the probable value of which - "to protect, to defend."Thus, the original semantics of the word "sacred" - a "separated, protected".Religious consciousness eventually deepened understanding of the term, making it a shade focus of the department.That is sacred - it's not just separated (from the world, as opposed to profane), and separated by a special purpose as intended to a special senior ministry or use in connection with religious practices.A similar importance is the Jewish "Kadosh" - holy, sanctified, holy.When it comes to God, the word "sacred" - a definition of the otherness of the Most High, his transcendence to the world.Accordingly, as associated with this transcendence, all dedicated to God as a sacred object endowed, that is sacred.
the dissemination of sacred
Its domain can be extremely wide.Especially in our time - a boom in the heyday of experimental science sacred meaning sometimes given to the most unexpected things, such as erotica.Since ancient times we know sacred animals and sacred places.There have been in history, however, they are also now underway, the sacred war.But that means a sacred political system, we have already forgotten.
Sacral art
theme of art in the context of sacredness is extremely extensive.In fact, it covers all kinds of directions and creativity, not excluding even the comics and fashion.What you need to do to understand what is sacred art?The main thing - to learn that their goal is to transfer or sacred knowledge, or in the service of the cult.In this light, it becomes clear why sometimes a picture can be equal to, say, the Holy Scriptures.Important is not the nature of the craft, and the purpose of the application and, as a consequence, the content.
Species such art
in West European sacred art world called ars sacra.Among its various types can be distinguished:
- Sacral art.By this means the art of a religious nature and / or purpose, for example, icons, statues, mosaics, reliefs, etc. N.
- Sacred Geometry.This definition would cover the entire layer of symbolic images, such as the Christian cross, Jewish star, "Magen David", the Chinese yin-yang symbol, the Egyptian ankh, and so on. D.
- sacral architecture.In this case, it refers to the construction and building temples, monasteries, and in general, any facilities of a religious nature and mysteriological.Among them may be the most unpretentious specimens like canopy over the holy wells or very impressive monuments such as the pyramids of Egypt.
- Sacred Music.As a rule, such implied cult music played at church services and religious rites - the liturgical chants, bhajans, accompanied by musical instruments and so on. Also, sometimes called nebogosluzhebnye sacred music, in its semantic content related to the sphere of the transcendent or bybased on the traditional spiritual music, such as the many examples of new age.
There are other manifestations of sacred art.In fact, the covered areas - cooking, literature, sewing clothes and even fashion - may have sacred significance.
Besides art, endowed with the quality of sanctification such concepts and things like space, time, knowledge, texts and physical actions.
Sacred Space
under space in this case, it can mean two things - concrete building and a sacred place, not necessarily associated with the buildings.An example of the latter can serve as sacred groves, which were very popular in ancient times pagan rule.Sacred significance today have many mountains, hills, meadows, ponds, and other natural objects.Often, these places represent special characters - flags, ribbons, images and other elements of religious decor.Their importance is due to some miraculous event, for example, the phenomenon of the saint.Or, as it is very common in Buddhism and shamanism, the worship places of worship associated with living there invisible beings - spirits, and others.
Another example of sacred space - the temple.Here, a determining factor sanctity often becomes not the sanctity of the place itself, and the ceremonial character of the building.Depending on the religious function of the temple may be slightly different.For example, where a house is fully deity, which is not intended for the purpose of visiting the national worship.Retribution honors made in this case, the outside front of the temple.So the situation was, for example, in ancient Greek religion.At the other extreme are Islamic mosques and Protestant houses of worship, which are special rooms for religious meetings, and are intended more for a man than to God.In contrast to the first type, which is inherent in the sanctity of the temple space by itself, there is the fact of the use of religious converts any space, even the most ordinary, in a sacred place.
Time
few words should also be said about the notion of sacred time.There is still more complicated.On the one hand, it often during normal daily time synchronism.On the other, it is not subject to the action of physical laws, as defined mysteriological life of a religious organization.A striking example - the Catholic Mass, the contents of which - the sacrament of the Eucharist - again and again brings the faithful on the night of the Last Supper of Christ and the apostles.The sacred importance is also a time marked by special sanctity and otherworldly influence.These are some pieces of cycles a day, week, month, year, and so on.. In culture, they often take the form of festivals, or, conversely, days of mourning.Examples of both can serve as Holy Week, Easter, Christmas time, solstices, the equinox periods, the full moon and so forth.
Anyway sacred time organizing cult ritual life, determines the order and frequency of execution ceremonies.
Knowledge
extremely popular at all times was to find the secret knowledge - some secret information that was promised to the owners the most dizzying good - power over the world, the elixir of immortality, superhuman strength, and things like that.While all of these secrets are secret knowledge, they are not always strictly sacred.Rather, a secret and mysterious.Sacred knowledge - that is, information about the other world, the abode of the gods and creatures of a higher order.As the simplest example theology.And it is not only denominational theology.Soon she understood the science that studies on some alleged otherworldly apparitions of deities, the world and man's place in it.
Sacred texts
sacred knowledge is fixed in the first place in the sacred texts - the Bible, the Koran, the Vedas, and others. In a narrow sense, only the scriptures are sacred and that is claiming to be the conductor of knowledge from above.They seem to contain literally sacred word, meaning not only that, but the form itself is important.On the other hand, the definition of the sacredness of its own semantics enables the circle of text and other type of literature - the works of great masters of spirituality, such as the Talmud, "The Secret Doctrine", Helena Petrovna Blavatsky and Alice Bailey books, quite popular in modern esoteric circles.The credibility of such works of literature may be different - from the absolute infallibility to questionable comments and copyright fabrications.However, the nature of the information contained in them is - sacred texts.
Action
Holy can be not only a particular object or a concept and movement.For example, what is a sacred action?Under this concept we summarize a wide range of gestures, dance and other physical movements, with the ritual, the sacramental character.Firstly, this liturgical event - offering to guests, lighting of incense, blessing and so on. Secondly, it is the actions aimed at changing the state of mind and transferred into the sphere of the internal focus otherworldly.Examples are the already mentioned dance, yoga asanas, or even a simple rhythmic rocking of the body.
Third, the simplest of the sacred actions designed to express a certain, often in prayer, the location of a person - folded or throw up my hands, sign of the cross, bow, and so on.
sacred meaning of physical actions is that following the spirit of time and space separated from the profane everyday life and ascend to the holy as the body itself, and matter in general.For this purpose, in particular, sanctified water, shelter and other items.
Conclusion As can be seen from the above, the concept of sacredness is present wherever there is a man or a concept of the afterlife.But often fall into this category, and those things that are in the area of ideal, the most important ideas of the man himself.Indeed, what is sacred, they do not love, family, honor, loyalty, and similar principles of social relations, as if more deeply - the characteristics of the internal content of the individual?It follows that the sacredness of an object is determined by the degree of its differences from the profane, that is led by an instinctive and emotional principles, peace.This separation can occur is expressed as in the outer world and the inner.
