Thoughts on halos?

Question

Numerous paintings of the past depict a halo over the head. Do you think the painters actually saw a halo or light over the head? Was this concept impressed upon them from others?

Do you ever see an area of light over someone? If so, what do you make of it?

Answer 1

Symbolism has a huge place in our lives. The halo I believe represents full circle of knowledge and the gold or yellow represents highest Honor and purity.

maybe not...

Answer 2

The halo was just the artist's take on the religious concept of a holy light surrounding the divine being whom they were painting. I doubt they literally thought there was a doughnut of light hanging above a saint's head. It was more of a symbol.

I tend to think it is a bit like how they also painted angels with wings. Why would an angel need physical wings to fly when it was a spiritual being? Pretty silly. I think it was just a way of signifying that they were angels in a way that people at the time could understand.

Answer 3

My priest said that halos used in art were there to denote the holiness of a person. It is purely representitive, and nothing magical as seen in other cultures.

Answer 4

An aura and a halo are two different things . Few people know that an aura and a halo are quite different in their respective natures, despite their close interconnection. No man can ever possess both aura and halo completely developed at one and the same time. The halo begins to appear when the aura begins to disappear. An aura, therefore, is the mental reflection of the aggregate impressions of thoughts and actions, gathered by and stored in an individual mind. As long as the impressions are there, an aura is always there, as an envelope of subtle atmosphere, comprised of seven colors, which remain more or less prominent according to the nature of each individual's impressions.The halo begins to develop and an aura begins to disappear only after an individual starts advancing of the Path to God-Realization. When the aura begins to get more and more faint, the halo commences to shine more and more, getting brighter in proportion to the progress of the individual's consciousness on the Path. The halo becomes very bright only after an individual aura is on the point of disappearing. This happens in the case of a soul who wakes up fully conscious in the sixth plane of complete mental illumination. when  a man happens to see what appears to him as the halo of the Master, it is not actually the halo, but a part of his own aura as temporarily reflected in the effulgence of that halo — whether that of an illuminated One or a Perfect Master.(The halo is also called a nimbus)

Answer 5

I think they are better known as auras.

Answer 6

The halo represents an aura or glow of sanctity which was conventionally drawn encircling the head. It first appeared in the culture of Hellenistic Greece and Rome, possibly related to the Zoroastrian hvarena or "divine lustre" imported with Mithraism. Though Roman paintings have largely disappeared, save some fresco decorations, the haloed figure remains fresh in Roman mosaics. In a second century CE Roman floor mosaic preserved at Bardo, Tunisia, a haloed Poseidon appears in his chariot drawn by hippocamps. Significantly, the triton and nereid who accompany the sea-god are not haloed.

Answer 7

I think these halos are Aura's...I have read that all people have aura's of all different colours..But when you are your highest good..the aura actually looks white/golden...as in Jesus Christ....and others who devote their whole lives to God

Answer 8

Hello! What the painters are seeing is a Halo. Another name for Halo, would be Aura. Around every animate and inanimate object on the earth; there is a "life force" known as the Aura. Around our physical body there is our"Astral" or Spirit self. If you hold your hand up against a dark background; with fingers set wide, and look through your fingers, you may observe a very pale outline around each finger. This is your Astral.

Answer 9

Not sure, but, what is interesting about this is the time it was done. With our technology today we can see a halo or aura around us. When we die this halo/aura disappears. I try to find you some info.

OK, hard to find stuff that be Real Facts. This really an area you would enjoy researching if you find it interesting. I know this is real stuff and have seen many Documentries about it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aura_(paran...

Some of this stuff my be made up. I not remember, but, the aura is around every living thing, even flowers, if, I remembering correct. So this next link I not sure it see the real or just make it.

http://www.auraphoto.com/

This link say it tell you how to see auras and it talk some of the painting you question.

http://www.thiaoouba.com/seeau.htm

Answer 10

I think a halo symbolizes the light on the particular figure..it most likely came from..the idea of a painting..its the kind of intuition in an "inside-artist" thing..

Answer 11

Yoga speaks of an "energy" body that coexists with the physical body.  It is composed of the electric fields and currents in the body.  Some psychics claim to have the ability to see auras.

One researcher developed a system that enabled him to see auras after "tuning" his eyes by looking at light through a bottle containing a solution of dye called "dicyanin."  It is a dark blue dye with a hint of red.  I have been unable to determine more exact information about that chemical dye.

Kirilian photography reveals a "halo" around many kinds of objects, not just living ones.

Answer 12

It is widely believed that this is a residual element of the ancient Egyptian sun-god Ra, or Amun. The golden disc represents the 'sun-nature' of a physical manifestation, usually in Old Kingdom representations the Pharoah, or more precisely the 'Horus'.

This was carried into Mithraism ( your icon :-) ) and through the Roman Sol Invicta cult into early ( 3rd century ad and later ) 'Christian' iconography.

I suspect that the auric emanations are something quite separate, and can be perceived by those who are sensitive to them around the whole manifestation. As someone has pointed out, these are not limited to human manifestations. I believe that they are an energetic emanation, but like high-pitched sound is audible to dogs and not most humans, these are not visible to most people, mostly because they do not look for them.

Answer 13

I bet such a halo was visible to most viewers.

Myself, I've seen a real halo -  not an aura - once. The person was an Indian, a meditation teacher. The halo was different from an aura: it sat, indeed, on top of his head and was made of shimmering golden light with a visible border of golden glitters and sparks. It was larger, though, than traditionally pictured and was shaped like a light-bulb. The whole experience was so unexpected that I almost fell out of my chair. That's when I knew: the halos in the old paintings were real.

PS. I did not have the ability to see auras at that time.