V. L. Andrejev

This article offers a summary of themes developed by the Prosopon School, which might be helpful to

those who are willing to get acquainted with the School, as well as to those who are school participants

already, for a more clear view of what has been learned and accomplished and of what needs further

development and research. The terminology used in the article is specific to the School method, though is

understandable to an attentive reader. It is based on traditional concepts, such as a use of words: man, he,

himself in relation to a single human being as well as to the whole mankind, as in a biblical verse: “ God

created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him”, or to ”a person or individual”

(Webster Dictionary). The translation is made from the Russian original text, and might benefit from

further clarifications. The Russian text is also offered to a Russian speaking reader.

The Iconology of the Prosopon School.

Researches, Discoveries, Perspectives.

For more than 30 years, the Prosopon School has studied the canon of icon writing, gathering and

systematizing the rich experience of iconography within Christian tradition. The goal of this work is to

explore the anthropological significance of this experience and extend it into the realm of Iconology. This

exploration follows the Christian teaching of the “inner man,” who is, in essence, a “living Icon.” Over

time, certain terms directly related to iconography have been re-examined by the School, recontextualized

within Iconology, and reintroduced as principles that connect the general Iconological doctrine to both the

inner and outer practices of icon writing.

Since the foundation of Iconological research lies in the biblical verse about the creation of man—“Let us

make man in our image (eikon), after our likeness”—the main goal is to understand how the icon reflects

the gnosis of the uncreated Icon of man. In deepening our knowledge of God, both iconographic and

iconological approaches help to unite two types of creative consciousness—the artistic and the religious

—bringing them into closer harmony. Therefore, the iconographer is not just an artist but also an

iconologist. His practice consists of two inseparable aspects:

1. The outer practice of painting – writing - an icon on an icon board, where understanding the various

symbolic meanings leads to the revelation of the living Symbol, guiding a person to become an Icon.

2. The inner practice of “painting” - writing - the human self, where one recognizes archetypes and

translates graphic symbolism into the energies of symbolic realism within the mindful Icon. This is the

cataphatic journey from “image” to “likeness.”

1One of most fundamental instincts of mankind is creativity, since ontologically the energies of creation

Continue to flow from the Creator. The task of our material life, which serves as our journey back to God,

is to reveal life as a masterpiece of art, reflecting the likeness to the Life of God.

In iconography, art as “image, life, icon” is based on the symbolic Archetype of Divine Revelations.

While God is incomprehensible, His energies lift the veil of unknowing through Theophanies and

penetrate through human life in form of various signs. A person who, through faith and prayer, discovers

the presence and action of the Divine Light within himself can perceive himself as an Icon, in the image

and likeness of Logos Emmanuel concealed within. Christ opened the new gates of knowing God to all

humanity, in the form of His Paschal Icon revealed in His Resurrection and Ascension.

Iconological creativity is based on revealing the likenesses of the Logos and defines the human ascent to

mystical unity with the Divine. The key positions of Iconology are not rooted only in experiencing life

externally but also in recognizing the inner spiritual dimension, and in the interpretation of: physics,

metaphysics, noetic, and theomystic.

The art of uniting the actions of hand, mind, and heart is a phenomenon of revelation of the inner person.

It is manifested in the ability to symbolize one’s spiritual way of intellection and sensing. This potential is

not only open to iconographers but to anyone who embarks on the mystical Ladder of ascent to God, for

every person is born in His image and likeness. Power, Beauty, and Expressiveness are energies of the

‘good will’ or the ‘Grace’ of God, revealed in mankind, since every person is a living Icon. In the life of

the age to come, this Icon will become radiant - the Icon of Life of the Sacramental Actions of God.

The path towards knowing God can be compared to the practice of iconography, as both are accomplished

through faith and diligent work of ascending, step by step - through movement, action, and sacramental

action with the help of the Holy Spirit. The first revelation in iconological cognition is that the Divine

Light is the highest symbol of Theophany (represented in iconography by “ozhivki”), and it is the life-

creating power within a person’s inner life. Thus, alongside the practice of writing the icon with thehand,

it is essential to uncover one’s inner mindful Icon, aligning it with the energies of the iconological

archetype. This represents the next level of ascent in the journey toward likeness to God, where artistic

symbolization is united with the religious one.

The hand-written icon also contains archetypal energies, which operate on various levels of the human

composition. These levels can be symbolically compared as follows:

- flesh – substance, pigments, and the icon board;

- body – fabric and gesso;

- soul – harmonious color and tone;

- spirit – multifaceted highlight;

- Light – divine light - ozhivki;

- Fire – visual harmony, spiritual intensity and expressiveness;

- Logos – the Image Itself, connecting to the Original Image - Archetype, the likeness of the essence,

“the word and the seed” of the icon.

2Thus, the creative task of iconographer is not only to master the craft of working on a hand-written icon

but also to learn how to uncover its symbolism within himself by translating the outer process of painting

into an inner one, and vice versa. And it is necessary here that the reason, occupied with the work of hand

during the craft process, would meditatively be transferred into the heart where it would connect with the

noetic mind. When this occurs, the noetic Icon naturally opens. With spiritual experience, the craft of

inscribing an icon on the tablet of one’s heart leads to the discipline of inner purification and

enlightenment. This is the path of revealing the actions of one’s own Spirit. The iconographer here needs

to master precise hand movements, so that the spiritual ideas of the hand-written icon would be fully

expressed; he needs to come to the clarity of symbolic vision of the noetic mind and to discover the

beauty and loftiness of the senses. This experience is being gained through meditative discipline and then

strengthened in somatic practice.

In modern practice of iconography, the tasks of copying ancient examples often dominate. However, it is

important to understand that this is merely a starting stage in the journey of becoming an iconographer.

Even the most skillful copy will never surpass the original.

Icon contains two dimensions: the visible and the invisible. The method of expressing both derives from

the unity of the living energies of the human spirit and the Spirit of God, and therefore cannot be reduced

to mere repetition. However, a preliminary study and understanding of the iconographic tradition is

essential. An icon is not just an image, but a path toward the transformation of the person’s self, revealing

creative consciousness. In the process of inner practice, an understanding of artistic and religious symbols

emerges, allowing one to approach the Creator and access the limits of His expressiveness—even to

comprehension according to His Logos, because “it is not good for man to be alone” without God. As

one reveals his own Icon in the “two-signed” meaning of “image” and “likeness” of the Logos, he

approaches the iconological Sacraments of Christ, in which the Life of God is taking place.

The practice of inner noetic iconography and outer icon writing on icon board is signified as a method of

symbolic realism, and this takes shape through:

meditation – practice - contemplation.

During its research, the Prosopon School has emphasized studying iconography according to

these three dimensions, recognizing them as one liturgical process.

The concept of meditation includes preparations for icon writing: thinking through the theme, searching

for a composition, selecting methods and gathering everything necessary to complete the task of revealing

the image in accordance with the Prototype. Before starting work on an icon board, meditation allows the

iconographer to direct his thoughts into the depths of iconographic ideas. In the noetic sphere though, the

thoughts become quiet and the consciousness immerses into contemplation of the reality of Theophanic

symbols, revealing correspondences between outer and inner icons.

The practice is the pursuance of the iconographic sequence of 21 canonical steps. The task here is to

express the noetic and divine archetype of the artistic symbol which is acting in the living Icon of the

person, through the symbolism of lines, light (highlight), and color (float) in the hand-written icon.

The contemplation (the view of the noetic mind - the 22nd step) - is a method for finding and seeing the

correspondence of the spiritual and artistic expressiveness of a hand-written icon to the energies of eidos

(form) and idea (meaning). It also allows the artist to see and recognize the presence or absence of the

3“healthy” principles of Logos, which is the condition that allows an image to be truly named an icon. The

iconographer’s task is not merely to show the symbol of the artistic beauty and liveliness of different

images of light and color, but to fully express the dogma of likenesses of the Theophany. In contemplating

an icon, it is necessary to find the presence and degree of manifestation of the following criteria:

1. Graphic perspective (“direct”, “frontal” and “reverse”),

2. Lightfulness (or light bearing qualities),

3. Colorfulness,

4. Eidos, Idea, Logos,

5. ‘Breathing’ (quality of transparency of paint),

6. Expressiveness,

7. The measure of decorativeness.

Based on these principles, we will explore the themes of our research, discoveries, and future perspectives

of iconography and iconology, which may serve for an introduction into theology.

1. The Prosopon School has systematized the iconographic canon (from the Greek κανών, meaning

“rule”, ”norm”, “model”) according to the classical tradition, and incorporated it into a consecutive

liturgical practice of learning the artistic and symbolic content and meaning of icon. By following the

canon, the iconographer avoids the struggle of search for the method and technique, but writes an icon

methodically, step by step, inwardly comprehending each step as an action of certain energy, gaining

inner experience that allows in return a more precise and clear expression of iconographic ideas, on the

board. The teaching about the Icon reveals an invisible inner content of man and brings a necessity to

express it through the symbolism of a hand-written icon.

The canon comprises 21 steps and unfolds through the successive work of visual representation joined

with meditative thoughtful process, and prayer with immersion into the practice of cognition of one’s own

inner content. Iconographic practice, like spiritual (iconological) practice, is grounded in symbolic

parallels with the order of Six Days of Divine creation and growth. Each step here is significant not only

in its technical execution but also in its vital meaning of reflecting a certain dimension within a person.

The final, 22nd step of icon writing is the experience of its contemplation. In this process, the interaction

between the “creator” and the “creation” is revealed; not only does the person paint the icon, but at the

same time, the Icon reveals itself, writing itself in the person, correcting any semantic, artistic, symbolic,

or religious inaccuracies.

In our iconographic practice, the icon board is laid horizontally, which is both a technical necessity (due

to the liquid, transparent floats used throughout the process) and a symbolic reflection of the archetypal

relationship: “creator” as the vertical principle of light - symbol of stability, and “creation” as the

horizontal plane – symbol of breadth and receptivity of a vessel-challis. Mystically, the creator or the

principle of creativity corresponds to the verticality of light, while creation (the product of creator) – to a

composition within the horizontality of color.

4The canonical process of writing an icon involves working on every part of it: board, gesso, gilding on a

clay bole, graphic lines, interchange of floats and highlights, etc.. Each of them has its own symbolic

significance, reflecting specific aspects of the living organism of mankind or cosmos. The principle of

step-by-step progression allows any student, including those without artistic education, to write an icon

on a board without preparatory exercise, under the guidance of a teacher. This accessibility is affirmed by

the universal principles of the Church, which invite all to participate in the liturgical service in which

iconography takes its part. Sinners, or the burdened, and the righteous - alike may enter the church—those

just learning to pray, as well as those who practice the prayer as they can. The Church unites all in the

experience of wholeness and unity of faith, not in the success of the exercises. Of course, further studying

requires dedicated effort to improve one’s craftsmanship skills and to gain confidence of hand movement.

2. The School’s primary focus is researching the principles and archetypes of icons. In this context, the

term “Iconology,” used in contemporary science as one of methods of symbolic analysis of art, must

return to its original direction and purpose: the studying of the inner Icon of a person. The original

etymology of the term makes clear that it cannot be confined only to art research, but must address the

depth of symbolic religious meaning, ontologically rooted in the iconographic nature of the mankind

itself. It must be understood and developed as a study of the “Image and Likeness of God”. Iconology

studies the “multi-layered” composition of the inner man and provides methods for spiritual ascent

towards the knowledge of God.

In Byzantine Christian culture, the “theory of the image” (i.e., iconology) developed by early Christian

and Byzantine teachers (e.g., Irenaeus of Lyons, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Basil the Great, Gregory

of Nyssa, Dionysius the Areopagite, Theodore the Studite, John of Damascus, Gregory Palamas and

others) formed the artistic master - method which was later adopted and creatively adapted by East Slavic

iconographers. They left a great legacy of the patristic iconographic tradition which culminated in the

XIV to XVI centuries. This is the foundation on which the Prosopon School makes an attempt to continue

and unite that experience with the contemporary work (practice) of a church art.

The Iconological approach to understanding of the original truths of the Icon allows to see the reflections

of the “mindful” or ”living Icon” of man himself in the symbolizations of the handmade icon. The Divine

Light of Theophany, poured out into the world in multiple aspects, is the living Symbol of the

iconological archetype of the Icon. It contains all the prototypes of images, forms, names, and likenesses.

The icon of mystical revelations of Divine, is the Life itself, being born from the Divine Light, refracting

through the “mirror” of creation. This is why the presence of God can be perceived even in the process of

writing an icon with material paints. And in the living energies of the noetic rainbow of a person’s soul

(reason) and spirit (noetic mind), the Icon is revealed as a “living” creation of God, not made by hand. It

should be noted that the noetic Icon is not “painted” anew at birth by God each time; rather, it continues

to shine from within, “like a momentary vision” of Logos Emmanuel, who is mystically incarnate within

us. The task for us is to clarify this idea in one’s personal life, and to lead the eidos of color which

depends on the practice of spiritual refraction of the Light of divine energies within us—to the state of

“fiery burning,” uniting it with the will of one’s body, soul, and spirit. Such a complete state will be a

preparation for active participation and action of the grace of the Logos. In this sense, inner iconography,

as a spiritual discipline, can be considered akin to the ascetic practice of prayer.

3. The theme of Creativity. The School emphasizes a creative approach to every iconographic image, not

the mere copying of ancient icons. Studying originals, techniques, and copies is acceptable as an exercise

5necessary for artistic and cultural experience, but during the actual process of icon writing, it is

recommended to focus on the depth of experience of the personal perception and understanding of

iconographic principles, which allows for the connection between iconography and iconology within

oneself in one’s own spiritual state.

Creativity is a response to an instinctual call – the call of the ‘inner spirit of man’, where the Word of the

Creator is established and speaks. The creativity is manifested in accordance to multitude of ideas of

artistic and religious symbolizations, “images of life,” both ecclesiastical and personal, in which

traditional formation of conscious faith is taking place. Essentially, creativity has a gnoseological nature

and, as the Church Fathers have taught, leads from the religious multitude of images toward God-likeness,

just as the reality of faith leads from knowing God to the Theosis.

Creativity in Christianity is understood ontologically: “For no one can lay a foundation other than the

one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11). This means that one who

follows the Path laid by Christ must be an iconologist, for Christ is the Image (Icon) of the Father; and a

theologian, for He has revealed the teaching of the Three- Hypostatic God to us. As Anastasius of Sinai

wrote: “Man is a creator and demiurge in the image of God, the Creator and Demiurge” (Questions and

Answers, 89).

The term “creativity” can be understood in two aspects: as “artfulness,” referring to the mastery of

technical means of expressiveness i.e. craft, and as “art,” referring to the miraculous and wondrous act of

creation. If man represents and contains the reality of entities and in our context –the reality of religious

revelations and life experiences; then he contains a precise artistic symbol within himself. In this case, it

is said that he has a talent, which in other words can be called a “wonderful gift”. The

word “wonder” originates from the concepts such as “to know,” “to contemplate,” “to perceive a

revelation or phenomenon.” Therefore, “wonderworking” is a term that can be fully understood only in a

religious context, as it implies its origin from God. Any “miracle” of the human invention is not a wonder

since it is based on a hidden divine information, embedded in the nature of all creation. Making a miracle

or wonder-working -- means giving “form and image” to the invisible and thus revealing it. This concept

can be linked with the concept of axiology (“worthiness”). The steps in iconography also correspond to an

axiological hierarchy, as they bring the image toward “ozhivki” which symbolize communion to holiness

in the symbolic likenesses of seeing God.

“Every iconic image is a revelation and demonstration of the concealed, and as the Word of God is to the

ear, so is the icon to the eye” (John of Damascus, Defense of Icons). Revealing the “mindful” Icon of the

inner man can be compared to “the doing of mind” i.e. to the “art of prayer”. In the external iconographic

creativity, the icon is painted on a board with pigments, but in internal noetic creativity, the action

corresponds to the energies of Light of Theophanies, which is indirectly represented in the handwritten

icon by the symbol of “ozhivki” and experienced in the living heart of a human soul through the direct

action of the grace of the Logos.

4. The School holds classes in practical iconography, provides instructional books and offers lectures on

iconology. The complete iconographic process has been also documented on DVDs and other digital

media.

5. Instinct - craft – art – iconography - iconology - prayer…this chain of revealing the creative energy of

man may be extended towards theological revelations. The School refers to this progression as the Ladder

6of creative ascents, which may be compared to the inner anagogical ascent of the human Soul, leading

from the lowest foundation of nature to:

- instinct (creative potential),

- flesh (craft),

- body (art),

- soul (iconography),

- spirit (Iconology),

- Logos’ (hesychastic) prayer.

Such are correlations of the different levels of creativity to the inner composition of man. Following this

understanding, a special path of anagogical ascent opens in the pursuit of the Logos, allowing a person to

realize and comprehend the height and beauty of his own faith. While theology is the apophatic path of

contemplations (most closely associated with the tropos of monastic asceticism, the practice of which is

essentially the turn of mind towards knowledge of God); the iconology of creativity is the cataphatic path,

revealing the meaning of Theophanies, the miracle of the incarnation of Logos, noetically contemplated

within oneself. The deepening of faith occurs through the iconography of the formation of the soul and

consequently leads to a spiritual understanding of self and then to the awareness of one’s life in God.

6. Based on the traditions of the symbolic realism formed and outlined by Dionysius the Areopagite,

Theodore the Studite, and John of Damascus, and many other church scholars enlightened in the vision of

God, such as those mentioned earlier - the School develops and systematizes concepts related to the

meaning and understanding of symbol. The distinctions and overlaps between artistic and religious

symbolism, seen from various levels of understanding, were clarified. These include: sign-

symbol (cosmic), energetic symbol (noetic), light-bearing symbol (of uncreated nature).

Different iconological meanings of symbol were offered for meditation–reflection:“active”,

“contemplative”, “transformative”, and “connective”. The symbol does not possess merely a singular

meaning, its purpose is to reveal, to highlight and to show through symbolization; but within itself the

noetic mind discovers an inner life-giving spark—synphema—the core of a symbol’s active power, which

practically connects the contemplator to the contemplated. The light- bearing symbol is interpreted as

the “veil” of Theophanies, where its fiery synphema directs the contemplator toward the contemplation of

phenomena in “images of likenesses.” The experience of such understanding in practice of iconography

brings icon images significantly closer to their correspondence to the Logos.

7. The iconology of the main, life-creating Archetype is the Divine Light of God. It is the uncreated

mindful Symbol, the final “barrier” or “layer” of The Veil of Theophanies on the path connecting to the

Logos. The School has proposed five types of symbolizations of the concept of “icon,” and to each of

them its own iconology may be applied:

a) handmade icon (material),

b) not made by human hands (soul-bearing - flesh, body, soul of man),

c) noetic-icon of mind (immaterial, spirit of man),

7d) Icon of the iconological archetype (uncreated: Light, Fire of Logos),

e) theologically contemplative Icon (three-hypostatic: The Holy Spirit, The Son, The Father).

The hypostasis of the Holy Spirit reveals the Son; the hypostasis of the Son reveals the Father; and

the hypostasis of the Father reveals the unity of the three Iconological Images—the Kingdom, the Power,

and the Glory—of the One God, expressed in the liturgical exclamation in the “triune image”: “Holy,

Holy, Holy Lord the Sabaoth.” In iconography, Sabaoth is depicted as the Logos—“The Ancient of Days”

— revealed by tradition in antinomy to the “Youth” of the pre-eternally and ever-born Logos of the

Trinity.

8. In process of clarification are the concepts which are necessary for the theological and iconological

distinction in understanding of the synergy of the Image of God and His likenesses within the image of

actions of man himself.

The Image of God - is the Godhead, the divine Grace-bearing energies of Wisdom and Love, Life and

creative inspiration of Theophanies, the Lord Logos Sabaoth—who is the immediate supreme Icon of the

three-hypostatic unity of God. God is One and undepictable since He cannot be depicted without

disparagement, though in Iconology of Theophanies He is depicted as the Lord of the Kingdom (Holy

God), the Lord of the Power (Holy Mighty), and the Lord of the Glory (Holy Immortal). For example, in

the icon “Christ the Coming” the Savior is depicted in the likeness of Lord the Sabaoth, as a symbol of

Alpha and Omega, the beginning and end of the Christian cycle.

In his inner Icon, the believer must see not only the presence of powers and energies of Grace but also

discover the source of the origin of their actions, which flows from the essence of the Creator-Logos.

Many icons of the Mother of God should also be viewed in this context, though one Prototype of their

origin which is the Virgin Mary must be recognized.

9. The complete image of the created mankind (including noetic i.e. spiritual plane) has four levels of

depiction of his own being: “physical – metaphysical – noetic – theomystic”. At the same time, three

immaterial organs of cognition work within man: reason (lat. Rieson), rational mind (lat. Ratio), and

noetic mind (grk. Nous). The pinnacle of man’s self-consciousness, and his conscience - is the Logos of

theomystic, which is the divine Word and Seed of Life of Jesus Christ, mystically being incarnate in man,

in the likeness of the historical incarnation of the hypostatic Son of God. The iconological Logos

Emmanuel in us - is the true theological likeness of the hypostatic Logos, and through Him the Christian

person is in-hypostasized to Christ, the God-Man and the Logos of the Church.

10. The School has disclosed in detail and substantzalised the ancient term “prosopon” in its relation to

the Godhead, the image (mode) of action, the God-like Face and Image of the sacred Life of

God. The Prosopon contains a creative world of Arch-images (eidoses) and Paradigms (ideas of likeness).

According to Christology, the iconological Logos within every person is the Prosopon (the Holy Face, the

likeness) of the human nature of Christ. The Logos Emmanuel – logos spermatikos, mystically incarnate

and becoming man in the whole composition of the created human nature as the mystical Word and Seed -

is the content, the meaning and the life of every iconographic depiction.

11. The School has drawn dogmatic comparisons of the terms: “hypostasis” and “prosopon”, necessary

for distinguishing of their iconological understanding from the theological one. Also, the School has

differentiated the forms and images of energies (“eidoses”, forms of actions) in iconological concepts

such as

“Holy Face-human face-mask,” along with the images of likeness (ideas) of liturgical sacramental

8actions carried out by the Logos in man. For example, His ‘energia spermatikos’ of the origin of all

origins unites the created and uncreated reality within us.

The prosopon of the noetic Icon of man is manifested within him in three “faces” or images of action such

as:

1.

“Holy Face-spirit”

of divine actions,

2. “human face-soul”

of noetic imprints (as a record of spiritual experiences),

3. “mask-body”

of material incarnations.

This concept has parallels in iconography, where the depiction is created in three symbolic acts—drawing

– as a scheme of actions, harmony of light and color – as a state of being, and material of paint

(pigments) – as phenomenon of phenomena.

12. Anagogie as a liturgical method of creating an icon. The practice of iconography based on symbolic

expressiveness, reflects in fullness the actions of energies which are working in the real Icon of man

himself, in the process of inner prayer. Iconography, acting in the body, soul, and spirit of a person as he

ascends toward the knowledge of God, is formed on basis of the joint action of created and divine

energies. This interconnection of creative revelations confirms the energetic union of man and his Creator,

defining him as a living Icon of divine Likenesses. The term “likeness to God” must be distinguished here

in accordance with different states of its revelation in man: pre-likeness i.e. likeness according to the

similarity of name (Rus. - prepodobny), likeness – i.e. likeness according to the exact symbolic imprint of

the Image of God, unlikeness i.e. “living” according to the power of iconological reality though not

revealing itself, incomparability – i.e. being revealed in the idea of the direct contemplation of the

“inexpressibility” of God.

13. The School proposed the understanding of the inner human composition through a comparison with

a “seven-floored building”, where the Person, which acts (lives) within, names itself “I,” defining itself

across the range from the “I-ego” of the flesh to the highest divine “I-Logos.” This composition involves

three distinct categories of human nature:

1. Substantial- material nature. It corresponds to matter itself (the foundation of the house), flesh (the

lowest floor, defined as the seventh floor according to the power of penetration of the divine energies),

body (sixth floor), somatic soul (fifth floor);

2. Immaterial, noetic - light-bearing nature. It corresponds to spirit-mind, nous (fourth floor);

3. Uncreated nature of divine powers and energies of the Grace of Godhead. It corresponds to spiritual,

sightless Light (third floor), fiery Pneuma (second floor), and Logos (first floor). The numbering of

floors in spiritual terms here begins from the top (with the Logos being the first floor).

And in this diagram we can see that the middle of this house, the heart-center of the being of man, is

the Spirit (mind – Grk. Nous) of an immaterial nature, where the action of angelic energies takes place.

The Spirit itself is essentially a real immaterial symbol of the divine Light which carries out and refracts

all internal dimensions, uniting them into a single and complete manifestation of the incarnation of Logos

in the entire composition of man.

9Logos manifests itself through the energies of the grace-bearing Fire and the sightless Light, guiding man

to the moment of a conscious meeting of his small created "I" with His own great divine "I". When both

movements are directed towards each other, Logos descends even into the depths of material life, and

accomplishes its incarnation in the flesh of man. The direct meeting of the Soul-Bride and Logos-

Bridegroom is a mystical union which in tradition is defined as the Sacrament of Marriage. Understanding

of the "incarnation" of Logos brings to the conclusion that the soul must not only prepare itself as a bride,

but also clothe itself in the sun-like radiance of the body. In this sense, the idea of the Life in the flesh of

the age to come, which is revealed among other things in the icon "Descent into Hell" or "Resurrection of

Christ", sounds especially resonant.

14. The iconology of "images and likenesses" reveals the distinctions of states of our consciousness,

which are considered by the school in such concepts as:

non-manifestation - animal consciousness, herd consciousness - collective consciousness - individuality –

personality – hypostatic consciousness - church conciliar consciousness.

In this regard, it is necessary to determine in oneself the degree of each such action and to consider them

within the dimensions of one's personal being: cosmos - noetic - theomystic. In this understanding, the

levels and depth of life are revealed in its three distinctions: existence - life - being.

The first state, in which only reason and rational mind act, can be compared with a piece of music,

where the performer plays folk or primitive instruments. The second one is fully revealed when the mind

becomes the main instrument, giving the performer the opportunity to become a musician and perform

"symphonic" works of his life. The being is concealed where the divine Light of the theophanic Mind of

Christ acts. We use different instruments to perform the melody of our Life, therefore the depth and

expressiveness of our "musical composition" will be different, both in the state of existence, where the

minor of suffering most often sounds, as well as when leaving from it into a higher level, where when

using creative talent, a major key of joy is revealed, defining the integrity and harmony of a person. A

different state of fullness of Life is revealed when we enter into the state of being, filled with the all-

embracing Love of the Lord, playing all the instruments at the same time. Of course, all three states

in the life of any person are intertwined, but it is important on what we put emphasis and where we see

our life priority.

15. Based on these canonical principles of the icon, one can distinguish aspects of iconological

consciousness, which may be partially read in a hand-written icon, but are fully realized only in the

complex composition of the living, theophanic Icon of our external and internal self-consciousness. To

speak metaphorically - we need to consider not only the quality and capabilities of the instrument, but

also the degree of tension and the range of sound of the strings, which depends on their thickness:

Life = prosopon (Holy Face) - logos (seed) - idea (meaning) - eidos

(appearance, form) - symbol (veil) - mythos (metaphysical language) -

philosophy (language of rational mind) - logismos (language of common sense of reason) - atheismos

(instinct of initially granted freedom).

16. The three divine powers act within a person: Sophia - the Wisdom of Christ, Agapia - the Love of the

Holy Spirit and Pistis - Faith, the real Will of the Father, fulfilled by the power of the Logos of

Emmanuel. The School offers methods for practice of discernment of the actions of these energies and

the inner doing:

1) The Ladder of Sophiological (diagonal) ascent to the knowledge of God, as a method of opening eight

levels of conscious faith, going from the valley of atheism to the summit of meetings with the Logos of

Conscience.

2) The Ladder of Agapological (diagonal) ascent, as an eight-step method of transforming bodily senses.

This is the path of Love of Agapia, from "libido" and sacrifice at the stage of its comprehension, to

10ecstasies, i.e. its full revealing at the meeting with the Logos-Bridegroom, when the marital unity

happens. These two paths of ascent to the knowledge of divine energies are crossed diagonally and form

the iconological concept of the "St. Andrew's Cross" (X), which symbolizes spiritual development in man,

the path of formation of inner equilibrium of his rational mind and heart for the formation of his single

"I".

3) The ladder of the vertical, light-bearing path, in the process of which the recognizing of the nature of

one's small "I" occurs, ascending from the flesh to the Logos. At the same time, the enlightenment of the

whole composition of man and the acquisition of confidence and stability in faith occurs. Logos is not a

step of this ladder, but He is a necessary condition for the charismatic fulfillment of acquiring the Cross of

the Lord (+), which in the connection of the lines of the Cross of Wisdom and Love, forms the 8-pointed

Star of the symbol of the future Life. "And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness

comprehended it not" (John.) The logos state of an infallible Conscience in man becomes the criterion of

God's judgment and providence.

The vertical of the Ladder of Ascents is built upon distinguishing the gradations of the intensity of Light -

from Its blinding power of the intensity of Logos on the upper steps, to the ray of the instinct of Faith

breaking through the flesh, which becomes thicker and condenses the darkness and opens the abyss.

Logos-Fire-Light - uncreated triad (Godhead)

Spirit-soul-body - noetic-physical triad (Man)

Flesh-matter-abyss of potentials driven towards instinct -

material triad (animal).

17. The meanings of the iconological concept of "logos" are elaborated, and a range of its hypostatic

growth was considered: from a personal Logos Emmanuel to the ecclesiastical Logos - Jesus, in whom

the path leading to the Sacrament of Theosis is completed. Through Theosis of man the meeting of all

logos energies of the Kingdom, the Power and the Glory of the Godhead will happen. In the reality of

seeing God and the knowing God, faith will become not a symbol of confession, but a real experience of

the Trinitarian Theology: "Holy God (Father), Holy Mighty (Son), Holy Immortal (Holy Spirit), have

mercy on us."

18. The theme of angelic consciousness within man. Based on the Holy Scripture and the ascetic teaching

of the Holy Fathers, the significance of the importance of meditation through the discerning the

relationships of different levels of "triads" in the human composition and the actions of the angelic

hierarchy of minds in man is exposed. This helps to see the internal obstacles that arise on the path to

Logos which is done not according to one's own reflection and through building a logical chain,

but through the relation of problems with the three positions of time within each of the triads: the upper

step (the future), the lower (the past) and the middle (in its present state). For example, problems of the

physical plane can be viewed in the triad "flesh-body-soul", with the source of their emergence is found in

the flesh, and the cure must be sought in the soul, or the following triad can be viewed as: body - the past,

soul – the present, and spirit - the future. This same practice of meditation can be applied on the spiritual

plane, where the problem of the spirit is solved in the triad "soul-spirit-Light" through accepting of the

divine Light by the spirit, on the indispensable condition of the earlier acquisition of the purity of the

soul. In addition, a person needs to see any problem in his noetic nature not as some state of restlessness

of rational mind, but to consider the action of the spiritual sphere in the triad of the "mind" itself (noetic),

in which heavenly energies act: Guardian Angel-Archangels-Principalities (Beginnings). Meditation in

triads is especially necessary because any level of knowledge has a beginning i.e. origin, and direction to

11where consciousness will be elevated for the understanding and recognizing itself in the new order of

things -i.e. the place of fulfillment (consummation).

19. The theme of the Angelic (heavenly) Hierarchy is viewed in the aspect of understanding the difference

between the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God. The ladder of angelic ascents can be

correlated with the structure of the psychosomatic "instrument" of cognition within a person: reason -

rational mind - intellect, after the development of which the noetic mind operates. The energies of the 9

ranks of angelic hierarchy are revealed to varying degrees and operate in people in their noetic,immaterial

mind. The 9 ranks of Angelic Hierarchy are known as:

1. Guardian Angels

2. Archangels

3. Principalities (Symbols)

4. Powers

5. Authorities

6. Dominions

7. Cherubim

8. Seraphim

9. Ophanim

The first three ranks have their traditional iconographic images, for example, the icons of the eight

Archangels. The highest three ranks - the Cherubim, Seraphim and Ophanim reflect the images of

operation of the uncreated Divine Energies, which are represented in Iconograthy in a form of Uncreated

Angels: Sophia, Agapia, Hesychia (Angel of the Blessed Silence), etc.

The school has developed an iconography of the "eight-winged Ophanim", traditionally called the

"throne", which is symbolically represented by the ‘green’ color. It is depicted with wings arranged in a

cross-shaped manner, symmetrically both horizontally and vertically, and has the agapo-sophical meaning

of the original symbolization of the "chariot-wheel" of revelations of the Divine Light. The origin of

the eight-pointed star on the halo of Logos Emmanuel, and the Sabaoth - the Lord of hosts, symbolizing

the future 8th Sacrament of the Theosis of man, destined for Godlikeness in the Life of the age to come, is

associated with this image. This Sacrament will correspond to the Baptism by Fire, though no longer in

the created symbolizations but in the direct outpouring of Light and the descent of Fire from the Logos of

the Kingdom of God.

20. The concept of the uncreated angels of the Theophany is studied, in such instances as the appearances

of the Holy Trinity to Abraham, of the Angel of the Burning Bush, Christ as the Logos in the Angelic

form (derailed study in publication by V. Andrejev "The Angel of the Countenance of God").

21. The concept of "soul" is viewed and substantiated in the aspect of the union of its somatic and noetic

natures. Such a Soul (with a capital letter) acquires the status not of emotional but a spiritual center of

concentration of all volitional impulses of a person, the heart center of his self-consciousness. The one,

two-natured Soul is the Bride of Christ, prepared to enter the agapic Chamber of the Logos - Jesus.

22. In theory and practice, special attention is given to viewing and a deeper understanding of the

symbolism of the "cross" as an important method of meditative prayer in the space between the relativity

of "death" and the eternity of "life". The method of cross thinking, the fulfillment of prayer rule and

meditation opens the paths of ascent through the mystical Rainbow from the "earthly" to the "heavenly":

121) thinking with (through) the Cross;

2) prayer practice using the "six-pointed cross" method in the directions: up-down, right-left, forward-

backward. Such directions of attention correspond to the internal movement of the mind and heart

towards understanding the processes of life in the categories:

light-darkness; good-evil; future-past.

3) the cross of meditation: a) overcoming the laws of cosmic "gravity" through the horizontal expansion

of consciousness; b) the ascent of the “I” along the vertical of Light into the Kingdom of will, power and

beauty of the Logos of Life.

23. Analogies and figurative relationships of the Icon with the Gospel and the Cross create the basis of the

liturgical canon in iconography, which includes topics for reflection that go beyond the technique of the

hand-written icon and pose the task of defining the content of the concept of the “inner” Icon:

perspective - light-bearing – color-bearing,

idea (meaning)-eidos (beauty),

logos of growth, development and fruit-bearing.

24. The theme of the concepts of "Motherhood-Fatherland" is viewed as the concept of two kingdoms:

earthly and heavenly, with a symbolic Rainbow of the steps of ascent being placed between, thus

connecting them. The Spiritual Path is seen as a spiral Staircase of transformations and enlightenments of

the rational mind, which deflects the straightness of discursive reason and directs it to the heart of the

soul, where the mind-nous is found.

25. One of the lines of work of the School is the creation of new iconographic drawings based on the

iconological study of archetypal paradigms. The practical result was the creation of an iconography and

an actual writing of the icons of the 8 Archangels; the icon of the 9 ranks of the Heavenly Hierarchy; new

iconography of the Guardian Angel; icon of the Six Days of Creation. Based on the doctrine of the

"principles of the Theophany", new drawings of the images of the uncreated Angels of the Theophany

have been developed: Shekhina, Sophia, Agapia, and Hesychia. The icon of the 7 Sacraments of the

Church was written in a new interpretation. Such iconography arose due to the will to depict not only

icons of the "visible" historical phenomenon, such as images of the Righteous, of the Saints, of the

Mother of God, of the angels, icons of Christ, of Church Feasts; but also to show the Theophanic

manifestation of the ‘invisible Godhead’ acting within the inner Icon of man, and thus to expand and to

deepen the possibilities of symbolism in a hand-made iconography. Mystical images of the actions of

God energetically open in man the foundations of understanding the iconology of divine Names, which

allows them to be captured in symbolic images of a hand-written icon.

A new interpretation is presented in the icon of the New Testament Trinity, where instead of the Old

Testament symbol of the calf's head, the Eucharistic Logos Emmanuel, the Lamb of the New Testament

is depicted in the Communion Cup. The icon of the Nicene Ecumenical Council is written with the

emphasis not only on its historical content but also on the vertical revelation of the Theophany of Logos

on the “tree heights”: Logos Emmanuel, Logos-Jesus Christ, Logos-Lord the Sabaoth.

1326. Distinctions between the intellectual path and the logos-(mystical) path is clarified. The second path

involves the practice of personal meditative prayer, through the revelation of the symbolic and mystical

action of the 7 Sacraments of the Church within oneself. The seven Sacraments are contemplated in

relation to 7 main Lord's Feasts, the liturgical texts for which are recorded in the Service Book:

Nativity – Baptism-Theophany - Transfiguration

Golgotha-Resurrection-Ascension

Pentecost (Descent of the Holy Spirit).

Finding the mystical actions of the church Sacraments and their sacramental actions within oneself, not

only opens the way to the development of iconographic concepts of the Church, but also gives

iconological experience of their direct actions upon the Soul of the believer as a continuation of the

actions of the historical phenomenon of the revelation of "seven major feasts of the path of Christ",

mystically reflected in the composition of man. Meditation on the theme of the Sacraments is one of the

essential methods of "bringing up the spirit" in the Logos and the Spirit of God.

27. The school has set objectives, questions and tasks for the development of practical iconology, new

clarifications of ancient iconography, with the possibility of search for a contemporary understanding of

the symbolism through iconology in accordance with the sacred text of the Bible.

All of the mentioned above themes open up space for the reconsidering or rethinking of one’s own life

through the lens of iconology - for an iconographer as well as for anyone interested in iconographic

symbolism.

In conclusion, let us remember that iconography does not end on the icon board, but continues as

iconology in one’s own internal structure and consequently leads to the theology of the contemplative

theophanic Icon of the Godhead, of which above all - is the God-man - Logos Jesus Christ.

Amen.

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