The fate of a person is full of various events: pleasant and not so pleasant. In both cases, the clergy call on Christians to turn to the Lord and to the saints, intercessors of the weak before Him. You can expect help from above even when problems arise with mastering new material, honing existing skills, etc.
At such moments, any student can offer a personal petition to God, the martyrs, or the Virgin Mary. The best way to help with this is to pray for increased intelligence. Interestingly, it is used not only by children, but also by adults, for whom it is also extremely important to have the opportunity to constantly develop intellectually.
Icon of the Mother of God “Addition of Mind”
Prayer in front of an icon, as many clergy believe, is much more effective than usual, since the holy face allows the believer to better tune in to a conversation with higher powers. Considering this, it is not surprising that the vast majority of Christians ask the Virgin Mary in front of the corresponding icon to increase their minds. This is not one of the most popular; it cannot be found in every temple.
This image is a depiction of the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus and angels. Icon painters also pay a lot of attention to the bell-shaped red veil, decorated with crosses, a symbol of faith. Often, on the holy face, the Most Pure Virgin and little Jesus are surrounded by flames, symbolizing the light of truth. Houses may be depicted below, this is a reference to Jerusalem.
The icon itself, among other things, serves as a reminder to people that people have the opportunity, by the will of the Almighty, to learn the secrets of the world He created. Behind the appearance of this image there is an interesting story hidden, telling about an icon painter seeking to penetrate the essence of Christianity through reading books. The man wanted, first of all, to learn how to pronounce prayers correctly; with their help, he dreamed of protecting himself from sin.
The large amount of information that the poor fellow was exposed to every day drove him crazy. At the moment of enlightenment, he turned to the Mother of God for help, positioning himself before Her face. The Virgin Mary appeared to the icon painter and ordered him to depict her on canvas in the form in which she condescended to him. So he did. In return, the man was healed, was able to think clearly and soberly again, and remember new information without problems.
What types of icons with the Mother of God are there?
The Praying Mother of God, or Oranta, is one of the popular types of icons. Raising her hands in prayer, the Mother of God, as it were, turns to heaven for a blessing for people. This icon has been known since ancient times. The walls of the catacombs of the first Christians were painted with the image of the Mother of God with raised hands, and the interiors of Byzantine churches were decorated. The following icons belong to the image of Orant: Life-Giving Spring, Indestructible Wall, Sign, Inexhaustible Chalice, Kursk. The latter gained more respect.
Many legends are associated with the “Praying Mother of God”. One of them describes how in the fall of 1169 Novgorod was surrounded by the troops of Andrei Bogolyubsky. The inhabitants of the city were in despair, because slavery awaited them in the future. And at the last moment, the Novgorodians turned to higher powers for help, hanging the icon on the city wall. The image took the blow. The arrow pierced the Virgin Mary so hard that she began to cry. Her tears fell on the clothes of the Novgorod clergyman. He was very surprised by what he saw and considered it a sign of protection from above.
This miracle was also witnessed by the Novgorodians, who were inspired by the patronage of heavenly powers and defeated the Suzdal regiments. Since then, the face of the praying Mother of God has become a symbol of protection from troubles, haters and enemies.
The Guidebook, or Hodegetria, is the next type of icon depicting the Mother of God. On it, the Mother of God is depicted with the Baby Jesus sitting on Her hand. The meaning of the icon is to point out the path of Christ to every person. The category of such icons includes the Quick to Hear, Smolenskaya, Joy of All Who Sorrow, and Kazan.
According to history, the author of the first icon with the Mother of God the Guide was the holy Apostle Luke. She once had to change her location: instead of Jerusalem, Constantinople became her new home. There the icon was placed in the Blachernae Temple. Every Tuesday they made a crusade with this icon. Our Lady the Guide provides security to the traveler, confirms the weak believer in the truth when solving vital issues, and brings comfort to the heart in times of sadness.
On other icons, the Mother of God is presented as a tender, merciful Mother, She reverently embraces Her Child. It is not for nothing that such iconography was called Tenderness or Eleus. As for the Christ Child, He trustingly presses His cheek to Her cheek. The image of the Mother of God hugging the Infant Jesus is first found in the iconography of the Philotheus Monastery, located on Mount Athos. This icon was called Glycophilus. It is also known as Sweet Kiss.
Subsequently, similar religious motifs were often observed in icon painting. Among the works where the theme of Tenderness was traced, the Vladimir and Feodorov icons and the Unfading Light are distinguished. There are legends that the icon of Eleus contributed to rain during periods of drought, healed from ailments, and protected from epidemics of various diseases. Also, when praying in front of this icon, many orphans found a family.
Panachranta is another category of icons, on which the Mother of God sits on a throne with the Child Christ on her lap. The word “panahrantha” is translated from Greek as Most Pure or All-Immaculate. Other names for the icon are House-Builder, All-Tsaritsa, Sovereign, Economist. For the first time, the image of the Mother of God as the Most Pure One is found in the 11th-12th centuries of Byzantium.
There is a story that talks about its miraculous power to radically change a person’s life. One day, a young man appeared in front of the icon and began to mutter something incomprehensible. It turned out he was a sorcerer. Suddenly the face of the Mother of God flashed, and an unknown force pushed the young man to the ground, as a result of which he lost consciousness. And when he woke up, he immediately went to the priest to repent. Thus, the miracle of the Most Pure Mother of God convinced him to change and take a different path. It is no coincidence that this type of icon has many names.
Appeal to one of the names of the Mother of God depends on the need:
- if healing from malignant tumors is needed, turn to the “Vsetsaritsa”;
- for those in need of housing and household order, they call for help from the “House Builder”;
- The “Sovereign Mother of God” strengthens the state, gives peace on earth, stops hostilities, and when attacked by enemies, gives victory.
Agiosoritissa - the icon received its name from the chapel of Agia Soros. This icon depicts only one Mother of God. It is called the Intercessor differently, because it involves prayers before her for the protection of all people. The face of the Mother of God is depicted half-turned with raised arms. Icons of this type received particular fame when defending against enemy troops. Although there were cases of receiving healing when praying in front of her, one of which talks about the young man Vincent. The Byzantine was seriously ill and saw no other way out but to pray intensely, on his knees. Thanks to his persistence, the young man was healed. They pray to the image of the Mother of God the Intercessor, wanting to be saved from enemies and for peace. Agiosoritissa also relieves infections, lameness, chills and cramps.
Where is the icon
For a long time, the original holy face was in the possession of the parish of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Rybinsk. However, over time it was lost. However, in Russia there are several more miraculous “Increase in Mind” icons. Among the most famous are the images posted in:
- church of St. Tatiana (at Moscow State University);
- Church of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God in Moscow;
- Intercession Cathedral in the city of Tutaev.
This is where many pilgrims go and everyone who wants to ask Our Lady for an increase in intelligence for themselves or their relatives, including children. Traditionally, crowds come to pray at these churches on August 28th. This day is marked in the church calendar as a memorable date, the day of veneration of the icon.
How does the icon of the Mother of God “Adding the Mind” help?
The first icon of the Mother of God of the addition of mind was painted in the 16th-17th century. Since then, it has become the custom that before her they appeal to the Virgin Mary with petitions for:
- enlightenment of the mind;
- the wisdom needed to make the right decisions;
- eliminating weak intellectual development;
- perseverance in lessons;
- increasing concentration;
- mental strength, the ability to easily perform difficult tasks.
The Giver of the Mind, if you are diligent in prayer to Her in front of the holy miraculous face, helps the mentally ill.
Less often, in front of the “Increase in Mind” icon, people ask for salvation from terrible diseases, destructive natural disasters, attacks by wild animals, and dangerous insects.
Troparion
voice 4:
Oh, Most Glorious Mother of Christ our God, the good Giver, by Your mercy preserve the entire universe, grant us, Your servants, wisdom and understanding, enlighten our souls with the light of Your Son, She is the All-Singing One, glorified from the Cherubim and Seraphim.
Kontakion
voice 2:
As you enlighten us with the mind of Christ, we praise You, the Most Pure Mother of the Lord, who holds the entire universe, the beauty of the world, visible and invisible, illuminating us with the rays of Life.
Prayers to the image of the icon of the Mother of God “Addition of mind”
You can offer a personal petition to the Most Holy Theotokos in your own words, sitting next to her image. However, not everyone manages to formulate their thoughts correctly. At such moments, the prayer put together by the holy fathers is very helpful. Its meaning is simple, understandable to everyone.
The essence of the prayer lines is the desire to receive help from above in everything related to memorizing new information. It is not surprising that they are often read before an exam, test, or other tests of knowledge and intellectual abilities.
In addition, the Virgin Mary is asked:
- wisdom with which it is easy to find a way out of the most difficult situation;
- indicate solutions to difficult everyday situations.
Prayer becomes effective in the mouth of a true believer. Placing the face of Our Lady “Addition of Mind” in front of you is desirable, but not necessary.
First prayer
The Mother of God will definitely give an answer to this prayer if it is sincere, comes from the heart, and the Christian’s thoughts are pure.
Second prayer
You can also appeal to the Queen of Heaven with the help of another text compiled by the holy fathers. It is considered no less effective than others.
Prayer three
Good memory, the ability to quickly make the right decisions, and carefully analyze information are just a few examples of what this prayer can give.
Prayer text to read
O Most Holy Virgin! You are the Bride of God the Father and the Mother of His Divine Son Jesus Christ! You are the Queen of Angels and the salvation of people, the accuser of sinners and the punisher of apostates. Have mercy on us too, who have gravely sinned and failed to fulfill the commandments of God, who have broken the vows of baptism and vows of monasticism and many others that we promised to fulfill. When the Holy Spirit retreated from King Saul, then fear and despondency attacked him and the darkness of despair and a joyless state of soul tormented him. Now, for our sins, we have all lost the grace of the Holy Spirit.
The mind has become fussy with vanity of thoughts, oblivion about God has darkened our souls, and now all kinds of sadness, sorrow, illness, hatred, evil, enmity, vindictiveness, gloating and other sins oppress the heart. And, having no joy and consolation, we call to You, Mother of our God Jesus Christ, and beseech Your Son to forgive us all our sins and send the Comforter Spirit to us, as He sent Him to the apostles, so that, comforted and enlightened by Him, we will sing a song of gratitude to You : Rejoice, Holy Mother of God, who has added wisdom to our salvation. Amen.
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Other powerful prayers for increased intelligence
You can ask not only the Mother of God for an increase in intelligence and intelligence. Such a request is also made to some intercessors of the weak before the Almighty. We will consider prayers for them below.
Prayer to Cosma and Damian for increased intelligence
Despite the fact that the brothers Cosmas and Damian went down in history primarily as healers, these miracle workers, who lived on earth in the 2nd half of the 3rd - early 4th centuries, are also asked for the gift of intelligence. Such a request is made to those without money using a special prayer written and left to all Christians by the holy fathers. In order for this text to be effective, it should be spoken regularly.
Prayer for increased intelligence to Sergius of Radonezh
One of the famous monks of the 14th century is prayed to in various life situations, including those moments when an adult or child has learning problems. For example, there is a strong prayer to Sergius of Radonezh about passing the exam.
The abbot grants an increase in intelligence to everyone who sincerely and passionately desires this, who is diligent in his prayer and is pure in heart and thoughts.
WE RECOMMEND: Prayer “Virgin Mother of God, rejoice” in Russian.
Prayer before starting training
Lord our God and Creator, who adorned us, people, with His image, taught Your chosen ones Your Law, so that those who listen to it marvel, Who revealed to children the secrets of wisdom, Who bestowed upon Solomon and all who seek it - open the hearts, minds and lips of these Your servants ( names
), in order to understand the power of Thy Law and successfully learn the useful teaching taught by it for the glory of Thy Most Holy Name, for the benefit and structure of Thy Holy Church and the understanding of Thy good and perfect will. Deliver them from all the snares of the enemy, keep them in the faith of Christ and purity all the time of their lives, - may they be strong in mind and in fulfilling Your commandments and so taught, glorify Your Most Holy Name and be heirs of Your Kingdom, - for You, God, are strong by mercy and goodness and strength, and all glory, honor and worship is due to You, to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, always, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
