Why does the water collected for baptism not spoil? Scientific evidence of the miraculous properties of Epiphany water

When the Savior entered the Jordan and received baptism from John, the God-Man came into contact with matter. And to this day, on the day of Epiphany, according to the church style, when water is blessed in churches, it becomes incorruptible, that is, it does not spoil for many years, even if it is kept in a closed vessel. This happens every year and only on the Orthodox holiday of Epiphany, Julian calendar. On this day, according to one of the church stichera, “the nature of all waters is sanctified,” therefore not only the water in the church, but all waters acquire the primordial property of incorruptibility. And the next day, after Baptism, all the waters again acquire their usual properties.

On the day of Epiphany, every Orthodox Christian carries home a vessel with holy water and carefully preserves it as the greatest shrine, prayerfully communing with holy water in illness and any infirmity.

How to use holy Epiphany water?

The use of holy water in Everyday life Orthodox Christian quite varied. Eg, it is consumed on an empty stomach in small quantities, usually together with a piece of prosphora (this especially applies to the great agiasma - Epiphany water), they sprinkle their home.

She eats it on an empty stomach, a spoonful, a little at a time, every day and with prayer:

« Lord my God, may Your holy gift and Your holy water be for the remission of my sins, for the enlightenment of my mind, for the strengthening of my mental and physical strength, for the health of my soul and body, for the subjugation of my passions and infirmities according to Your infinite mercy prayers of the Most Pure One Your Mother and all Your saints. Amen«.

The man stood up, crossed himself, asked the Lord for a blessing for the day that had begun, washed, prayed and accepted the great agiasma. If the medication is prescribed to be taken on an empty stomach, then first take holy water, and behind it comes the medicine. And then breakfast and other things.

But for a special need for God’s help - in case of illness or attack evil forces- You can and should drink it without hesitation, at any time or every hour.

Devotees of Christian piety call consecrated water the best cure for all spiritual and physical ailments.

You can wash the patient with it and sprinkle it on it. Is it true, women in critical days It is not blessed to receive Epiphany water. But this is if the woman is otherwise healthy. A if she is sick, then even this circumstance does not matter. May Epiphany water help her!

With reverent attitude, holy water remains fresh and pleasant to the taste for a long time.

It should be stored in a separate place, next to the home iconostasis.. Because the Great Agiasma is one of the main shrines of the Orthodox Church. The word “Agiasma” itself means “shrine”. And you don't need to put it in the refrigerator. It is also unacceptable for holy water to get into the drain..

A special property of holy water is that, added even in small quantities to ordinary water, it imparts beneficial properties to it, therefore, in case of a shortage of holy water, it can be diluted with plain water from a clean container.

We must not forget that blessed water- this is a church shrine, which has been touched by the grace of God, and which requires a reverent attitude towards itself.

You should drink holy water in the morning on an empty stomach or in the evening before bed (but not from the general container).
In case of a very serious illness or if a person is in a state of intense spiritual struggle or despondency, it can be drunk in unlimited quantities, regardless of food intake.
After drinking, you need to pray for healing.
For pain or just a sore spot, you can apply a compress moistened with holy water.
Holy water has enormous healing power. There are known cases when a few drops of such water, poured into the mouth of an unconscious patient, brought him to his senses and changed the course of the disease. But this does not mean that you do not need to see a doctor. A special property of holy water is that, added even in small quantities to ordinary water, it imparts beneficial properties to it.
Holy water should be stored near the icon or behind the icon.. Just please label or label the bottle accordingly. Be careful that your loved ones do not accidentally pour out holy water or use it irreverently. This type of water should not be stored in the refrigerator.. You should not keep it near food.
This water is not given to animals.
You can only sprinkle it on your home (while reading a prayer), a car, or some other thing, also clothes, and even pets.
If the water has spoiled, it must be poured into a river or other natural source. Holy water should not be poured down the sink or drain.. Holy water is not thrown onto the ground. It is poured into an “untrampled” place, that is, to the place where people do not walk ( don't trample underfoot) and dogs don't run. You can pour water into a river, into a flower pot, or into a clean place under a tree.

HOLY WATER SHOULD NOT ONLY BE STORED CAREFULLY, BUT ALSO BE USED REGULARLY.

Unacceptable eternal storage water “in reserve” if it was brought from the temple once for Epiphany according to the principle “so that it is in the house, because everyone has it.” This is a kind of imprisonment of the shrine. The grace of holy water does not decrease, no matter how long it is stored, but people who do not turn to the shrine are robbing themselves.
Once consecrated water is always consecrated.. In the case when we have little holy water left, but we need some significant amount, we can add holy water to ordinary water. All water will be sanctified.

Finally, the most important:

Holy water will not bring us any benefit if we spend our lives away from God. If we want to feel God in our lives, to feel His help, His participation in our affairs, we must become Christians not only in name, but in essence.

To be a Christian means:

Fulfill God's commandments, love God and neighbors;
Participate in church Sacraments and perform home prayer;
Work on correcting your soul.

May the Lord help us, no matter how far we are from our home Heavenly Father, return to Him.

First of all, don't worry. Often an Orthodox Christian accepts prosaic and everyday things as bad or good signs. For example, if the priest accidentally dropped his wedding ring at a wedding, the young people will not live. Or: when I prayed to the Most Holy Theotokos for something to come true, I saw how a ray of sunlight fell on my face and the image seemed to smile, it means that what I wanted will come true; The Epiphany water has spoiled - God's grace has departed from the house, expect trouble. This, of course, is superstition, that is, vain faith. The Holy Fathers say unequivocally: do not look for signs, do not indulge in superstitions and do not be inflamed by either positive or negative mental and emotional attitudes in this regard. Everything should be accepted indifferently, as if it had never happened.

All the will of God. Trust her, based primarily on the commandments of the Lord and the advice of the holy fathers. It is necessary, as they say, not to get excited and not to panic, but to clearly and soberly realize that our salvation depends on the will of God and on how zealously we work on ourselves to eradicate sin and cleanse and sanctify ourselves inner man.

It is very easy to recycle holy water that has spoiled. Pour it somewhere under a bush or tree, on the grass or ground in a clean place where there is no debris. If this is an apartment, then pour it into a flowerpot, but not into the sewer, so that the shrine does not interfere with sewage. If holy water was stored in a plastic bottle, then it is better to burn it in a clean place, and if in a glass container, it can be rinsed well several times and also poured into a clean place.

It is better to store holy water not on a window or in a place where it receives direct sunlight. This can also cause it to deteriorate. On the other hand, you need to understand that initially the consecrated water may contain seeds of aquatic plants, from which the water can “bloom.” There are many natural options for when holy water can go bad.

When holy water becomes unfit for drinking, you can sprinkle it on your home, children, and relatives from the palm of your hand. And thus use the shrine for its spiritual purpose, so that the baptismal water, by the power of the Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ, sanctifies and cleanses our home, and our souls and bodies receive saving and life-giving power God's grace.

You can replenish your supplies of Epiphany or other holy water (from water-blessing prayers) in the church. You can store it all year round, adding it to the shrine plain water according to the principle “a drop of holy water sanctifies the sea.” In a similar way, baptismal water is stored in the temple.

It’s nice to watch when you enter another house and see holy water and a cup standing next to it, and a bag of prosphora. And you already know that this person regularly eats holy water and prosphora. And sometimes you can see that a person’s Epiphany water is brought into the house on the feast of the Epiphany, placed closed in a closet and taken out from there only for next year January 19. It is poured out or replenished with fresh Epiphany water. This is, of course, sad. Because Epiphany water should serve us for our good. With proper consumption, it can and should support our spiritual and physical strength every day. She is a means of sanctifying our spiritual-physical nature. And therefore it is desirable that the day of an Orthodox Christian begins with her. After all, water, among others, consecrated by the Church means, helps us fight sin and draw closer to God. The great shrine-agiasma is a symbol of the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. God appeared to His people and remains among them forever... Therefore, consumption after morning rule on an empty stomach, prosphora and holy water with a certain prayer is a kind of echo-symbol of the Liturgy, a kind of very important point our personal home worship, in which God sanctifies both us and the coming day, teaching us His blessing in it.

It is also called the Epiphany - because on this day God revealed Himself as the Trinity.

Another name for this holiday, which we meet in liturgical books- Enlightenment. The Lord, appearing on the Jordan, enlightened the whole world with Himself. Well, the most famous event associated with this holiday, which takes place annually in Orthodox churches- blessing of water.

It has been customary in the Church to bless water on the feast of Epiphany since the 5th century. Moreover, in liturgical texts we find a mention that “today the waters of nature are sanctified” - that is, all the water in the whole world is sanctified. But it is not sanctified in itself - namely, because all over the world on this day the Church performs an ancient rite.

Epiphany water is known to have special properties. First of all, these are spiritual properties. In the prayer for the consecration of water, we ask that the Lord send “sanctification, health, purification and blessing” to everyone who drinks this water and is sprinkled with it.

This water does not spoil throughout the year, unlike ordinary water, which becomes undrinkable after a while. This miracle is also evidenced by: “A clear sign occurs: this water in its essence does not deteriorate over time, but, drawn today, it whole year, and often two and three years, remains intact and fresh.”

However, Epiphany water can bloom - in it, as in any water, living microorganisms continue to exist. In this case, it should be poured into a place that cannot be trampled. There is no need to see this as some kind of harbinger of misfortune. However, it may be worth thinking about whether the Lord is showing in this way that we need to fix something in our lives?

Atheist-minded people often try to explain the wonderful properties of Epiphany water by natural causes. For example, they say that water does not spoil because the priest immerses it in it. silver cross, and it thereby becomes ionized. In this regard, there is such, one might say, an Orthodox problem: “How many silver ions are contained in a liter of consecrated Epiphany water, if the consecration was carried out in an ice hole cut in the ice of the Volga, in a place where the width of the river reaches a kilometer, the depth is ten meters, the speed of the current - 5 km/hour, and the cross with which the village priest blessed the water is wooden? The answer is obvious.

In Soviet times, people who lived far from churches took water from the tap or from the river on Epiphany Day. And, since on this day all the water on Earth is sanctified, according to the faith of these people, the Lord gave spiritual properties to such water.

In Russian tradition, water is blessed twice - in Epiphany Christmas Eve and on the day of Epiphany. Both times the rite of consecration is exactly the same - therefore there is no difference between the water consecrated the day before and on the very day of the holiday. It also does not matter at all in which temple the water was taken - its holiness, like the holiness of any church sacrament, does not depend either on the priest performing it or on the antiquity of the temple. Therefore, real paganism is the idea that “the water in the seven temples is stronger,” or similar reasoning, which, unfortunately, one encounters.

You need to take as much Epiphany water as you need - so that it lasts for the whole year. At the same time, it is important to remember that this water is sacred, and it should not be added to regular food, and especially not to the bath.

It is customary to drink Epiphany water on an empty stomach.

Separately, it should be said about the tradition of swimming on the feast of Epiphany. This tradition is late, it appeared in post-Soviet times. And, of course, one cannot draw a parallel between Epiphany bathing and the Sacrament of Baptism. This bathing does not “wash away sins” and is not spiritually important at all. If a person really wants to get into the water in winter, well, the Church does not prevent this. But we must not forget about the possible consequences of this. And, of course, you cannot swim at Epiphany while drunk - it is not only dangerous, but also simply blasphemous.

It is incomparably more important on this day to attend a service, prepare for the sacrament of Communion, pay attention to your spiritual life - in a word, spend the holiday as Christians should.

May the Lord, who was baptized in the Jordan, give us all health - physical, mental and - most importantly - spiritual!

Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Mikhail Kurik

Every year on January 19, people line up near churches to get Epiphany water, and the bravest ones rush to swim in the ice hole. After all, it has long been believed that this water is healing. Both the clergy and simple people. And more recently, scientists too!

Physicists and chemists in different countries conducted experiments and found out: the structure of holy Epiphany water is many times more harmonious than on an ordinary day, and its energy and beneficial properties are simply unique.

Ukrainian experiments on volunteers

At the Institute of Physics of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor Mikhail Kurik has been conducting his research on Epiphany water for about 9 years. In the scientist’s laboratory there are dozens of bottles of water, dated from the end of December-January different years. Epiphany water remains clear, odorless and almost without sediment for many years.

– As a scientist, I was primarily interested in the fact itself - what Epiphany water represents from the point of view of physics. Patriarch Filaret blessed our research, specially allocated a hieromonk, a graduate student of the Theological Academy, to help, and we plunged into work,” Mikhail Vasilyevich tells BLIK.

One of the experiments was carried out over five years on several volunteers, with the participation of an employee of the Institute of Human Ecology, Viktor Zhukov. The experimental subjects drank 150 ml of water in small sips, and after 30 minutes the condition of their body was measured using the electropuncture diagnostic method. For the experiment, water samples were taken from the same church well. One water sample was taken in December - early January; the other - on the morning of January 19th.

“In experiments with water collected from a church well at the end of December - beginning of January, no effect on the subject’s body was found,” says Mikhail Vasilyevich. – The electrical conductivity values did not differ in any way before and after the subject drank water. But the effect of drinking water collected on January 19 from the same church well always made itself felt with an abrupt effect - a sharp increase in bioenergetic activity in all subjects. We came to the conclusion that Epiphany water improves and equalizes the circulation of energy, enhances human energy, which has a beneficial effect on human health, and unblocks “stuck” energy.

Perfect crystals

What happens to water on the physical level? You probably know that frozen water has a crystalline structure. So, scientists took different types of water, froze it and looked at it under a microscope. Tap water crystals looked like ugly monsters, water from an ordinary river or lake looked almost the same. But the crystals of the water over which prayers were read, and especially the Epiphany holy water, are ideally symmetrical crystals. And it conveys its harmony to people who drink it or plunge into the Epiphany ice hole.

By the way, the famous Japanese scientist Masaru Emoto came to the conclusion that any water “hears”, perceives and absorbs information: if it plays music, speaks good words, read prayers, then its structure becomes more harmonious and cleaner.

Ukrainian scientist Mikhail Kurik also studied water not only from church sources, but also from lakes, ordinary bottled water, tap water.

– All our experiments have shown that any water collected on the morning of January 19 is subject to the “Epiphany” phenomenon - that is, it has increased energy.

And specialists from the drinking water supply laboratory of the Moscow Institute named after. Sysin began monitoring the water on January 15th. The water collected from the tap was settled, and then the amount of radical ions in it was measured. During the study, the number of radical ions in water began to rise from January 17th. At the same time, the water became softer, its pH value increased, which made the liquid less acidic. The water reached its peak activity on January 18th, in the evening. Because of large quantity radical ions, its electrical conductivity was really like that of water saturated with electrons. At the same time, the pH value of water jumped over neutral by 1.5 points. The researchers also studied the degree of structure of Epiphany water. They froze several samples - from a tap, from a church spring, from a river. So, even tap water, which is usually far from ideal, when frozen, presented a harmonious spectacle under a microscope. The curve of electromagnetic activity of water began to decrease in the morning of January 19 and by 20 it had taken its usual form.

Water is “charged” by space

To understand why water becomes bioactive at Epiphany, scientist Mikhail Kurik decided to go further. He began collecting water samples from December 22 - the day winter solstice, in order to more accurately trace why and how water changes its structure on January 18–19.

And he came to the conclusion that the properties of water are influenced by the energy fields of the Earth, the Moon, the Sun, the fields of the planets of the solar system, and various cosmic radiations.

“Everything is explained by the laws of nature,” says Mikhail Vasilyevich. – Every year on January 19th the Earth together with solar system in Space it passes through rays of special irradiation, as a result of which all life on Earth comes to life, including the increase in the bioenergy of all the waters of the Earth. It is on January 18–19 that water receives additional energy due to changes in the gravitational field in galactic space. For what? It's simple! After all, spring is approaching, and all living things need energy to be born again.

But according to the results of research by Russian physicist Anton Belsky, intense bursts of neutron flux were recorded in space for a number of years before January 19, exceeding background levels by 100-200 times. The maximums occurred on both the 18th and 17th, but sometimes exactly on the 19th.

The energy channel structures water

Astrologers also adhere to the “cosmic” theory of the origin of Epiphany water.

– On this day, the water becomes clean and carries a charge of holiness and rejuvenation. And this is not just like that,” says Pavel Mikhlin, candidate of technical sciences, astrologer.

It is believed that the Sun, Earth, and the center of the galaxy are located in such a way that on January 18–19, a line of communication opens between our planet and the center of the galaxy, and everything begins to interact. The Earth falls under an energy channel that structures everything, in particular water on Earth. In addition, it is usually frosty at Epiphany, and frozen water absorbs and “preserves” positive energy during services and prayers. And during consecration, people themselves charge the water with their positive energy, because they really believe that the water should become healing and consecrated.

By the way

Many people ask: if a person is 70% water, can our bodies be cleansed of all bad things on Epiphany night and immediately cured of all diseases? But no, this is impossible, the churchmen say.

– After all, there is nothing automatic in religion. A person consists not only of water and protein - a body, he also has a soul, says Abbot Evstratiy. “You can’t just cleanse your soul that way.” You can lie in holy water all day long, but you will not become a saint. To cleanse the soul, you need to live and pray righteously. And holy water is just a blessing for this.

How to use holy water

Often we ourselves do not know how to use holy water, although we literally collect it in the church in liters. But this is not necessary. Hegumen Evstratiy, press secretary of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church Kyiv Patriarchate.

They drink holy water during illness and every day on an empty stomach a little - 60-100 grams.

They store it in a glass vessel near the icons so that light does not enter.

You can enhance the effect of water by reading a prayer over it, for example - “In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”

Holy water cannot be used for household purposes - washing dishes, making tea, cooking something, or even taking a bath from it. After all, it can’t go down the drain.

It is not necessary to take consecrated “temple” water; you can bring your own water for consecration – even tap water.

It is advisable to take clean and high-quality water for consecration, because physical dirt will not go away.

Blessed water can be diluted with regular water; such water acquires the qualities of holy water. You should not bring carbonated or mineral water; it is better to take regular water.

You can sprinkle your home with Epiphany water.

The water stood for three years

Usually Epiphany water is stored for a year until next Epiphany. But few people know that such water can last longer - three or even ten years.

“My baptismal water stood for three years and did not spoil or bloom,” says Father Barsanuphius, treasurer Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. “I collected it from our holy spring of Anthony.” After I drank it, I felt a surge of strength all day and felt blessed. I know that scientists came and even collected water for experiments from the source of St. Anthony. After all, studies have shown that the optical density of Epiphany water is higher than water from the same sources on ordinary days. Moreover, it is close to the optical density of water from the Jordan River.

But Abbot Evstratiy, press secretary of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyiv Patriarchate, told BLIK that he knows of a case when Epiphany water stood for 10 years and did not spoil!

Epiphany magic will preserve beauty and fulfill wishes

The main thing is to remember the dream

Everyone knows about Epiphany fortune telling. But also ordinary dreams on the night of Epiphany - these are “letters from the future.” Before you fall asleep, you need to ask a question about your destiny that interests you most. Single girls in the old days they put a comb or king of diamonds and asked for the betrothed to dream. Spend the evening before as calmly as possible, go to bed early, and on the morning of the 19th wake up without the alarm ringing. In this case, there is a greater chance of seeing prophetic dream and don’t forget it right away. They say that your sleep will be brighter and remembered better if you eat something salty at night, but do not drink water. Place a pen and notepad next to your bed, and when you wake up, immediately write down your dream or tell it to someone right away - this way you’ll have a better chance of remembering it.

The most cherished

It is believed that the night from the 18th to the 19th is the ideal time to make your deepest wishes. It is believed that at this time the sky hears best what people ask for, and requests are fulfilled. There is only one main condition: you need to make wishes with a pure soul. And only good ones! Before asking for anything for yourself or your loved ones, it is better to first at least mentally ask for forgiveness from those whom you have hurt over the year, whom you have harmed, even if reluctantly. And also - thank God for all the good things in life. And only after that, with an open heart, make wishes. How? Even just by going out onto the balcony and looking at the sky! You can write 12 wish notes and put them under your pillow. And when you wake up in the morning, pull out three of them. They will definitely come true.

Wrinkle-free all year

Here is some advice for ladies who want to maintain their youth for a long time. Early in the morning of December 19, pour Epiphany water into a bowl and look at your reflection. You need to examine yourself very carefully, noticing wrinkles and flaws, and then wash your face with your hands three times. Water the flowers with the remaining water. The effect will increase if the water comes from a river, where the woman herself goes to get it early in the morning. But, if you believe that in Baptism all water gains strength, it may also be suitable plain water left overnight under the sky. They say that after such a magical procedure, your face will be fresh and attractive all year round.

Read a book about Epiphany water:

Why is holy water used to consecrate temples, houses and vital objects? What is the difference between Epiphany water and water blessed on water-blessing prayer service, and from water in holy springs, springs and wells? How are prosphora consecrated and what is the difference between antidor and artos?

And finally, what is the significance of these shrines in the life of an Orthodox believer and how should they be treated?

You will find the answer to all these questions in this book.

See also section books Nature's Pantry- there are interesting publications about water and its properties.

Science has proven that, due to the uniqueness of its structural features, water has amazing properties: it is able to remember information, can heal, and has high energy intensity. For example, ordinary tap water on Epiphany night can become bioactive and then retain its special qualities not only throughout the year, but much longer.

What happens to water on the feast of the Epiphany?

Baptism (Greek: “immersion in water”) is one of the most important Christian sacraments. Recognized by all Christian denominations, although not in the same sense.

Immersion in water or pouring over almost all peoples of antiquity - the Chaldeans, Phoenicians, Egyptians, Persians, and partly the Greeks and Romans - was given special meaning, in the sense of not only physical, but also moral cleansing.

This rite, called baptism, was performed in the Jordan River by John the Baptist, preaching the coming Messiah to the Jews. Jesus Christ also received the baptism of John. John's baptism became a prototype of Christian baptism.

In baptism, from the point of view of the Church, a person dies to a carnal, sinful life and is reborn from the Holy Spirit into spiritual life.

As studies by Russian scientists conducted during 2003–2007 have shown, tap water annually on January 18–19 acquires unusual bioactivity and changes its structure many times over the course of almost a day and a half. The studies included both measurements of the water biofield and some physical parameters.

Specialists of the drinking water supply laboratory of the Moscow Institute named after. A.N. Sysin began monitoring the water on January 15th. The water collected from the tap was settled, and then the amount of radical ions in it was measured. During the study, the number of radical ions in water began to increase from January 17th. At the same time, the water became softer, its pH value increased, which made the liquid less acidic. The water reached its peak activity on the evening of January 18th. Due to the large number of radical ions, its electrical conductivity was like that of water saturated with electrons. At the same time, the hydrogen index of water exceeded neutral by 1.5 points. The researchers also studied the degree of structure of Epiphany water. They froze several samples - from a tap, from a church spring, from a river. So, even tap water, which is usually far from ideal, when frozen, presented a harmonious spectacle under a microscope. The curve of electromagnetic activity of water began to decline in the morning of January 19 and by the 20th it had taken its usual form.

To understand why water becomes bioactive at Epiphany, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences, Professor Mikhail Vasilyevich Kurik decided to go further. He began collecting water samples starting on December 22, the day of the winter solstice, in order to more accurately trace why and how the water changes its structure on January 18-19. The scientist came to the conclusion that the properties of water are influenced by the energy fields of the Earth, the Moon, the Sun, the fields of the planets of the solar system, and various cosmic radiations.

“Everything is explained by the laws of nature,” says Mikhail Vasilyevich. – Every year on January 19, the Earth, together with the Solar system in Space, passes through rays of special irradiation, as a result of which all life on Earth comes to life, including the increase in the bioenergy of all the Earth’s waters. It is on January 18-19 that water receives additional energy due to changes in the gravitational field in galactic space.”

The properties of Epiphany water were studied by Doctor of Biological Sciences Stanislav Valentinovich Zenin. These properties of S.V. Zenin and his colleagues checked together with scientists from the Institute of Medical and Biological Problems of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The condition of the water was monitored throughout the year. As a result, it turned out that on January 18, in the period from 17.30 to 23.30, a sharp change in the properties of water was observed. A similar surge in changes in the state of water was observed on January 19 from 23.30 to 3.30 on Epiphany night. According to S.V. Zenin, this is explained by the fact that during these periods of time the Earth passes certain points in space, at which it is affected by cosmic rays, leading to changes in the properties of water and the earth as a whole.

According to the results of research by another Russian scientist, physicist Anton Belsky, intense bursts of neutron flux were recorded in space before January 19 for a number of years, exceeding background levels by 100-200 times. The maximums occurred on both the 18th and 17th, but sometimes exactly on the 19th of January.

About special properties People knew Epiphany water and even snow even before scientists began to study these phenomena. On Epiphany, old women and girls collected snow from stacks. Old women - to bleach canvas, it was believed that only this snow could make it snow-white. And girls - to whiten their skin and become more beautiful. They believed that after washing herself with this snow, a girl becomes very attractive. In addition, according to legend, Epiphany snow could even store water in dry wells for the whole year. Snow collected in Epiphany evening, was considered healing, they were used to treat various ailments.

What are the benefits of Epiphany water?

It is believed that you need to drink it regularly, preferably every day and on an empty stomach. It perfectly boosts immunity and makes a person resistant to many infections. For example, if you regularly give your child this water, he will catch colds less often. It is useful not only to drink Epiphany water, but also to wash your face with it in the morning and at night. It would also be a good idea to drink Epiphany water livestock and water the plants. Everyone will gain weight and grow more actively.

The Monk Ambrose of Optina sent a terminally ill man a bottle of holy water - and incurable disease, to the amazement of the doctors, retreated. Elder Seraphim Vyritsky always advised sprinkling food and the food itself with Jordanian (baptismal) water, which, in his words, “itself sanctifies everything.” When someone was very sick, he blessed them to take a tablespoon of holy water every hour. He said that there is no stronger medicine than holy water. Venerable Seraphim After the confession of pilgrims, Sarovsky always gave them a cup of holy water to drink.

Outstanding Russian cosmist V.I. Vernadsky wrote: “Water stands apart in the history of our planet. There is no natural body that could compare with it in its influence on the course of the most ambitious geological processes. There is no earthly substance - a mineral, a rock, a living body - that does not contain it. All earthly matter is permeated and embraced by it.”
What properties make water so important for life on the planet? What should we know about this most important substance for us? How can we use the properties of water to live in harmony with Nature, maintaining our health and the “health” of the planet?

Further lectures will be devoted to answers to these and other questions.