Depicting a Halo
Most depictions I see of holiness in art is a very pronounced, distinctly-bordered circle behind the head.
Example of Stained Glass Halos
I wanted to try a more natural-looking take on the halo. Rather than use a straight-up Photoshop effect, I figured I could just use a natural glowing circle from nature: the moon. I applied a strong blur to it and the result is the aura you see behind the woman’s head.
That got me thinking I could use another natural element, a solar eclipse, to add a natural flare to the crown.
Experiencing Halos
In this life, we don’t see halos or auras around holy people, but I believe we can still sense it. While rare, I’ve been around a few people in my life who exude holiness. I feel it more than anything, although the closest thing to seeing it is a twinkle in their eye, and a general, authentic, feeling of joy that shines forth from them.
On the converse side, I have also sensed a dearth of holiness in some people, which tends to come across as traits like bitterness or spite.
I also sense the undulating battle of inner peace and war within myself, where a spiritual battle wages on. However, just because our halo flickers some days, that doesn’t mean it’s lights out. When we have bad days, we have to learn from our failings, ask God for forgiveness, be prudent in identifying the most holy path in the next tough situation, and courageously walk on that path with God.
Additional Photo Credits
This is a combination of a series of photos, some less obvious than others. The additional photos and their usage in this wallpaper are:
- Silhouette holding gold crown by Lians Jadan on Unsplash
- the crown
- Solar eclipse by Justin Dickey on Unplash
- behind the crown to provide the sunburst of the crown
- Lunar eclipse by Bryan Goff on Unsplash
- the halo around the money (intensely blurred)
