For foreigners, the balalaika is a symbol of Russia and the Russian people. This instrument is fun and interesting in the hands of skilled musicians. But it cannot be considered a national symbol. The psaltery is a completely different matter. They are spoken of in all legends and folklore. A huge Russian heritage is saturated with legends about this instrument. For centuries, the authorities have banned the playing of the harp. What did they mean? How did they displease the authorities?
What do the harp symbolize
The Russian ethnographer Svetlana Zharnikova long ago drew the attention of her colleagues to the fact that the most ancient rituals and Vedic ceremonies are invariably associated with North Russian folk traditions. Waterfowl - ducks, geese or swans - are of great importance in them. They are symbols of the sun, sky, light. In addition, they are considered the personification of the universe and the Creator.
In the rituals and songs of the population of the north, the goose and the swan symbolize something sacred. It is in them that the harp is an indispensable element for dubbing the text.
"Gusli sounds …" In Russian dialects "gu" is a sound. And in Sanskrit, the word also means moving forward. You can remember a simple Russian word for a walk. People walk at a holiday, at a wedding … That is, we move forward, we sound.
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Persecution by the authorities
People who deeply studied the history of tsarist Russia must have come across a very strange phenomenon. The church and the authorities had a very negative attitude towards the harp. But why did the traditional instrument go wrong?
Cyril Turovsky in the 12th century threatened people who would play the harp with torment. And hegumen Panfil scolded the inhabitants of Pskov for playing the instrument at the Ivan Kupala holiday. In the historical documents of the period of Alexei Romanov, there is a mention of the fact that the psaltery was taken from people, loaded onto carts, and then burned at the stake.
The sacred item of our ancestors
In some Slavic languages, traces of ancient ideas about this instrument as something witchcraft and magical have been preserved. And this allows us to assume that in ancient times the psaltery was a sacred object that is associated with the influence on human consciousness and its perception of the surrounding space. Therefore, centuries have deliberately destroyed such developmental tools.
The influence of gusli on people
Contemporary music influences the lower energy centers of a person, awakening animal nature in people. As for folk music, it has always been built differently. It influences the upper chakras, which are responsible for spiritual development, revealing its divine nature.
Ancient music had several purposes. She was called upon to enter into a state of altered consciousness, so that the whole body tunes in to a single sound. In this state, a person is tuned in such a way that he hears nothing but music. There are no thoughts in his head. It is at such moments that a blessed stream penetrates into a person through the crown of the head, and people merge with God. The harp in this sense is the most effective tool.
Gusli as a tool of meditation
In ancient times, guslars were called walking around the world with light. In fact, while playing the harp, people receive information from a single field. Such a person is difficult to manage. He cannot be directed to dashing deeds. By showing awareness, a person becomes free. He is able to choose for himself where to direct his strength and energy. Of course, the tsarist authorities did not need such a person. Therefore, the eradication of folk culture has been going on for more than one century. Still, the instrument has survived many centuries of persecution.
Gusli are the simplest way to clear your consciousness. Their sounding introduces a person into a meditative state. It is wonderful that the instrument has not disappeared during the long centuries of persecution. In the modern world, they are gradually gaining popularity.
Ghusli music calms the nervous system and harmonizes our body. And this is so necessary for people in modern realities. The largest manufactory in Europe is located in Russia, called "The World of Gusli". In it you can buy the tool you like.
Author: Amina S.
