According to Orthodox canons, a pectoral cross on a chain has special power. It not only accumulates a person’s positive energy, but also repels negative influences.
For difficult questions, get an answer from a priest. Read whether you can wear someone else's cross.
Everyone should have their own creed. The Church believes that one should wear a vest every day and should not enter a church without the attribute on a chain.
There are many myths and signs around personal jewelry, but the church denies all pagan trends.
Important! It is popularly believed that if the cross has darkened or become covered with a black coating, then several strong energy attacks have been inflicted on the person’s personality.
Perhaps with malicious intent, rituals, love spells, hexes and other rituals were carried out against the individual.
According to popular belief, no one except the owner of the jewelry should wear a cross.
A small pointed decoration stores not only information about the past and present, but also the destined future.
In ancient times, it was believed that if you wear someone else’s vest, you can take away the fate of the former owner.
However, the church has a different opinion on this matter: it is possible to wear body jewelry, give it to another, and temporarily hang it on the neck of a loved one.
Even the clergy themselves give their own vestments to ordinary parishioners or non-believers in order to give a piece of their own faith.
There are a few special cases:
- Wear a cross that your mother or close relative placed around your neck during your illness. In this way, the soul mate wants to give a piece of positive energy for a speedy recovery.
- A gift from a priest may indicate that the holy father wants to strengthen a person’s faith and support him in difficult times.
In this case, gifts are not only possible, but also necessary to be accepted. You should be wary of such generous gifts from a stranger with a negative aura.
Due to its ability to absorb any energy, the precious metal can be harmful to health.
What to do if you find someone else’s cross at home: the priest’s answer
Sometimes when moving or just cleaning out your apartment, you can find a piece of jewelry lying around on a shelf or floor.
The church has one opinion on this matter: a relic that does not belong to your family should be taken to the temple:
- Approach the holy father and tell him about the find.
- Bless the product with holy water, read a prayer for cleansing together with the clergy.
- Decide for yourself: keep the jewelry for yourself or donate it to charity at the temple.
Important! There is a saying in everyday life: “take on someone else’s cross.” This phrase came back with paganism, when people accepted Christianity, but remained under the influence of the old faith.
In those days, it was believed that wearing someone else’s vest meant accepting the fate of the person who had worn it before.
If you are not going to wear a cross, but don’t want to donate precious metal to charity, then there are several options:
- Bless the cross, free it from the owner’s old energy and give it to your goddaughter or godson.
- A cleaned vest can be given to a person who needs faith.
- Give to a person who needs money or who lacks health.
Popular signs say that if someone else’s cross is found at home, then one of those who came wants to spoil the family and destroy the happiness in the house.
The more you believe in such speculation, the more they tend to come true. By getting rid of someone else's cross, you will cleanse your thoughts.
Important! Ask your family or friends. Perhaps someone just dropped the jewelry.
Why you can’t wear the cross of a dead person
There are various rumors about jewelry from the body of a deceased person. According to popular belief, one should not wear a vest, so as not to take away the fate of the owner.
The Church answers this question in two ways:
- If the person was a believer and had positive energy, bless the cross and chain with holy water yourself or in church. You can wear such jewelry without any worries.
- The cross of a bad person carries evil within it. This decoration absorbed all his thoughts and anger throughout the life of the deceased. It is better to consecrate such decoration and donate it to the church.
The cross can be left in the house, but not worn, but placed in a beautiful box and passed on to the next generation as a family heirloom.
According to Orthodox canons, a person is buried along with his personal cross.
Why do you dream of crosses: dream book
Dreams are the embodiment of a person’s past, present and even future. Seeing the sign of the cross in a dream is not a simple sign, but a warning.
You can find a detailed description of the meanings of the dream book in the table:
| What I dreamed | Meaning |
| Found a cross | You are in danger or someone wishes you harm, but you will be able to avoid the harmful effects |
| An image of a decoration with four, six or eight corners | Higher powers protect from ill-wishers. Perhaps in life you will have a real protector |
| Find your own vest | Don’t despair, don’t look at the many obstacles, but keep moving towards your goal |
| Find a married lady | Family troubles and children's illnesses |
| Find chain | Evil does not sleep and will try to lead you astray |
| Golden vest | Look forward to joyful events |
| From a different material | Expect challenges that will bring relief |
| Find someone else's cross | Someone around you wishes harm to your family |
Important! The church does not support the interpretation of the dream book. These meanings come from astrology.
How to clear a cross on a chain from someone else's energy
The most effective way is to turn to the church for help. At the request of the parishioner, the priest will perform a cleansing ceremony, read a prayer and return the jewelry to the owner.
You can perform the ritual yourself:
- Take holy water from the church.
- Read the prayer and immerse the cross in water for several days.
- Leave the dishes at the icon.
On the seventh day, the product will be cleansed of foreign energy.
Useful video
Many people find Orthodox crosses on the street. And not everyone knows what to do in this case, how to deal with the find correctly. The reason for this is widespread superstitions.
Someone else's cross or a gift from heaven?
Quite often you hear that you cannot take a found cross - you will take on someone else’s cross. That is, you will take away all the negativity that was on the previous owner of the cross - sins, illnesses, failures.
There are many examples when, after raising someone else’s pectoral cross, various events began to occur in a person’s life, both positive and negative. But is this specifically related to the find? There is no evidence.
Some, having found a cross, on the contrary, consider it a gift from above, take it for themselves and begin to wear it. Or they just keep it in the house and give it to someone close. Is it possible to do this?
What is usually done with found crosses?
Most often, people lose their crosses by accident - for example, the chain or lace has become frayed. If you find a cross in some institution or, say, in the entrance of a house, then you can put it or hang it in a visible place, give it to the person on duty - suddenly the owner will be found. You can also write an announcement about your find. If a cross is found on the street, then it should be picked up after crossing the cross and reading any short prayer.
The fact is that, according to popular belief, sometimes crosses are used in black magic rituals - for example, so that an illness can be transferred from a person to someone else. Thus, one should be suspicious of situations where the cross seems to have been specially placed in a prominent place - in the middle of a road or path, if it is new and expensive, for example, made of gold... All this can be precisely calculated to mean that the thing is certainly someone will pick up.
What does the church say?
Leaving a cross on the road for people to walk on is a great sin, the clergy say. After all, this is a shrine, and it should not be trampled under foot.
“In our troubled times, unfortunately, elements of occult consciousness - superstition - are widespread among people,” says priest Father Dionysius Tolstov. - Of course, people who do not have sufficient faith and spiritual knowledge are afraid of everything. He who does not know God is afraid of his own shadow.
You should clearly understand what a cross is. The cross is the center of all Christian confessions. The cross is the sign of the Son of God, the instrument of our salvation, the cross is the beauty of the Church. When we see a cross, we rejoice in the Risen Savior, which means that the pectoral cross of each of us is a constant reminder to us of Christ. The cross is the road to Heaven. Every Christian should have this understanding of the cross. Then there will be no fear of finding the cross.”
If you do not want to take such a cross home, you can hang it on a branch of a nearby tree or on a fence. But it is best to take the cross to the temple and consecrate it, the priest advises. After that, you can wear it or give it to someone. You can donate a cross to some icon. By the way, when you are in church, pay attention: on many icons hang gold and silver crosses donated by parishioners.
All major world religions firmly adhere to a common postulate: a believer relies on God in everything and does not try to look into the future. He doesn’t run from black cats, he’s not afraid to look at the month over his left shoulder, and he calmly sweeps the pieces of the broken mirror into the trash. However... Either the memory of our pagan ancestors, who knew how to find signs everywhere, is too strong in us, or it is the uncertainty about the future that is to blame, but people continually try to attribute a secret meaning to every unusual event. The main symbol of Christianity - the pectoral cross - and they managed to squeeze it into signs! What does it mean to lose or find it on the street or in the house?
Does it mean anythinglosing your cross?
It would seem that everything is extremely simple. Religion is one thing, superstition is another, and there is no need for them to intersect. It’s not for nothing that the Church continually calls on parishioners not to believe in omens! That's it, the question is closed?..
Not so. There are too many suspicious people in this world who would like to ignore bad signs, but they cannot. An overturned salt shaker makes them nervous, a bird flying into the window causes panic, and the loss of a cross seems to be a sign of all sorts of misfortunes. To resolve all doubts, let’s try to figure out what the signs say about this and how Orthodox priests comment on them.
- The most frightening belief that can lead the insecure and timid to despair is that if the cross falls, it means that higher powers have turned away from the person.
The catch is that this sign contradicts the main idea of Christianity: God is always with us. He never turns away from a person, no matter what he does. Righteous people, sinners and convinced atheists alike are under His supervision at every moment of their lives. And the cross on the neck, although it is the most important symbol of faith, does not affect the connection with higher powers. So, either you are a Christian and you believe that God is always with you. Or an unbeliever, and then where would you get a cross?
- God has removed one cross from you and is giving you another in return - in other words, great changes await you. For a person who led an excessively wild lifestyle, such a loss promises problems. But for those who fought their way forward and struggled with difficulties every day, a period of peace and contentment awaits them.
Any priest will probably tell you: God every now and then gives a person a chance to change his life, and trials are given not as punishment, but to teach us something. The problem is that not everyone is willing to roll up their sleeves and work hard for change, because it’s much easier to sigh and complain! However, we can assume that the loss of a cross will force someone to shake themselves up, think and move on to active action. And then the desired changes will arrive.
For some, the loss of a cross is a reason to think about their behavior
- You are reminded of your sins. Some people, upon discovering a loss, mentally review their misdeeds and look for the worst of them. It is believed that this is how a person is called upon to clear an overloaded conscience: admit his mistakes, ask for forgiveness and, if possible, try to correct them.
A Christian, like any decent person, must constantly control his actions, without waiting for a “sign from above.” But if the loss of the cross has greatly worried you, maybe there really is something unpleasant that has been weighing on your soul for a long time? In this case, the fact of loss itself is not as important as your inner desire to throw off this burden: to put an end to an old quarrel, to correct an injustice, to ask for forgiveness from a rashly offended relative.
- For old people, the sign prophesies need and deprivation. However, with a caveat: if the pensioner had not lived well before, his financial situation will suddenly improve, and life will become easier and more enjoyable.
The Church does not comment on this belief.
- The cross was lost because it protected its owner from a powerful blow of negative energy.
It’s easy to trace where this belief came from - our ancestors also taught that a talisman that saved the owner from great trouble or witchcraft loses its protective functions and breaks or disappears. Yes, that's bad luck! The cross is not a talisman. It is not he who protects, but God. How can His power be exhausted?
So, it turns out that the Orthodox tradition categorically refuses to see a sign from above in the loss of the pectoral cross? This is practically true. However, in theory, some priests make an interesting assumption. If the loss occurred due to pure chance, it should be treated as such. But if this is due to your negligence - for example, you noticed that the chain was weakened, but you still couldn’t get around to changing it - this is a reproach: it is not God who turns away from you, but you rarely remember God. It’s not good to handle a symbol of faith carelessly, since you’ve already put it around your neck!
If a child drops a cross, it just means that you have a playful and active baby. Some far-sighted parents deliberately create a weak link in the chain so that the baby, accidentally getting caught on something, does not harm himself. And they are not at all upset if the cross is lost because of this - the health and safety of their dear blood is more valuable than superstition.
Gold, silver or simple on a chain
The material from which the symbol of faith is made does not matter
People say that only crosses made of simple materials, iron, copper, wood, have true power. They say that the richer the symbol of faith, the less sense it makes. But the loss of a golden cross is not considered a big disaster - even if it hits, it will only hit the owner’s pocket. However, any priest will certainly object that the material does not matter. A gold, silver or wooden cross is absolutely equivalent in the eyes of a true believer.
When I lost it and then found it
If you dropped a cross somewhere in the house or in the yard and after some time you found it yourself, you can forget about your worries with a light heart. Even signs say that problems have passed you by, and if any appear on the horizon, it will be insignificant. Some are convinced that with this sign higher powers make it clear: your repentance and good intentions are heard, and some of your sins are forgiven.
It’s another matter when a stranger found the loss and returned it to you. Here, the first thing you should do is thank him and give him some small gift. At least a pack of gelatin bears, just so you don’t let go empty-handed! If you don’t really believe in the integrity of your guest and suspect that he might try to “whisper” on the cross or harm you in some other way, there is a way to relieve anxiety. Wash the lost item returned to you with holy water, place it on a clean napkin in front of the icon of the Mother of God or your Guardian Angel and pray for protection for you and your loved ones. This will be more than enough.
The meaning of the superstition “finding a pectoral cross on the street”
Here the opinions of “superstitions” differ radically.
- Someone else's cross brings with it someone else's misfortunes and misfortunes. Not to mention taking it with you, it’s not advisable to even touch it! This is especially true for a cross made of precious metal. What if someone deliberately put a bad message on him and put him on the street to wait for the greedy guy who couldn’t resist the temptation?
- The cross in any case is a symbol of God's grace. No matter who and what whispers above him, the sorcerer is unable to change this fact. They are blessing you with an unusual find, not trying to harm you! Therefore, you should definitely pick up the cross and either take it to church or wear it yourself, having previously consecrated it. But you shouldn’t be afraid of other people’s energy; after consecration, it will disappear without a trace.
Don't be afraid of what you find
The Church believes that leaving a creed lying in the dust is in any case not good. Even if you consider yourself an atheist, it’s worth picking it up and hanging it on a tree branch so that someone else can take the find. But picking up and melting a gold cross into jewelry is no good at all. It's just not pretty. Surely you will be pleased if someone respects your beliefs? Show some respect too.
If the find goes to an unbaptized person who is thinking about converting to Christianity, the priests advise keeping the cross and wearing it as a body cross after performing the sacrament. But they make a remark: the final decision about baptism should be prompted by a conscious desire, and not a sign.
What does a folk sign mean if you find a stranger in a house?
Here you need to understand how he got to you. Did it belong to a distant relative and for many years, forgotten, gathered dust in the corner of a closet drawer? No problem. Do you suspect that it was planted in your home by an ill-wisher? It's worse, but not fatal. Take the cross to church, ask the priest to consecrate it, and all the negativity will disappear. And then do as you please. If you want, leave the find in the temple. If you want to take it, take it.
How to neutralize bad omens
First of all, try to look for the missing cross, before praying that God will return it to you. You can read the prayers you know, or you can ask in your own words, there won’t be much difference.
Couldn't find the cross? It's OK. Go to church and buy another one. It’s very good if before this you fast for several days, attend services in the morning and only then look into the church shop. Just don't fall into magic! Some turn the purchase of a cross into a real ritual, forgetting that they came for a symbol of faith, and not a magic amulet. Sincere prayer and the desire to once again wear the sign of love for God is enough.
Is the incident with the cross still on your mind? Then look at the Bible, where it directly says: “Do not learn the ways of the pagans and do not fear the signs of heaven, which the pagans fear.” Is it becoming for a person who considers himself a Christian to indulge in superstitions? If you already wear a cross, have the courage to trust God. Well, listen to common sense, it is unlikely to give bad advice.
There is an opinion that by taking up someone else’s cross, you take on other people’s sins. Is it so? Archpriest Sergius Arakelov answers.
The pectoral cross is the cross of Christ.
How can a cross carry any negative load? This is a sacred object that sanctifies everything!
If you find a pectoral cross, there is nothing wrong with that. Either keep it for yourself or take it to church.
This happened to me. A couple of years ago, after 25 years of separation, we met with classmates. And at the meeting, one of my school friends, who was baptized at the age of 30, was worried that he had lost his pectoral cross. Then I gave him my cross. By the way, F. Dostoevsky writes that when men used to want to fraternize, they always exchanged crosses.
The very fact that the thing you found is a cross should remove all questions altogether.
Or there was such a situation. After the death of my wife’s grandmother, we found a Catholic cross among the deceased’s belongings - and, of course, I took it to the Catholic Church.
The cross, I repeat, is a sacred object. The very fact that the thing you found is a cross should remove all questions altogether. Another point: whether the cross you found is consecrated or not consecrated. If there is doubt, it is better to consecrate the cross.
Having found someone's cross, it is simply impossible to take his sin. This is the cross of our Lord, Jesus Christ - to take on the sins of all people, to bear the cross of the Savior of mankind.
Why do we wear the cross? Because we confess Christ, who was crucified precisely for our sins on the cross. And the pectoral cross is the cross of Christ. Not the cross of the person who lost it. A person carries his cross himself. It has nothing to do with the cross of Christ. As the Apostle Paul said, “...was Paul crucified for you? or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Cor. 1:13). Christ was crucified! Therefore, such a question should not even arise in our minds. The Cross of Christ is, on the contrary, the atonement for sins.
“The soul by nature is Christian,” Tertullian once said, to which many centuries later V.V. Rozanov said: “Nothing of the kind. The soul is pagan by nature.” This is how the pagan in our man struggles with the Christian, and this struggle sometimes gives rise to numerous dilemmas. So, many people wonder whether it is possible to wear someone else’s cross. Doesn’t someone else’s fate or someone else’s sins pass along with someone else’s cross?
Is it possible to wear someone else's pectoral cross?
Archpriest Alexander Lebedev believes that being afraid of a found pectoral cross because the sins of a person who has lost his symbol of faith will be passed on to another is nonsense, which is easier to invent than to comment on.
To the question: “Is it possible to wear another person’s cross?”, it is enough to also ask yourself: “How can one’s own passions, which belong exclusively to a specific person and give only her the exclusive right to fight her sins, pass to an innocent person? , which, of course, has enough of its own mistakes.”
Orthodox crosses
In addition, everyone receives their own burdens in life, which must be borne with patience and gratitude, because the Lord sends trials to heal the soul. Everyone asks in their prayers: “Lord, have mercy,” which in Greek sounds like “Kyrie elaison.” Elaison translates to "oil" and olive oil is the world's first human medicine.
It is impossible for a pectoral cross, which was found and put on, to influence the character of a person, to add sins or to get rid of them, and also in some magical way to draw a line of life’s path.
Important. Orthodoxy is, first of all, sanity, and no actions that are not related to a person’s personal, conscious actions, good or evil, can change a person’s personality or influence the life events that happen to a person.
You should not be afraid of the found cross, since the cross is a shrine, and not a pagan amulet. Ever since Christ was crucified for our salvation, the pectoral cross has protected a person from evil spirits in the same way as the sign of the cross. Another person who wore it and lost it cannot change its purpose as a protective force against evil.
Therefore, all signs associated with it are superstition.
About superstitions:
Which cross is considered Orthodox?
For a Christian, the basic key aspects are important. The cross should be:
- four-, six-, eight-pointed forms;
- with the inscription “Save and Preserve” on both sides, and not with decorative stones (preferably, as a recommendation from the priests), simple, not inlaid with precious stones are recommended for children;
- purchased in a church, then it is already consecrated; if purchased in a jewelry store or found, it must be consecrated by any Orthodox priest;
- The material of manufacture does not matter. And also how the size is not important, except that it is better for kids to wear small crosses without sharp corners.
What to do with a found cross. Answers from priests
If a person himself finds an Orthodox cross on the street, the priests recommend that it be consecrated, since it is not known whether it was previously consecrated.
Read about the pectoral cross:
If there are still doubts about the found cross, the priests advise, first of all, to consecrate it, and then:
- give it as a gift to a godson or a poor Christian who does not have the financial means to buy it;
- carry it yourself;
- donate to the temple.
Thus, Orthodoxy is unambiguous in the question of a found or lost cross, as well as in the question of “where to read the Gospel”, “with which hand to light a candle in the temple.”
Archpriest Alexander Lebedev proposes to reduce to absurdity the superstitions associated with the found crosses. If sins can be transmitted through things, then why not virtues be transmitted in the same way? Then, as soon as one acquired an item that belonged to a righteous person, a halo would involuntarily appear over the person’s head. Then it would be possible to deliberately lose crosses so that one’s own sins could be thrown off, like an unnecessary burden, on others.
Important! The fear of other people's crosses is a completely absurd thing, contrary to common sense and has nothing to do with the Orthodox faith.
Watch the video about the found cross
