What are Heavenly Windows?

Religious icons as seen in Orthodox churches, and sometimes in the churches of other Christian denominations, are often referred to as "Windows into Heaven". The individuals seen on these icons, having all died, are acknowledged to be in heaven. The icon becomes a window through which the believer can engage the particular saint or scene. There are four categories of icons: Biblical Icons based on Holy Scripture; Portrait Icons of persons accepted as Holy; Icons from Holy Tradition, those that are created from oral or written records of spiritual experience; and Revealed Icons, the iconographer's recording of their own spiritual experience. Some icons can be from more than one category, such as a Portrait Icon of a Biblical personage. As I continue with this blog I hope to tell you more about icons.