myths symbols sandplay

Guardians

 

 

 

 

 

Celestial Kings

Spirit, goddesses, and gods often guarded gates, portals, and doors. Guardians also appeared in the form of dragons, serpents, monsters, dogs, scorpion men, and lions. They guarded both the physical world as household deities and the cosmic world as guardians of heaven and the underworld. Guardians offered protection, denial of passage, or a challenge to overcome. “Just as the powers of the earth must be defended, so, by analogy, must all mythic, religious and spiritual wealth or power be protected against hostile forces or against possible intrusion by the unworthy” (Chirlot, 1995, p. 134). From a psychological perspective, guardians represent the forces assembled on the “threshold of transition between different stages of evolution and spiritual progress or regression” (Chirlot).

Guardians of Doors

Anakusha: Indian tiger-headed goddess, Door-keeper of the East; guardian of the door on the Sixth Day of the Bardo World

Celestial Kings: Chinese deities who replaced the two door guards, Shen-t’u and Yu-lu

Chak-yu-ma: Tibetan goddess, the Door-keeper of the East

Chhung-Lui: Chinese household god; one of the Chinese gods of the inner-doors, also known as Tsao Shen

Dithytambos: Roman god of the Double Door; an epithet of Dionysus

Dorr-Karing: Swedish door spirit, she stands by the door to blow out the candles of those entering or leaving

Men Shen: collective name of the ancient Door Guards who opposed Ma-Mien, the god who conducts souls to Ti-yu (hell); it was the job of the Men Shen to make sure all papers were in order; depicted as bird guardians

Ts’in Shu-pao: Chinese god of the door, usually paired with Hu King-te; he is represented by a leaf on one half of the outer door of the residence

Uksakka: Lapp door goddess who lives under the door; protector of the newborn and owners of the house; watches over a child’s first steps

Wlenenu: Egyptian deified animal, a door god known as the Opener of the Ways; his female counterpart is Wenenut

Guardians of Doors

Enodia: guardian of gates and crossroads, especially the gate of birth as goddess in the form of a divine midwife,; epithet of Artemis or Hecate

Janus: Roman god of beginnings and endings, God of Gates; ancient Roman divinity, gates and doorways are under his protection

Persephone: goddess of the underworld who ruled the gates of death

Guardians of Thresholds

Cardea: two-headed Roman goddess of hinges, she held the keys to the underworld; protector of thresholds and the guardian of family life; mistress of Janus

Guardians of Portals and Passages

 

 

 

 

 

 

Charybdis and Scylla

Charybdis: Greek mythological ravenous woman who took the form of a guardian whirlpool located in the Messina Straits

Sabaoth: Syrian underworld deity; guard of the Portal of Life, which opens into the lower zone of heaven; his chariot is depicted with a four-faced cherub and angels

Scylla: Greek mythological daughter of Phorcys and Hecate; changed into a six-headed monster by the jealous Amphitrite; sent to guard the Messina Straits; harassed sailors along with Charybdis

Famous Portals

 

 

 

 

The Gateway of the Sun

The Door of the Chonyi Bardo: in Tibetan Buddhism the second stage of the Bardo Thodol which is liberation by hearing on the after-death plane and consist of four transitional states between death and rebirth

The Door of the Gods: the winter solstice in the zodiacal sign of Capricorn symbolizing the ascent and rising power of the sun, the Zanau coeli; in Hinduism the door is called the pitri-yana, the portal of the east

The Door of Men: the summer solstice in the zodiacal sign of Cancer symbolizing the dying power and descent of the sun, the Zanua inferni; in Hinduism the door is called the deva-yana

The Gate of al-Safa: in Mecca, the gate through which Muslim pilgrims leave the Masjid al-Haram mosque

The Gate of Peace: in Mecca, the entrance to the Masjid al-Haram mosque which holds the cube shaped Ka’ba

The Gateway of the Sun: Mesoamerican monolithic structure incised with a figure wearing a sun-ray headdress holding two condor-head staffs, surrounded by rows of winged creatures also holding staffs; represents an earlier version of Viracocha, the creator; located in the Pre-Inca city of Tiwanaku

Gate of the East and West: the doors of the World Temple through which the sun passes morning and night

Gate of Heaven: the sheltering aspect of the Great Mother; in Christianity, the Virgin Mary is the Gate of Heaven

Horn Gate: in Greek mythology, dreams left the realm of sleep through two gates; the gate through which prophetic dreams pass

Ivory Gate; the Aeneid gate through which deceptive dreams pass, dreams that elude mortals

Lud‘s Gate: the entrance to the underworld

Strait Gate: the central point of communication between the lower and the higher

Symplegades: twin rocks at the gateway to the Black Sea; symbol of perilous passage; legend tells they opened and closed to crush whatever tried to pass between them

Symbolism of Passageways

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Doors, gates, and portals can represent both physical and psychological access. In terms of sandplay, when doors and gates are used in a scene they may represent transition, initiation, or the ability to pass through. Psychologically, passageways may represent the possibility of transition from one aspect or issue to the next, the positive aspect of movement, or an opening for growth. Closed doors or gates may be a boundary symbol.

Doors symbolize hope, opening and entrance to new life. Also, doors represent a passage from one world to another, from one level of consciousness to another. Doors are the barriers through which initiates pass and also represent initiation. As a symbol of the sheltering aspect of the Great Mother, in some cultures, all doors and windows are unlocked and opened to facilitate childbirth. The door is the Druidic emblem of the oak-king or thunderer.

Gates represent entry to mystical and profound areas, places of divine power. Gates are the opening between one world and another and are often a protective threshold, usually guarded by symbolic animals. A series of gateways may represent various stages of enlightenment. The gate is a Hebrew symbol of the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and the emblem of Ezekiel, whose prophecy spoke of the coming of Jesus through the east gate of the temple.

Passages represent change from one plane to another. Successfully navigating passages may symbolize gaining states of consciousness or transcendence. Passages signify or allow the ability to transcend time and space, day and night.

Portals are usually elaborate and are used for entry. They often symbolize the way through which the dead acquired rebirth into a new form of existence.

Thresholds represent the passage from the profane to the sacred. As a boundary symbol, thresholds symbolize the meeting of the natural and the supernatural. They often represent entering the unknown.

Passageways and Sandplay

The use of gates or portals in sandplay scenes may symbolize the process of preparation and approach, the actual passage or journey, and the experience of successfully navigating the passage. The use of a gate may signal the awareness of or the ability to navigate a psychological passage.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The sacred Japanese torii gate, consisting of two upright posts with a crossbeam, may symbolize themes related to transition and transformation. In sandplay, the torii may represent the readiness prior to a journey, including the preparation one must make. Bradway and McCoard (1997) explain that the torii gate may symbolize "the boundary between the conscious and the unconscious; movement may be in either direction". The use of the torii gate may also be representative of the "release of energy for life which occurs after the experience of passing through the gate" (1997 p. 93).

 

 

 

 

 

 

Gates in sandplay scenes can be closed to prevent passage and to protect or open to allow entry or passage. Bradway and McCoard offer insight into the use of a gate in a sandplay process. In an initial tray, the client placed a fence in front of a house. When asked about the fence the client explained that it was between where one lived and the world outside. A subsequent tray showed a house with a fence, yet this scene had an open gate with a dog coming through. "Now there is a gate in the fence and the dog, his instinctual feeling, can go through the gate and connect the house with the world outside" (Bradway and McCoard, 1997 p. 135).

Passageways

 

 

 

 

 

 

Each of us has had the experience of transition and transformation...the experience of passageways. Take a moment to reflect on the successful passageways in your journey.

Future Posts

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In upcoming posts, the symbolism of passageways such as doors, gates, and portals will be explored. Also, guardians of passageways will be discussed.

• Symbolism of Passageways
• Passageways and Sandplay
• Guardians
• Famous Portals