By: The Romanian Developing Group
From a mythological point of view, gates are symbols encountered as spaces of passage between two worlds, two states, between light and darkness, between what is known and what is still unknown and waiting to be discovered.
The gate is also an opening towards mystery, through the image of hidden entrances that contain a secret power. At the same time, the gate can be closed or open, forbidden or accessible, hidden from view or unavoidable. It can be passed or just looked at, admired. It can arouse curiosity, fascination or, on the contrary, anxiety and fear. There are gates of heaven, but also gates that lead to hell.
The gate is the symbol of a passage, transformation, it is associated with the entrance into a significant space, realm or domain, just as the bridge is associated with the aspect of transition Temple doors or gates leading to secret chambers are usually richly decorated and only priests, as people already spiritually initiated, can pass through them. Many cultures use rituals of passage symbolized by stepping through a gate or door, and solemn events are marked by the opening of “sacred doors”.
The gate has the dimension of a space of passage from the profane to the sacred – the gates of cathedrals, the gates of ancient cities, the Hindu torans (ornamental gates, in the form of an arch, with ceremonial purposes), the gates at the entrance to Khmer temples or cities, the Japanese Torii. They are carriers of sacred energy, which could stop evil and purify anyone who passed through them.
Traditional Torii gates are widely spread in Japanese culture and are linked to the symbol of the sun, as an element of awakened Consciousness. They are parallel, tall gates, painted in a brick-red color and are associated with good news. Torii is a gate considered sacred, which has only a symbolic function, without walls or fences. It has a transformative function, by marking the entrance to a sacred space. In front of Shinto shrines, Torii gates separate the common, mundane space from the divine. Although they are very tall, tradition requires that anyone passing under them must bow down, walking exactly through the center of the gate, because that is where the gods also pass.
Note: The Romanian Developing Group was established under the auspices of the International Association for Analytical Psychology to conduct a training program for Jungian-oriented analysts in Romania. This excerpt is taken an article on the Group’s blog, which can be found here. For a Jungian perspective on the gate as a symbol, see the following article on the Developing Group’s blog, which can be found here.