THE DOORS IN BETWEEN

This mysterious door is in Ethiopia. Photo taken by Eileen Delhi. Click here to see Eileen's Flickr photostream.

"In the Universe, there are things that are known, and things that are unknown, and in between, there are doors" - William Blake

Another door in Ethiopia by Eileen Delhi. Click to see more here.

Yet another of my passions...

Doors and doorways in Africa.

A doorway in Egypt. Found on Tumblr with no credit or links.

Many are mysterious....

Giraffe Manor, Kenya.

..... or there's a magnificent animal

or two

wandering through.

Elephants at Mfuwe Lodge in Zambia. See story here.

Watch this video. It will make your day!

And then there are the carved doors of Mali, which I love most of all.

Yendouma Ato, Dogon Country, Mali by Xavier Ceccaldi

Also in Mali. See Farafina Tigne's photos here

Dogon Door found here.

This breathtaking door is in a museum in The States but I've not found the link.

Letterboxes have doors so I am adding this video to the post. Another amazing story to give you goosebumps. Thanks Marg for sending it to me.

Strathewen: The Letterbox Project from ABC Open Goulburn Valley on Vimeo.

"There is a door. It opens. Then it is closed. But a slip of light stays, like a scrap of unreadable paper left on the floor, or the one red leaf the snow releases in March" - Jane Hirshfield

ANCESTRAL SECRETS

I am often asked about the symbolism behind my carved doors so I decided to write a post about it.

This door is called Ancestral Secrets. It is based on the shape and concept of the Dogon granary doors from Mali. It is a door of protection... protecting whoever or whatever lies behind the door, whether it is grain, wealth, information, knowledge, herbs, medicines, healing secrets, survival secrets, household secrets, precious things, people, family etc.

As in the authentic granary doors, I have rows of ancestor figures to stand guard, to watch over the owner of the door. They also stand as a link between man and God.


The central motive is a metal CROSS and carved wooden FACE.

This type of cross is a universal beware, no entry sign to stop unauthorized people from entering. This includes uninvited guests or intruders .... someone who would steal the secrets.

The face within the cross symbolizes the centre of the world, the NAVEL OF THE EARTH. In Africa a large navel is a sign that a powerful spirit has left the womb. The four arms of this cross symbolize the 4 directions, the 4 corners of the earth as well as the 4 elements.

The central face also stands for the SUN which brings light into the darkness and nurtures life. It is ascribed great healing powers. In Africa (and other countries) offerings are often made to the Sun. I have incorporated the offering bowl into the bird which is flying toward the sun.


* BIRD
Birds are messengers of God. They also stand for fertility, love, clairvoyance, power, danger, discipline, prudence .... and laughter. The pigeon is a symbol of reciprocal love.


* SNAKE
The Senufo people consider the snake to be a symbol of rebirth as it sheds it's skin annually. It is also a teacher of healing. Healing within the family ... the tribe. Offerings are often brought to snakes. (See the bird offering bowl opposite the snake)

* TORTOISE
The keeper of tribal secrets. It is protected by its shell and because it can carry its house of secrets wherever it goes it is considered highly intelligent.

* Key and Lock:-
Secrets are kept under lock and key.

* Arrow heads:-
Another sign of protection.

* Small leather packages :-
Hunters will wear little packages of herbs and magic around their necks or sewn onto their hunting jackets. These will give the hunter protection, strength, courage, wisdom as well as making the hunter invisible to the enemy (or animals they are hunting). I have attached these muti packages to the door to give these qualities to the owner of the door.

* Leather Purse:-
Wealth


* Black and white patterning:-
Represents the contrasts of dark and light,
good and evil,
male and female,
ignorance and knowledge

White also stands for purity and protection.

* Various markings:-
Record births, deaths, livestock etc.

More about the symbolism here.

DOGON CREATION MYTH

This is my interpretation of the Dogon creation myth. I carved the three panels several years ago and have repeated the theme many times over.

In Dogon mythology the world was likened to a granary, divided into compartments to hold the people, animals and seeds that God planned to send down to earth. The first granary came tumbling down from heaven on a rainbow, having been loosened from it's riggings by a bolt of lightening. It crashed to the earth, splitting open on impact and the contents scattered across the land. Seeds began to take root and man settled where the millet grew best. Thus, life on earth began.

There are many more details to this myth which I won't go into here because they would fill a book but I will share some of the background and symbolism in the panels that I've created.

The meaning behind the animals, colours, patterns and symbols differ slightly from country to country in Africa.

~The God on horseback (middle panel) is named Nomo. He is guardian of the earth and there are many stories told about him.

~The horse was the first animal to leave the granary and it signifies power and chieftanship.

~The leopard is equated with the ruler because both are dangerous and powerful.

~The hornbill which is perched on the roof in the end panel signifies the continuance of man. He is also mediator between heaven and earth and he will transfer the dead to the other side.

~The snake encircles the earth to keep the oceans from flowing away or the people from falling off.

~The union between God and Earth produced sacred twins. It is believed that gods are born in pairs.

~The black and white check pattern represents the separation of dark from light, good from evil, ignorance from knowledge and male from female.

~The zig zag patterns signify the path of the ancestors.

There's so much more to each image than meets the eye. African mythology is mysterious and exciting and gives me a reason to be passionate about what I do. 

This dogon granary is being filled with millet. A third person climbed through the top door and is inside stacking the millet. This photograph belongs to Hugo. See more of his photos on Flickr, here.