Thursday, April 15, 2010

Arches

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Arches




I have noticed
on my coastal walks
with the tropical rains
and summer warmth
that there are now many arches
green arches
living arches




 we know of architectural arches
structures that span space
while supporting weight
the earliest of which were found 
in the second millennium BC
in ancient Mesopotamia



the Romans applied the technique
to a range of structures



 Throughout history we see 
semi circular arches
Gothic arches called ogives
elliptical arches
and parabolic arches,
in sacred places
monuments





public buildings
engineering feats





in ceremony
and in nature





 When I walk
towards an arch
and pass under its frame
there is always a stirring in my heart
an inner rustling of resonance




 What is it about arches
I wonder
that appeals to the deeper parts 
of the psyche




Arches are openings
passage ways
that hint of initiation
new beginnings
and fresh starts
they tell of new directions 
and promise better things,
people often marry under arches





arches suggest that there is another way
they also offer protection
with their strong structure
and stable foundations



when we walk through the portal
we can imagine that
we are sloughing off the old
and entering the new
the arch offers us an opportunity



the arch
promises us 
that when we walk through the thresh-hold
and as we move forward
the world will not crumble
we are protected and 
able to expand and grow




it contains the moment of decision
the breath of an epiphany



the arch is a symbol of hope
and that is why
I believe 
it has a power
to speak
to the soul






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32 comments:

  1. Wonderful.

    Post of the YEAR!

    First arch: Birth.



    Aloha from Waikiki


    Comfort Spiral

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  2. Arches are powerful. We had one built between the street and our front door, a protective arch. Ever since our home feels more like a sanctuary, a refuge from the noise and haste of the world.

    I don't know if I ought to say this, but I cannot help but wonder what power arches gave to the infamous McDonald's Hamburger chain? I know that its use of the "Golden Arches" symbol has spoiled some of the magic of arches for me.

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  3. I wasn't thinking of the rainbow's arch, Delwyn, so your final photo surprised me. I thought, "Oh! Yes..." Natural arches are so inviting. They seem like frames to something better - an invitation to enter and explore. These posts of yours are so interesting and thought-provoking. I like the photos, too. PS I'm also liking my MAC!

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  4. Hi Dan

    Now those arches never came to mind when I was musing on arches but obviously those in the creative advertising team for Maccas knew of the lure of the arch and used it to their advantage.

    I like your idea of an arch at the entry and I suppose a lychgate at the entry or at the gate serves the same purpose, both as a visible and a symbolic separation from life outside the home and as a protective device to keep unwelcome visitors at bay.

    Hmmm I like the idea that we pass through a portal upon entering the sanctuary of the home.

    The Japanese achieve this by coming into a little anteroom, often at a lower level than the main living areas, where they remove their shoes, and the grime of the outdoor world. I also like the symbolic (and functional) cleansing by pouring water over the hands.

    Thanks for adding your arch to the story today Dan...

    Happy days

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  5. Hi again Barb

    so nice to have you over twice today...does that mean we are glued to our keyboards!!!


    I am besotted by my little macbook and can't wait to get photoshop up and running.

    I am so glad that you enjoy the occasional questioning post where we can muse and mull to our hearts' content...

    Happy days under the rainbow

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  6. Hi Cloudia

    yes that is the first portal to pass through - you are right...often a tight squeeze too...

    ah... I just love these interesting and diverse responses...

    thank you

    happy days

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  7. delwyn, as i read i echoed cloudia's comment about birth. i love coming across leafy arches. there's a need to stop under them. or to look from up the path wonderingly at them. they do connect to something essential. thankyou for this beautiful post!!! steven

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  8. do you think it could be a vestigial birth memory? arches certainly signify transition from one phase to another.

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  9. great post and photos thanks!

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  10. What a perfectly beautiful piece, Delwyn! Your words were a joy to read this morning. From the simplest arch of nature to the most grand and the simplest man made to the most grand...all do evoke grand feelings. A Welcoming of sorts.
    I love the feelings and thoughts you create here, Delwyn!
    ♥...Wanda

    I want to thank you for your kind comment too!

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  11. Hi Steven

    I feel the same Steven
    I always slow down and feel the arch around me, like Cloudia suggests they are very womb-like space when in nature.

    Happy days

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  12. Hi Val

    that is possible. Have you done any rebirthing Val?

    I do like the positive energy that the arch shares.

    happy days

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  13. Hi Wanda

    I'm glad we are all thinking along similar wavebands...Maybe the feelings go way back to cave man days where our shelter and our safety was found in the arched cave confines...then again maybe Cloudia has a source for these feelings...birth memories...

    I love to share with you all and enjoy your return thoughts and contributions too Wanda.

    Happy blossoming Wanda

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  14. I have never thought about arches in so much detail. I am mesmerism by this post, I will defiantly look at all arches in a new light thanks to your post.

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  15. Hi Liss

    there is an interesting Freudian slip in your response Liss...

    take a look and think about it...

    and I'm glad that you are taking this stance...

    Happy days

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  16. There is something very magical about the very fact that arches stand, without the centre crumbling down on our heads.

    I love the rainbow at the end of this very thoughtful post.

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  17. my favorite arches are the nature made ones, although i do love the ones in homes i've seen in new mexico and morocco. there is something so soothing, like a circle, smooth and curved that appeals so much to me.
    very interesting post Delwyn, thank you.

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  18. So when I imagine myself standing in front of one of your arch pictures I too feel a sense of excitment and also connect with a place in me that has to make a decision to move forward through this arch to let go of what is behind and trust. The arch triggers a place of choice, as if three is an ivitation to move forward and through and do I choose to do so. It's all more of an inner sense that's difficult to discribe. I was surpised by this awareness Delwyn. Thanks for bringing arches up for contemplation and apprecitation.

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  19. You know, I've never truly contemplated the meaning of arches even though I notice and admire them. I am overwhelmed with all of the literal and figural meanings you provided. This is definitely something I will have to go and think about for awhile to collect my thoughts, but thank you for providing an arch of a post for me to pass through :)

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  20. You have captured the feeling of passing through arches perfectly. Until I read what you wrote I would have thought that the feeling was indescribable

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  21. arches, gateways, openings and protective coverings; my thoughts exactly.

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  22. Thank you for some lovely images and food for thought.

    The arch that have never forgotten was 2 Lilli Pilli's planted either side of some wide veranda steps, they had grown together to form an arch that you had to walk under to get up the steps.

    Moon gates have also been something I have liked from a very early age.

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  23. These arch pictures are wonderful Delwyn!

    Best
    Tracy :)

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  24. Hello Barry

    I saw a TV program once that explained the principles behind the arch, and the fascinating thing to me is the minds that decided to experiment with the arch in great churches and buildings many many years ago.

    As far as arches go the rainbow is hard to beat...and I saw another one today as I drove to the gym and crested a small rise, it spanned the entire sky north to south...and then for the rest of the day we have had the rain that created the might bow.

    Happy days

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  25. Hi Lori

    yes I didn't think of the adobe structures...and then there is the igloo, and the aboriginal humpy...made from branches curved over a suitable larger branch.

    Happy days

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  26. So Maggie you feel it too, that's good to hear. And yes these hintings are usually subliminal just out of the conscious range, but identifiable feelings and impressions, and only when we give them thoughts do we bring them into a rational awareness.
    I love symbols...they are so potent.

    happy days

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  27. Hi Vicky

    well I am glad to have sown a few seeds and maybe next time you see or walk through an arch you will have that twinkling of resonance
    and remember this discussion...

    Happy days Vicky

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  28. Hi Jennifer

    symbols usually reach us via the subconscious at first where they are beyond words and language...that
    is their intrinsic power and value.

    What fascinates me is that many symbols have universal meaning all around the world and through all of time...and myths based on symbol stories appear through all cultures in similar ways: for example the tree of life, the garden of eden and snake story and the ark story, all appear in different places with different races and creeds.

    Great stuff to ruminate on...


    happy days

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  29. Hello friko from the North

    sanctuary and safety
    opportunities and beginnings...

    Nice to see you Friko

    happy days

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  30. Hi Abbeysmum

    I would love to see that. Many of the natural ones about do feature the lilly pilly here in Au, especially in suburban gardens and they have that soft delicate growth habit with the pinky red new growth...

    Tell me about moon gates...

    happy days

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  31. Hi Tracy

    thanks my friend...
    happy days

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  32. I am glad to discover your blog.
    Beautiful Beautiful Beautiful.

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