Urban Portals (Gateways in our Cities)

URBAN PORTALS (GATEWAYS IN OUR CITIES)

Today what I plan on sharing is the possibility that over the past several decades art and architecture has popped up in many of our cities and public venues that has been arranged in such a way that they can be utilized as portals or stargate devices! These ‘gateways are hidden in plain site just waiting to be recognized and utilized by those of us who are aware of them!
Modern portals in todays day and age are being placed on sacred landscapes, just as churches and sacred monuments were in the past. These monuments are springing up on pieces of land that have in many instances been held sacred for hundreds if not thousands of years. Now this is where it starts getting interesting. While some of the modern art and architecture has surely been aligned with both sacred sites and the heavens(stars) intentionally and consciously, others have been developed and pieced together unconsciously by the artist and architects!
Now Initially some may consider the aligning of this architecture with sacred sites and the stars coincidence. What I plan on showing is that when we begin to have coincidences and synchronicities that continually pile up in regards to one monument or park that they are no longer coincidences or synchronicities, they are messages! The uniqueness of these messages is I believe that they are meant for us. By us I mean those who can tune into the symbols, become aware and recognize their hidden meanings.

In this post I will be discussing Stargate symbolism in both Chicago and St. Louis. I wrote a 3 part piece article on Stargate Detroit I urge the reader to read first, http://divineportal.blogspot.com/2009_04_01_archive.html.

Stargate Chicago (Millennium Park)

Millennium Park was completed in 2004 and has become the worlds largest roof top garden.

Seemingly the Human Chakra system is represented in the growing gardens of Millennium Park. Chakra is a Sanskrit word that translates as wheel or disc or turning. These rotating vortices of subtle matter, they are considered the focal points for the reception and transmission of energies. In the Hinduism concept of the Chakra system 6 or 7 chakras along the body's axis became the dominant model, adopted by most schools of yoga. It is in this model where Kundalini is said to "rise" upward, piercing the various centers until reaching the crown of the head, resulting in union with the Divine.

Although the Crown Chakra is not represented in the growing gardens I suggest we follow the Serpent (Kundalini) Bridge and see where it leads! The kundaline can symbolize an unconscious, instinctive force envisioned either as a goddess or else as a sleeping serpent coiled at the base of the spine. This Life-Force energy or “Serpent power” is known to bring about psychological illumination when it is activated and utilized.

Jay Pritzker Pavilion- The same designer of the serpent bridge also created the incredible pavillion, Frank Gehry. The Chicago Tribune dubbed Gehry "the hottest architect in the universe" The Pavillion has the most intricate outdoor sound system in the U.S. The sound and vibration literally surround you. The Stainless stell band shelter has been described as both a headdress and pedals. Lotus petals? Could this “headdress” sprouting petals symbolize the Crown Chakra? And possibly tune,tones, and or vibrations have something to do with blasting it open?

After crossing the Serpent Bridge and getting in 'tune' with the lotus pedaled amphitheater next stop is CLOUD GATE!

Cloud Gate, a public sculpture by British artist Anish Kapoor, is the centerpiece of the AT&T Plaza. Made up of 168 stainless steel plates welded together, its highly polished exterior has no visible seams. It is 33 feet by 66 feet by 42 feet and weighs 110 short tons! Kapoor's design was inspired by liquid mercury . The sculpture challenges perception by distorting and deforming the surrounding architecture. The sculpture also warps viewers' perception of time by changing the speed of movements such as the passing of clouds.[ in the conventional sense Cloud Gate is not an opening that leads anywhere in the same way that monumental gates do. it creates a ceremonial place. A place of reflection the unconventional gateway leads to a transformation of consciousness.
On its surface the viewer sees the reflection of the phallic skyline, the clouds above and himself; as if the sky, earth and the human soul have been conjoined in a transcendent communion. “Cloud Gate” encompasses a space that is both material and spiritual at a level beyond the immediate comprehension of the viewer. Kapoor talks of this experience as being “a direct attribute of the sublime”

Also in MillenniumPark are the URBAN ACTIVATORS!

Urban Activators- London-based Zaha Hadid and Amsterdam-based Ben van Berkel of UNStudio have designed architectural exhibits in Millennium Park this summer to honor the forward-looking spirit of the Plan of Chicago.
“At night, UNStudio’s pavilion becomes a responsive architecture with LED lights that change color and pattern. These lights will be in constant flux as the number of visitors to the pavilion changes. Programmatically the pavilion invites people to gather, walk around and through the space—to explore and observe. It’s sculptural form and reactive lights will spark curiosity and wonder in its visitors.” Frank Gehry The sculptural UNStudio pavilion is highly accessible and functions as an urban activator.

CROWN FOUNTAIN

If your crown chakra hasn't been blow open by crossing the Serpent Bridge, Taking in the tunes and tones from the lotus pedaled amphitheater, going through the Cloud Gate, and being activated by the Urban Activators, then there is one more piece of architecture that will! Crown Fountain Designed by Spanish artist Jaume Plensa and inspired by the people of Chicago, The Crown Fountain consists of two 50-foot glass block towers at each end of a shallow reflecting pool. The towers project video images from a broad social spectrum of Chicago citizens, a reference to the traditional use of gargoyles in fountains, where faces of mythological beings were sculpted with open mouths to allow water, a symbol of life, to flow out. “A fountain is the memory of nature, this marvelous sound of a little river in the mountains translated to the city. For me, a fountain doesn't mean a big jet of water. It means humidity, the origin of life. “ -Jaume Plensa

Next Stop- St.Louis and THE GATEWAY ARCH Could the Gateway Arch be symbolic of the Rainbow Bridge?

Driving into St.Louis and seeing the Gateway Arch glisten in the colors of the rainbow I immediately was reminded of the mythological "Rainbow Bridge". The “Rainbow Bridge” can symbolize the bridge between Earth and the Heavens, humanity and the gods. But first a little history on the Gateway Rainbow...I mean Arch! In the early 1930s the United States began looking for a suitable memorial for Thomas Jefferson (the Washington Monument and the newly built Lincoln Memorial were the only large Presidential memorials at the time). The memorial to Jefferson would eventually be placed on the actual location that was symbolic of one of Jefferson's greatest triumphs -- the Louisiana Purchase, clearing the way for westward expansion!
The Gateway Arch is known as the "Gateway to the West". It was designed by Finnish-American architect Eero Saarinen and structural engineer Hannskarl Bandel in 1947 and built between 1963 and 1968. It is the only building in the world based on the catenary arch, making it the iconic image of the city. It stands 630 feet (192 m) tall and 630 feet (192 m) wide at its base. The Arch is a structure known as a catenary curve, the shape a free-hanging chain takes when held at both ends, and considered the most structurally-sound arch shape. -- Each year, approximately a million visitors ride the trams to the top of the Arch.
Eero Saarinen - Architect With a Vision -"The major concern ...was to create a monument which would have lasting significance and would be a landmark of our time... Neither an obelisk nor a rectangular box nor a dome seemed right on this site or for this purpose. But here, at the edge of the Mississippi River, a great arch did seem right.

So just because the Gateway glistens in the colors of the rainbow doesn't mean it is symbolic of the rainbow bridge. That being said I decided to journey into the basement of the Gateway and take the tram ride to the top. I was curious if I would find any symbolism inside.

THE BUILEDERS MURAL- this mural is in the basement of the Gateway arch and is dedicated to the builders and architects of American monuments. But there is one monument out of place, not built by man! Utah’s Rainbow Bridge. And look who’s seemingly sitting on it, Lady Liberty!!

Lady Liberty also sits on the Rainbow Bridge next to George washington!(U.S. capital dome) courtesy of William Henry and Mark Gray

After seeing the symbolism in the mural I knew I needed to make the journey to the top of the arch. After waiting in line the last piece of art you see is a large scale. The children weigh eachother, and who ever is the lightest felt they had won the game ang was rewarded by going first on the 'ride'!

In ancient Egypt at the time of Judgment Day the heart was weighed on the scales of Maat (Justice) against that of a feather. If the heart weighed less than the feather the soul was granted permission to cross the Rainbow Bridge to the “Dimension of the Blessed”!
Symbolically speaking if your heart was lighter than the feather you are then afforded the opportunity to enter the Sun-Door(Stargate) and scale the Rainbow Bridge, oh I mean Gateway Arch! So I guess it should have been no suprise that the tram car looks like a Sun-Door (stargate)!

To me this symbolism says that we can work on our light bodies and rainbow bodies in the here and now, and that these pieces of architecture may be a catalyst in this process assisting in a transformation of our consciousness. Considering the rainbow bridge symbolism incorporated in the sculpture I propose we can use the monument as a catalyst for transformation, opening our minds, and lightning our hearts and activating our inner rainbow bridges, our Chakra system.

THE GATEWAY MALL

- The Gateway mall sits at the base of the Gateway Arch and is also part of the Jefferson National Expansion. Within the confounds of the mall are several attractions, The Old Court House, Kiener Plaza, and the new sculpture park City Gardens. Lets take a look at a few of the amazing sculptures!

THE DOOR OF RETURN-From the City garden brochure: "The egg-shaped form at the top of the door resembles a seed that has just split open or a mouth that opens to the sky, like a baby' first cry. Artist Kan Yasuda has left the answer deliberately ambiguous, leading us to think about time and space, life and death, the past and the present. When we pass through the door what is the place we are returning to?"

ZENIT (zenith)

I Googled this sculpture to see what others thought of it. A gentlemen by the name of Joe had this to say, we'll call him 'average joe'.

“I was most intrigued by Zenit, which was hidden on a hill in the corner of the garden. The contrasting textures and subjects gave it an other worldly appearance, like something out of Stargate or Guillermo del Toro's imagination.” “With every sculpture we passed, we were reminded of walking through Millennium Park in Chicago. Actually, it made us feel like we were walking in Chicago. City garden had the magical affect of making me look up and admire the city's skyline - something I actually can't remember doing on Market Street before.” Joe

Did Joe say stargate? Millenium Park?

So what does the symbolism incorporated in the Stargate architecture mean for us both as individuals and collectively? By becoming aware of the symbolism and viewing this art in a new light, or from a new perspective, this is a transformation in of itself. And when we see the symbol of the ‘ring’ or even the Arch placed on pieces of sacred landscapes with names in the recognition of transformation, can’t we use them as such? Can we begin to view the Stargate art and architecture as ‘tools? ‘Tools’ that can be used for working on our light or rainbow bodys? ‘Tools’ for sparking our imaginations, raising our consciousness and opening our hearts? Absolutely!