Portals and Thresholds

As January comes to a close, I think about portals and thresholds. The name "January" is derived from the Roman god Janus, who presided over doors and beginnings.

When the year began, new "beginnings" was a theme. Out with the old, in with the new. But a portal is an opening, from one space to another, a transition. What are we leaving behind, what are we moving into? 

To help inspire our reflection, I've collated some images of portals. There are many wonderful examples in Victoria. Doorways that have grace, or colour, or express an invitation to move through them. Doorways that have humour or flair. Elegant doorways. Colourful ones. 

This arched doorway with its recess invites me in. Built in 1938, this building on Burdett Avenue has undergone extensive renovations. This is the office of a law firm; the doorway speaks to solidity and elegance.

This is another recessed doorway, also in downtown Victoria. Note the slight arch at the top, which softens horizontal lines, and is repeated in the window beside it.

Grounds of Government House. This doorway, with its unique arch, feels like a transition... I am invited to go through, to the other side.

Douglas Building, corner of Government Street and Superior Street. This is an incredible doorway, lined with a massive amount of marble. The art deco building was built 1949 to 1951, specifically to house government offices. With such an ornate doorway, the building architect has suggested that significant activity takes place within.

Another doorway that makes a statement -- Christ Church Cathedral. The five pointed rose window above the door is significant in Christian traditions.

From the massive doorways of institutional buildings, let's turn to more casual examples.

A gate is a portal, transitioning from roadway to yard. I liked the character of this one on Battery Street, with its beautiful delicately-wrought tree.

A simple gate to an intimate sitting area, Ashcroft House, Batter Street.

This intricate James Bay doorway makes a statement through its choice of colour.

Another intricate James Bay doorway, opening into an enclosed vestibule.

Many of the buildings in James Bay, being older, were built with long sets of steps to access them. Note the five mailboxes in the vestibule of this building.  Planners use the term "house-plex" to describe this multi-unit strucutre. This attractive entrance may help offset any intimidation created by the long set of steps.

Estevan Ave., Oak Bay. An inviting doorway angled across the building corner. I am not sure what material the hanging decorative balls are made of, though I'm sure it's a natural fibre. 

A uniquely decorated doorway on Broad Street. 

I opened this post with an image of an arched doorway of a building on Burdett Street. Here are a few more arched portals.

Detail of the Rithet building interior on Wharf Street. The circular form on the left is an old well, discovered when the building was renovated. Originallly this was a one storey building built in the 1860s; the well was the only water source for the "Commercial Row" area, until a pipe was built to pipe water from Elk Lake.

Another detail of the interior of the Rithet Building with the arched doorway.

Arched doorways have grace, and are a stable architectural form. This gigantic flag was placed over the main entrance of the Legislature shortly after the threat from south of the border that Canada become the 51st state.

I like this repeating set of archways. This is Helmcken Alley, connecting Bastion Square with  Langlely Street. Some of these buildings date back to the 1880s and 1890s. This represents a more visceral part of Victoria's past;; prisoners were transported through this narrow alley which connected the jail to the courthouse and gallows. Some say the area is haunted.

The choice of green paint to complement the red brick has made this doorway interesting, along with the bug images.

The arched entrance of the old Carnegie library, now the Indigenous Justice Centre on Yates Street. I posted about Carnegie and his impact in 2020. See  https://linesfromthecoast.blogspot.com/2020/07/an-american-philanthropist-in.html

The back of the BC Legislature. I enjoy the south-facing back of the Legislature more than the much-photographed front, featured earlier in this post. Besides these impressive doors, the back of the Legislature has the beautiful Centennial fountain, one of my favourites of the city. For a photo of that fountain, check out https://linesfromthecoast.blogspot.com/2022/02/oh-fountains.html

Doorway to "Bard and Banker" pub. The "bard" was Robert Service, who worked in the bank formerly located here for a year. And the reference to "banker" is the building's long-standing role as a bank (until 2008).

Before finishing this post I'll include a few doorways that impress in a more casual way.

Here's a portal that promises an entry into the world of imagination. Shenanigans Bookstore in the Cook Street Village.

The invitation of an open doorway festooned with flowers on either side. Who couldn't resist going into this store?

The iron arched entrance for this patio off an end unit of the Redstone, on Parry Street. Originally a garage built in 1918, the building has been converted to residences. Coupled with the two pillars, this gate makes a strong statement of transition from the sidewalk to the private patio space.

This entrance makes a statement, between the rainbow gate and the honour-system kiosk for selling produce from this urban farm in James Bay, to the prayer flags and the old-fashioned hollyhocks.

This entryway is intricate and detailed in its finishing.

And to close ... a portal to another world... One of the fairy gardens on Pilot Street.

To finish this quick look at some Victoria portals I'll quote from John O'Donohue's book "To Bless the Space Between Us". A threshold is not a simple boundary; it is a frontier that divides two different territories, rhythms and atmospheres. Some portals and thresholds have that kind of deep significance, and the kind of doors we build can pay homage to that significance.

The Light Returns

Over a year ago, my last post of 2024 signed off with the hope that 2025 be a year of light -- for my readers, and for the planet. Well... I think we can all agree that sometimes the light has seemed very far away. We are indeed living in challenging times.

A dark, fog-shrouded December solstice day, Victoria Inner Harbour. 

In the twenty days since the solstice we have gained 20 minutes of daylight in Victoria. And now as the Earth's orbit around the sun changes its angle, the rate will increase as the light returns to the northern hemisphere.

This is not a political blog, so I am not diving into the rabbit hole of politics. However, there is awareness, and there is resistance. I recently read the following quote, attributed variously to the anthropologist Margaret Mead, or to the evangelical pastor Charles Swindoll.

We are continually faced with great opportunities which are brilliantly disguised as unsolvable problems.

This perspective is one of possibility, which I like. It frames our current multiple crises as opportunities, rather than sources of despair. 

Now, it is time for some photos, to illuminate the world of beauty around us. I will start with a story about Iran, which is in the news today because of massive protests, crackdowns by security forces, internet blackouts, and horrendous loss of life on a scale that we can only guess at.

On December 21 I went to a celebration of Yalda, hosted by members of Victoria's Iranian community. Yalda is the night of the winter solstice.

Here are a few images.

Yalda night is celebrated with food, and colours associated with the sun. The red pomegranate symbolizes the return of the sun.

Intricate detail from the tapestry on the table at Yalda night.

One of the platters on the table. What astounding artistry!

Another platter, detail.

The Persian culture is millennia old. I've learned a little about it from an Iranian friend. A couple of years ago I was so taken by the contrast between our north American celebration of the time around the solstice, and the Persian celebration of Yalda, that I wrote a poem, "Two Mid-Winter Nights".  I was surprised and pleased that the poem won second prize in the Victoria Writers' Society annual writing contest.

Moving from the Persian celebration of the solstice, to how we in North American celebrate the dark nights around the winter solstice, and invite the light to return. One of the obvious ones is with our seasonal light displays.

An orca outside the Greater Victoria Harbour Authority.

And an octopus, also at the Harbour Authority.

The short days, and the amount of rain, sometimes makes it hard to get much walking in. I just read that the month of December had over 150% of normal rainfall in Victoria! Despite that, I've been able to squeeze some walks in between downpours.

The light might be dull, but the grasses and mosses in the Garry Oak meadows are vibrantly green at this time of year.

Despite the rain, there has been light.

An early January shaft of sunlight illuminating the red bark of an arbutus tree in Beacon Hill Park.

On the same day the sun shone on the arbutus, I caught it illuminating a pine cone.

Pattern in nature....

Our flat grey skies provide little light for interesting photography.

The light was drab, but I was intrigued by the silhouette of Garry oak trees against the pallid sky.

Even on dull days, the light picks up pastels, as the funky image below shows. 

The Clarence Street teacup tree, with the white teacups catching light. The tree has spawned offspring. In the distance are more trees, most of them decorated with seasonal balls which hang permanently.

With the short days, of course, we spend more time indoors -- including restaurants.

James Bay Inn restaurant, and some of its art deco themes. This mirrored post reflects a lot of light!

One more image of some of the art deco fixtures in the James Bay Inn restaurant.

I stepped into the BC Legislature a few weeks ago, and was captivated by the stained glass, which is all about using light to paint images. Here's one photo of a stained glass window:

I liked the theme of this window, on the Arts.

The vast expanse of the ocean is a giant mirror reflecting light. I feel very fortunate to be able to walk beside it; even on the gloomiest days, the ocean shines.

The sky is different each day. On this day the ocean was calm.

The ocean on a blustery day, with magnificent waves and sky.

I will finish this post with one final homage to light -- a distant rainbow shining near Ogden Point.

A light-filled sky, with the rainbow splitting it into colour.

May we all emerge from darkness with creative positive energy.