The Spiral Staircase, from Symbol to Mystery

spiral staircase symbol mystery

Carved out of stone or wood, to defeat or hide a secret passage, the spiral staircase still stands the test of time like a question mark between symbol and mystery.

In the perfect twilight of the room the girl was waiting, her hand on the banister of a spiral staircase, her mind a tornado of thoughts. Should she go up, towards the unknown? Was the spiral she was confronted with a symbol of a destiny written in her DNA, unavoidable, or a chance encounter mystery?

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Wooden Doors of a Medieval Chapel, Snagov Monastery #Im4Ro

Snagov monastery, paraclis wood carved doors

Almost 600 years old, these wooden doors of a medieval chapel, long sunken they say, built around 1453 near Snagov Monastery, 40 km northward from Bucharest, can still be admired in the Art Museum of Bucharest.

For the weary traveler, approaching the chapel as a meditation, its wooden doors with their visual and scripting messages would have been the first welcoming sign: arms folded in prayer, ready to open, to receive, and to fold around, in absolution.

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Dualism, a Square in Travel Photography #Im4Ro

Zlatari Church, square photo

Dualism, a Square in Travel Photography: iconic Zlatari Church on Calea Victoriei, Bucharest, reflected in the glass walls of a futuristic cube building.

In a snapshot, dualism means recognizing and understanding the opposition’s point of view. It is choosing to look and see beyond the relative conceptions of good or evil, the universal opposites. Dualism attempts to restore balance, to seek the normal in an abnormal world.

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