Magical Doors
What is behind our fascination with magical doors? From ancient religions to modern science fiction, the idea of a door to a realm beyond our own is compelling.
We all have our favourites; the wardrobe door to Narnia is the first that comes into my mind. C.S Lewis was very fond of magical doors, and they featured multiple times within the Narnia series. Then there is the Tardis door leading to an interior that is ‘bigger on the inside’ and introducing the possibility of travelling anywhere in time and space.
‘Stargate’ on the other hand provided a much more impressive looking portal that left you in no doubt of its potential. Here the story employs concepts from modern science and technology to provide almost instantaneous travel across the cosmos via wormholes.
Of course magical doors can take on many different forms. The Bridge to Terabithia for example, involved crossing a river on a rope, and the Never Ending Story transported its hero via a magical book.
J.K Rowlings must surely be heralded as the champion in this arena with the invention of the ‘portkey’ which could literally be anything… and some of her other crazy portals included ‘floo powder’ in the fireplace, running into a wall to access platform 9 ¾, and flushing yourself down a toilet to enter the ministry of magic!
My favourite invention of hers is the ‘Room of Requirement. I have dreamt (literally!) of having one of those. If you are not familiar with this concept, it is the idea of a room in another dimension that will materialise to fulfil whatever requirement you might have; a storage room, a place to hide, or a venue for a secret meeting. All you have to do, is walk past it three times thinking about what you need it for. I considered putting a random door on a wall in my house in appreciation of such a brilliant concept, but in the end, I created my own ‘magical door’ which sadly only leads to the laundry. It does have a story behind it though, and the decorative moth that adorns it, is a portal to the Faerie moon.
If you go back into history, there are other examples. Stepping into a faerie mushroom ring will whisk you away to certain doom, the realm of Hades involves the crossing of the river Stix and ‘Bifrost’ was a rainbow bridge leading to the Norse realm of the Gods.
What is the reason for our attraction to such things? The concept never goes out of fashion. I’m sure you have your own ideas, (I’d love to hear them!) but I will explain my own theory.
Basically, we want one. As humans we are endowed with natural curiosity. Surely there is somewhere beyond the dimension in which we live? A realm of adventure and discovery that is better than our own… with the possibility of leaving all our baggage at the door.
Imagine this scenario. You are walking in some remote wilderness location, and you come across a mysterious door standing in isolation (probably high-tech and convincingly alien in appearance.) Would you go through it?
I think ‘The Magicians Nephew’ captures the essence of this scenario. When Digory is faced with the little bell and hammer on a plinth in the hall displaying the images of ancient Kings and Queens, he reads the words:
Make your choice adventurous stranger,
Strike the bell and bide the danger,
Or wonder till it drives you mad,
What would have followed if you had.
So what would you do - take the risk, or go crazy wondering what might have happened if you’d been bolder?
Most religions subscribe without question to a realm beyond our own. The Bible from verse one claims that God made the ‘heavens and the earth’. The word for ‘heavens’ in Hebrew ‘samayim’ means both the physical universe and 'Heaven' as the abode of God. An example of a ‘portal’ can be seen in Jacob’s famous dream of a ladder:
And he dreamed and behold there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. Gen 28:12
It is no accident that humans have an age-old desire for a realm beyond this one. We have that desire because it exists - in the same way that we have a desire for food or sex or companionship. It is built within us for a reason. Chuck Missler used to say that we were ‘living in the subset of a larger reality’ and I think he was right. The larger reality is not just a place in our minds or imagination. Jesus demonstrated by his physical resurrection (which was witnessed by many over a forty-day period), that His Kingdom is real, and the new creation he described is not just an illusion.
“Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.” (Luke13:24)
“I am the door. If anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and find pasture.” (John 10:9)
Once you have embraced this and accepted his invitation, it becomes part of you. We catch glimpses from time to time, like peeking through the keyhole. The door itself, becomes firmly established in our spirit and we know that one day it will open to a whole new physical reality.
John, in the book of Revelation, sees a door:
After this I looked and behold, a door standing open in heaven! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, “Come up here and I will show you what must take place after this.” Revelation 4 :1
If you go back into history, there are other examples. The realm of Hades is bordered by the river Styx, and ‘Bifrost’ was a rainbow bridge leading to the Norse realm of the Gods. In medieval times stepping into a faerie mushroom ring would whisk you away to certain doom!
A more recent movie, ‘The Portable Door’ involved a solitary wooden house door through which you could travel wherever you wanted. Such doors are ordinary in appearance; you can walk around them and touch them or walk right past them to no effect – it’s only when you go through that you discover their magic.