Symbols -GATE OF SOUL | Artiste sculpteur engagé

The Gate of the Soul

44 Symbols to Decipher

One Symbol, One Word, Three Keys to Understanding

This proposal offers another way of entering the Gate of the Soul. Each of the 44 symbols is associated with a word, chosen as a first key to interpretation: a simple, immediate word, capable of opening up understanding without confining the symbol to a single definition. Three short keys then shed light on this choice. They help place the symbol within its history, its tradition, its function, or its relationship with the other elements of the Gate.

This approach is intended to be playful, educational, intuitive and sensitive. It invites us to observe, to understand, to make connections, but also to allow each symbol to resonate in a personal way. The word then becomes a starting point: a way of entering the work, moving between its different traditions and, perhaps, asking ourselves what each symbol awakens within us.

These 44 keys do not simply provide elements for reading Gate of the Soul: they offer a way of entering it.

1. Spiritual Masters, Masters of Wisdom and Traditions

1 Abraham — COVENANT

In the biblical tradition, Abraham is a figure from the ancient Near East, traditionally placed at the beginning of the second millennium BCE and originating from Ur, in Mesopotamia.
He represents a shared origin in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
On the Gate, he introduces the idea of connection, lineage and spiritual transmission.

2 Akhenaten — UNITY

Akhenaten was a pharaoh of Egypt’s Eighteenth Dynasty who ruled in the 14th century BCE and placed the worship of the solar disk Aten at the centre of his religious reform.
His reign sought to concentrate royal worship around one dominant deity.
The word “unity” conveys this symbolic concentration without reducing the complex historical debate surrounding his monotheism.

3 Archangel Michael — PROTECTION

In Judaism, he appears as the protector of Israel.
In Christianity, he fights the forces of evil.
In Islam, Mikail is a great angel associated in particular with mercy and providence: another form of protection, one that preserves life.

4 Archangel Metatron — STRUCTURE

Metatron is a major angelic figure in Jewish mysticism. His image took shape in the traditions of Late Antiquity.
A symbolic geometry now associated with Metatron, often called “Metatron’s Cube,” served as the framework for the preparatory design of the Gate of the Soul. It evokes order, balance and the organization of the world.
Invisible in the finished work, this structure organizes the symbols and suggests that, behind their apparent diversity, relationships can form unity and resonances.

5 Shamanism — UNIVERSE

The term “shamanism” encompasses diverse spiritual traditions and practices, notably found in Siberia, Central Asia and different regions of the Americas. Human beings, the earth, the sky and the directions are not separate.
The four cardinal points represent the earthly directions and our orientation in the world. Above and below add the dimensions of sky and earth, thus forming six directions around us.
The seventh point is ourselves: the inner place from which we take our place in the universe.

6 Ganesh — OPENING

Ganesh is a Hindu deity who emerged in India; his worship developed particularly from the first centuries of the Common Era onward. Ganesh is traditionally invoked at the beginning of ceremonies, undertakings and new beginnings.
His elephant head combines strength, intelligence and the ability to clear the way. It is fully part of his role as master of obstacles.
Placed between the feminine principle and the masculine principle, the figure of Ganesh occupies a position of passage on Gate of the Soul. In several traditions devoted to him, he is associated with the removal of inner obstacles: ego, attachment, anger, greed or illusion. On the Gate, he can therefore be understood as the one who helps untangle the threads that hold us within a limited vision of ourselves, in order to open a path toward a broader and more spiritual consciousness.

7 Ina / Hina — GUIDANCE

Ina, also called Hina or Sina depending on the islands, is a major female figure in Polynesian mythologies. In several traditions, notably in Hawaii, Tahiti, Samoa and Tonga, she is closely associated with the moon.

Hina thus embodies a form of guidance rooted in the observation of cycles: knowing how to recognize the right moment, follow a rhythm, and find one’s direction without constraint.
In some stories, Hina reaches or inhabits the moon: she thus becomes a figure linking the human world to the constant movement of the sky. On Gate of the Soul, she also echoes the other presences from the Polynesian world, notably the moai of Easter Island.

8 Isis — REBIRTH

Isis is a goddess of ancient Egypt, attested from the third millennium BCE, whose worship later spread throughout much of the Mediterranean world.
In the Egyptian myth, after the dismemberment of Osiris, Isis contributes to his return to life. She is linked to the continuity of life beyond death.
On the Gate of the Soul, Isis enters into dialogue with Akhenaten and reminds us that the quest for unity can be accompanied by inner renewal.
9 Jesus— LOVE
•
Jesus of Nazareth was a Jewish preacher of the 1st century CE who lived in Galilee and Judea under Roman rule; a central figure of Christianity, he is regarded as the Son of God and the Messiah; he is also recognized as a prophet in Islam.
His teaching places love at the heart of our relationship with others. “Love one another” summarizes one of the essential commandments of his teaching.
His love extends as far as forgiveness and love of one’s enemy, making love a demand that goes beyond simple affection.
10 Kuan Yin / Guanyin — COMPASSION
Kuan Yin is the Chinese form of the Indian bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara; her worship developed in China during the first centuries of the Common Era.
She hears the suffering of beings. She is invoked as a figure of help and mercy.
In China, she became one of the great representations of Buddhist compassion. She turns away from no being. In the bodhisattva ideal, she remains present for as long as beings need to be helped and guided toward awakening.

11 . Lao Tzu — WAY

Lao Tzu is a Chinese sage traditionally placed in the 6th century BCE and regarded as one of the major founding figures of Taoism. The Tao, the “Way,” lies at the heart of the Tao Te Ching.
The Way invites us to follow the natural order of things rather than trying to force everything.
On the Gate of the Soul, Lao Tzu recalls the way of the Tao, founded on simplicity and flexibility, while the presence of Mary evokes humility and a discreet presence. Two figures from different traditions meet in the same form of restraint and openness.

12 Maitreya, the Future Buddha — RENEWAL

Maitreya is, in the Buddhist tradition, the future Buddha. Buddhism originates in the teaching of Siddhartha Gautama, the historical Buddha, who lived in India in the 6th–5th centuries BCE.
His coming announces a new teaching in a world where the Dharma, the Buddhist teaching, will have declined. He therefore represents the idea of a new spiritual cycle.
On the Gate of the Soul, Maitreya echoes the Jewish expectation of the Messiah, the return of Christ in Christianity, and, in a large part of the Muslim tradition, the hope of Imam Mahdi associated with the return of Jesus.

13 Mary — PRESENCE

Mary, represented with the Child Jesus, is a figure of the 1st century CE, originating from Galilee; the mother of Jesus, she is venerated in Christianity and also honoured in Islam. She is the only woman to give her name to an entire surah of the Quran, Surah Maryam.
She symbolizes a maternal, inner and protective presence. For Christians, Mary is the mother of Jesus and a major figure of faith, humility and faithfulness. Her presence accompanies Christ from his birth to the Passion.
For believers, accounts of Marian apparitions extend this idea of a presence that manifests itself over time.

14 Moses — LAW

Moses is a figure from the ancient Near East, traditionally placed around the 13th–12th centuries BCE; a major prophet in Judaism, he is also recognized in Christianity and Islam.
In the biblical account, he receives the Ten Commandments. He transmits a law intended to organize the life of the people. He is recognized as a major prophetic figure in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
On the Gate of the Soul, Moses enters into dialogue with the figures of ancient Egypt and evokes the passage from slavery to freedom, a major theme of Exodus.

15 Socrates — “Know Thyself” — KNOWLEDGE

Socrates was a Greek philosopher from Athens in the 5th century BCE and one of the founding figures of Western philosophy.
“Know thyself” is one of the Delphic maxims associated with the sanctuary of Apollo at Delphi. Socrates gave it a major place in his philosophical reflection.
On the Gate of the Soul, Socrates and Greek statuary enter into dialogue. On one side, the inner questioning of “Know thyself”; on the other, the search for harmony of the body in art. These two paths meet in the same quest for balance between the inner and the outer, which the Latin poet Juvenal would express several centuries later in the phrase “Orandum est ut sit mens sana in corpore sano,” which can be translated as: “One should pray for a sound mind in a sound body.”

The second part, “Mens sana in corpore sano,” became the most famous expression.

2. Animals

16 Lamb beside Christ — INNOCENCE

In the Gospels, Christ presents himself as the Good Shepherd, the one who watches over his flock and goes in search of the lost sheep.
Carried on his shoulders, the lamb evokes the fragile or lost being whom Christ gathers in, protects and guides back to the path.
On the Gate of the Soul, this image links the innocence of the lamb with the figure of Christ as guide and protector of humanity.

17 Foo Dogs — GUARDING

In imperial China, Foo dogs are traditionally placed in pairs at the entrances of temples, palaces and important buildings, notably at the entrances to the Forbidden City.
Their symbolic function is to guard the threshold and protect the place from harmful influences.
On the Gate of the Soul, they naturally become the guardians of the passage between the outside world and the inner space.

18 Cobra / Pharaoh’s Uraeus — VIGILANCE

The uraeus is the sacred cobra of ancient Egypt, represented from the third millennium BCE on the insignia and headdresses of pharaonic power.
It expresses a protective vigilance directly associated with the sovereign.
On the Gate, it protects the figure of the pharaoh and affirms the sacred nature of his function.

19 Nazca Hummingbird — JOY

The hummingbird is one of the great geoglyphs created by the Nazca civilization in the desert of southern Peru, mainly between approximately 200 BCE and 500 CE.
Its lightness and rapid movement evoke a living and luminous energy. Its ability to feed at the heart of flowers associates it with the search for what nourishes and elevates.
On the Gate, it brings a dimension of joy, grace and movement.

20 Dragon Defeated by the Archangel Michael — TRIAL

The Archangel Michael defeating the dragon is a major theme in Christian art, inspired notably by the Book of Revelation, composed at the end of the 1st century CE.
It represents what must be faced, mastered or overcome.
On the Gate, the dragon reminds us how the same symbol can change meaning depending on the culture. In the Western Christian tradition, it embodies the evil defeated by the Archangel Michael; in Chinese culture, by contrast, it becomes a protective and benevolent figure. In Mesoamerica, the feathered serpent, notably Kukulcán among the Maya, extends this presence of the great sacred serpent in another form.

21 Ganesh’s Rat — INGENUITY

The rat, called Mushika, is Ganesh’s traditional mount in Hindu iconography.
The rat is capable of slipping through the narrowest spaces and finding a passage. Associated with Ganesh, it complements the theme of overcoming obstacles.
On the Gate, it represents practical intelligence and the ability to find a way where none seems possible.

22 Egyptian Scarab — IMMORTALITY

The scarab is a symbol of ancient Egypt used from the third millennium BCE and associated notably with the god Khepri and the sun reborn each morning. It is associated with the renewal of life. Scarab amulets accompanied the dead and formed part of beliefs concerning the afterlife.
On the Gate of the Soul, the scarab enters into dialogue with other Egyptian symbols such as the ankh or the pyramid and recalls transformation and the connection between life, death and renewal.

23 Bull / Horns Associated with Isis — POWER

The cow horns surrounding the solar disk became an attribute of Isis as she gradually adopted certain iconographic features of the goddess Hathor.
Their association with Isis places this power within a feminine and protective principle.
On the Gate, they express a fertile power rather than a power of domination.

3. Plants

24 Thistle with Christ — RESILIENCE
•• Because of its thorns, the thistle became associated in Christian iconography with the suffering and Passion of Christ, particularly as an echo of the crown of thorns.
• It grows and flowers in sometimes difficult conditions. Its thorns protect it without preventing the flower from appearing.
• Associated with Christ on the Gate, it becomes an image of the strength that passes through hardship without losing the capacity to bloom.

25 Ganesh’s Lotus — AWAKENING
• • The lotus is a major symbol in the spiritual traditions of India, present in Hinduism and Buddhism since antiquity.
• The lotus rises out of the water and muddy matter that surrounds it. It symbolizes passage toward a clearer consciousness.
• On the Gate, it represents inner elevation and openness to another dimension of oneself.

4. Monuments, Architecture and Objects of Civilization

26 Atlantis — Concentric Circles — CONVERGENCE

Atlantis is a legendary island described by the Greek philosopher Plato in the 4th century BCE in the dialogues Timaeus and Critias.
The successive rings visually converge toward the same center. Separate parts form a single organization.
The story itself reaches us through a chain of transmission: Egyptian priests, Solon, then Plato.

27 Ankh — Key of Life — LIFE

The ankh is a sign from ancient Egypt, attested from the 3rd millennium BCE and directly associated with the notion of life.
Egyptian gods are often depicted holding or offering the ankh.
It evokes life granted, prolonged or renewed.

28 Cycladic Figure — PURITY

Created in the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea mainly between 3200 and 2000 BCE, these marble figures are among the emblematic works of prehistoric Aegean art.
Their forms are highly refined and geometric. They go to the essential, with very few details.
This formal simplicity has profoundly shaped the modern perception of ancient art.

29 Ganesh’s Axe — DETACHMENT

The axe is one of Ganesh’s traditional attributes in Hindu iconography and accompanies the deity in many representations.
The axe symbolically cuts through what hinders. Associated with Ganesh, it directly contributes to overcoming obstacles.
On the Gate, it represents the ability to cut away attachments that prevent us from moving forward.

30. Moai of Easter Island — MEMORY

The moai are monumental statues erected by the Rapa Nui people on Easter Island, mainly between the 13th and 16th centuries.
The moai bear witness to a civilization and to continuity between generations. Their monumentality gives a lasting presence to those who came before.
On the Gate, even though they stand isolated at the far reaches of the Pacific, the moai remind us that human memory and transmission are values deeply rooted within us.

31 Ganesh’s Om — ORIGIN

Om is a very ancient sacred syllable of the Indian tradition, attested in Vedic texts and especially developed in the Upanishads during the 1st millennium BCE.
Om refers to the primordial sound. Associated with Ganesh, it connects his figure to a broader cosmic dimension.
On the Gate, it evokes the origin and the unity that precedes multiplicity.

32 Ganesh’s Pot — ABUNDANCE
•

The modakapatra is the vessel containing modakas, the sweets traditionally associated with Ganesh.
The vessel evokes that which contains, preserves and transmits. Associated with Ganesh, it can be understood as a reserve of blessings and resources.
On the Gate, it represents an abundance that nourishes the journey rather than material accumulation.

33 Pyramid of Chichén Itzá — TIME

The Pyramid of Kukulcán stands at Chichén Itzá, a major Maya center on Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, whose height of influence was mainly between the 9th and 12th centuries. It was one of the great political, religious and scientific centers of Mesoamerica.
Through its architecture, the pyramid expresses an ordered vision of the world, the cosmos and the cycles of the Maya calendar.
On the Gate, it represents the transmission of a civilization’s knowledge through time.

34 Pyramid of Khufu — ELEVATION

The Pyramid of Khufu, built around 2560 BCE on the Giza Plateau, is the largest of the Egyptian pyramids and the only one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World still preserved.
Its form rises powerfully toward the sky. It belongs to a funerary complex connected with the pharaoh’s destiny after death.
Its monumentality evokes the transcendence of a single human life and permanence.

35 Sphinx — ENIGMA

Sculpted in Egypt during the Old Kingdom, around 2500 BCE, the Great Sphinx is the guardian of the Giza Plateau and one of the most famous monuments of Antiquity.
In the Greek world, the Sphinx also became a figure of the enigma, notably through the story of Oedipus.
On the Gate, it can therefore create a link between Egypt and Greece: the same symbol passes through cultures and changes meaning while retaining its power.

36 Celtic Spiral — CYCLE

The spiral motif is much older than Celtic civilization, but it became particularly prominent in European Celtic art of the Iron Age, notably from the 5th century BCE onward.
The spiral symbolically connects a center to an ongoing movement, like a constant passage between inwardness and openness.
On the Gate of the Soul, it can represent a path of transformation that returns, evolves and renews itself without ever being exactly the same.

37 Ife Head — DIGNITY

Created in Ife, in present-day Nigeria, this head belongs to Yoruba culture and demonstrates a remarkable mastery of sculpture. It is generally dated to the 13th–15th centuries.
In Yoruba thought, orí refers to the head, but also to a person’s deep identity and destiny.
On the Gate of the Soul, it represents inner dignity: the value of a human being beyond appearances.

38 Olmec Head — HERITAGE

Created by the Olmec civilization on the Gulf Coast of Mexico, mainly between approximately 1200 and 400 BCE, the colossal heads are among the major works of ancient Mesoamerica.
Carved from enormous blocks of basalt, they express a desire to leave a lasting trace and recall the importance given to rulers and to the memory of ancestors.
On the Gate of the Soul, they represent heritage: what civilizations transmit through time and what each generation receives and passes on.

39 Prehistoric Venus — FERTILITY

Discovered at Lespugue in southwestern France, this statuette dates from around 25,000 years ago and belongs to the famous female representations of Prehistory.
Its deliberately emphasized forms — the breasts, belly and hips — evoke fertility and the continuity of life.
On the Gate of the Soul, it reminds us that the question of birth and creation has accompanied humanity since its origins.

Yin-Yang — COMPLEMENTARITY

Yin and yang are two complementary principles of ancient Chinese thought, developed notably from the 4th–3rd centuries BCE onward.
They show that two apparently opposing forces can form a whole. Each symbolically contains a part of the other.
On the Gate, the yin-yang symbol summarizes one of the central principles of the work: to come together and complement one another rather than oppose one another. Beyond apparent duality, it invites us to perceive the deeper unity that connects opposites and to move beyond the very idea of separation.

5. Particular Signs and Symbols

At the top of Gate of the Soul, on either side of Ganesh, the female and male bodies each bear only one wing. It evokes the dual dimension, human and spiritual, present within each of us. Together, the two figures also express the complementarity that allows us to move forward and rise: “One wing for each, two wings to rise.”

The inner path is travelled within oneself, but it is also fulfilled through the encounter with the other.

41 Feminine Principle — CREATION

It expresses the capacity to receive, transform and give birth.
It belongs to a universal symbolism of complementary forces.
On the Gate, the feminine principle follows a slightly curved descending line:
the Prehistoric Venus, then Kuan Yin, and finally Isis, who forms its base.
42 Principe masculin — ACTION
- It can only be fully understood in relation to its feminine complement.
- It represents the force that projects itself outward, acts and transforms.
- On the Gate, it contributes to the balance of complementary principles. Its beard emphasizes maturity and experience, while the memento mori — represented by a skull — reminds us that all human action takes place within time, finitude and the fragility of existence.
- 43 Eye within the Eye — SOUL
- Eye within the Eye is a contemporary creation made especially by Jean-Sébastien Raud for Gate of the Soul.
- The gaze directed outward also becomes a gaze turned inward. The eye contained within the eye suggests several levels of perception and consciousness.
- On the Gate, positioned between Ganesh and “Know Thyself,” the Eye within the Eye marks the passage from intellectual knowledge to a more inward and awakened consciousness.

44 The Gate of the Soul — HUMANITY

The Gate of the Soul is a contemporary sculpture by Jean-Sébastien Raud, completed in its current version in 2022, as part of an artistic project begun several years earlier, with a first version created in 2012.
It brings together forty-four symbols from different cultures, periods and traditions, placed in relation to one another within a single composition.

“Each symbol is a gateway; together, they become the Gate of the Soul.”

The Gate itself becomes a symbol, inviting us to discover what can connect human beings beyond their differences and offering an interpretation of our shared heritage.

“The Gate of the Soul is an invitation to build peace through knowledge, understanding and dialogue.”