Soul Journeys

Two forces at the beginning of the path

In the symbolic language of the work, at the moment of birth two energies stand beside the newborn: one recalls fear, renunciation and the defence against pain; the other strength, commitment and determination.

Initiation presents this contrast as a first symbolic crossroads of existence. The two presences do not describe a theory of the human being, but give pictorial form to polarities that may accompany us throughout life.

The work opens the ‘Soul Journeys’ cycle and invites the viewer to reflect on how these two fundamental forces shape our choices from the very beginning, together with the character and spiritual direction of our path.

The return to authenticity after the play of roles

In this intimate and theatrical composition, scattered objects narrate the story of masks we wear: a pair of red high-heeled shoes, delicate fabrics, traces of cosmetics, and an idealized portrait. They are props of identity, fragments of the roles we adopt to perform, seduce, or conform.

Each accessory is a mask in disguise, a sign of the desire to be seen, admired, or accepted. Yet at the end of the day, when the curtain falls and the inner dressing room awaits, the question emerges: can I set aside the character? Can I step out of the borrowed image and return to my naked self?

On the right edge of the canvas, the bare feet appear — fragile, unadorned, profoundly human. They symbolize the truth of being, the moment of shedding roles, of abandoning appearances and coming home to one’s original essence.

Through color and composition, Aurora Mazzoldi transforms simple objects into a psychological stage, where identity is both costume and prison. Yet in the vulnerability of bare feet, there lies the possibility of freedom, intimacy, and inner truth.

The Choice — Between fear and awareness: the soul’s turning point

In this symbolic and visionary composition, Aurora Mazzoldi portrays the delicate yet powerful moment of inner choice. Every decision is a threshold: it carries deep consequences, sometimes irreversible, and always rooted in an act of conscious will.

To the left, a female figure of luminous serenity embodies compassionate awareness. Around her neck shines a golden heart, symbol of the profound value accessible only through a hidden key: the key of instinct.

To the right, a tiger/wolf-like guardian clutches that very key between its teeth. Fierce yet protective, it is not a threat but an inner guide, urging a reconnection with primordial strength and authenticity.

Behind, half-veiled in shadow, emerges the face of the victim-self — the presence of fear, resignation, and paralysis. It is the counterpart of awareness: the inertia that binds us to our limitations.

The painting becomes an allegory of existential crossroads: the tender but firm call of awareness, the primal instinct as a gatekeeper, and the shadow of victimhood that lingers. Which path will the soul choose?

Identification — When the ego takes hold of the self and turns it into a mask

In this layered and evocative work, Aurora Mazzoldi unveils the subtle mechanisms of psychic identification — the invisible process through which beliefs, roles, and survival strategies gradually harden until they become identity itself. What begins as a thought or defense slowly takes control, until we end up saying: “this is who I am.”

The central face, marked by the ego, bears a detached and self-satisfied expression: the illusion of mastery, of having defined oneself. Yet, in the shadow — filtered through a net-like structure — appears the figure of the inner victim, subtly holding the strings of manipulation. It is she who fuels the ego with fear, dependency, and false promises.

The composition creates a sense of hypnotic entrapment: we believe we are free, but instead we identify with what we are not, becoming malleable, compliant, manipulable. Identification pushes us to desire what we do not truly want, to think automatically, and to react without presence.

The painting stands as a powerful invitation to awareness: to recognize the puppet strings, release the mask, and return to the center of one’s true being.

Becoming one’s own confidant is the first step toward healing

Set on a pier suspended between water and sky, in a rarefied atmosphere, two figures appear to engage in a silent dialogue. One looks, the other listens. Yet they may be the same person, mirrored in two states of being: one visible and tangible, the other ethereal, inward, symbol of the soul speaking.

The work conveys the transformative power of deep listening. There can be no true healing without acknowledging emotions, without giving voice to unheard thoughts and hidden pain. It is within silence that a space opens, where wounds begin to tell their story and release themselves.

The artist invites us to become friends with ourselves, offering our inner world gentleness and respect. In this act, fear dissolves, pain transforms, and solitude turns into conscious presence.

Listening here is more than a therapeutic gesture: it is a ritual of return, a homecoming to the core of one’s being.

When the ego takes command, consciousness becomes trapped in its deceptions

In this layered and unsettling composition, an inner universe unfolds, dominated by the tension between light and shadow. A fragile yet powerful cobweb restrains every impulse, a symbol of the sense of paralysis created by unconscious patterns and inner conditioning.

The spider here becomes a metaphor of control, of the ego silently weaving its threads, occupying every available space, and imprisoning the freedom of the self. Amidst a chaos of reflections and fragments, ambiguous, distorted figures appear — projections of the self staring back without recognition.

It is the chamber of mirrors: a mental space where distorted images of the self feed subtle dynamics, toxic relationships, and cruel inner games. Each figure acts alone, disconnected from the whole. The individual remains divided, dominated by hostile, invisible forces.

Yet, at the center of this fragmentation, a radiant core emerges: spherical, luminous, almost celestial. It is the nucleus of awareness, where the ego dissolves and being is restored. From this inner center — unity and pure consciousness — shines the authentic light of knowledge.

From the dominion of fear to the awakening of inner purity

In this symbolic and dramatic painting, two opposing forces confront one another. On one side, the dove, the serene hand, and the rosary embody a pacified spiritual presence; on the other, a dark and suspicious gaze emerges from the mantle of fear.

In the symbolic language of the work, fear, control, division and guilt belong to an inner world dominated by defence. The figure seems to experience reality as a threat, ready to attack so as not to be attacked.

On the other side, the dove and the serene hand suggest a different possibility: to welcome what we feel without being entirely governed by it, and to recover an inner space less dominated by reaction.

The inner force that can serve you… or replace you

In a mysterious, dreamlike inner landscape, a figure emerges — half theatrical mask, half totemic spirit. The anthropomorphic fox, dressed with elegance and charm, appears almost playful, yet unsettling in its determination.

The artist imagines an inner laboratory in which resources, capacities and still-inactive possibilities coexist.

The helper symbolically represents the part of us capable of organising and setting these resources in motion. Yet the same function, if it takes on too much power, can end up replacing the will of the person it was meant to serve.

The drowsy, indistinct faces surrounding the fox suggest both potential waiting to be activated and the risk of a consciousness that has fallen asleep, delegated to an efficient but dangerous mask. The work stands as a symbolic warning: use your inner forces, but do not let them use you.

From the sky of the soul to the valley of forgetfulness

In this narrative and symbolic painting, Aurora Mazzoldi portrays the transition from the subtle state of the soul to the dense reality of matter. The central childlike figure slides downward with apparent lightness, drawn to simple, innocent desires, while two other presences follow or watch, acting as mirrors of the self at different depths.

It is a movement of descent into a world of objects, games, and forms — but also of forgetfulness, fragmentation, and regression. The deeper the descent into this “valley of play,” the more the original memory of one’s higher nature is obscured.

The “bag of wonders” spills open with seductive symbols: spinning tops, puppets, flowers, and serpents. Each carries an ambivalent meaning, oscillating between innocence and illusion, enchantment and disorientation.

The work poses a universal question: how much do we lose each time we identify with the game of matter? And what can be recovered if we dare to look upward again?