Landscapes of the sacred: Liminality

Tyler Hoskinson

I love the idea of liminality, of being at the threshold of an experience, or place, or even of existence. There seems to be a great sense of opportunity within the idea of liminality. If you are neither here nor there, then you will eventually become either here or there. If you are coming from an unwanted place, and stuck in a liminal state, then you have the opportunity to transform into a new person once you pass through the liminal plane of existence. Liminality is a transformation process. When you enter a liminal state you come out changed, sometimes for the better, but possibly for the worse. For instance, a choma could be considered a liminal state, and though coming out of it is positive, the effects of having been in one in the first place could be severe. On a better note, a person can be in a liminal state when it comes to spirituality. You can be on the threshold of finding your spirituality, wavering back and forth, and finally find yourself and find spirituality.