Emily Tucker- Liminality

  •    Liminality: a state of transition between one stage and the next
  •    Liminal Space: a threshold between two points signaling the end of one time or space and the beginning of another
    Liminality has been a central aspect to many of the heroes journeys we've discussed this semester. Liminal space can be physical, emotional, or metaphorical. In "The Boy and the Heron" movie, the liminal space was symbolized by the tower as a portal to the other world. The "Ecstasy of Saint Teresa" shows the liminal space as a transition between the earthly and the divine by showing human pain and emotion as well as the religious experience and encounter with the angel. Liminality is seen as the uncertainty that come with searching for meaning and experiencing internal journeys as seen in the poem, "In Baghdad, Dreaming of Cairo." We also learned about sipapus (meaning: emergence) and their cultural and historical significance as portals where the ancient Puebloans' ancestors emerged into the world. 

    Another way of approaching liminality is looking at the effects liminal transformation has on a person's interior journey. As we go through transitions in life, sometimes we need to be completely stripped of ourselves in order to be "rebirthed" into someone greater. This is seen in everyday life, especially in places like the military where everyone is stripped of their own unique identity and molded into soldiers. 

    In the heroes journey, the hero must "cross the threshold" to enter the other world in order to begin his journey. This is the liminal state of the hero. Liminality is also the transition/space between the conscious and the unconscious of the mind. In many myths and stories, liminality is in the form of a forest. It is a place where transformation can take place, and anything can happen. An Axis Mundi is a type of liminal space that connects heaven and earth and the underworld. In some cultures, they believe the Shaman to be an axis-mundi. 

    How does liminality apply in everyday life? We all go through transitions and "in-between" stages in our lives. It's in these moments that we can choose our path and determine our future. Sometimes we need to leave one world and enter another to find what we need. Other times we need to leave our world only to realize what we needed was already in the world we left, so we return with a new mind and perspective. Liminality opens us to the option of entering the unconscious and turning it into the conscious. Often liminality is found through rites of passage we go through symbolizing a transition from one stage of our life to the next.
    
    

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