We have all been there. That between time.
Not quite away from the familiar, and not quite sure of the new.
It happens at all stages of life, and it happens for everyone.
We are at the threshold of something.
I recently encountered this word on my Facebook feed. It was one I had heard before at the time of the death of my colleague, Professor Robert Hull. One of his former students recalled his talking about liminality and sharing an article with her. Here is her tribute to Rob and to the power of his teaching. When I recently saw the word again, I went back and reread this tribute. In an indirect way, he was still teaching from the grave.
The word Liminality comes from the Latin word limins (threshold) and was the topic for Arnold van Gennep’s work (Rites of Passage) in which he explored transitions during such times. (I believe this is what he gave Krysta that day.)
Liminal Space is a place where great growth occurs and transformation takes place. It is a place where we can think about all we have experienced in the familiar and make decisions about what we want the future to hold.
The more I read, the more I realized that the whole world is experiencing Liminality right now. A couple of examples!
High School students are about to graduate, and are on the threshold between school days and college, work, marriage, or other paths. Maybe they have been accepted to college, but are not yet part of that world.
Likewise, college students are about to cross a threshold into work, graduate school, marriage, or other paths. They are still part of their college world, but are feeling that liminal awkwardness.
Covid seems to be over (oh, don’t we hope), but it is not really gone yet. We still need to be vigilant.
The world is helplessly watching as millions are displaced from their homes in Ukraine. People whose very lives are liminal. Just weeks ago, they were going about their daily lives in places that are no longer inhabitable. Families are torn apart, homes destroyed, an entire nation caught between the before and after.
WVWC is in a liminal space, with an Interim President, and Interim Dean, and is in search of a Director of Library Services and a Director of Alumni Affairs, just to name a few. It is a great time to be thinking about the time ahead.
The United Methodist Church is at a crossroads, and it is not entirely clear how that will all work out. They have been there before. What will 2022 bring?
Seasons
Just days ago the temperature was in the 70s, and now we’ve had a couple of days of snow. Definitely Liminal Space between Winter and Spring.
Stages of Life and Relationships
Engagement is a time of liminality. You are committed to one another, but not yet married. Many things need to be figured out about the wedding details as well as about priorities for your lives and family priorities.
Pregnancy is a time of liminality. You are very aware that there is a new life involved. Someone for whom you will be responsible and someone that will change your life forever. It is a threshold time not only for the expectant parents, but for the one literally being created in the womb – and who will be crossing over a threshold at birth. We constantly move between stages of life, with liminal space in between them.
Moving from job to job can be a confusing time. You may find that you are a lame duck at your old job, but not yet in a place where you can dive into the new one.
Moving from one house or city to another is definitely a Liminal time. Boxes are packed and things are in flux. If you are going to a new town, you will need to find your way around and learn where things are. Who will cut your hair? Which doctor or bank is best for you? Where did you put the toothpaste?!? So many questions. After a time, you will find all of these things familiar. The time in between is Liminal time.
Retirement is a time of liminality. You knew who you were and what you should be doing each day. Some are almost completely defined by the job that they do, and have a hard time determining who they will be after retirement. Others embrace the opportunity to spend their days in new ways.
Liminality is a time for creativity and growth. Professor Rob Hull said that without liminal space there is no transformation. As difficult as it may be at times, it is a time to be embraced.
Some readings:
- Rites of Passage, by Arnold von Gennep (1909) [available for borrowing on Internet Archive]
- A Liminality Primer, by Timothy Carson [website and resources which is an outgrowth of a doctoral dissertation]
