Liminality

Liminality: a transitional process; occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold. (i.e. being on the border of England and Scotland, you're not quite in either place)

Tonight I went to a discussion group where we talked about these moments of liminality in our lives. Those moments when we are in the in between whether it be physical, mental, spiritual. Those moments when you're transported out of your reality and have to redefine your identity. I now have a word to define what my life has been the last month and a half and especially the last couple of weeks. I've been in a state of liminality, between college and career, trying to define my space in the world. Physically I've been between my apartment and home, family and friends. This physical liminality is representative of my mental liminality; who am I really? What do I really like to do when school isn't consuming my life and when I don't have a busy life to define me? More than that though these things have caused me to have a spiritual liminality. That point when what you believe is all the sudden put in to question and you really have to face your nothingness that it talks about in the Book of Mormon. I know this might sound negative, after all who really wants to be in liminality? It's hard, you're forced to face the wholes in your armor and that is never easy. My epiphany for the night was, we all go through these phases, the parts were we question our very being. It's not scary, it's actually wonderful because without them there's no way we could progress. But how many times do we judge others for being in their state of liminality? When someone starts to question their very being are we willing to see them through it and listen to them? How many times do we discard those around us or panic or feel threatened because someone's perfecting their sense of reality? AND how much do we beat ourselves up for being in these transition phases? What I've come to realize lately is that I can't be afraid of them in myself or in others. They happen and they're wonderful because even though they are hard they make us reevaluate our world and help us become better. Anyway, sorry for the rambling, just something to think about :) P.S. see Emerson excerpt below