Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture #1

"It has become clear to us that liminality is not only transition but also potentiality, not only 'going to be' but also 'what may be,' a formulable domain in which all that is not manifest in the normal day-to-day operation of social structures (whether on account of social repression or because it is rendered cognitively 'invisible' by prestigious paradigmatic denial) can be studied objectively, despite the often bizarre and metaphorical character of its contents." p.3

Turner and Turner discuss the threshold experience of the liminal as a place where growth and potentiality can occur. It is a place where the social structures from which we came can fall away, no longer relevant. In the falling away of these social structures, we are able to further understand ourselves, no longer contained to what society says is good or right or just. Furthermore, we are shaken from the inevitable fallen-ness that Heidegger would argue the world brings with its idle conversation, ambiguity, and curiosity. This liminal stage seems to have interesting implications for how we view the concept of transition. While we may not all go on a formal pilgrimage, most individuals do experience some type of transition in their life and the experience can be an uncomfortable one. However, transition is a time in which individuals can learn more about themselves, more about their belief and value system and grow as a human being. There is potentiality in the transition, a new opportunity of growth and what could be.