Thresholds

Liminal spaces

by Brian Radcliffe

Suitable for Whole School (Sec)

Aims

To encourage us to consider strategies for handling life’s transitions.

Preparation and materials

• Have available an image of a Roman doorway and the means to display it during the assembly. An example is available at: https://tinyurl.com/28pscar9

Assembly

1. Have you ever stood at a doorway, waiting for the door to open? You want to leave one space and move to the next, but the door hasn’t opened yet.
   
   The Romans had a word for this.
   
   Display the image of a Roman doorway.
   
   They called this space the limen. Sometimes, it was simply a threshold, the space into which the door fits. At other times, the limen might be a short corridor, part of neither the room behind nor the room in front. We can liken it to an airlock in a submarine or space rocket.
   
   
2. Psychologists use the word limen to describe certain situations within human experience. Liminal spaces are those times when we’ve left one situation, but haven’t yet entered a new one. We’re waiting for the door to open so that we can move forwards.
   
   
3. So, what does this mean in practice? We’re in a liminal space when:
   
   - we’ve taken a test or exam, but haven’t yet received the result
   - we’ve reached the end of one school year, but haven’t yet begun the next
   - a significant relationship breaks up, but we haven’t yet begun a new one
   
   
4. A liminal space is a transition, a threshold that we haven’t yet been able to cross. We’ll look at some other examples later.
   
   
5. Being in a liminal space can generate feelings of uncertainty, maybe even anxiety. For example:
   
   - our future might depend on the right exam result
   - we don’t know what the timetable will be next year, who our teachers will be or how we might cope
   - we fear that we may never experience another relationship like the one that has recently ended
   
   It’s easy to become impatient and want to move on. We may find the necessary waiting frustrating, but can’t get ourselves going. Self-confidence can drop as doubt creeps in. We may even feel depressed and irritable because the situation is beyond our control. At worst, we may feel unable to function or take decisions. Alternatively, we might panic and take some unwise decisions.
   
   
6. The first Easter Saturday is a classic example of a liminal space. Jesus had been executed on the Friday. What were his followers to do? They were worried that the authorities would instigate a purge on all those identified with Jesus, so they feared for their lives. Some panicked and fled the scene. Others hung around the tomb, paralysed by grief. This wasn’t how they’d expected life to turn out. It was out of their control. They’d invested their futures in Jesus, and now he was dead.
   
   With hindsight, Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday would change everything, but it hadn’t happened yet. Jesus’ followers were in a liminal space, on a threshold.

Time for reflection

Can you begin to recognize these situations within your own life? How do we cope with finding ourselves in a liminal space?

First, it’s important to accept that liminal spaces are a normal part of life. We shouldn’t let our perception become distorted. Millions of people have waited for exam results before us, so we’re not alone. Relationships break down. Transitions take us all by surprise. We’re not uniquely challenged.

Second, we don’t have to treat liminal spaces as a problem. Yes, they present a challenge, but they can actually be the most creative times of our lives. For instance, the ending of one relationship opens up opportunities, in time, for other relationships. A new school year always represents a new start. Jesus’ followers could have no idea of the exciting, dynamic future that the resurrection fuelled.

So, let’s keep moving forward, remembering what our values and ambitions are. Let’s keep alive the vision we have for ourselves. Remember that a liminal space is never a cul-de-sac. There will be a way ahead. It may not be what we expected, but that needn’t be a bad thing.

Song/music

‘I can see clearly now’ by Johnny Nash, available at: https://youtu.be/b0cAWgTPiwM (2.48 minutes long)

Extension activities

1. Invite the students to suggest liminal spaces other than the three described in the assembly (exams, yearly transitions and relationship break-ups).
   
   
2. Ask the students to look back over their lives at the liminal spaces that they’ve experienced. How did they feel and what was helpful in moving on?
   
   This is an important discussion. Understanding and talking about liminal spaces is a key skill for adolescents.