Nell Gottlieb

Liminal Space

Liminal space (from limen, Latin for threshold) is a “between-place”. Life transitions involve separation from our current identity, movement through a liminal space, to emergence in our new identity. These include adolescence, marriage, becoming a parent, major geographic relocations, death of our parents, widowhood, and, finally, death. Each transition is a time for reflection. Reference points are lost, and we must learn new ways of orienting ourselves. This liminal space is a sacred neutral zone.