The Magic of "Liminality" in this Global Pandemic

I took my first Anthropology class during my sophomore year at DePauw University. 

Me in college (a total grungy hippie).

I honestly didn't even know what Anthropology was before I took that class. But I fell in love with the study of human cultures and human rituals because of my brilliant and mind-blowing professor, Dr. Lakshmi Fjord (pictured below).

I ended-up taking four different Anthropology classes with Dr. Lakshmi Fjord while at DePauw, and I became an Anthropology minor because of her. And the main lesson I remember from her classes (almost 20 years later) is this: 

All human rites of passage consist of three phases: 

1.) separation, 2.) liminality, and 3.) incorporation. 

And of those three phases, the most scary, and most uncertain, and the most INTERESTING is the phase of LIMINALITY. 

Friends, what we are experiencing RIGHT NOW, in this lock-down, in quarantine, during this global pandemic, is a perfect example of LIMINALITY.  

Image courtesy of https://www.slideserve.com/brinly/ritual-and-rite-of-passage.

Common examples of modern rites of passage include graduations, bar/bat mitzvahs, weddings, etc. 

All of these rituals can be broken down into 1.) the separation phase (when you are physically removed from normal society, usually wearing some kind of costume that is not your normal attire); 2.) the liminal phase (the "betwixt and between," where the "magical transformation" takes place, when you have to speak certain words or perform certain actions in order to safely navigate to other side); and finally 3.) the incorporation phase (where you are reintroduced back into society with a new status).

I can't help but see this global pandemic as a "rite of passage." One, giant, worldwide, common ritual that we are all experiencing at the same time. Allow me to elaborate. 

The separation phase was when we left our offices and schools, and all-but-essential businesses were forced to close. The incorporation phase will be that glorious day when we can all go outside and hug our family, friends, and neighbors again. And that day will be magnificent!  

But we're not there yet. We are fully immersed in the liminal phase right now, and we need to honor and make peace with this magical and mysterious place. 

Liminality is scary because we don't know what's ahead of us. We only know that we can never go back to how it used to be. We are afraid for our lives and for the lives of our loved ones. There is no "normal" anymore. So many things that gave us comfort and a sense of control are no longer there, and we don't know if they are coming back. This is the scariest and most uncertain part of the rite of passage. 

But liminality is also a profound and positive place to be. Liminality is where all of the growth happens. Liminality is where change can happen. Liminality is where roles are reversed, and the powerless become the powerful. Liminality is the great equalizer. 

The honored and revered of this global crisis are the service industry workers, the grocery store workers, the truck drivers, the cleaners, the nurses, the doctors, the bus drivers, and all essential workers and first-responders who don't have the privileged to stay at home and wait for this pandemic to end. They are our heroes and our salvation.  

Their work is hazardous and life-threatening. They should be given every precaution and tool possible to ensure their health and safety. They should all be compensated like KINGS!

Because of the fear and uncertainty of liminality, something else emerges during this phase. New connections are formed. Social barriers come crumbling down. Genuine community is created. We feel more connected to strangers we've never met in person. People feel more free and less inhibited to express their true selves. We become more of who we were all along. We no longer hide behind social expectations, roles, titles, and other labels that divide us. We become one. 

That's what can happen during liminality (and only during liminality!). We discover how strong we really are. We realize how much WE LOVE and how much WE ARE LOVED! 

And that's when the magic happens!

We no longer want to go back to the way things were before. We no longer want to hide behind roles, labels, titles, dress codes, and other "social norms." 

We want to continue to be our stronger, more loving, more authentic selves. We want to continue to consume less and create more. We want to commute less and connect more. We want to FaceTime with our friends and family members every day, and not just once in a while.

We want to spend more time writing, singing, drawing, crafting, etc., and not because it's our job, but because it makes us feel alive!

By the time this global pandemic has run its course, and we are re-incorporated back into a fully-functioning society, I hope and pray that we are a better society.

I hope that we will be a society that takes care our poorest with a universal basic income.

I hope that we will be a society that views health care as a human right, and not merely as a commodity to be bought and sold.

I hope we will become less obsessed with working and shopping.

I hope we will continue to slow down. 

I hope that a new world will be born out of this global pandemic.

I hope you're not overwhelmed with fear (but even if you are, I hope you'll pick up the phone and call me). I hope that you and your loved ones are safe and healthy. I hope that your community and your government will take care of you if you lose your job or if you get sick. 

I hope you are able to embrace this liminal phase. Yes, this is the scary part, but this is also where the good stuff happens. In all human rituals, this is where the magic happens. I'm ready for the magic.