Bored Panda got in touch with Lillie Marshall, a teacher and traveler from Aroundtheworldl.com who has spoken to us about liminal spaces before. We wanted to hear more of her thoughts on this matter, so we asked her to share some personal stories about them.

“Until I went through it recently, I never realized how profound a liminal space (or liminal time) the divorce process can be. You are halfway between being married and not married, and it completely throws everything for a loop!”

“There are many of the same eerie and surreal feelings evoked during a liminal time like this as there are for classic physical liminal spaces -- and also the same potential for deep growth, development, and learning as you move to that next chapter,” she shared. This got us wondering about the idea of other liminal “things” that aren’t necessarily just creepy rooms.

“As I recently wrote in my article about life transitions, every major life transition we go through -- be it positive or challenging -- is a liminal space that can be scary. I really urge people to start identifying liminal times in their life (not just physical liminal spaces) and to reach out to get extra support during those months or years. Self-care strategies such as meditation and exercise can help move the energy through during those transitions as well.”

“A liminal time is essentially a life transition: You are leaving one chapter of your life, and entering another, but not there yet. For example, the teen years are a liminal time because you are between child and adult. That is an example that lasts for many years, but you can also have a shorter moment in time that is a liminal moment or liminal state.”

“For instance, meditation or Reiki therapy brings you to a state that is neither awake nor asleep, but rather an in-between time during which great growth and processing can happen, to launch you into the next state powerfully.” she shared.

Given her interest in this question, we wanted to hear why Lillie believed “liminal spaces” had become so popular as of late. “I think -- in fact, know -- that liminal spaces have become so popular lately because, as I explained in my liminal space article, they are a wildly exciting space of growth -- with that same thrill of heart-thumping adrenaline that comes from amusement park rides.”

“If you think about it, that moment before a roller coaster dives down the first slope is a liminal space! There is so much possible in those moments of anticipation.” If you want to learn more about liminal spaces, you can check out Lillie’s other article on them and if you just want to feel more uneasy, check out Bored Panda’s articles on creepy stuff or more unsettling spaces.