“In the universe, there are things that are known,
and things that are unknown,
and in between,
there are DOORS”
Doors that are welcoming…
simple doors just off a busy street…
doors with character and options…
protected doorways…
doors so faded they almost seem forgotten…
tricky doors that go nowhere…
doors filled with mystery…
a passageway to the unknown…
“Take your time. I’ll be here when you are ready” says the door with a bench
An open door…
just for you
welcome.
Liminal (limen; latin) meaning threshold.
Doorways are thresholds from one place to another. Crossing over those thresholds… we do this everyday without much regard. Yet maybe this simple action provides an opportunity to ponder peace.
Richard Rohr wrote: “Liminal space is an inner state and sometimes an outer situation when we can begin to think and act in new ways… we usually enter liminal space when our former way of being is challenged or changed.”
The images of the doors shows us that our thresholds, or liminal space comes in many shapes and sizes.
So many possibilities…
I discovered this poem titled “The inherent uncertainty of transition” by Felicia Murrell last spring and have revisited it often as a reminder of how to embrace liminal space. To find ease on the threshold…
“In the radiance of dark, there is a process:
the unfolding of mystery,
things words cannot articulate,
a threshold to freedom the mind cannot comprehend.
But the body feels,
the heart knows:
this is liminality.
The threshold of transition,
from death to life, from evening to morn,
from gestation to giving birth
the unknown is a part of it all.”
When I went searching through my photos for that one picture I remembered taking of a red door, I was delighted to find so many photos of doors, particularly red ones.
For years, I’ve felt I was “stuck” on a metaphorical threshold… waiting, inpatiently at best, desperate at my worst, for the next “move” to come along. When I learned about liminal space, my attitude began to shift into a place of acceptance with the unknowing.
These images of doorways are a reminder to me that the pathway of peace is a process… it’s not a destination. One door opens, a threshold crossed, moves me into a space to encounter new doors.
Doorways of peace…
Peace nugget #4
Which doorway of peace speaks to you and why?
Other
Several people have asked if there is a way to post photos in the comments. I will check into this yet my initial response is “I don’t think so.” I am contemplating moving to a different platform in the new year that allows for more interaction between all of you. More details on this later.