Sense of Place and Liminality

Sense of Place, “Either the intrinsic character of a place, or the meaning people give to it, but, more often, a mixture of both”. Oxford Reference.com

“Liminality is a quality of being in between two places or stages, on the verge of transitioning to something new… Liminality is rooted in this idea of a threshold (limen in Latin), a kind of doorway between the past and the future”. Vocabulary.com

I fell in love with these two concepts while being a Field Archaeologist years ago. The ideas behind their meaning both enchanted me and encouraged me to think and feel deeper. Simply put, archaeology is about ‘connection to the people and places of the past’. Today, there are all kinds of technology and tools to help archaeologists excavate sites. Although, this new way of digging saves time and labour, nothing can replace ‘sensing the energy of place’. Consider, people chose places to live that would provide sustenance and sustainability. The human impact of people in an environment leaves an imprint. If, you are very lucky as an Archaeologist you will feel this investment of energy in the landscape. No map or tool can bestow this special ability.

I’m going to challenge you to take these ideas and definitions behind ‘sense of place’ and apply them to yourself. Have you been able to ‘connect to the people and places of your past’? Have you been able to understand the link between how your ‘Mind, Body, and Soul’ work? There are all kinds of tools and practices in the world of today to help you ‘excavate yourself’, but nothing can really replace the time of listening and feeling into the nature of who you are. Reconnection comes by simply trusting you have meaning and purpose. What energy imprint do you wish to leave for yourself and in your landscape? 

I’m going to suggest you enter a ‘liminal space’, and allow time to become reacquainted with yourself? All civilizations have a ‘rise and fall’, and so do we as humans. It is how we learn and advance. We’re living in a time of transition, so isn’t it time to look at your process and rediscover who you are? There are a few in Archaeology that find the ‘liminal spaces of the past’ the most interesting times to study. The questions of how humanity begins again after all is lost is by far the richer landscape to map. Don’t become lost or comfortable in the ‘liminal zone’. Step over the threshold. The ancient practice of Numerology can guide you to your past and future self.

Photos are from Nine Wells, Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire, UK. The Ancient Chalk Springs are a multi-period site, visited earliest by Mesolithic/Neolithic Hunter-Gatherers. The chalk springs are still in use by the city of Cambridge, and looked after by Hobson's Conduit Trust.

See https://hobsonsconduittrust.org/