liminal spaces

in my first post i had meant to offer some explanation of this title - 'in the middle of the journey of our life.' this is the first line of dante's divine comedy, the inferno cantica.

i was having a discussion with my friend tom about 'liminal spaces' - an idea that was imparted to me from the golden tongue of one patrick o'brien. it came up after we saw a plaque in hyde park that referenced lewis carroll, author of 'alice in wonderland.' a liminal space is a sort of boundary area, an amorphous threshold between the known realm and that which lies beyond our capacity to anticipate - the otherworldly, the creepy.

the opening of dante's divine comedy finds the poem's main character - dante himself - in such a space, at the foot of a mountain he cannot climb. his path is blocked by a variety of threatening obstacles, and he is paralyzed with an awareness of his own helplessness and lack of direction in 'the dark wood' he finds himself in. what's interesting is that he writes with all the emphasis inherent in the very first line of a 3 volume epic poem encompassing politics, history, literature, philosophy, and theology that he finds himself there in the journey of OUR life. this is not just a personal journey. his reader is invited along as he himself is guided 'by another way' at the heels of his guide, the poet vergil.

now, i destest melodrama, but to an extent i can empathize with the sentiments of that high poet and humble pilgrim. mainly, i'm aware that the challenges of this trip are insurmountable by my own power and wits alone. and whatever mountain of virtue or wisdom that demands my ascent may need be approached by a circuitous, unknown route. and right now, that knowledge is creeping me out. i'm trying to keep my eyes open for white rabbits.