Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture I

In Appendix A: The Processual Form of Ritual in Image and Pilgrimage in Christian Culture it discusses two terms we discussed in class: liminality and communitas. Liminality and communitas are connected. In order for communitas to happen, liminality,the process of  liminars being stripped of status and authority and leveled to a homogenous state, must first take place. It is the state of mid-transition in a rite of passage. Once all liminars, the ritual subjects in this phase, are leveled to an equal state, a sense of communitas is able to form. There is no longer any social structure or social hierarchy. I can see how these two concepts connect to long distance hiking and/or pilgrimages. Without the modern convienences or technologies hikers are more likely to take in the experiences and remain focused on their goals which makes it easier for liminality and communitas to take place.