The Meaning Of Threshold And Your Sacred Role In Change
Discover the meaning of threshold with Ro Marlen
You may not have had a name for it. But you’ve known this place for a long time.
The trembling of not-quite-there. The ache of endings that haven’t become beginnings. The meaning of threshold is simple: it’s the liminal space between two states of being. But to live in it? That’s not so simple.
To live in the threshold is to feel everything changing inside you, even when nothing on the outside makes sense yet. And if you’ve always felt like you live between worlds, this is your invitation to understand why.
I Was Born To Stand At The Edge
I’ve never fully belonged anywhere.
Not in my family, not in dominant culture, not even in many spiritual spaces. I’ve always seen what others couldn’t see, felt what they couldn’t name. I was once ashamed of that. Now I know it for what it is: a calling.
I am a Thresholder. I live between what was and what is becoming. I hold space in that strange, sacred middle—where grief, change, and emergence live together. I’ve learned that the meaning of threshold isn’t about suffering through transition. It’s about learning to root inside it.
This is why I guide others who are called to the edge. Not to fix them—but to remind them who they are.
Thresholders Don’t Fit—And That’s The Point
Thresholders and Medial People often feel like outsiders. They’re sensitive. Intuitive. They notice patterns others miss. They see behind the veil of things. And in a world that moves fast and lives on the surface, that can feel like a curse.
Some are diagnosed with autoimmune illness, depression, chronic fatigue, or vague syndromes that have no “cure.” Others are misdiagnosed or told they’re simply too sensitive. They might resonate with labels like HSP, Empath, or Neurodivergent, but none of those fully explain what they are.
What they are is sacred. They were born to stand at the edge and hold the threshold for others. But without guidance or community, that calling can feel like exile.
You’re Not Too Much. You’re Built For This
If any of that feels familiar, hear this: you are not alone.
You’re not broken. You’re not weak. You were never meant to live in the center of a society that doesn’t recognize your role. You were meant to hold the edge. To inhabit the threshold—not escape it.
The meaning of threshold is not to suffer or disappear into the space between. It’s to become there. To hold it with presence, clarity, and power. And that is something you can learn.
Thresholds Are Misunderstood In Our Culture
In modern society, thresholds are often avoided. We bypass them with distractions, overwork, or premature “positivity.” Or we romanticize them, imagining transformation as a soft, effortless unfolding.
But real thresholds are gritty. They ask for surrender. They challenge identity, purpose, even sanity. Here’s what other wisdom keepers say about thresholds:
Anthropologist Victor Turner called thresholds “liminal” spaces—zones of disorientation that are necessary for real transformation.
American poet, psychoanalyst, and post-trauma specialist Clarissa Pinkola Estés notes that a "threshold" is a place of uncertainty, vulnerability, and potential for profound change.
David Whyte writes that “a true threshold is not a gentle stepping into something—it is a confrontation with the unknown”.
Mythologist Michael Meade reminds us that the soul grows strongest at the edges of things.
The world may not recognize the role of the Thresholder—but myth, ritual, and deep traditions always have.
The Body Holds The Meaning Of Threshold
Thresholds live in the body, not the intellect.
In my own experience, I’ve found that illness was often a sign I wasn’t living in alignment with my calling. Trying to fit into someone else’s idea of “success” or “wellness” pulled me away from the truth of who I am.
This is common for Thresholders. Living a life that denies your sacred role can lead to shamanic illness—conditions that can’t be fully healed by conventional means, because the illness is spiritual as well as physical. These include autoimmune diseases, nervous system dysregulation, and grief that lives in the bones.
When you learn to root in your body, to feel without being overwhelmed, and to stay connected to your own energy rather than being overtaken by others’, healing becomes possible.
Learning To Hold The Threshold
You don’t need to fix yourself. But you do need to strengthen yourself—you need to build capacity.
To live the meaning of threshold well, you need capacity: somatic, emotional, spiritual. You need tools, and you need to remember your place in the lineage of those who came
before you. You need practices that ground you in your center, even while everything around you is shifting.
That’s what we explore in Rewild Yourself, a program I created to help you remember your original knowing—and rebuild the foundation that allows you to thrive as a Thresholder.
Questions To Reflect On At The Threshold
What transitions am I currently resisting—and why?
What symptoms, emotions, or synchronicities are asking for my attention?
What would it feel like to stop running from the in-between and start rooting in it?
Who or what helps me remember who I am when I forget?
What is the cost of not honoring the truth of my role?
What This All Means For You
The meaning of threshold is not an abstract idea. It’s an invitation.
An invitation to come home to the part of you that was born to hold the edge. To walk between the visible and invisible. To tend sacred space when others turn away.
You are not here to conform. You are here to transform—first yourself, and then the world around you. But you don’t have to do it alone.
Stand With Us At The Edge
I’m not here to save anyone. I’m here to hold the threshold—and to walk beside those who know they were born to do the same.
If that’s you, welcome. You are the door. You are the bridge. You are the one who remembers what this world forgets.
Begin your return by exploring Rewild Yourself. Reclaim the body. Reclaim the edge. Reclaim your purpose.