Hollie Reid Pilgrimage #1

Communitas happens on a pilgrimage when a group of people experience liminality, a psychological, neurological, or metaphysical subjective, conscious state of being on the "threshold" of or between two different existential planes. (Essentially people that something sacred such as a glimpse of divinity together.) It takes community to the next level and allows the community to share a common experience, usually through a rite of passage. It brings everyone onto an equal level and even if you are in a higher position, you know what it is like to be lower. I think that when my roommate, her boyfriend, my boyfriend, and I went to the Nolan Trail and watched the sunset, we formed our own communitas. Although, the experience was different for each of us. Personally, I was calmed by the trip. My roommate's boyfriend, however, was energized and wanted to continue to explore the Nolan Trail in the dark to find more miraculous sights. A communitas shares a sacred experience and gives all involve instantly something in common which is what human beings strive for as an essential need of belonging. The four of us shared this experience together, and can reflect on it as a bonding experience for all of us.