The Entrance is the Exit: Understanding The Threshold 
Hello April Artists and Autum Auteurs,
Last PanTimes, we spoke a little about being ‘in’ and what going in and staying in might mean for the soul and the journey of consciousness. Still in lockdown mode, we address another aspect of turning inwards, and that is the threshold of inside and outside. This is the edge between two different worlds. We can see it as ‘in’ the temple and outside, in the profane world, from ‘pro fanum’, outside the temple. It is also the informing line between the daytime world and the night world of dreams, and the border of sanity and madness.
In the Biblical story, the blood of the sacrificed lamb or goat had to be brushed on the doorposts and the lintel. That defines the entry and exit point between ‘stay indoors’ and being out in the polis, the place where commercial activity takes place. In Greek myth, a few heroes and gods do succeed in getting into the underworld of Hades and Persephone, and getting out again. However, crossing over the threshold, psychologically, is a dangerous journey and it is best to be properly prepared.
How should we understand this edge? What are the rules and guidances on how to traverse from one state to another – and how do we get back safely after the journey? And who, mythically, should we address to allow us safe passage? There are various options, and mythology offers different approaches. We would be best served if we knew more about our options, depending on the result we would like to attain.