A state a person can be in when they are in the middle of the ritual. They have left behind their previous state, but have yet to attain the form that the ritual will bestow upon them. Liminality can therefore be seen as a transitive and transformative period. While the term was originally coined to apply literally to rituals, in modern usage it is also applied to societal changes and long term personal changes, such as moving from childhood to adulthood.