Midlife Crisis as a Liminal Event
No ritual marks the start of the second half of life — so we must find our own myth to live by.
Many people find themselves unsettled in midlife — even when nothing seems to be overtly wrong. Over the past episodes of our podcast, we've already explored what typically happens during this period: the crumbling of old certainties, the rise of inner conflicts, and a subtle (or not so subtle) call for something more meaningful. But we haven’t yet asked: what exactly is this turning point we’re experiencing?
Jungian analyst James Hollis refers to it as The Middle Passage — not merely a crisis, but a profound psychological transition. According to Hollis, this passage marks the shift from the first half of life, driven by external expectations and roles, to the second half, which demands a deeper encounter with the self. Understanding this concept gives structure and meaning to what might otherwise feel like chaos.
So, what exactly is this period of life?
Anthropologists describe “rites of passage” that existed in ancient cultures. I prefer the term “liminal event.” A threshold — a challenge, something a person must overcome in order to grow. It is a trial that cannot be refused. It marks the true beginning of the heroic journey. The midlife passage is just such a liminal event.
Each liminal event consists of three phases:
Separation: Letting go of the old identity and worldview.
Threshold (Limen): Entering an uncertain, in-between space where old ways die away but new ones are not yet born.
Return or Reaggregation: Reentering life with a renewed, integrated identity.
The Middle Passage mirrors this pattern. It requires us to detach from ego-driven attachments formed in the first half of life and to enter the difficult “dark night” of the threshold, akin to the alchemical nigredo — decay and putrefaction necessary for growth.
A Zen parable captures this well: Nan-in pours tea for a professor until it overflows. The professor protests, but Nan-in explains, “You are full of your own opinions. How can I show you Zen unless you first empty your cup?”
Only after emptying the cup can the albedo phase emerge, where new insights and identity arise.
The Death and Resurrection of the Self
The Middle Passage embodies the archetypal myth of the dying and resurrecting god. It is the death of an old self and the birth of a new, fuller one. Yet this new myth does not reject the old. Instead, successful passage depends on integration — embracing and expanding upon the first half of life rather than discarding it.
James Hollis reminds us that the ego still calls for loyalty, but our reality now depends on it less and less. The goal is a broader, more integrated perspective on life — not simply swapping one worldview for another but weaving a richer tapestry of meaning.
Walking Your Own Path
The problem is that for other transitions — birth, marriage, death — we have rituals. They provide meaning, gather people around us, and offer guidance on what to do.
But the transition of midlife remains nameless and without ritual. There is no ceremony to say: you are no longer who you once were — and now you begin the journey toward who you might become. You have to invent your own myth, your narrative of transformation.
This path may be difficult, lonely, and fraught with suffering — a spiritual Golgotha where the ego must be crucified. But only through this conscious surrender to the inner calling can true personality emerge, freed from unconscious group pressures.
Carl Jung said, “Life is a short episode between two great mysteries which are one and the same.” The Middle Passage invites us to enter this mystery fully, to embrace the unknown with courage and self-awareness.