God is a woman

Abstract

As we step into the world of magical feminine power within literature, where women seem to have the unnatural ability to alter the fabric of reality, talk with the dead, or venture into unknown worlds parallel to our own, it becomes clear that connection to liminal space is required. The powers found within liminality are activated by women's ability of introspection and shapeshifting, transforming herself into a new woman time and time again. She gains powers over herself and her space in the process, often times creating a home or safe space that feels alive alongside her. For characters like Marimar and Orquídea Montoya from Zoraida Córdova's The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina (2021), Coraline from Neil Gaiman's Coraline (2002), and Eva and Sula Peace from Toni Morrison's Sula (1976), the connection to the liminal proves empowering as they show their abilities to transform themselves even through supernatural, haunting experiences. A darker side to feminine power is highlighted within these characters, proving the ambiguous and complex nature of feminine power. However, the notion of the "dark" feminine is itself a product of binary thinking. This binary is inherently flawed, as it fails to recognize the complexity of feminine power, which encompasses both life and death, knowledge and mystery. By re-imagining the binary light/dark feminine as the "Wild Woman" instead, the archetype can release her condemned image and reclaim feminine power. By releasing binaries, judgements, and classifications, she is free to use her magic to transform herself and restore her instinctual connection to life and the world around her. Victor Turner introduces his idea of liminality in his Liminalities and Communitas (1969), in which he describes the conditions of liminal spaces as the in-between places of culture and identity. When referring to people in liminal spaces, he states "... these persons elude or slip through the network of classifications that normally locate states and positions in cultural space." (Turner 359). Turner explains the space of liminality as a tool for transitioning through key moments in life, earning "rites of passage" to enter the unknown of the future after a transformation takes place within the liminal space, creating a new self. Gloria Anzaldúa ventures further into liminality with Borderlands (1987) and Light in the Dark (2015), adding a uniquely feminist point of view on life in the in-betweens of identity and culture. Anzaldúa's profound reflections on her own life within the liminal creates a narrative that challenges our understanding of binary language, culture, and spirituality in the understanding of feminine power. Combining these theories with Clarissa Pinkola Estes' Women Who Run With the Wolves (1992), an archetypal descendant of Carl Jung's shadow theory, provides an in-depth analysis on the journeys of women while inside liminal space. Through the analysis of folktales collected from many cultures, Pinkola Estes urges women to re-connect with their intuitive, instinctual inner beings, unlocking a creative and knowing spirit reflecting ambiguity within feminine nature. With these theories in mind, I analyze the shape-shifting woman within the selected texts as she creates her powerful and other-worldly essence, transforming herself and her space. This exploration challenges the traditional feminine binaries and reclaims the feminine power that has been historically condemned.