In considering the idea of a thin place and how one would interact with it, the concept of “sinking” into something comes from my experience of sinking into a bog, on the Isle of Iona. This feeling was one of being swallowed or enveloped by the landscape.

When looking for the Scottish Gaelic spelling and pronunciation for “sinking”, I came upon the phrase:
eadar dà lionn (edər da: LʲũːN), which means;
1 semi-submerged, half submerged
2 between wind and water, sinking and swimming
3 undecided, in two minds, unable to make up one’s mind*

This colloquial phrasing resonated with how I visualise the concept of existing in a liminal space. Part of the mysterious nature of a thin place is the journey that one takes, not only to get to the geographical location, but the journey into the state of in-betweenness. This journey is situated in both the physical and the metaphysical realm.
*Anon. (2019) “sinking : eadar dà lionn”. Am Faclair Beag online Gaelic-English Dictionary
Comments