When we cross the threshold on entering a temple, we are passing not only from known to unknown, but also from the profane (the realm of everyday) to the sacred (the realm of God). When we cross our own threshold to set out on our pilgrimage, we are making the same transition. In the words of van Gennep: "to cross the threshold is to unite oneself with a new world."

Jennifer Westwood, On Pilgrimage