# The Waiting Room of the Universe --- >[!info] >The shadow form of the [[Mother|Summer]] place in the hero's journey, when someone is overstaying its optimal portion of time and rejecting the [[Call to Adventure]]. It can be seen as dull and boring, or full of distractions and delights. But either way, it is a trap that arrests development ![[the waiting room 1.png]] Limbo. Purgatory. The Nosebleeds of the Universe. Where we are most of the time. The daily routine, the hum drum, the 95% of your life that is habit, automatic, autopilot. Lights on, no one home. Going through the motions. Standard consciousness. Grey. The "and every day" village the hero lives in before the "until one day!" quest begins. The Dursley's House @ 4 Privet Drive in Harry Potter. The Shire in the Lord of the Rings. Uncle Ben's Moisture Farm in Star Wars. The waiting room at the [[The Caregiver|doctor]]'s office. The DMV. The laundromat. The gas station. The place between the adventures. Often [[The Stage]] is featured prominently here, as entertainment for the ones waiting. More insidious than [[The Enemy]] because you don't even notice it most of the time. Important to note is that this is a [[Shadow]] form of a perfectly sacred place — the Mama filled Summertime between the Journeys through Fall and Winter — that is a necessary and very restful and healing part of life, if appreciated with awareness for what it is and not just seen as a place between other places. Too much focus on, or time in, the Stage (Fall and Winter) can quickly induce burn out, or a [[Crashing Out|Crash]], which compromises ability to continue progress on the path.