Each month, at the New Moon, I set a thematic intention to explore for that Moon cycle. This month, the Pisces New Moon cycle, my theme is liminality. It’s a word that’s tossed around a fair amount in the “conscious community”, but I feel like there are many people who don’t fully understand what liminal space actually is.
Most people get that the liminal space is ‘in-between’ space. And this is true. But it’s more than that. I really like this definition from Wikipedia:
In anthropology, liminality is the quality of ambiguity or disorientation that occurs in the middle stage of a rite of passage, when participants no longer hold their pre-ritual status but have not yet begun the transition to the status they will hold when the rite is complete.
What I like about this definition is the reference to “the quality of ambiguity or disorientation”. My exploration of the concept of liminality has definitely included feelings of ambiguity and disorientation. I also like how this definition clearly states that liminal space is a developmental stage or process which is required in order to emerge into an updated version on the other side of the experience.
It’s basically the cooking time required for each of us inside the cosmic oven which helps us to come out more delicious and fully alchemized and transformed.
My experiential interaction with liminality has been fascinating. It has also been emotionally turbulent. But then, that’s one of the symptoms of disorientation and ambiguity, isn’t it? When we don’t have those defining labels and structures that let us know where/who/what we are, we can become untethered from our sense of identity. That can be very scary. And, that, my friends, can bring up a whole host of emotions.
What I am finding helpful when in the liminal space, is to actually recognize that I’m there. This can provide a huge pillar of support when out in the sea of change wondering what the f*ck’s going on, and feeling like there is nothing to anchor me to my sense of Self. Knowing that I am in transition can make the unknowing much more bearable. It can even create a shift in perspective from fear of the process to feelings of excitement and curiosity.
This liminal space in the proverbial oven (or cocoon, if you prefer the butterfly metaphor) is like embracing the Ace cards in the tarot: Each holds absolute undiluted and untarnished potential. Potential for anything. And when we are personally inhabiting the liminal space, we get to decide what comes next. Well, our divine Self working in tandem with our ego self gets to direct what happens when we emerge on the other side of the transformation. (This is the cooking bit.)
We also get to determine what happens after the emergence. What do we do with all this potential; all this fresh new energy? How will we choose to nourish ourselves and the world with it? Will we cut ties with the older outdated version of who we were before we entered the liminal space, or will we hold on to bits and pieces that give us a false sense of security and identity?
There’s no one right way to experience liminal space. There is simply the way of being as present and open and available for what is offered up in each moment. And it helps to hold some grace for the self/Self as the journey unfolds.
The more we get to know and understand ourselves as individual human beings, the easier it can be open up to the insecurity of the liminal spaces. At least, this has been my experience. Tools like Human Design, Astrology, tarot and other divination tools, Shadowcraft, psychology, and good old deep personal inquiry and curiosity can go a long way toward giving us that greater sense of understanding.
I am so grateful for this opportunity to more intimately engage with the concept of liminality, and with my own personal experience of being in liminal space. I hope that your experiences are just as enlightening and supportive.
If you find yourself in need of some additional tools for navigating your own liminal spaces, I am happy to share my expertise with you: click the following links to learn more about Human Design readings, Personal Alchemy sessions, Tarot consultations and the Moon Meets membership container. Each of these tools have been instrumental in preparing me for my journals through liminality, transformation and evolution. I look forward to sharing them with you when you're ready.