Betwixt—what a fun word—just the sound of it makes me smile. Cambridge dictionary defines liminal space as “not really one thing or the other.” It’s when we’re truly in between something familiar and something unknown. It is a space between the old and the new; it can feel disconcerting and a bit like a free-fall. However, if we don’t succumb to fear, liminal space is full of opportunities.
So much happens in liminal space. We leave what has been, but we’re not in what is yet to come either. It’s a place of birthing the new. We dig deep into our hearts and souls, and ask ourselves and others questions. We grow, we bust out of old ideas and paradigms, imagine the possibilities, and then create from this vastness.
Liminal space offers us adventure with ourselves and others (Me and We.) So much wonder can be applied in this space:
“I wonder who I’m becoming?”
“I wonder where this is leading me on my own unique path.”
“I wonder what new ideas/solutions we can apply to failing systems/issues?”
“I wonder what I can do to bring more peace to myself and the larger community?”
It creates an endless wonder of wondering questions from which to birth something new.
It is easy to see ways in which our world is in liminal space right now—and so many want to birth something new and better for self and others. Can you feel it in yourself and/or your community? Let’s not let fear be the driving force during this liminal space we’re in. Instead, let’s venture together, grab ahold of wonder, collaborate, and adamantly believe in the new solutions and peace waiting to be birthed!
Cheri Thomas
Cheri works as a Peer Support Specialist at Recovery Innovations. She writes as an expression of her heart in hopes of connecting to others’ hearts, so that no one feels alone on this journey-and instead feels valued, seen, and heard while growing in empowerment.