cross the threshold
when we’re starting our next chapter, but we don’t know exactly what’s at the other side
I’ve spent the last few weeks in liminal space. The space between. The time between the end of once cycle and the the start of the next one. Liminal space can be short or long. The moment between the bottom of the inhale and the top of the exhale. The days between summer and fall. The weeks or months that stretch between the end of a chapter and the beginning of a new one. The time between owning a desire and taking an action towards it.
“Liminal” comes from the Latin word “limen,” meaning “threshold.” Sometimes I have a clear sense of what’s at the other side of the threshold. A lot of the time I do not. The bigger the shift from Point A to Point B, the less I know. The words of Joseph Campbell gives rise to as much fear as comfort: “If the path before you is clear, you’re probably on someone else’s.”
Like outer space, it can be dark out there in liminal space. I visualize liminal space as a doorway, a threshold that you’re crossing. The room you’re entering is often dark. Limen is also the root word for “limit.” In the darkness, I’ve stumbled upon limits I didn’t even know I was carrying. Those internal stories feel like a heavy giant sitting on my chest, keeping me still by pinning me to the floor. Each day, I rewrite those stories and gently push forward.
With each step, I feel like I’m pressing my hand against a heavy door and pushing it open. I feel expansive. I can’t quite see what’s next, but the cool air feels fresh. I press on.
Keep going
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A note on the image
I’m an artist, writer, and leadership coach. Across art, writing, and coaching, I explore many of the same themes. For example, I coach mid-career and experienced professionals who are going through job transitions. I walk with them as they navigate their own liminal space, the space between career chapters or as they uplevel their skills for promotion.
I’d like to share with you an extended “caption” for the accompanying art. Think of this as a personal, behind-the-scenes studio tour.
You’ll see certain concepts reinforcing one another through my work. Another of those themes is orthogonality, a term from linear algebra (math!) of lines or planes being perpendicular to one another, but in different dimensional spaces (think: perpendicular = 2D, orthogonal = 3D, 4D, etc.). So each line or plane has a point of contact but also divergence. This is why I’ve emphasized the planar elements of the doorway, the wall, and the floor.
The image is not exactly “correct” in the rules of point-perspective. But it’s most accurate to the idea I’m conveying.
This is the first work I’ve created on my new iPad Air! Which I’ve been meaning to get for *years.* So I’m in liminal space too, as I learn the ropes.
Your turn
What areas in your life are you in liminal space? What is it like for you as you navigate this time? What are you learning? What has surprised you most?
Until soon
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