Don’t know the word? I didn’t either. Here’s a definition.
liminal
ˈlimənl/
adjective: liminal
1.
of or relating to a transitional or initial stage of a process.
2.
occupying a position at, or on both sides of, a boundary or threshold.
Jeffrey equated liminal space to a doorway: in essence, it’s a space between spaces.
If you haven’t heard of Jeffrey Van Dyk, let me introduce you to his fabulous free once-a-month livestream event entitled “Spirit-Led Leadership.” (Click here to get on his notification list).
He sets a topic, but doesn’t script it in advance. He channels for an hour or more, then does coaching hot seats with his live attendees. As he says, we as the audience are a part of the vortex calling forth information from the Invisible (through him). I’ve repeatedly had the experience of getting an important “aha” through these evening video broadcasts.
I know I am entering into a new space in my life, but so far not much is visible, even to me. This has led to pressing feelings of frustration.
Jeffrey normalized a couple of things about liminal space. (He was talking about moving out of our old wound-driven Operating System (formed in childhood for very good reasons), and into a Purpose-driven one. Childhood wounds become core beliefs, like: I don’t fit in, or I’m not lovable, or I’m too much, and we proceed to operate our lives based on this “truth.” That’s a wound-based operating system.
When the wound is finally healed or expires, the old pattern isn’t pushing and pulling us—it doesn’t drive our lives anymore. In its wake there is commonly a feeling of indifference, of not caring much one way or another, a lack of desire impulse in any direction.
Of course this is disorienting, and if one doesn’t know the second part, one can easily slide back into the old Operating System simply to feel functional. (It is familiar, even though it is deeply flawed!)
The second piece of wisdom Jeffrey shared is this:
The purpose of liminal space is to cultivate faith.
There is something beyond the doorway you are standing in. It’s your job to keep the faith: there is something beyond what you can see. It’s your job NOT to return to doing things the old way.
The third piece of wisdom:
Desire is a muscle. Like any muscle, it can atrophy.
When you live driven by old wounds, you forget to listen to and act on desire (because we’ve learned we can’t have what we want for one reason or another. Purpose-driven life is completely driven by desire. It’s normal to not know what you want at first.
So you must practice. Start small, listen closely and take action on the little things. “I feel like taking a nap.” (Do it!) “I’d really like to eat Thai food for dinner.” (Make it happen!) “I’d love a pair of boots like those ones!” (Manifest some!) And so on. Each time you act on a desire, you strengthen your desire muscle. Your guidance starts to trust that you really are listening. It can serve you bigger desires, confident that you will act on them as well.
Coach’s Challenge: This week, practice strengthening your desire muscle. And visit Jeffrey’s Spirit-Led Leadership Event page so you’ll be notified about October’s event. If you feel drawn to what I’ve relayed, you can watch Jeffrey’s entire September event HERE.