By Sande Hart
The first time I heard the word liminal was from author Jean Shinoda Bolen, who describes it by its Latin root, “threshold,” the space in-between crisis and action. In that space, we can interpret, examine, dream, and imagine possibilities for new creativity that is so necessary right now to move on from old problems, beliefs, and myths of who we are. The space in-between is the demarcation place of a paradigm shift. It occurs after the separation of what was and before what is and can determine what will be. However, one need not experience a crisis to drop into the liminal space. In fact, I find opportunities all day long.
Tokens, secret doorways, and pearls of wisdom fall at our feet on our life’s journey. Yet, if we dismiss them as mundane or inconsequential, we may be forced onto a sometimes-arduous path until we can no longer step over them because they are ours to pick up. In a Liminal Odyssey, those gems become life-sized, and we can no longer ignore them.
The origin of the game Chutes and Ladders dates back to the 2nd Century AD, named Moksha Patam, translating to Snakes and Ladders. It is a game of chance where we find ourselves facing an opportunity to take a path to a higher level of awareness and meaning, or we may find ourselves on a seemingly easy slide downhill but missing a potentially exciting game. Unlike this game of chance, we have a choice, and we can cultivate the skills and habits to choose the ladder with every breath. My personal ladders elevated me into hearty adventures that led me to a fortune at the bottom of a box of cigarettes and a Holocaust death camp.
According to the theories of The Hero’s Journey, founded on the philosophies of Carl Jung and popularized by Joseph Campbell and Walt Disney, we move through a variety of stages, like building blocks, one stage preceding the other, in a seemingly predictable series of events and an obstacle course of rivers to traverse and tall buildings to climb, and sometimes, doing all of that in a hailstorm.
Just look at any fantasy movie. We can count on obvious and camouflaged wizards to point us in the right direction and always a number of antagonists and lovable yet mischievous pixies to trip us up. We experience a series of challenges and grow with more character and our true archetypal identity. Only after we have slain the dragons and learned from our stumbles do we get the happy ending, or not, but regardless, we made it to the end of our story. The plots are the same and apply whether our life’s a mystery, comedy, action thriller, or courtroom drama.
These Journeys are illustrated in a straight line, a circle, or even a spiral, but respectfully, both the Hero’s and Heroine’s Journeys missed the mark for me. The same may be true for you. Indeed, these well-documented and challenged philosophies have merit. Both are necessary, and yet there’s so much more, which is where we enter The Liminal Odyssey. It’s time for a new template, a new model, and new solutions to old problems.
Yet, the Hero’s Journey is important to understand so we can identify the signposts, as if they are county line markers confirming our coordinates in life, but they do not always show up in a linear fashion as found when looking down on a map. This is where we need a new structure, or better yet, drop the confines of what’s predictable and start looking up for what wants to emerge as the new archetypal being co-creating a new myth. It is birthing in each of us right now.
Being willing to read the map to know where we are is affirming and can also be a lifeline. But, like any map, it never shows us the culture of the area we may be passing through. We could assume, based on topography, structures, and outward appearances, that it is definitely a place we want to race through or aspire to live in one day, but what if we were to miss a hidden goldmine or priceless piece of porcelain? It’s up to us to pull into those spaces, walk up to a door and peek inside the cupboards.
Joseph’s greatest advice is to follow your bliss. This was the very guidance I went looking for when I found The Hero’s Journey years ago. As I looked back and charted my own journey thus far, I noticed patterns in synchronicities that were evidence of something mystical, magical, and the stuff of which myths are made.
These moments of chance were far from the mundane experience I discounted them to be at the time. I discovered that those moments of insignificance were really in-significance. Indra’s Net (Indra is King of the Heavens in Buddhist philosophy and derived from the Sanskrit word indrajwāla) is of infinite proportions spanning the vastness of the universe. Comprised of universal geometric patterns, each meeting point is supported by a pearl of wisdom, a life lesson, and a luminous reflection. Its grace suspends in the space of our lives, and its threads, our storylines, are connected by droplets of nutrient-rich pools for us to reflect upon.
My greatest fear has been to live a safe and mundane life, failing to leave behind meaningful pearls in the shape of stories, accomplishments, and wild adventures my grandchildren can brag about, definitely be inspired by, and hopefully learn from.
Maybe my stories will appear in their lives as a pearl on their net.
What if we expect each mundane situation or environment to be nothing more than an invitation, a challenge to be stretched beyond its outward appearance through simple curiosity that may create a pearl? What if we did not ignore the catalyzing sense of creativity, spontaneity, and action we feel in our body when that moment comes? Or maybe it just deserves a little gratitude to alchemize the gift it is. What matters most is paying attention to the Odyssey’s gifts.
It is in that attention that we can begin to connect the threads and pearls of those experiences, yet the patterns will surprise you. The storyline of one’s life often zigs and zags, seemingly with no sense of connectedness. That is, until we listen closely to the soundtrack in the background and follow the threads of the clues and tokens of wisdom along the path. Without fail, the threads connect. When the storyline is examined more closely, one will find a magical mystery tour complete with all the fixings of adventure, mayhem, trauma-induced growth, joy, heartache, and immeasurable blessings. It’s messy. And therein lies the environment of The Liminal Odyssey (as well as any good Pixar film.)
Required for admission into that place is to surrender to the gifted treasures we were entrusted to nurture and protect with our body and our lives and not take a second of it for granted. Therefore, we must trust; just as a caterpillar trusts, it’s time to cocoon with no expectation or promise of what’s on the other side. Only then can she emerge in her highest and most glorious potential. The very act of struggling to climb out of her cocoon gives her the authentic strength and power to do her butterfly work in the world. She must go through the process herself. Yet, unlike the journey of a caterpillar to butterfly, where no one can help her or she will die, we thrive with the support of our allies, those we can see and many we cannot.
We were all born with a life force. The invisible hand instructs our lungs to breathe us and our hearts to beat. It instilled the awareness that it was time for the butterfly to come out of her womb and spread her wings. It is in constant motion and manifests in a potentially adventurous journey, but only if the mind’s eyes are looking carefully and we are willing to accept challenges and, when necessary, get out of our way, taking time to see the treasures and potentiality. Then we can say with authority that we have accepted the challenge and are on The Liminal Odyssey.
The adventure of the Liminal Odyssey is like the weaving of a web, like an Indra’s Net. When we step back, we see a mandala with a sacred center. But look closer, and we will see the back and forth, the sacred geometry, and the support system of each new connection point. Each point is dependent upon the whole and required for a maximized lived life where nothing is left unopened, unexamined, or not stretched to its full potential. That point (or pearl) is where the nectar is. We know that each pearl is a bonding agent of stories, allies, and priceless lessons. It’s where we grow with more wisdom to strengthen our path onward.
For me, accepting the challenge is not an option; it is a holy responsibility.
