The Divine Threshold: Before the New Year

Ah, the space between. The liminal space…the cusp of the New Year of 2023. We haven't quite let go of the old and we have one foot stepping into the new.

The energy of this week has become a familiar one for me - a realization that I'm full of energy - looking forward to the new year, but yet still integrating the old. 

I've been doing a lot of writing and thinking about the liminal space; that space between two chapters -  the old and the new. It is a familiar and mysterious place. It is also commonly a space marked by astrological transitions throughout our life span. And it’s my favorite time to work with clients - the time we most need an anchor as we explore unchartered territories. Even our 3x per year Mercury Retrogrades, pre-New Moon phases and void moons, the pre-menstrual phase for women, are liminal spaces and pauses which ask us to reflect and be still. Nature and the universe in its wisdom, provides us with these times if we choose to honor them.

Liminal comes from the root Latin word ‘limen’ meaning ‘threshold’.  In ancient times across cultures, gods/goddesses and entities have presided over the liminal - or crossroads’ spaces. Janus is one such Roman God, and where we get the name of the month January. How fitting that this God represents our New Year and our first month. Persephone, who spent half of her life in the underworld and half on earth (bringing spring when she arrived)  and Hecate, who is the goddess of magic and crossroads - also represent the liminal space.

Our lives are a series of liminal spaces - the space between. Whether we instigate or desire change, or it happens TO us, there is the space  between what was and what is to become.

*graduating college and going out into the world

*pregnancy

*changing careers

*spiritual awakenings

*divorce

*death/grief

*health challenges

*crises of any kind

The list goes on.

It's easy to think that this is an ungrounded space -  the space we don't want to be in. It can be uncomfortable.

Ego rushes for control, for a place to stand on, for secure ground - but that's an illusion. In fact the liminal space is the richest space of our lives. It is not a valley nor is it a peak. It's somewhere in between. Sometimes we feel confused, even grasping for anything to make us feel safe. But what is safe? And what is control? The only thing we can really control is ourselves and the only person who can provide us safety is ourselves. So when we're spinning  between the two chapters  - the ‘what was before’ and the ‘what comes next’ the most power comes from the surrender to it. 

But what does surrender mean? And how do we do it?

Therein lies the greatest mystery and the greatest wisdom of the liminal space. it is in the non doing. it is in the crying to the heavens, to our gods, to the Divine…’I don't know what I'm doing, help me. All I know is I want things to be different and better, please show me.’

We often hear that the voice of spirit is still and small. Stillness is surrender. The willingness to not just hear but to listen, and to make space for the listening.

…and sometimes begging on our knees. I’ve been there. It is a dark and shadow yet richly beautiful place, when we give up control and ask for help. 

The most magical things are created from the liminal space -  the space of chaos and  the space of pure potential.

Something has ended and yet we feel nothing has yet begun. But it's in the non-beginning that the seeds are planted, the butterfly is away from the sun, in the darkness, in the depths of our soul, in its cocoon.

It’s learning to have the patience to let the beauty unveil itself. 

Just as in nature there are cycles of Letting Go and Beginning. And as far as I know, the leaves are not over worrying about when they will unfurl again, and the grass is not fretting about when it will be green again. 

And so let us be inspired by the nature around us. Let's just rest in this threshold space, giving ourselves permission to just be. Between this threshold between the old and the new, where the magic happens, let’s sit in gratitude, reflection, hope and divine trust.

New Moon Vibes

The new moon is a mixed bag. It's a powerful time for intentions, spoken and written spells, and new energy for the month ahead. Every time a new moon rolls around we take notice, we know it's a powerful time to set  our intentions. However, it's often also a time of lower energy. The Moon is dark with no reflection from the Sun, and even the body registers this “going in"; an ebb of our physical strength and possibly even our emotional fortitude.  We may even feel a little under the weather, or like we're getting sick. It is often just the body's way of telling us it is a time for rest and reflection before the higher energy phases of the moon approach. 

But  it is meant to be this way. When a delicate and tiny Seed is planted into the ground, the hot energy of the Sun, the overwhelming brightness of light, is too much for the seed. It needs darkness, quiet and calm and the absence of fiery energy. The tiny seed planted into the soil is misleading. It looks as if nothing is happening-it looks powerless and small. but inside it is merely waiting for the dark fertile soil to feed it. As soon as it knows the conditions are right, it begins the miraculous path of growth.

 If there is no other phase that you're paying attention to during the month, the new moon is the most important. It may seem that the full moon would be that powerful time - and yes, it is powerful as well. But the full moon is the fullness of the intention, the ripening, the reflection of where you were and where you are now. 

The mystery and the potential lies in the darkness of the new moon. It is not necessary to set your intentions at the exact new moon. Even up to 3 days before and a couple days after, the energy of the new moon is with us. Because energy is lower physically you may feel there isn't much power behind your words, but now they are at their greatest potential. Within days, as the moon begins to wax, you'll start seeing the tiny little evidence of your intentions. And by the first quarter moon you will also begin to face your first roadblocks to growth.

In nature, as the seed begins its fragile growth from outside the soil, reaching towards the Sun, the elements begin to affect the tiny growth. Predators seek out the tender leaves to consume or destroy. It is the same with our intentions. Often the predator does not come from outside that wants to steal your dreams -  it is often our own challenges that might keep us from them. Sometimes the predator is time - we may allow outside forces to steal time from us - from the seed/the dream. Or sometimes our own fear or insecurities begin to thwart our progress. This self-awareness is powerful. Simply remind yourself that the seed and the baby plant are fragile but powerful things that are meant to thrive. You need to protect it as best you can, to feed it, to nourish it, to give it space and priority. As the plant grows and matures you will find that its roots deepen and your intentions manifest. 

Intentions can be set at any time, at any moment, at any phase of the moon. The spoken and written word sent into the universe with belief and faith are powerful at any time. Never feel like you have to wait for a new moon to set a new dream. Working with the new moon is simply an added tool, a magnification of your intentions. A time set by Nature, with the energy that supports newness. This alignment adds power to your dreams.

Moongiant.com and timeanddate.com are great online resources to check the current moon phase and there are many apps to use for the moon cycle; just do a search in your app store! I have two moon phase calendars in my sanctuary that I constantly access. Call me old-fashioned, I just love to see the moon images on the wall.

Rest up during the new moon. Allow yourself to soak in a bath, to retreat, to do less. Align with the moon by going inward into the darkness.