In mythology, when Persephone was abducted by Pluto and brought to the underworld, the goddess Demeter (her mother) abandoned Olympus and fled to the mortal world. She disguised herself as an old woman which allowed her entry into the city of Eleusis. Although she had lost her daughter and was overcome with grief she realized that there was nothing she could do and so she chose to remain in Eleusis and wait for her next phase. This period of waiting is what helped to bring about her ultimate transformation.
In this world of micro-managing and multi-tasking there is little respect for being still and waiting, for being instead of doing. Yet sometimes that is exactly what is needed. Astrology teaches us about timing and those periods of pulling in and going deep are just as important as the ones where we push forward and make progress. As the Nordic Runes say: “We do without doing, and everything gets done.”
The word Liminality (from the Latin threshold) refers to the space between here and there. It is an actual place; in ancient times it represented a crossroads, a sacred location protected and guarded by Hermes and Hekate. It is also a psychological state, an in- between place, when one is not who one once was yet not who one is about to become. It is a mysterious place of gestation, transformation and eventually new life.
In a way we are all at a threshold place right now, this point of liminality, this place between two worlds. With everything that is going on in the world (from hurricanes, fires and floods, to earthquakes, religious wars and political fallout), how could we not be? The ground is shifting (literally), the rules are changing, and life as we know it is collapsing. Yet in this time of chaos and confusion, in this time of transition and transformation, what is unimportant and inauthentic falls away, and what is truly essential can be anchored and strengthened. This is not an easy time but in many ways this is a very sacred time, a time when real change is possible and that is no small thing.
Make sure in the coming months to slow down, get enough rest, eat well, and don’t sweat the small stuff (remember, it’s all small stuff). Above all: Patience, patience, patience, surrender, surrender, surrender; simplify, simplify, simplify.
Love & Blessings, Virginia
