Dreams and Liminal Space

The idea or concept of ‘liminal space’ has come to the forefront in recent years.  As noted in a recent program on CBC radio, Ideas, “Until recently, the word liminal was mostly confined to academia. Its roots are in Latin, from "līmen," meaning "threshold" or "doorstep." In anthropology, it's used to describe the middle part of a ritual or rite of passage.” 

The concept of liminal space took off during the COVID pandemic.    As noted in the Ideas program, “Online interest in this specific genre surged early in the COVID-19 pandemic. Google searches for the words "liminal," "liminality" and "liminal spaces" began climbing in March of 2020, when the pandemic first hit North America.”  This is understandable as the Pandemic had characteristics of liminal time and space.  It occurred in between the re COVID time when people could meet and mingle without undue concern and the post COVID time which people hoped and perhaps even prayed for. 

I was discussing the program with my wife Lorna recently, and she noted that dreams are liminal.  I could see her point and agree with it wholeheartedly.  This is exactly ‘what dreams are made of’ – to quote another source.  They c, cur in the space between the conscious and the unconscious.  They often occur in that time of transition between waking and sleeping.  Dreams have a quality which resonate with liminal photography which has developed in conjunction with the increased interest in liminal spaces.  The Ideas program discussed liminal photography, “Since the start of the pandemic, a very niche genre of photography has grown in popularity. Called "liminal spaces," it's largely made up of images of empty, eerie hallways, dark stairways, old arcades and dead malls.” 

Dreams provide a window into the world of the Unconscious which, is an aspect of the human psyche, identified by Carl Jung expanding on the work of Sigmund Freud.   It is part of us which is also not part of us going beyond the boundaries of our conscious awareness.  Dreams are the times in which we become conscious of aspect of that unknown part of our existence of which, by definition, we are conscious.   This is our connection to worlds beyond our awareness where “people fly and water runs uphill” to quote one of the modern guides to dreams, Jeremy Taylor.

If you want to explore the concept of liminal space, the Ideas program can be found at https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-23-ideas/clip/15897775-in-liminal-space.   A good introduction to engaging with dreams is, Dreams; God’s Forgotten Language by John Sanford. 

May you be blessed with many dreams on your journey.