Time, Space and the Pandemic

We’re living in strange times, where time and space seem disrupted, and we struggle to reorient ourselves.  There is a word for this state.  It’s called “liminality”, and it’s a vital part of the transformational process.

While transformation takes place instantly in the energy dimension, the action is slower in the physical realm and needs a special environment to do its magic.  This is because true transformation can only happen when the physical and the energetic join hands and dance together.

Consequently, transformation in the physical world needs special circumstances outside of normal 3D time and space where energy can enter and work its wonders.  The seed needs to be buried in the darkness of the earth in order to sprout.  The joining of the egg and the sperm happens in its own time outside of human awareness.  The caterpillar retreats to the darkness of its cocoon where it is miraculously transformed into a butterfly, all out of sight, out of mind, out of normal time and space.

When it comes to human transformation, either individual or societal, anthropologist Victor Turner has divided this process into three stages.  The first stage is separation, where a natural event (earthquake, hurricane, fire, pandemic) or man-made circumstance (war, ceremony, or ritual – such as a vision quest), provides a suspension of normal human routines and habits.

This disruption provides the opening for the second stage where temporal and spatial orientation is distorted, with the individual and/or society either being cast out of familiar spaces, or isolated inside them. Time as well, folds in on itself, seeming to both slow down and speed up at the same time. Turner calls this in-between stage the “liminal” or threshold stage, and it is here, on the threshold between the physical and energetic, where physical transformation takes place.

The adversity and deprivation an adolescent faces in a vision quest is rewarded only at its end, often with anxiety and fear of failure beforehand. Destruction from a natural disaster or war produces much hardship and trauma before people can re-imagine something better for the future. We humans are creatures of habit, and often cling to the familiar, usually because we are too afraid or too busy to dream.  Often we need a good boot-in-the-butt to move on.

Liminality facilitates this process.  The disruption of time and space creates an opening in the veil between the physical and energy dimensions, allowing transformative energy to cross over.  The loss of routines and habits limits distraction and focuses attention.  Liminality promotes self-reflection, objective observation, and the re-imagining of personal and cultural structures. With increased access to the energy realm, it expands awareness, enhances creativity and attracts problem solving resources.    

Disruption, disorientation, and darkness are vital for physical transformation because they break down existing structures.  As well as disrupting time and space, disorder and destruction release new energy that can be reorganized and reshaped into something new. Like the caterpillar in its cocoon, all this dramatic change must take place in the darkness of chaos. 

The third and final stage is integration, when the liminal period is over and light breaks through.  The child realizes his vision, is transformed into an adult and is welcomed in this new role. The community joins together in compassion and collaboration to re-imagine and rebuild what was lost to war.  The caterpillar emerges as the butterfly.

Life on the threshold is not easy, but it is what we are all currently experiencing.

Many people have commented to me on how time now seems distorted, both dragging on eternally, and yet at the same time, racing by at warp speed.  The days of normality seem ages ago, despite being only a few short months behind us. Our normal, time-determined routines and habits have been disrupted, and we fight to put something meaningful in their places.

Our perception of space has also become distorted.  The comfortable spaces we enjoyed before, our national identity, our means of livelihood and even our homes may have to be shifted and reorganized, if not changed completely.

Here in the US, (and in many other countries around the globe), we have had three major disruptors, the pandemic, norm breaking authoritarian leaders, and regional natural disasters such as heat waves, hurricanes, fires and floods. This triple whammy is significant, and indicates the incredible importance of this particular liminal event in the history of humankind. The whole earth Is now in the midst of a liminal opportunity, and in the end, our global village will be completely transformed.  The train has left the station and there is no going back. 

For some this time is exciting, for others it’s scary.  But the good news is that we as a planet, are doing this without war and mass destruction, and we are learning a lot in the process.  The advances in science and technology due to research on the virus will be mind-blowing.  Norm breaking, authoritarian leaders will force us to vote, run for office and take responsibility for the kind of government we want and need.  Deprivation as a result of natural disasters will help us be better stewards of our planet. 

Global transformation is happening whether we like it or not.  But what about each of us as individuals?  While the planet is moving on, we humans have free will and can choose whether we join in the flow of new energy, or fight it with all our might.  Remember that going with the flow of a river makes the trip effortless, while fighting the current takes great effort and can leave us injured and exhausted.

Job-loss, while traumatic at first, can lead to better paying and more creative pursuits in the future.  Isolation at home offers opportunities for self-reflection and real bonding with family and friends. Trauma and deprivation can lead to increased compassion and wisdom.  But as individuals, we must each choose how we respond.

Each experience offers us a choice.  Will we search for its magic, or fight it as a foe? Will we welcome its offer of compassion and wisdom, or fume with impatience, anger and resentment, choosing to be blame others?  Will we join with the ease of flow, or invite more conflict and friction into our lives?

Existing in liminal time and space can be magical.  It’s only scary because it’s unfamiliar.  In it we are closer to the energy realm than ever before and have far greater access.  Manifestation is much easier both for ourselves and for the planet because we can draw on the magical rules of the energy dimension, and because there is much more free energy available for creation. 

We can create physically, with clay, paint, pen or voice. We can build, organize and inspire.  Or we can create energetically with our imagination, floating potentials out into the matrix where others can pick them up and form a consensus on how to move forward.

So, trust the process, access the magic, and get your creative juices flowing.  Begin to play with forming and organizing what our new reality will look like.  Then sit back and watch it happen.