Liminal Space: Where Spirituality Lives

By Dr. Katie Eastman & Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino

We all know what it feels like to be “in between.” Maybe you’ve left a job but haven’t started the next one. Maybe a relationship has ended, and you don’t yet know what will come next. Or maybe you’re simply in a season of change where the future feels uncertain. That “in between” is what we call liminal space.

Liminal space is the threshold between what was and what will be. It can feel uncomfortable, even unsettling. Yet spiritually, it is also one of the richest places to grow. In liminal space, you are invited to pause, reflect, and realign your choices with your values.

This space asks us to slow down and listen—to ourselves, to others, and to life itself. It gives us the freedom to ask: Who am I now? What really matters to me? How do I want to move forward? These questions are not easy, but they are deeply spiritual.

Religious traditions often mark liminal space with ritual—rites of passage, ceremonies, and blessings that honor transition. But you don’t need a formal ritual to live spiritually in this space. Simply acknowledging it, and giving yourself permission to pause and reflect, can transform uncertainty into a sacred experience.

In The Change Guidebook, Elizabeth shared stories of people who consciously paused before making significant changes in their lives. Instead of reacting in haste, they took time to reflect on their values and priorities. That pause became the turning point—allowing them to make choices that were not only practical but also deeply aligned with who they wanted to be.

In The Peace Guidebook, we call this the peaceful pause. It’s the intentional moment you give yourself to breathe, reflect, and choose peace in the middle of stress or uncertainty. The peaceful pause is a reminder that liminal space is not wasted time—it is sacred ground where clarity and compassion can emerge.

Liminal space may feel uncertain, but it is also where spirituality comes alive. It is the place where we stop running and start listening. It is where we release the old, imagine the new, and open ourselves to oneness.

✨ Reflection Prompt: Where in your life are you standing in a “threshold space”? Instead of rushing through it, what would it look like to pause, breathe, and listen for what matters most?