When You're In the Midst of Everything, Seek Out the Liminal Spaces
On opening up rather than being swallowed whole
What are you “in the midst of” in this moment?
Your response could be grounded in your own identity…1
🪬I’m a writer who is wading into the deeper research waters of her next book.
🪬I’m a writing coach who has the honor of holding space for at least a dozen books in various stages.
🪬I’m a mother and a wife holding the heart of a family in the middle of life.
You could respond with your roots in your ecology…
🌳I’m picking up the flowers that fell the 200 feet from the tops of the tulip poplars during the weekend’s wild rains.
🌳I’m snuggling in for the last of the “cold sleeping weather,” knowing it’ll hit 90 degrees this week.
🌳I’m letting last year’s self-seeding tomatoes take over the garden because I don’t have it in me to make other plans or do any planting.
You might give your answer a mythic twist…
🌀I’m asking a story to reveal what it means to be wild and what it means to be human, and hoping to understand how we keep confusing the two…
🌀I’m trying to unlearn the habits of the mind that compress the oldest tales into mere psychological allegory.
🌀I’m loosening my grip on what I’m supposed to know and letting myself fall open to what I know I don’t know.
Whatever you’re in the midst of, can you find a way not to be swallowed whole? Can you find yourself at the edges of things from time to time? The edge spaces are fertile, liminal places, and oh, how we need them…
Our latest KnotWork Myth & Storytelling episode gives you a story about the fertility found in the liminal spaces. In this case, it’s the place where the land meets the sea.
Stephanie MacKay gives us a tale from the Nart Sagas, the stories of the people of the Caucasus Mountains that stretch between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. The Theft of the Golden Apple is an enchanting story, and Stephanie’s deep reading of the story, which reaches back to the oldest wisdom of humans and the earth, is simply remarkable.
And, there was so much room for shared laughter in the midst of all the timeless insight, too.
Find more about Stephanie, including her mentoring work and her Myth Club at stephaniemackay.ca/
Our Next Subscribers’ Event is coming up on June 25! Join us!
This three hour virtual retreat calls together my community, the Writers’ Knot, and paid Myth Is Medicine subscribers. It’s one of my favorited online events of the year!
Through a guided journey, writing prompts, and conversation, you’ll encounter the key mythic landscapes that source your creativity and shape your voice.
Mark your calendars!
Please note: The time has been updated to 2 PM - 5 PM ET on June 25.
(Hopefully, this works even better for your time zone. I’m working around my fifth graders all important Moving Up Ceremony!)
Please be sure to upgrade your MiM subscription to be sure you receive the Zoom invitation!
Just as I was sending this out, I saw
’s latest which gives every good reason not to begin with bios and introductions. It’s a powerful read that asks all the right questions:
Dear Marisa. ❤️ On the topic of bios and introductions,(I haven't read Sophie's piece yet, but I look forward to her perspective!) I wanted to share this piece, that I absolutely adore, from Leah Manema. She talks about how we can locate ourselves in a constellation of belonging (or yearning) as a way to find connection points. Her work is amazing, if you don't know it already. Xoxo, I'm late for work! https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5-mL_nR63v/?igsh=MTI1bmFnamNwMWN4aA==