Borderlands

We are living in a liminal time, thrust into the borderlands, in a space often filled with shadows, tall trees and mystery.

Borderlands are transitional zones where the veil between worlds is thin or absent. These areas can be literal geographical locations, such as edges of a forest or riverbank or more abstract spaces like dreams or memories. In Celtic mythology, borderlands are often associated with the Otherworld, the realm of the gods, the dead, and magical beings. These liminal places are the points of passage between the physical world and the otherworld.

The borderlands are a place of shape-shifting as things long-believed are stripped of meaning and left as dust, tainted and tarnished. Things of grandeur are now rubble.

What is left?

Much remains, if we can see past the tangled mess of chaos. Illusions have cracked and perhaps shattered. But, they were just illusions. What is deeper? What truths hold firm? What is created from the shards?

It is a threshold time, a sacred disorientation where transformation is not just possible, but inevitable.

In the liminal light, look carefully, as magic awaits.

Liminal times offer moments of grace. They import warnings. They provide a path for discernment, reminding us that we are not alone. The ley-lines of wisdom and love hold fast and provide guidance. Nature is our best guide in this new world we find ourselves in. As Dale Pendell comments, “Though the gods have the power of speech, more often they choose a flower or a plant”.

We are guided by the burst of warm sunshine in the clearing of a forest; the moment of perfect peace alongside the shadows; the dramatic vistas that remind of the power in and within.

There are many ways to tap into these moments. For me, infrared photography is my preferred means of unveiling this magic, as infrared captures light invisible to the human eye and finished images often reveal features that were not initially visible. What first appears as a hazy, red facade is transformed into a wondrous, surprising display that often speaks to hidden mysteries and greater truths. I am constantly surprised and in awe when I work with infrared.

Like the infrared images that pull back the veil to display the glory within the mundane, we are also transformed as we learn to exist in this time of grace and uncertainty, fear and determination. We learn to rest amidst the shadows, taking in moments of wonder that provide a stable footing in a chaotic world. As David Whyte wrote, “Let your solitude become a healing balm; creation will bloom from stillness.” As I trod along this uncertain landscape in these ever-changing times, I am becoming convinced that creation will indeed create something magical as we tap into the greater truths and mystery of this new terrain.