The Most Teachable Space
Rooms by the Sea, 1951. Edward Hopper.
Suzanne Stabile January 9, 2025
My husband, Rev. Joseph Stabile and I have had the privilege of knowing Fr. Richard Rohr as a friend and spiritual mentor for most of the last three decades. Joseph was a Roman Catholic priest until he was forty, which seemed to put his life experience more in line with Richard’s than with mine. As a result, I always felt a little insecure when I found myself included in a discussion about something that I had never heard of.
Father Rohr began to teach us about the importance of liminal space in 2004. Their unique experiences as seminarians from the age of fourteen gave them both deep understanding of classical languages. Joe was able to immediately decipher the meaning of the word liminality by understanding the Latin word for “limina” which is, “threshold.”
That afternoon, I learned that liminality refers to a special psychic and spiritual place where “all transformation happens.” It is when we are betwixt and between, neither where we’re going nor where we’ve been.
More importantly, however, it is the place where we are not in control. The reality is, Father Rohr told us, is that nothing new happens as long as we are inside of our self-constructed comfort zones. And nothing much good or all that creative comes to us from business as usual.
As our conversations about liminality continued over the years, Father Rohr shared that he thought liminal space was the most teachable space. In fact, he added, it might just be the only teachable space. If that doesn’t get your attention, I think it should. We have so much to learn both as individuals and as a global community, and if the only way we can learn it is on a threshold, then that is where I want to be.
Liminality is characterized by ambiguity, openness and indeterminacy. And when we experience it, our sense of identity dissolves, bringing about feelings of disorientation. We are living in a period of transition, during which our usual limits around thought, self-understanding, and behavior are not as reliable as they used to be. Liminal spaces are uncomfortable. We haven’t been taught how to hold mystery. We aren’t good at waiting. And we seem to struggle mightily with allowing the world to happen, instead of trying to control it.
“We are always moving toward somewhere and something. We just can’t seem to accept that we aren’t in charge of where or when.”
I find it helpful to know that when we find ourselves on the threshold, we often respond initially in one of three ways. There are those who need security by temperament. They tend to run back to the old “room” that is already constructed. They circle the wagons, pull in and protect and defend the doctrines and policies that suit them. Their orientation to time is the past, meaning they are tethered to past experiences and find their comfort in what has already happened.
Then there are those who are risk-takers by temperament. Rather than stay on the threshold they will run ahead to a room of their own making and liking. Often leaving everything behind. Their orientation to time is the future and they are often over-anxious to get there. It seems that none of us want to stay on the threshold without answers.
Finally, there are those who are oriented to the present moment and when they find themselves in liminality, they distract themselves by focusing on what is right in front of them. They are often wondering how they can be helpful in restoring comfort to all involved.
I would suggest that we all spend some time considering the likelihood that when nothing is happening, something is happening. We are always moving toward somewhere and something. We just can’t seem to accept that we aren’t in charge of where or when.
This journey we share opens the way for something new and I don’t know about you, but if I’m going to move toward something unfamiliar, I want to do it with some ancient wisdom as my companion. For me, that wisdom is found in the Enneagram. It’s trendy right now, so I suspect you’ve heard of it. The Enneagram I’m referring to, however, and the one I have based my life’s work on is thousands of years old and it continues to enlighten my understanding any time I am anxiously but courageously standing on the threshold. In this series of articles, we will explore the wisdom that can be found in The Enneagram, and learn together how to embrace the teaching space of liminality with courage, compassion, and creativity.
Suzanne Stabile is a speaker, teacher, and internationally recognized Enneagram master teacher who has taught thousands of people over the last thirty years. She is the author of ‘The Path Between Us’, and coauthor, with Ian Morgan Cron, of ‘The Road Back to You’. She is also the creator and host of The Enneagram Journey podcast. Along with her husband, Rev. Joseph Stabile, she is cofounder of Life in the Trinity Ministry, a nonprofit, nondenominational ministry committed to the spiritual growth and formation of adults.
