The Space Between
As the golden days of harvest begin to fade and the long shadows of autumn stretch across the land, we enter into a sacred window of time.
A threshold season.
This time, between the first harvest festival (Lughnasadh on August 1) and Samhain (October 31), is neither fully summer nor yet winter.
It’s the in-between. (And it’s also one of my favorite times of the year!)
A liminal space pulsing with magic, mystery, and transformation.
From late July through October, we walk through shifting veils—between light and dark, life and death, growth and decay.
It’s a time when the boundaries between the seen and unseen grow thinner.
The fields give their last fruits. The leaves begin to fall. Spirits stir. Ancestors whisper. Energy turns inward.
This is the threshold season. And it’s a potent time to walk between worlds.
Liminal Magic and Threshold Deities
The word liminal comes from the Latin limen, meaning threshold.
It refers to a space, moment, or condition that exists between states.
That means dawn and dusk, adolescence and adulthood, life and death.
Liminal magic is the art of navigating these in-betweens.
It’s the magic of initiation, transformation, and crossing over.
Liminal Magic
Liminal magic thrives in:
- Twilight and dawn
- Doorways, gates, and crossroads
- Seasons of transition (e.g., equinoxes and harvest tides)
- Rituals of birth, death, and initiation
- Physical boundaries like rivers, bridges, caves, and wells
Practitioners working during threshold season can harness this energy for:
- Shadow work and inner alchemy
- Dream and spirit communication
- Ancestral veneration
- Divination and scrying
- Releasing and transmuting old patterns
- Setting intentions for soul evolution
Threshold Deities and Spirits
Certain deities and spirits in particular are guardians of liminal spaces.
They preside over boundaries, beginnings, and thresholds of every kind.
During the harvest time, these figures become especially potent guides because of their in-between energy:
- Hecate – Greek goddess of crossroads, witchcraft, and the underworld. Torchbearer of hidden wisdom.
- Janus – Roman god of doorways and transitions. Often depicted with two faces—one looking forward, one back.
- Persephone – Queen of the underworld, whose descent and return mark the turning seasons.
- Hermes/Mercury – Trickster and messenger between realms, guiding souls and ideas across thresholds.
- Cerridwen – Welsh keeper of the cauldron of transformation.
- Ellegua/Eshu – Yoruba orisha of crossroads and communication.
Calling upon these figures during ritual or meditation can help illuminate the path through uncertain or in-between times.
The Harvest Arc: From Lughnasadh to Samhain
The Wheel of the Year teaches you to live in harmony with nature’s rhythms.
The period from August through October includes three major harvest festivals:
- Lughnasadh (Aug 1) – The First Harvest of grain and the Sun’s power
- Mabon (Fall Equinox) – The Second Harvest of fruit and balance
- Samhain (Oct 31) – The Final Harvest of root and spirit
Together, these create a powerful arc of descent.
It mirrors the solar decline, the fall of the leaves, and the soul’s journey inward.
Here’s a little on how that plays out.
Lughnasadh: The Portal Opens
Lughnasadh marks the opening of the threshold season.
Named for the solar god Lugh, this festival honors the first cutting of grain and the sacrifice of the Corn King.
Life begins to yield itself for sustenance.
We celebrate abundance, but also begin to sense the fading light.
Ritually, this is a time of:
- Gratitude and feasting
- Honoring cycles of life and sacrifice
- Beginning to release what no longer serves
The gates of the underworld begin to creak open.
Mabon (Fall Equinox): Balance Before Descent
At the Fall Equinox, day and night are equal.
It’s a moment of poise on the knife-edge of the year.
After Mabon, darkness begins to dominate. It is the last chance to gather strength before deeper descent.
Mabon rituals often include:
- Giving thanks for fruits of the labor
- Seeking inner balance
- Reclaiming lost parts of self
- Honoring both light and shadow
This is the midpoint in the threshold season, where the veil begins to shimmer.
Samhain: The Great Crossing
Samhain is the Witch’s New Year, the Final Harvest, and one of the most potent liminal gates of the year.
The boundary between worlds dissolves. Ancestors draw near. Spirits walk. Time becomes fluid.
Traditionally, Samhain marks:
- The beginning of winter
- Honoring of the dead
- Divination and ancestral work
- Shadow integration and soul guidance
This is not just the season’s end—it is a sacred crossing.
Historical and Cultural Roots
Cultures across the Northern Hemisphere have honored this transitional season in different forms:
- Celtic traditions saw this time as sacred to the Otherworld. Samhain was one of the four great fire festivals, marking the end of the pastoral year and the beginning of the dark season.
- Ancient Greeks observed Thesmophoria (October) for Demeter and Persephone, invoking the mysteries of descent and rebirth.
- In Slavic and Baltic traditions, the spirits of the dead were believed to return home in autumn. Households left out food and kept fires burning for them.
- Day of the Dead in Mesoamerican cultures, particularly in Mexico, blends indigenous and Catholic beliefs to honor departed souls during late October into early November.
- Shinto traditions in Japan honor the spirits of ancestors (kami) in seasonal festivals and autumn harvest ceremonies, linking the living to the spiritual realm.
Across cultures, this season marks a time when people pause, look inward, and honor that which lies beyond the veil.
Metaphysical and Energetic Themes
1. Descent and Release
The threshold season carries the metaphysical frequency of letting go.
Trees shed their leaves.
The Sun’s light wanes.
Nature models the sacred art of surrender.
You may feel called to:
- Cleanse your space and release clutter
- End old habits or toxic dynamics
- Grieve what has passed
- Begin shadow work and self-inquiry
This descent isn’t a fall from grace. It’s a return to your roots.
2. Ancestors and the Dead
As the veil thins, communication with the spirit world becomes easier. This is an ideal time to:
- Set up an ancestor altar
- Journal or dream with ancestral guidance
- Visit gravesites or sacred trees
- Perform rituals of remembrance
Our ancestors walk closely beside us during this season, offering wisdom, healing, and support.
3. The Inner Cauldron
This is also the season of the cauldron.
The cauldron is a symbol of transformation, mystery, and rebirth.
In shamanic and alchemical traditions, the cauldron represents the vessel of the soul where inner alchemy occurs.
Practices to honor your inner cauldron:
- Meditation or journeying to the underworld
- Dream incubation
- Crafting or working with herbal potions
- Womb rituals or creative renewal
Shamanic Wisdom: Death as Initiation
Shamanic paths across the globe recognize death—not only as a physical event—but as an initiatory force.
To descend into darkness is to be reborn with deeper power.
During the threshold season, many indigenous and earth-based traditions engage in rites of passage that simulate symbolic death:
- Fasting
- Darkness retreats
- Vision quests
- Sweat lodges
- Burial rites (symbolic or actual)
These ceremonies mirror nature’s descent and prepare the initiate for spiritual rebirth at winter solstice or spring.
Alchemical Teachings: Nigredo and Transformation
In Western alchemy, the process of personal transformation begins with nigredo—the blackening phase.
It’s the stage of putrefaction, disintegration, and facing the shadow.
It correlates with autumn and early winter.
The Stages of Alchemical Transformation:
- Nigredo (Blackening): Death, decay, shadow work
- Albedo (Whitening): Purification, clarity
- Citrinitas (Yellowing): Awakening of light within
- Rubedo (Reddening): Union of opposites, full integration
Threshold season initiates us into nigredo, asking us to compost what no longer serves, and to hold steady through the dark.
Think of it this way: You’re not falling apart. You’re breaking open.
Rituals for Threshold Season
Try some of these practices to help you align with the energetic portal of this season:
1. Create a Threshold Altar
Include:
- Seasonal items (leaves, corn, gourds, apples)
- A black candle (death and mystery)
- A white candle (hope and rebirth)
- Images of ancestors or threshold deities
- Keys, bones, or feathers
Use this space for meditation, journaling, and connection.
2. Walk Between Worlds
Take mindful walks at dawn or dusk.
Stop at literal thresholds (doorways, gates, tree arches) and pause.
Speak your intentions aloud. Listen.
Ask:
- What am I releasing?
- What am I becoming?
- What is waiting for me in the dark?
3. Shadow Journaling
Write daily from a prompt like:
- “I fear the dark because…”
- “My ancestors have taught me…”
- “The part of me I’m ready to face is…”
Let what’s hidden rise to the surface.
4. Ancestor Connection Ritual
At dusk, light a candle and place a bowl of water and a bit of food on your altar.
Speak to your ancestors. Invite their wisdom. Dream with them.
Embracing the In-Between
Threshold season invites us to surrender the illusion of permanence.
It teaches us that endings are fertile, that darkness is not absence but gestation.
It’s a sacred pause before rebirth.
In a culture that fears death, silence, and uncertainty, this season offers deep medicine.
It asks us to feel, to listen, to slow down, to honor mystery.
To walk between worlds—not lost, but seeking.
We gather the harvest, thank the light, and descend into the cauldron, knowing that the seeds of spring are already stirring in the soil.
