Hi Jane,
In my journey with Liberating Structures it was very incremental in my understanding of how and why these structures work. Looking at the principles and underpinnings of LS became much more meaningful to me as I used the structures (focused on the mechanics essentially) and saw how they work for people, the social proof of LS. In recent years, I'm finding learning about the underpinnings of LS fascinating! Also, Keith McCandless's article "Liberating Structures Iceberg" listed in the Tips and Resources is helpful in giving insight on the evolution of an LS practice. Let me know what you think.