Bone by Marion Woodman is a very intense account of a woman’s
struggle with cancer and her survival. Being a psychoanalyst has helped the
author to understand the working of her mind and the emotions much better. The conflict
between intellect, logic etc. on one hand and emotion, faith etc. on the other
has been chronicled very systematically. The message that comes through clearly
is that logic and emotion need to be harmonized; not one or another.

The author has brought out the important difference
between curing disease and healing. Healing is a holistic process. "If
deeper healing is to happen, deeper surrender is necessary." Surrender
results in getting rid of fear. So her statement "I could feel myself
coming to center. By which I mean I could feel my ego surrendering to
God/Sophia, surrendering to their love. I no longer feared forgetting words or
gaps in concentration. No longer feared blathering empty words. No longer
feared I might drop from loss of energy. No longer feared." makes good
sense. Sophia is wisdom and love.

The last chapter where Marion gets up and dances
much against the logical advice of her own intellect and that of Ross, her
husband, giving in (surrendering) to Sophia’s (her instinct) urge to get up and
dance, is really amazing.

This book will help all thinking persons understand
themselves and their struggles with major events like terminal illness much
better. This book is certainly not ‘light’ reading. It requires considerable
effort on the part of the reader to read, understand and appreciate. Thus it
may have only limited appeal, but it will be read by those who need it.

©
2002 S. V. Swamy

S. V. Swamy,
India.

Categories: Memoirs, Genetics