A Friendship Remembered
Dancing at the Still Point:
Marion Woodman, SOPHIA, and Me
Chiron Publications 2019
“Elinor Dickson has written honestly and beautifully about her long friendship with Marion Woodman. A relationship that was rooted in love and shared intellect, she masterfully describes the journey they took together to unearth some new and revealing wisdom of the Feminine.”
— Lucinda M. Vardey, Author of The Flowering of the Soul: A Book of Prayers by Women
Synopsis
This book celebrates the gift of friendship as a compelling model for community in these times. As Marion would say, “Where soul meets soul that’s love, and love is the field in which we are all called to dance.”
At a time when we are witnessing the return of the World Soul, the rise of feminine consciousness and the re-enchantment of Nature, the friendship between Marion Woodman and Elinor Dickson offers us a rare glimpse into the new story yearning to be born. Dancing at the Still Point reveals a remarkable friendship rooted in Soul that is both deeply personal and transpersonal. Prompted by a dream in which Marion told her to write about their friendship, Elinor has succeeded in weaving their shared visions, dreams and insights with the playfulness, challenges, and honesty they shared over thirty-four years. Like all deep friendships, Marion and Elinor mirrored each other while mutually affirming their individual destinies.
Author’s Commentary
Arriving at the still point is to realize that one has pierced through, however briefly, to that moment when time and timelessness intersect, leaving us in awe.
The intensity of such an experience brings in its wake a complete reversal of how we look at ourselves, at others, and at the world. It is to enter into the flow of incarnation where one’s personal psychology becomes one with the greater rhythms of creation.
Unless we are rooted in this sacred dimension beyond ourselves, we cannot really make a commitment to another person, let alone form community. Projection and need can too easily creep in to fill the place where love should be. As our friendship deepened, Marion would say, “we are psychically so close, we dance at the still point together.” While that was the foundation of our relationship, shared vulnerability and trust became its container. If our shadow side appeared between us, it was dealt with swiftly and with humor. If the sword came from without, the pain was witnessed and held until a solution presented itself. Above all, the joy was celebrated with abandon.
In the “Eternal Friendship” with Wisdom/Sophia, we experience ourselves as seen through the eyes of Love. Rooted in the Truth and Love within, we can witness the other through those eyes. This is the foundation that allows for a community to come into being in a way that is supported and enhanced by what is coming through each person. In turn, such a community becomes an alchemical vessel capable of bringing forth a new creation.
