Dancing in the Flames | Chapter 2
A Heart in the Balance
“This is not a place of rational logic.”
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Our first week generated some truly beautiful reflections in the comments section. Read what people shared and add your own thoughts.
Welcome to the second week of our slow read of Dancing in the Flames by Marion Woodman and Elinor Dickson!
Over these six weeks (April 12-May 23), we will:
Read one chapter a week
Dive deeper into the material through weekly posts and “amplifications” (delivered to your inbox or the Substack app)
Share thoughts, favorite quotes, and questions in the comments
Explore the reading together in two live sessions, plus a bonus men’s discussion group!
✨ Meet co-author Elinor Dickson in an exclusive author chat! ✨
How do I participate? You can participate in whatever way calls to you, and you can also follow along at your own pace: these posts and the recordings of our sessions will remain available to paid subscribers if this is not the right time for you to dive in. And if you are just not interested in this particular book group, please just ignore these emails for the coming weeks. It’s not for everyone! There is much more in the way of gatherings and offerings to come!
A note about the reading: This material is psychoactive by design. In other words, it’s meant to work on you on many levels, not just intellectually. You may notice yourself having memories or recalling dreams that you haven’t thought about in years as you read. You may also find the material too dense at times to fully make sense of. Keep reading!
In addition to being psychoactive, it’s a community reading: Take notice of what arises in your mind, and write down whatever questions you can form about what’s not making sense. Drop questions and thoughts below in the comments.
Join in the conversation: What images, thoughts, dreams, and reactions are stirred by this week’s reading?
Some themes of Chapter 2:
Reality beyond duality—a test for these times; chakras and psychological development; time and timelessness; the necessity of embodiment; the need to confront crisis; the relationship between the spirit and the soul; and so much more. What follows can serve as a support to your own reading with images, quotes, amplifications, and reflections.
We begin in the realm of the Fairy Tales
“One does not venture deep into the forest without good reason.” (48)
In fairy tales, as the authors state, we enter a place beyond the rational.
I’m struck by the resonance I experienced in the opening of this chapter and this moment in time. Through the stories of Baba Yaga, the authors show us how we may be pushed to grow and enter the dark forest, whether we are comfortable doing so or not.
Now these are not ordinary requests. One does not venture deep into the forest without good reason. One has already felt some loss, something missing, in the ordinary routines of life. One has begun to search in the depths of the unconscious for what is essential to growth, to change, to wholeness. (48)
What does entering the darkness have to do with transformation? And why does She arrive when she does?
…the hag, the sorceress, the wisdom energy of the Goddess, does not appear in dreams until the traveler is strong enough to be vulnerable. (48)