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by Tony T. Gaillard (Author)
Strange as it may seem, the family curse inherited by Oedipus at his birth has never been analyzed prior to this study. Going back four generations in the lineage of Oedipus, the author deciphers the transgenerational inheritance that alienates Oedipus until his discovery of his adoption and the identity of his parents. The crisis Oedipus then suffers appears to be a necessary journey for him to integrate his heritage, to heal and to be reborn. Tiresias explained: "this day will make you born and die at the same time."
The author shows why the cataclysmic ending of Oedipus the King, contrary to popular belief, is not a fatal outcome but rather a necessary ordeal which the hero must live through. The tragedy then becomes a catharsis, transforming Oedipus into the guarantor of Colonus' prosperity. In truth, from the plague at the beginning of Oedipus the King to the glorious epilogue of Oedipus at Colonus, Sophocles' work is based on ancient healing principles. As we recognize the underlying transgenerational dynamics, Oedipus' healing appears to be a masterful teaching of an extraordinary therapeutic model.
This book challenges some of our deep-seated contemporary prejudices. Instead of cutting our links with the environment that gave birth to us, as with the umbilical cord, in following Sophocles, we discover how to be better ourselves by symbolically integrating our roots. This way of restoring our belonging to the world frees us from the modern need to dominate it or instrumentalize it. More than ever, we need such a paradigm to deepen the meaning of our relationship to the world.
