Marlene Neumann’s book, Walking Yourself Home: Remembering Who You Are, masterfully fuses haunting black-and-white photography with intimate reflections, charting a profound journey from self-doubt to self-discovery.
Her deep bond with nature, sparked at age 14 through a camera lens, radiates wisdom amid life’s tempests, culminating in international acclaim as a master fine art photographer.
At 38, confronting mortality stripped Neumann to her essence, birthing a series of images that mirror her raw struggles and triumphs.
These visuals, paired with candid insights, spotlight perseverance, love, and the creative spark drawn from the wild, inviting readers to unearth their own truths.
“The freedom we experience when we take steps to walk ourselves home allows us to fall in love with life, free to be ourselves,” Neumann said.
For decades, photography has served Neumann as both teacher and language — a way of listening deeply, seeing truth, and making sense of challenges.
As an avid photographer and lecturer, she describes her path as one of remembering her true self through nature, creativity, and lived experience.
“Walking Yourself Home weaves black-and-white images with honest reflections to guide readers back to themselves. Healing, clarity, and belonging are found by slowing down, paying attention, and trusting your own inner knowing,” she said.
“There is more to life than the eye sees. Nature is our teacher, and we must remember who we are.”
Neumann’s journey began at 14 with her first profound images using the school camera.
One captured three people standing outside a zinc shack, making a fire; when developed, she felt she had ensnared their souls on film.
The second, a black feather from the beach reversed on x-ray film into a white feather against darkness, taught her that: “we can transmute all darkness into light when we connect to spirit.”
Despite international recognition, feelings of inadequacy lingered, but nature always called her back. She recalls swimming in a calm ocean, feeling alone, only to spot a small buck on a distant dune gazing at her, a moment of: “profound love and support”.
“Nature shows us that everything is a cycle, some things end and some begin, just like the seasons,” she says.
It held space during her deepest sobs. At 38, facing mortality after she was diagnosed with breast cancer, natural elements guided her healing.
“The only thing that saved me was going within, practicing sitting with my pain and suffering through daily meditation and quietness.
“What was my purpose here? My diet changed; I became vegan, ate raw vegetables and juices to cleanse body, mind, and spirit, connecting to source.”
The book reveals hidden messages from the universe, teaching how we should live.
“The images bring the words to life and physiologically impact the reader. People relate deeply, with the visuals stirring their own experiences in a multi-universal way.
“Creating it was an adventure of discovering a deeper self.”
Psychotherapist Dr Pam Roux praises the book as “a profound reminder” against unconscious living, offering clear paths back to authenticity.
Neumann says there’s more ahead, through her online Creativity through Photography workshop starting March 5 and her annual retreats in Hogsback. She said she will soon host readings throughout SA and internationally.
This evocative book stands as a gentle yet powerful guide for reclaiming one’s core.
For East London events dates and book sales, email neumann@worldonline.co.za or call 083-321-3391.
To stand a chance to win a copy of the book see page 2.
