The “The Wizard of Oz” musical is one of my favorite movies.
For those not as familiar, Dorothy is restless and looking for a place “over the rainbow.” She longs for more than she’s finding on the farm with her aunt and uncle.
When her pet, Toto is in danger of being taken away, she runs away to find the other life she’s been dreaming of.
Ultimately when the tornado comes up she returns home, only to end up whisked away over the rainbow to the Land of Oz.
The Journey
In Oz she meets Glinda, The Good Witch, The Wicked Witch of the West and the other cast of characters including the Scarecrow, the Tin Woodsman and the Cowardly Lion.
Dorothy’s journey through Oz reflects her desire to have more excitement in her boring life on the farm. When she’s dropped in Oz, the movie goes from sepia-toned black & white to color – showing how her world has changed completely into something more exciting and magical.
It’s all fun when the Munchkins reward her for flattening the witch with her house, but the witch’s sister – the infamous Wicked Witch – crashes the party. Demanding to get the ruby slippers, she’s not happy to find Dorothy wearing them. From that point on, Dorothy’s journey will be perilous. Even surrounded by her new companions, she’s in danger as they travel to Oz to meet with the Wizard.
The Wizard
The catch here is that the Wizard really has no powers – other than smoke and mirrors. He’s a fake, considered a powerful wizard by the citizens of Oz, but having no power to help Dorothy return home. He got to Oz by accident – just as Dorothy did.
However, the Wizard does have the insight to recognize that the Scarecrow, Tin Woodsman and the Lion only need to believe in themselves. They don’t really need the qualities they’ve been searching for – they already have them.
So what can we learn from this wonderful story? Dorothy’s not satisfied with the status quo, so when she ends up in this strange place, she’s ready for adventure.
At the same time, just as we don’t see how powerful we really are, neither does Dorothy or her companions. Dorothy believes that the Wizard can help her to return to her home, not realizing she can return at any time simply by clicking her heels together.
The Wicked Witch
Throughout her journey she’s tested and pursued by the Wicked Witch who wants her ruby slippers. She defeats the Witch, who seemed all-powerful and yet was destroyed by water. Then in the end Glinda reveals that Dorothy had the power within to return to her home – power that even the great Wizard didn’t possess.
We may be tested in our pursuit of our dreams and feel as though we have to find the guru who has the right answer. We may travel through the perilous land of not having enough money, or enough support or not knowing what to do next. We may believe that we have no power or don’t know enough. In the end, it is up to us to believe in ourselves and our vision.
What I’ve found is that you can read all of the books, go to seminars and spend thousands of dollars looking for the “answer.” Sure, I’ve learned from many of those sources, but in the end, it was up to me to find the power within myself.
When we put our trust in wizards and stop listening to our inner guidance, we may never connect with what we really desire.
Glinda
Glinda guides Dorothy, yet does not give her the answers – or reveal that the Wizard in not a real wizard. She lets Dorothy discover for herself that she can return home – to her source. In fact, in The Wiz (a more modern musical version) Glinda has a song where she tells Dorothy to “believe in yourself.” She helps to mentor Dorothy to fully grow into what she can truly become.
I believe that we each have something to express and share with the world. If we’re not connected to those desires (and if we don’t trust ourselves) we may never bring those things to life.
There may be powerful forces around us that we can tap into, but in order to have success we must acknowledge our own power.
Copyright © 2015 Deborah A. Bailey
