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Getting Through the Most Difficult Times: The Tao of Oz

No matter how life is unfolding, the day will come when a house will fall on you or someone you love.

Every time I see The Wizard Of Oz, I’m reminded of why it’s the perfect allegory for our lives. Dorothy is the embodiment of our innocent, untarnished soul – loved and adored by everyone she meets. Toto is her child, her faithful companion and brave protector. The Twister is life with all its whirling debris and flying cows. The Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Cowardly Lion are aspects of ourselves; afraid of not being smart, loved, or courageous enough. The Good Witch of the North is the gentle voice inside that reminds us of our magnificence. The Wicked Witch of the West is our pernicious unworthiness commanding her flying monkeys of fear to grip us with doubt and rip us from our journey toward fulfillment. And those plucky Munchkins… well, they are the voices of our light, continually urging us to keep moving and follow our yellow brick road.

When Almira Gulch plots to destroy precious Toto, she’s trying to steal the loving heart of Dorothy. In Oz as the Wicked Witch, she attempts to deprive Dorothy of her sparkling ruby slippers- the uniqueness and brilliant shine of her limitless possibility. She even commands the Emerald City (in skywriting no less) to “Surrender Dorothy” or suffer the consequences.

When the Wicked Witch finally meets her aqueous demise she wails, “Who would have thought that a good little girl could destroy my beautiful wickedness?” The ego is not malicious, only misunderstood. When doused with the energy of pure love, like the witch, it melts away.

You know your vibrational energy can shift at any time if you let it. You know the winding quest toward wholeness is paved with gold. You will meet new friends along the way and contend with your fears, but you will never surrender your Dorothy. You will only surrender to your luminosity- the light that leads you through life’s lions and tigers and bears.

When you surrender to spirit – your limitless nature and soul signature – you are empowered to walk to the very edge of reality. Everything changes. Your black and white world turns to brilliant Technicolor right before your eyes. You sometimes learn the hard way that when a house falls on one witch, another takes her place, the wonderful wizards you look to often lose their magic, and seemingly happy, fruitful trees may hurl apples at you. It’s not about never experiencing pain. It’s about knowing you are your own brilliant source of wisdom, courage, and love no matter what strange land you find yourself in.

Dorothy sums up her journey by confessing, “If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own backyard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with.“ All she ever wanted to do was go home – back to her soul’s perfection, her divine self.

It’s all any of us wants. In our hearts we always know there’s no place like home.



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