Spiritual Symbolism in the Wizard of Oz
The Soul’s Journey on the Golden Path
by Annie Hollis
Story telling is a spiritual necessity,
and the symbolic components in any story provide the true richness
of any movie, book, and myth. That’s why we loved fairy tales.
They taught us our values.
I have often heard that we have too few spiritually significant movies
and television shows. That’s true if we only search for those
productions that are advertised as religious or spiritual. All good
stories are virtually loaded with symbolic messages intended to be
spiritual direction, if we care to explore and think about them.
Screenwriters and other storytellers have the intent to instruct
us in life’s lessons as they see them, through symbolic messages.
They are almost always a commentary on our culture or collective
state of mind.
Javier J. Farias’ new book, Spiritual Symbolism in the Wizard
of Oz (The Soul’s Journey on the Golden Path) is an instruction
manual on how to find the richness below the surface of any good
movie. This is personified in our best loved most durable movies
that meet the test of time. The Wizard of Oz is a profound and notable
standout among the steady stream of spiritual instruction we can
find in any movie theatre.
Farias analyzes the MGM version of The Wizard of Oz, showing that
no detail is insignificant in spiritual and symbolic significance
as experienced by Dorothy and her companions. By following his process,
you can analyze any movie, and he shows you how, scene by scene.
You may not, ultimately, dismantle a movie to this level of detail
but I encourage you to do it once. Take your favorite movie, one
you absolutely love, to watch over and over again, with Mr. Farias’ book
in hand.
If you apply his techniques, you’ll find out why you love the
movie and why it is significant to your life. Who’s your favorite
character? The character’s struggles and wisdom will show you
what you aspire to be or what you recognize as your truth. Once you
know how to look deeper for the message of the movie, you’ll
find joy in every one of your movie excursions.
Here are a few examples of how to use the blueprint from Mr. Farias’ Introduction
to uncover symbolic messages of the movie character’s spiritual
journey: Kansas - the Earth plane and the color change shows that the black
and white Kansas, not the Land of Oz, is the true dream. The Rainbow – represents the veil between this reality and
all others.
Munchkins – represent the young souls who have not yet begun
their process of soul evolution. Dorothy and her 3 companions - represent the four lower bodies: (Dorothy – human
soul evolving; Scarecrow – undeveloped Mental Body; Tin Man – undeveloped
Emotional Body; Cowardly Lion – undeveloped Power of the Will).
The
Yellow Brick Road – Path of spiritual evolution. (This
is a archetypal symbol – common to all cultures – the
message being that the way is on the spiritual path; the pollen path,
the golden path, the road paved in gold, the middle path, etc.) Poppy Fields – the many temptations and distractions that lure
us from our path and put us to sleep or into unconsciousness. Emerald City – Places of restricted access – organized
religion and mysterious, convoluted hierarchical structures. The Great and Powerful Oz – The “benevolent dictator” who
proves to be an ordinary phony. This is the one we look for outside
ourselves to fix our lives and take care of us – the government,
our religion - those to whom we give our power and our blind faith.
The response of our government to the Katrina disaster is a vivid
example of our allowing the Great and Powerful Oz to take care of
things for us. We now know we are on our own and the Wizard does
not exist. The Ruby Slippers - Dorothy’s beautiful, shining power. Glinda,
the Good Witch of the North, tells Dorothy, ”And remember,
never let those ruby slippers off your feet for a moment or you’ll
be at the mercy of the Wicked Witch of the West.” In other
words, always be on guard about your power. It cannot be forced from
you, or stolen, but you can lose it when your guard is down, or be
tricked into giving it away. She then kisses her on the forehead
(3rd eye?), a seal of protection.
These examples are only the beginning. Mr. Farias relates contemporary
events and struggles to the messages of The
Wizard of Oz, about our
dependence on any authority outside ourselves.
As with many productions of the era, the drama behind the scenes
rivals the drama on the screen. The book is filled with fun movie
trivia and ironies in the production process that parallel the story
line.
The movie script is purposeful and always expresses a deeper meaning
beyond the obvious. That is what allows us to relate to the story
and keeps us from feeling alone in our trials. It often provides
a therapy of sorts.
The book is filled with references and esoteric instruction to expand
your knowledge of symbols.
Watch a movie first for the sheer enjoyment of the story and then
watch it again after you’ve read the book to mine the gold.
Annie
Hollis teaches astrology at the
Atlantian Mystery School in Atlanta and practices astrology, archetype
and tarot readings at Inner Space. You may reach her for an appointment
or a phone reading at 404-252-4540.
She is also available for mentoring.
Annie
Hollis teaches astrology at the
Atlantian Mystery School in Atlanta and practices astrology, archetype
and tarot readings at Inner Space. You may reach her for an appointment 
