There's No Place Like Home. (Wizard of Oz)

We Are More Like Dorothy Than We Realize.

This morning while I was getting ready for work a scene from the movie, The Wizard of Oz popped into my head. You know the one where the wizard dives head first digging deep into his big black bag only to pull out attributes for three of the lost wanderers. The qualities none of the eclectic gang thought they had. The same scene where Dorothy pipes up and quips, “There’s probably nothing in that big black bag for me.” I thought to myself, “holy sh*t, that’s it! We’re ALL Dorothy in our journey of life.”

As a matter of fact, the whole Wizard of Oz story/movie exists in a parallel motion to our lives. We all have dreams, ideals, beliefs and when we’re young they are big, huge, dynamic, and sometimes even scary. When we’re little children we believe we can be anything we want. We may daydream about how it feels to save someone's life, accept an Oscar, a Grammy, a trophy, the championship title. We see ourselves as doctors, star athletes, actors, singers, musicians, speakers, even the president of the United States. But as we get older we begin to lose the dream, we begin to loosen our grip on what we thought we could accomplish, we begin to listen to the people telling us to get down, stop balancing on the thin edge of that rickety ol’ fence and get back to work. We’re told that life is hard, so get your head out of the clouds, because ‘somewhere over the rainbow’ doesn’t exist. We start to believe that we aren’t worthy of our dreams and that we need to shove them back down into the place where childhood memories collect dust and dreams are better left forgotten.

When Dorothy (who’s in a dress mind you), falls head first off the fence and into the mud that's where our lives become parallel to hers. Tragic as it is, we’re raised to fear life. We’re clothed and draped in the experiences of those who have lived before us. Mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, mentors, people who have their life experiences tattooed across every let down and failure they’ve ever had. These loving people never planted fear within us out of malice or for the sole purpose of squashing our dreams; it was done with the honest intention to protect us from pain, to thicken our skins to the big bad world outside. It was done so that we wouldn’t be devastated when our dreams appeared to be out of our reach. They instilled fear in us so we’d be stronger when we stumbled on our way to catching a glimpse.

Now, listen up, I’m not writing this post to debate on how to “ready” your child(ren) for this world. I’m not in a position to pass judgment on anyone. And as much as my parents supported my dreams, there were plenty of naysayers outside of my protective cocoon that didn’t waste a moment’s time to tell my how ridiculous my dreams were. I’m paralleling our lives to the Wizard of Oz (movie version), so we have something to reference outside of ourselves. A visual prop, so to speak, to identify with and relate so we can recognize the fear that paralyzes us, call out the unworthiness that we dress ourselves in everyday as we follow our dreams, and overcome the guilt we shower in when things don’t work out as we thought they should.  

There are moments when Dorothy faces the harsh realities of life in a microcosm, where times are tough and people are even tougher. When the innocence of their simple but hard life on the farm becomes disrupted by the oppressive hand of the unforgiving people who scare her and spit demands at her family. As if in the same manner we may have been battered, bruised and squeezed for property we didn’t possess or situations we couldn’t rectify. But isn’t that the way of tragedy? As if things couldn’t get any more deplorable, a twister comes and rips Dorothy’s house from the dust riddled parched earth of Kansas in a turbulently violent moment that seems to last forever.

Eventually, the modest farm house lands hard, smack dab in the middle of a luscious forest in the Land of Oz. There's a metaphorical brilliance in that scene that’s undeniable. We’re faced with twisters in our own lives, moments even when we hold on, they seem to rip us from our foundation. Could the house that flew through the air, tossing and spinning so recklessly represent our lives? Could the scared girl named Dorothy, who watched the world pass her by through a single pane glass window be a significant moment we hate to identify? Amongst the chaos and turmoil, we’ll always see the good and bad come out in people. When we live in expectations of lack or desperation, we’re living a monochromatic experience. We become comfortably complacent in our lives until something devastatingly dramatic comes along and shakes us up. And what better metaphor to represent the upset than a tornado in the dust bowl of Kansas?

Life seems melodramatic, filled with the pain of what we despise and yet we can’t seem to get enough of it running through our veins. Just as the world Dorothy was fearing in her monochromatic life, eventually it takes on a different shape translating into technicolor dreams planted in her head. We are constantly pulling and pushing ideas from what we thought was supposed to be into what we feel needs to happen. Fear’s been seared into our souls so completely, that while life’s being painted across a fresh new canvas of possibilities we shudder and cling to the idea that the first stroke of the brush could be the last. Yet, just as Dorothy pulls open the door of her wind-bent farm house, she's met with a vibrant world filled with brilliant colors and vivid imagery all her own. A world created by her thoughts, her ideas, her fears and her strengths and you want to know the twister? She’s completely oblivious that she has created it.

Cautiously, yet curiously Dorothy leaves the confines of her transplanted farm house and braves this dynamic world she’d never seen before. Faced with actions beyond her control, when her house lands on and kills the Wicked Witch of the East Dorothy is thrust into a position that requires her to put on her big girl panties, and find the Great and Powerful Wizard of Oz. Fanfare ensues because let’s face it, if a house landed on the one person or experience that keeps tormenting you, you’d be partying too! Sometimes breaking away from that which brings you so much pain sends you off onto a journey you never expected. People around you could be celebrating the accomplishments or growth you’ve experienced, while deep inside your gut you are scared to death of what just happened. It’s understandable that there will be fear of backlash or repercussions when you’ve knowingly or unknowingly accomplished something so empowering. Even if the success you’re experiencing wasn’t planned!

Here’s Dorothy, in the middle of Munchkinland, celebrating the new adventure she’s about to embark on, when Glenda the Good Witch, in her delicate and loving manner, tells Dorothy how good can overcome evil, and how sometimes in overcoming that evil you can have more problems arise, when VOILA! … The Wicked Witch of the West, appears in a green puff of smoke! (I never understood why green represented evil. It’s my favorite color) Anyway, instantly Dorothy’s life becomes riddled with problems, ideologies, and fear. The Wicked Witch of The West is pissed because Dorothy’s house has killed her sister, the Wicked Witch of The East. That’s right, innocent, pretty Dorothy was blamed for something out of her control. How many times have we’ve been blamed for circumstances beyond our control? How many times will we have to drown in our self-inflicted guilt because we succeeded or failed at something?  

Poor Dorothy, riddled with guilt and confused on what to do is completely unaware of her inner power and where it resides. She stands scared because the Wicked Witch of the West has targeted her as her next victim. Especially, since Glenda the GW←(Good Witch), magically put the ruby slippers upon Dorothy’s feet. ← Take note, the ruby slippers represent a HUGE AH-HA moment later in the story. Dorothy didn’t ask for these ruby slippers, she didn’t come in all gangsta like and demand the beautiful shoes, Glenda decided to give them to Dorothy to protect their magic and the person wearing them.

Listen, we don’t have control over the actions of others. Sometimes we are thrust into moments that affect who we are or what our purpose might become. Glenda magically took those ruby slippers from the WWE (Wicked Witch of the East), and unbeknownst  to Dorothy, placed them upon her feet. Once the ruby slippers were on Dorothy’s feet, nobody but Dorothy could take them off. Could those ruby slippers represent our self confidence? Could something as basic as the shoes thrust upon Dorothy’s feet metaphorically represent our faith in ourselves as we walk, dance or run through our journey? How many times have we heard the quote, “don’t judge someone until you’ve walked a thousand miles in their shoes”? Maybe those ruby slippers stand for something more than pretty shoes for a pretty girl? Maybe they represent the faith we must have in ourselves and the journey we are embarking on.

Then GTGW, with some help from the Munchkins tell Dorothy in order to find her way home (via the Wizard’s wisdom), she must ‘follow the yellow brick road’; a road paved with bricks, curving and bending through all the different aspects of Oz, leading to the Emerald City (Yay, finally Green represents good!). But, let’s not forget, any road paved with intentions is always going to take us through uncomfortable situations, maybe even lead us through moments that we’ve never thought we’d ever experience. 

Could it be, the yellow brick road represents the foundation of our lives? Maybe those beautiful bright yellow bricks represent our intuition, the path we must build our future upon as our ruby slippers click and clack along the way? It takes a lot of guts to follow our dreams, it takes the realization of our inner power to stay focused on the pathway to our success. And, hey, if we have a little extra help from our very own GTGW along the way, who are we to stand in the way?  Let the light and love of someone willing to help fill your cup, top off your tank, and give you a moment of true deep appreciation. We never do it alone, there’s always someone who will be your advocate. Just as Glenda was Dorothy’s advocate, there's always someone waiting to be yours.

TO BE CONTINUED…

***Keep an eye peeled for my next blog post when Dorothy meets the scarecrow in the 2nd installment of, There’s No Place Like Home.

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!

Is It Time To Make A Shift?

What makes one day amazing and another disastrous? What creates the wonders of some moments and the fear, doubt and anger of the next? 

It is our reaction to situations. We are creatures floating in old belief systems, traditions, and idioms that we give our power over to, and it is time to stop!

Humans are individual expressions of Universal Truth, placed upon this earth to experience life. Why do you think we are the only living things that are given volition? We are the only living organisms that have the ability to choose consciously. How amazing is that? There is a power out there, pushing, flowing, and drowning us in the possibility and ability to make choices; good, bad or indifferent…we have the ability to change our minds, and in turn, create a shift in our consciousness, which produces an outcome in our physical environment. Think about that…We are born with the ability to think, mentally process, and communicate not only our needs, but our opinions, our beliefs, and our desires. That right there is a miracle. Not many other living creatures have the conscious awareness to make up their minds, choose, and deduce outcomes purely from their thoughts.

But even more incredible we have the ability to override our intuition. We have the choice to listen or not to that intuitive voice in our heads. And right there is the point of where we as individuals choose how to live our lives. We can keep falling victim to fear, doubt and anger, or we can make the conscious choice to think ourselves into a better life.

Yeah, I just saw you roll your eyes…but hear me out! It is all based in scientific principle; or what I like to call Cause and Effect. It has proven time and time again that people can control their experiences by merely changing how they react to the events happening around them in their lives. When we change our outlook or belief about a situation or event, that event or situation must change.

One of the most defining, and definite statements in the Bible is, “It is done unto you as you believe.” It doesn’t say it is done unto you as someone else sees it, or as someone else wants you to see it.

Our life is nothing more than what we keep thinking into it. It is an individual responsibility that you can either live life as a victim or an empowered individual. You don’t like your life or the experience you are having…change the way you are seeing it. Stop reacting from fear and hate, and begin to react from that deep seeded love, harmony and peace. Nobody is making you react to your life, but you! We all have met an Eeyore or two in our lives. You know the people who never catch a break, who never see the forest through the trees, who, if lightning was going to strike they would be the one it would hit. Trust me the world has enough Eeyores!

One of the brightest minds to grace the earth, Albert Einstein was quoted as saying, “You can’t fix a problem, using the same mind that created it.” How profound is that? We can’t change a situation that keeps happening if we keep looking at it the same way we’ve always looked at it. We must change our idea about it, in order to change the outcome. No matter how hard we keep forcing that square peg in that round hole it’s not going to fit until we either change the peg or find a square hole.

Instead of resisting change, begin to embrace it. Instead of looking at a situation from fear and doubt…find a way to come from peace and love. Try and see the good in every situation in your life. Start seeing all the things to be grateful in your life and focus on that. I promise your conversations will begin to change, your environment will change, and you’ll start seeing your life change to something better you had yesterday. Trust me it isn’t easy at first. If it was easy we wouldn’t be experiencing any destruction, disease, and disrespect in this world. But if we just start today, just start in our own lives, seeing the potential, love, peace, and harmony that exists in our lives, no matter how small a spark it seems to be, our lives will change dramatically for the good. 

Okay, enough of my ramblings. I want to leave you with one last statement to think about. Ready? What you think about today creates your tomorrow. What are you thinking about that you want to experience tomorrow?

Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings!

My Sunday Talk...@ the Center for Spiritual Living, Diablo Valley

The body of my talk Sunday Aug. 26th, 2012.

“Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” One of my favorite quotes by the brilliant Albert Einstein.

How often do we find ourselves believing we are less than or stupid? Whether it is in our physical being or our consciousness? How often have we allowed others to judge us by what we do, or how we look? And on the flip side, how many times have we judged others?

Let’s look at the first four words of the quote. “Everybody is a genius.” It doesn’t say only scientists are geniuses or bankers are geniuses or this race or that religion is genius. Einstein said everyone. EVERYONE is a genius.

In Roman times, the Latin origin of the word genius meant, the guiding spirit. The noun, genius is related to the Latin verb gigno, which translates, “to bring into being.”

Wow, of course we are all geniuses. Just by being born into this world, we get to own the definition, genius. When we are brought into being, Infinite Intelligence, or God, places within each of us the guiding spirit; that intuitiveness deep within us that keeps nudging us onto our spiritual path. Some people call it their still small voice, or an inspiration that floods their consciousness with ideas. Some of us might define it as that cosmic rack a pop on the back of the head. However you can relate to it in your own mind.

Isn’t that wonderful, to know that each and every one of us are geniuses! So as we relate to that, as we swim in the greatness and glory of being a genius, there is something else we have to understand and then embody.

The second sentence of Einstein’s quote… “But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing it is stupid.” Now I wanted to relate this to others judging us for who we are and what we do, but I couldn’t. I felt the need to relate this to our own consciousness. Because the only way we are going to change the world around us or the way it treats us is by changing our own consciousness about how we fit in it.

So often we judge ourselves and never think twice about it. Any time we say “I am” and put something negative or limiting behind it, we are judging the fish for not climbing the tree.

We all have a purpose. Proverbs 16:9. A man’s heart devises his ways; but the Lord directs his steps. And thank goodness we each get to live our purpose in a unique way. Just as a fish demonstrates perfectly its genius as it breathes and swims in the water; just as it’s body has “brought into being,” the ability to live life entirely in water...so are we designed to embody and live our lives in our own life experiences.

We are all familiar with the saying, It is done unto you, as you believe. It doesn’t say, it is done unto you as someone else believes. Or that your life is the result of someone’s thoughts or beliefs. We have all been given the freedom of thought, the power to choose how we live our lives. 

How empowering is that?

When Jesus said, “Go, let it be done to you according to your belief,” in Matthew 8:13, he was basically announcing that your life is the result of your thinking. So it only makes since that if you want a better life, get a better consciousness. 

I will tell you I like to challenge and ask questions, dissecting words and meanings about passages or books that strummed a chord in my spirituality. I always felt that if I am going to invest my time and spiritual(ness) into anything; I am going to question things I don’t understand and embody the things I do. That’s why I found Religious Science so perfect for me. I was encouraged to ask, study, and take from the belief system what worked for me as a youth in this teaching.

Einstein stated, “You can’t fix a problem, using the same level of consciousness that created it.” Pretty powerful huh? We can’t fix anything in our lives if we are coming from the same belief or thought patterns that created it.

If we want to have Peace in our lives; we can’t go around cursing people out for cutting us off on the freeway. We want success in our business, how are we talking about our occupations to others? Are we giving the best part of ourselves to everything we do, or are we holding our hands out expecting someone to fill it with what we think we lack.

When I came to the realization that I am responsible for what happens in my life; that what I focus on grows in my life, I decided to change my mind about everything around me. Because there is nothing more powerful than a made up mind. 

As easy as I make it sound, it’s anything but…trust me on that. 

Just as habits and conditions that we have embodied didn’t appear over night, so is it with changing our beliefs. It takes daily practice. It takes conscious living. And it takes the faith to do it. But we must be willing to recognize when we fall back into old patterns and forgive ourselves when we do. If we can learn and move from a situation a better person, we’ve accomplished something grand.

We don’t have to worry about how it is going to happen or try and map out how spirit is going to work in our lives. All we have to do is have total faith that IT knows what to do and how to do it. 

We stop judging our short comings and start basking in our accomplishments, no matter how small. Rejoice when our lives open up to something greater. You got up today and came to hear me speak. Celebrate the fact that you’re here. Give thanks for everything in your life, no matter how small. Because as you do that, as you transform your thoughts and ideas from judgment and condition, to Love and Peace, you begin to see what your true purpose is. 

When you praise the sun for shining another day, or the refreshingly deep breaths that keep filling your lungs, your consciousness opens up to the Universe and your life unfolds to your unlimited possibilities. Suddenly you will find yourself grateful for the new job you have, the abundance in your bank account, the health you are celebrating, and all the other wonderful things that have opened up to you. What will happen is you’ll see the genius in your life and you will realize it was who you were all along!