In The Wizard of Us by Jean Houston, she analyzes The Wizard of Oz with the Hero’s Journey. Through a mythic lens, we discover the archetypes of mind, heart, and courage represented by the Scarecrow, Tin Man, and Lion. We meet the gatekeepers in the story and the wizard within us.
Amazon’s description of the book states, “This thoughtful, layered guide offers new understanding of the human condition, the importance of myth, and the critical nature of our role and how we can participate in the creation of a better world. The Wizard not only calls us forth but he has called forth the journey itself. It’s time to uncover your inner hero and become the essential human you were always meant to be.”
For The Wizard of Us by Jean Houston, click here.
Writers would be interested in what Houston identifies as Dorothy’s Apotheosis. The definition of Apotheosis is the highest point in the development of something; culmination or climax. In the Hero’s Journey, Apotheosis is when the hero’s old limited self dies and is transformed into a new being. Dorothy’s precise time of shifting is when she and her three friends meet with the Wizard after completing all the tasks he demanded before he would help them. Dorothy wanted a way to return home, the Scarecrow wanted a mind, the Tin Man wanted a heart, and the lion wanted courage.
When the Wizard refused to grant their wishes and bellows at them to leave, Dorothy finds her inner strength and her voice. “If you were really great and powerful, you’d keep your promises!”
Houston’s call to action for all of us is to claim our roles in this “extraordinary moment of human history” as powerful “Social Artists” and “Catalysts of Change” to aid in a global awakening to a new, better world.
For more information about a possible joyous and brilliant society and a sustainable Earth, visit www.jeanhouston.com.
For The Wizard of Us by Jean Houston, click here.
Julaina Kleist-Corwin
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