| The Metaphysics of Oz: A Mystical
Path to the Emerald City Book Review | by Mark J. King Like many children, I was fascinated with The Wizard of Oz when I was growing up. Each year, I anxiously awaited the annual airing of the 1939 MGM movie on television. In the third grade, I discovered the Oz books and was excited to learn that the movie wasn't the whole story. In fact, it wasn't even the "true" story, because the movie concluded that everything had been a dream. There was no wizard, no Emerald City, no Land of Oz. Such was not the intent of the man who created Oz, though. For L. Frank Baum, the Land of Oz was very real. I was always curious about the wonderful man who wrote such magical books, but the brief descriptions of him on book jackets didn't provide much information. The glittering Emerald City tugged at my psyche and remained like the distant memory of a heavenly realm even after I grew up and forgot about Oz. A chance remark by a co-worker rekindled my interest -- the week after graduating from college he had re-read the entire series and found himself re-immersed in the fantasy land. The experience seemed to help him through a stressful transition. My memory was stirred, and from time to time I would pick up one of the Oz books again. With more mature eyes, I began to understand why the books had captivated me. I noticed that The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was more than an imaginative adventure. The journey down the yellow brick road is a quest, a journey of self-discovery. As each character discovers, the true source of what they seek is within. The humbug wizard can't help them; he can only point to the truth they must find within themselves. The similarity with Buddhist thought is not accidental: as some early biographical resources indicated, Baum was acquainted with esoteric Buddhism via Theosophy. An illustration by Michael Hague also caught my eye, the only one I'd seen that depicted the silver mark on Dorothy's forehead. This is where she is kissed by the Good Witch of the North at the start of her journey, representing the opening of her third eye chakra. The journey to the Emerald City, then, can be seen as the soul's quest for enlightenment and return "home" to its celestial source. Moreover, the layout of the Land of Oz, with its four quadrants surrounding the Emerald City and the palace at its center, forms a mandala. Author Jonathan Cott has pointed out parallels between Baum's story and the 16th century Chinese Buddhist novel The Journey to the West and the 12th century Sufi poem, "The Conference of the Birds." Both are allegories of the soul's journey to union with God. In the latter, a group of birds sets out to find Simorgh (God) and discovers that "He who knows his self knows his Lord." This is the theme of The Wizard of Oz in a nutshell. Now, in the first comprehensive biography of Baum, L. Frank Baum: Creator of Oz (2002, St. Martin's Press), literary and feminist scholar Katharine M. Rogers gives us a complete picture of the man who has remained obscured behind the curtain until now. Her study is an indispensable guide for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of Baum and his work. Though known to be a loving husband, doting father and champion of Middle-American values, Baum had a less conventional side. Rogers highlights his sardonic streak, his biting newspaper editorials, his support for women's rights, and his unconventional spirituality. Lyman Frank Baum was born in 1856 near Syracuse, N.Y.; his paternal grandfather was a Methodist circuit rider. The family moved to a country estate named Rose Lawn after Baum's father made a fortune in the oil business; Baum was to recall the home's formal gardens when he created his fairylands. As a boy, Baum was sickly (probably from rheumatic fever) and a daydreamer. He had a recurring nightmare of being chased by a scarecrow. When he was 12, his parents sent him to a military academy, which he hated. After suffering an apparent heart attack (though one might keep in mind that the young boy was already a budding actor), his parents agreed to educate him at home and in a classical academy. He had a brief stint as an actor with a Shakespearean troupe, bred prize-winning poultry on his father's farm and started a trade journal for poultry breeders. At 22 he worked as a journalist, then formed his own theatre troupe. He wrote and acted in several plays that toured as far west as Milwaukee. At 25, he met his future wife, a Cornell University student named Maud Gage, and her mother, the prominent feminist Matilda Joslyn Gage. It was the elder Mrs. Gage who was to influence his work. Traditional gender roles were reversed in the Baum household. Frank and Maud's sons recalled Baum as the more nurturing parent; Maud kept the family solvent by managing the finances. When the family faced bankruptcy at one point, they didn't lose their house because it was in Maud's name. Maud also insisted that Baum turn his copyrights over to her. In The Land of Oz, the boy Tip is transformed into the princess Ozma -- more than 20 years before Virginia Woolf's gender-bending Orlando. Matilda Gage was an outspoken critic of the role of organized religion in oppressing women. She frequently lived with the Baums and wrote several editorials for the Aberdeen, S.D., newspaper he published. The family had moved to the Dakota Territory after a business venture failed in the East. In Aberdeen, the family joined the cause of Woman's Suffrage, which proved an uphill battle. Baum wrote scathing editorials criticizing bigotry and intolerance and lambasting women who claimed they didn't want the right to vote. Mrs. Gage was also a Theosophist, a belief system that appealed to Baum. A number of his editorials attacked conventional religion while supporting the Theosophical movement's more enlightened spirituality. The family finally left Aberdeen after drought decimated the regional economy. They settled in Chicago, where Baum got another newspaper job and started a trade journal for window display. (The Tin Woodman originated as one of Baum's window creations.) Supernatural occurrences were witnessed by the entire family in their Chicago home, which Gage concluded was haunted. The Baums and Gage attended séances seeking evidence of life after death. Frank and Maud believed they had been together in many previous incarnations. They joined the Theosophical Society in 1892. Theosophical beliefs were to influence Baum's fantasy writings, which are filled with representatives of the four Elemental spirit types: salamanders, sylphs, undines and gnomes. Baum's series of 14 Oz books raise such philosophical questions as the nature of identity and consciousness; the Tin Woodman, whose consciousness remains the same while his outer form changes, reflects Baum's belief in reincarnation. In The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, Baum developed a mythological world whose nature spirits (fairies, knooks and ryls) derive from Theosophy. His science fiction book, The Master Key, presents a genii-like demon of electricity, another Elemental. His story "The Enchanted Types" mirrors Theosophy's belief that various forms of inspiration originate from higher spiritual planes. And his final Oz book, Glinda of Oz, introduces the Adepts, a direct import from Theosophy. These are beings who have acquired supernatural powers through studying the secret laws of nature. Rogers shows that Baum's concept of magic is closely tied with the writings of Matilda Gage. In her book, Woman, Church, and State, Gage describes magic as a neutral, scientific technique for utilizing occult laws of nature. According to this line of thought, electricity as harnessed by Edison (who was also interested in Theosophy) was an example of magical knowledge. Similarly, in Oz, magic is another branch of learning. Baum's creation of good witches also was influenced by Gage. And he was equally indebted to Gage's writings for establishing Oz as a matriarchy (ruled by the faery princess Ozma), echoing the idyllic, pre-Christian matriarchal society Gage envisioned. Gage's most important influence on her son-in-law may have been her urging him to publish the stories he told his sons and their friends. Sadly, she died before The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published in 1900. Once established as an author, Baum returned to the theatre, producing "extravaganzas" based on his books; The Wizard of Oz was a Broadway hit in 1903. Moving to California, he formed the Oz Film Manufacturing Company, which produced a number of motion pictures in the film industry's early days. He was remarkably prolific, writing several series books for older boys and girls and three novels; many of these were pseudonymous. His talents were wide-ranging -- he even designed the distinctive "crown" chandeliers that still grace the elegant Crown dining room at the famed Hotel del Coronado, where he and Maud wintered before moving to California. The Land of Oz was as real to him as the physical realm. At the age of 63, his heart finally gave out. His last words as he drifted in and out of consciousness were: "Now we can cross the Shifting Sands [to Oz]." One can only assume that he arrived at the glittering Emerald City. In his later years, Baum told a clergyman friend that he believed he was a "medium," a conduit for a higher power to bring a spiritual message of hope and joy to children. His legacy of books contributing to spiritual awakening continues into the 21st century. "His soul was too full of light to harbor one thing that was small or mean, and his love was so great that it put white arms around humanity." -- Rev. E.P. Ryland, eulogy for L. Frank Baum Recommended resources: http://www.theosophical.org The Theosophical Society's website has several articles relating to Baum and The Wizard of Oz. http://www.eskimo.com/~tiktok/faq06.html#5 Examines Baum's alleged racism. Wisdom of Oz: Reflections of a Jungian Sandplay Therapist, by Gita Dorothy Morena, Ph.D. Frog, Ltd., 2001. Insightful use of Oz myth for spiritual transformation and inner healing by Baum's great-granddaughter. Spiritual Journeys Along the Yellow Brick Road, by Darren John Main. Findhorn Press, 2000. Yoga and meditation instructor shows the spiritual path of the book and the movie. Golden Wizdom Beyond the Emerald City: A Conscious Journey to Wholeness, by Ilene Kimsey. Toto-ly Ozsome Publishing, 2000. Personal transformation with guidance from the Oz "masters." Secrets of the Yellow Brick Road: A Map for the Modern Spiritual Journey, by Jesse Stuart. SunShine Press Publications, 1997. The path of initiation and empowerment exploring archetypes of The Wizard of Oz. Paradox in Oz, by Edward Einhorn. Hungry Tiger Press, 1999. Clever integration of time paradoxes and conundrums in this recent Oz novel. Mark J. King holds the A.M. in English literature from Stanford University. His interests include the Arthurian legends, Catharism, the Kalevala, and Charles Dickens (L. Frank Baum's favorite writer). "Show me someone who's bored, and I'll show you someone with no imagination" is his personal motto. Copyright (c) 2002 Mark J. King |
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