Wednesday, November 22, 2023
In The Wizard of Oz, the entire realm of Oz was a dream. Within that dream were yet more illusions. Dorothy thought that in order to get home, she had to go see the “great and powerful Oz.” In a way, she did have to go, but only to learn that she never really had to. The so-called great and powerful Oz was just a guy behind a curtain manipulating smoke and fire. She then thought she’d have to hitch a ride in his balloon to get home. That too was far-fetched. The solution was much closer, and it always is.
When she thought she was stuck, she resigned to the situation and came to herself. It wasn’t the ruby slippers. It wasn’t having to “reach out.” It was when she closed her eyes, went within, and chanted the mantra “there’s no place like home” that she realized the source of her true power – herself.
The universe has no border. Beyond the observable universe is what science calls “the unobservable universe,” which for all intent and purposes is more of the universe. Beyond yourself is your “unobservable self,” just more of you. In Isaiah we are reminded of this truth, “There is none else, there is no God beside me.” Making distinctions between self and other is a fantastical journey, a mere mental trip of differentiation. But it is through this illusory differentiation that you can know who you are. If you think there is other, you’ve “left” the universe; but the universe has no outside. You can’t leave. There is only One. Any attempt to place your faith “out there” is as illusory as Dorothy’s need for the “great and powerful Oz.” The Real Great and Powerful lies within. There is no place like home because God is always home. You are home, and you can never really leave. Is the trip to Oz necessary?