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Showing posts with label Symbolism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Symbolism. Show all posts

Saturday, 28 December 2024

Blavatsky, Theosophy, The Wizard of Oz and Symbolism 2

Kabbalah of the Wizard of OZ: a modern Midrash
 
May 12, 2022  10m The Wizard of Oz” tells the story of humanity’s struggle against the dark forces of the world, the journey of the soul, and what humanity must achieve to advance spiritually and return to God, the Source. Here are 14 facts: some are Hidden Spiritual Warnings & Meanings, some are curiosities about “The Wizard of Oz”.
 
THE WIZARD OF OZ DECODED
Jul 3, 2021 2h  Dorothy's psychology and internal quest for adventure set against both guilt and self-acceptance.
 
The Wizard of Oz: The Meaning Of It All
Jun 5, 2021 8m 30s This is a deep dive into the intentions behind filmmaker Victor Fleming, reflecting his societal beliefs and values seen throughout his film. If you want to learn more about the The Wizard Of Oz, I highly recommend watching the film for yourself, it still holds up and hasn't aged a day since its original release.
 
Does "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" have a hidden message? - David B. Parker
Mar 6, 2017 5m But some scholars have found hidden criticisms of late-nineteenth-century economic policies in the book. Is it possible that one of America’s favorite children’s stories is also a subversive parable? David B. Parker investigates the text for clues. 

 
Dec 13, 2024 Jessii Vee will entertain you and mess your mind with the weirdness and wonder of Oz.
 
Via Wikimedia Commons 
good article
If the Creator of Oz Isn’t an American Master, Who Is?
 L. Frank Baum gave us not only the first American fairyland, but literally launched the idea of the fantasy franchise — thus meaning that everybody from J.K. Rowling to Walt Disney owes him a major debt.
 
Baum also an important figure in the early history of science-fiction...
L. Frank Baum, Burroughs, & Theosophy Connection David A. Adams 
'Baum was a practicing theosophist & close friend of Edgar Rice Burrough"erbzine.com/mag11/1123.html


 
Emerald City Dreams: reckoning with the complex legacy of The Wizard of Oz at 85 
Gemma Gracewood 26 Aug 2024 
Yes, some of you synced up Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon, because everyone has to do that once in their lifetime

By 1885, when Matilda Joslyn Gage joined the Rochester Branch, it was already filled with influential people. Maud Gage Baum and Lyman F. Baum joined the Society in Chicago, in 1892, under the tutelage of W.P. Phelon.
Oz: A Story Of Ancient Initiation November 24, 2024 by Shawn F. Higgins
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/marginalia/2024/11/oz-a-story-of-ancient-initiation/

There is a wide array of conspiracy theories about the Wizard of Oz as well...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0XshL2uQks 
 
Wizard of Oz Esoteric Analysis: L. Frank Baum, Theosophy, Occultism & Cast Tragedies PART 1! Isaac Weishaupt
Feb 17, 2023 from Aleister Crowley & his Liber OZ, Helena Blavatsky’s Theosophy and how it fits into the characters of the film: Dorothy, Tin Man and Scarecrow! We’ll break down how L. Frank Baum was inspired through other worldly forces to create this story and some of the tragedies behind the making of the classic film! Even David Lynch makes a cameo in this first part of our mega esoteric deep dive into Wizard of Oz!
 
Resources

ps
Some good documentaries on L. Frank Baum 
The Wonders of Oz : Episode 1: L. Frank Baum and the Origins of Oz

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ng1OkfcMQTA

Sunday, 22 October 2023

Blavatsky and the symbolism of the Wizard of Oz

When I began researching the Wizard of Oz, I was not really aware of the massive cultural legacy that it carried. Hence my first post was a gangly, unwieldly attempt at processing a lot of material on the subject. I later discovered that the semiotic and symbolic study of the story is a well-developed area on its own. No self-respecting pop culture symbolist can claim to be hip without dishing their take on it. I originally tried to incorporate these recent articles into the first post, but that made it even more unwieldly. There are many more takes on this theme on Youtube and podcasts.

 
John Algeo was a neo-theosophist English Lit prof, wrote about the spiritual symbolism in the story of Oz, a concept first introduced in The Annotated Wizard of Oz, Michael Patrick Hearn, 1973.
theosophy.wiki/en/L._Frank_Ba
 “The Alchemical World of Oz”  
 Timothy J. Ryan Rose+Croix Journal Vol. 14, 2020
L. Frank Baum was a student of Blavatsky’s and keenly familiar with esoteric teachings in the years prior to writing Oz, having likely read both The Secret Doctrine and Isis Unveiled, is worth considerable attention. It is also worth pointing out that Baum believed such teachings could be successfully transmitted through works of literature. 
 
Well-researched 3-part series on spiritual & feminist aspects of Oz
The Marvelous Land Of Oz Part 1: Golems And The Uraeus Of Isis
https://themodernmysteries.wordpress.com/2020/07/05/the-marvelous-land-of-oz-part-1-golems-and-the-uraeus-of-isis/
 
excellent piece on spiritual aspects, rites of passage 
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz: They Even Banned Dorothy?! Mary Bartling Oct 7, 2021
Much has been written about Baum’s connection to Theosophy, an esoteric movement that emerged in the late nineteenth century. The Witch of the North parallels the wisdom’s “world Mother,” who in a very real sense, takes “all the women of the world” under Her charge.Which is precisely what she does with Dorothy.
Naturally, the witch’s association with the North suggests a connection to the Pole Star, which according to Theosophy keeps a “watchful eye” on the “Imperishable Sacred Land” around the North Pole.Consistent with this imagery, the Witch of the North gives Dorothy a protective talisman – a kiss on the forehead. The kiss is clearly a nod to what is known in Theosophy as “Dangma’s opened eye,” the inner spiritual eye of an advanced student.
“The Wizard of Oz” as Personal Myth
| Jul 27, 2021  
More importantly, Gage introduced Baum to the religious and philosophical system known as Theosophy. Founded in 1875 by psychic and spiritual teacher Helena Blavatsky, Theosophy is one of the sources which would later give rise to the spiritual movement known as “New Age.” Seeking to combine insights from Western Science with Eastern mysticism, Theosophy optimistically encouraged its adherents to seek wisdom from many traditions as well their own inner knowing.
Buffy, Katniss, Dorothy Heroine's Journey quite a thing, Wizard of Oz gets that treatment-Joseph Campbell, sure, why not? Seems to work 
Understanding The Heroine's Journey Can Help You Unlock Your Feminine Power 
Gwen Farrell Sept 14, 2023
Murdock saw that the archetype of the hero’s journey is about going forward to conquer something, while a heroine’s journey is more demonstrative of profound, inward soul-searching through emotions, psychology, and spirituality. Thus, her 1990 self-help guide The Heroine’s Journey: Woman’s Quest for Wholeness was born, and through it, Murdock hoped to inspire women to undergo their own expedition into self-awareness and fulfillment.