When we last left Dorothy, she and her companions were bravely making their way to the Wicked Witch of the West’s castle, where she is almost immediately taken captive. While we won’t dwell on this part of the story for the purposes of this blog, notice that it takes all three of her companions (head, heart, and gut) to free Dorothy from her Inner Critic – a valuable lesson for us all that you can’t just ‘think’ your way out of your inner demons. (This is where my ‘Inner Critic’ analogy begins to break down – if Dorothy had been doing real Inner Critic work, she would have made peace with, and perhaps even befriended, the Wicked Witch of the West. But let’s move past that!)
After Dorothy and her companions defeat the Wicked Witch of the West, they return to the Emerald City with her broomstick and politely demand that the Wizard live up to his end of the bargain. (Another mini-lesson in leadership: people will rise to the level of your expectations. Set someone on a mission, and they may accomplish miracles.) And this is when the illusion is fully shattered, when they discover the Wizard is a fraud. Far from having the power to fulfil any of their desires, he merely provides external validation of characteristics each of the companions already has within them – a diploma for the Scarecrow, who DOES have a brain, a ‘testimonial’ for the Tin Man (“a heart is not judged by how much you love, but by how much you are loved by others”), and a medal for the Cowardly Lion, in recognition of his courage. Perhaps, in a generous interpretation of the Wizard, we could say he displayed great leadership, pointing out the inherent strengths in others.
And as for Dorothy? Well, as Glinda tells her in the end, she’s always had the power to go back to Kansas. Pressed by the Scarecrow about why she didn’t just tell Dorothy this at the beginning and spare them the whole journey, Glinda, as the great spiritual teacher that she is, says Dorothy wouldn’t have believed her, that she had to learn it for herself. How true this is for all of us – no matter how much we want others to tell us the answers, ultimately, we each need to go on our own journey, and learn our own lessons. It can be so easy to observe others on their path and want to shout “DON’T GO THAT WAY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” If you’re on your own path, you may even want your own Wizard or Glinda to point you in the right direction. But there is no substitute for the lived experience of walking (and learning from) your own path.
So what did Dorothy learn? This is the line that makes the whole story for me. She says: “If I ever go looking for my heart’s desire again, I won’t look further than my own backyard. Because if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with.” This message has been my north star ever since I quit my first job, selling fake advertising in Dubai. I spent many years questioning what she meant by “my own backyard.” Was it my own literal childhood backyard? My home state? My home country?
If I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look further than my own backyard. Because if it isn't there, I never really lost it to begin with.
Over time, I have come to equate the idea of “my own backyard” with ME. My Self. This whole ‘inner landscape’ – the multitudes I contain within me. Ultimately, our journey in life is one of exploring our own yellow brick road to uncover our heart’s desire, and then return to it. No one can do this for you – in fact, others may, with good intentions, point you in different directions. This journey may take you far afield in the world – to new jobs, new countries, new relationships. But it will also take you deep inside yourself, as you learn to listen to, and trust, the wisdom of your heart. You’ll undoubtedly battle your own Inner Critic, for which you’ll need to engage your head, your heart, AND your body. But if you face into this journey rather than trying to find the easy escape route, you’ll ultimately step into a fuller version of yourself – with a sense that “there’s no place like home.”
I often wonder what happened to Dorothy once she returns to Kansas, a question I asked all of my interviewees. On a classic hero’s journey, the protagonist returns home to where she started, seeing her world through new eyes. I like to believe that Dorothy attended the University of Kansas to earn a degree in a topic she felt passionate about. She’d have gone home to visit her relatives regularly, while still finding a way to nurture that side of her that longed to live in a world where the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true.
For this last instalment of our series, I leave you with two simple questions. You may want to close your eyes, breathe deeply, and focus your attention on the area of your heart:
What is your heart’s desire?
What is one step you can take to move closer to it?