Exploring Oz
I have comfort movies just like I have comfort food. As a hospice nurse, I am all about comfort. It is important for me to find out what comfort means to my patients before I impose my comfort agenda onto them. Over the years my patients have taught me this.
I have watched The Wizard of Oz hundreds of times over the years. I have felt that it is most helpful in my times of transition. I have fond memories of eating popcorn, or oatmeal or mashed potatoes, being comforted with Dorothy’s adventures. I find a place of respite during periods of the chaos in my life that can be stressful.
Transitions are something that we deal with on a moment-by-moment basis. Moving from one moment to the next is of course a common occurrence in life. Our experience is enveloped in a linear sense of time that travels at varying speeds as verified by our perceptions. Time seems to move faster when we are doing well. During a crisis, we experience it slowing down. It would be nice if we could change that perception, like having time go slow when we are having fun. It seems as if the saying, “Time flies when you are having fun,” is imprinted on our DNA.
Dorothy is questioning her life in Kansas and she tries to run away. Instead she is scooped up in the tornado’s funnel. It is not unlike the tunnel, Raymond Moody wrote about in his book, Life After Life. Dr. Moody interviewed numerous people who independently described their after death experience as going through a tunnel with a light at the end. Now I have heard a rumor that due to the energy shortage, that light has been turned off temporarily until the wind powered generator can be hooked up. It is my understanding there are teams of physicists working on getting the wind power from tornadoes and hurricanes to get that light up and running.
Sorry to get off the path. The yellow brick road, I know, is coming up ahead but with the light out I tend to wander off. So here is Dorothy spinning around in her tornado seeing cows and fishermen and her nemesis, Miss Gulch turning into a cackling witch flying on a broom. This makes me think about one of the most precious gifts we often have access to towards the end of life: life review. Patients tell me stories about their younger days saying they had not thought about those times in years. I had one man who said he was ready to die anytime. When he started having his life review, he asked if there was anything I could do to give him more time because he was so much fun with his very vivid memories.
So at the end of the tornado, when it set Dorothy’s house down, she opens the door to the Technicolor Land of Oz. She realizes she is not in Kansas anymore. I had a patient announce to his wife that he was dying and he said goodbye. His wife dutifully held his hand as he stopped breathing for what she thought was about a minute.Ab took in a deep breath and opened his eyes and with a puzzled expression, he said to his wife, “What are you doing here?” Transitions can be a very confusing time. First comes confusion, then enlightenment, philosophers teach us.
Dorothy was able to not only see the light but also get very specific instructions from the divine being in the form of Glenda the Good Witch. Even though Dorothy had asked to go somewhere over the rainbow, and that request was granted, all she wanted to do once she got there was to go home. Be careful what you ask for. I have had patients who beg to go home at their life’s end, even though they may be in the home they have lived in all of their lives. Hospice chaplains believe they are talking about their spiritual home and not their earthly one.
Recently, I saw John Edward, who is a famous psychic and medium on the Dr. Oz Show (No relation to The Land of…). I believe Dr. Oz is a well-read surgeon who has an evidence-based practice, which means that he wants scientific studies to prove what he believes. He seemed very impressed with what John Edward was able to do. Dr. Oz expressed that being in contact with those who have gone on before us would be helpful in the grieving process. I am waiting for the studies to give some indication this is not a scam. Short of studies I want an epiphany revealing the mystery to me personally. Until then I am patiently waiting until it is my turn to cross over and solve the mystery of life and death myself first hand.
Meanwhile back to the other Oz. Along the way Dorothy picks up three hitchhikers who each exhibit personality defects while showing that they were not really defective at all; they just thought they were. It took a very humble wizard to point this out to each of them that what they were looking for was inside of them the whole time. Even Dorothy had the ability to go home anytime she wanted. She just needed someone who was in authority to give her permission to use her internal power
Nelson Mandela said. “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually who are you not to be? We are all meant to shine, as children do. It is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
A few other examples of symbolism are present in the movie like the poppies putting them to sleep as they are in view of the Emerald City. Morphine is chemically extracted from poppies. It was named after Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams. Morphine is one of the most effective medications used to ease the transition from this life to whatever happens next.
There were definitely characters representing good and evil with Glenda being the good witch coupled with the Wicked Witch of the West. And of course good wins out over evil...eventually! It is interesting that the Christian baptism rituals use water to cleanse and purify the soul and it was water that was the “weapon” that ultimately banished the one who represented evil in Oz. The giant doors that opened into the Emerald City are not unlike the Pearly Gates opening into Heaven. St. Peter’s counterpart is none other than the Wizard perhaps in sheep’s clothing…but that is a horse of a different color!
So by the end of the movie we have a wise scarecrow, a compassionate, loving, though heart broken tin man, and a courageous lion with Dorothy tucked safely in her bed back in Kansas with her loved ones gathered around her. These are all the character traits that make for a wonderful life. (“ It’s a Wonderful Life” is another of my comfort movies, by the way.) I believe when we use our wisdom, love, and courage, they are supportive of our end-of-life journeys in addition to all the moment-by-moment transitions peppered throughout our lives.
I have comfort movies just like I have comfort food. As a hospice nurse, I am all about comfort. It is important for me to find out what comfort means to my patients before I impose my comfort agenda onto them. Over the years my patients have taught me this.
I have watched The Wizard of Oz hundreds of times over the years. I have felt that it is most helpful in my times of transition. I have fond memories of eating popcorn, or oatmeal or mashed potatoes, being comforted with Dorothy’s adventures. I find a place of respite during periods of the chaos in my life that can be stressful.
Transitions are something that we deal with on a moment-by-moment basis. Moving from one moment to the next is of course a common occurrence in life. Our experience is enveloped in a linear sense of time that travels at varying speeds as verified by our perceptions. Time seems to move faster when we are doing well. During a crisis, we experience it slowing down. It would be nice if we could change that perception, like having time go slow when we are having fun. It seems as if the saying, “Time flies when you are having fun,” is imprinted on our DNA.
Dorothy is questioning her life in Kansas and she tries to run away. Instead she is scooped up in the tornado’s funnel. It is not unlike the tunnel, Raymond Moody wrote about in his book, Life After Life. Dr. Moody interviewed numerous people who independently described their after death experience as going through a tunnel with a light at the end. Now I have heard a rumor that due to the energy shortage, that light has been turned off temporarily until the wind powered generator can be hooked up. It is my understanding there are teams of physicists working on getting the wind power from tornadoes and hurricanes to get that light up and running.
Sorry to get off the path. The yellow brick road, I know, is coming up ahead but with the light out I tend to wander off. So here is Dorothy spinning around in her tornado seeing cows and fishermen and her nemesis, Miss Gulch turning into a cackling witch flying on a broom. This makes me think about one of the most precious gifts we often have access to towards the end of life: life review. Patients tell me stories about their younger days saying they had not thought about those times in years. I had one man who said he was ready to die anytime. When he started having his life review, he asked if there was anything I could do to give him more time because he was so much fun with his very vivid memories.
So at the end of the tornado, when it set Dorothy’s house down, she opens the door to the Technicolor Land of Oz. She realizes she is not in Kansas anymore. I had a patient announce to his wife that he was dying and he said goodbye. His wife dutifully held his hand as he stopped breathing for what she thought was about a minute.Ab took in a deep breath and opened his eyes and with a puzzled expression, he said to his wife, “What are you doing here?” Transitions can be a very confusing time. First comes confusion, then enlightenment, philosophers teach us.
Dorothy was able to not only see the light but also get very specific instructions from the divine being in the form of Glenda the Good Witch. Even though Dorothy had asked to go somewhere over the rainbow, and that request was granted, all she wanted to do once she got there was to go home. Be careful what you ask for. I have had patients who beg to go home at their life’s end, even though they may be in the home they have lived in all of their lives. Hospice chaplains believe they are talking about their spiritual home and not their earthly one.
Recently, I saw John Edward, who is a famous psychic and medium on the Dr. Oz Show (No relation to The Land of…). I believe Dr. Oz is a well-read surgeon who has an evidence-based practice, which means that he wants scientific studies to prove what he believes. He seemed very impressed with what John Edward was able to do. Dr. Oz expressed that being in contact with those who have gone on before us would be helpful in the grieving process. I am waiting for the studies to give some indication this is not a scam. Short of studies I want an epiphany revealing the mystery to me personally. Until then I am patiently waiting until it is my turn to cross over and solve the mystery of life and death myself first hand.
Meanwhile back to the other Oz. Along the way Dorothy picks up three hitchhikers who each exhibit personality defects while showing that they were not really defective at all; they just thought they were. It took a very humble wizard to point this out to each of them that what they were looking for was inside of them the whole time. Even Dorothy had the ability to go home anytime she wanted. She just needed someone who was in authority to give her permission to use her internal power
Nelson Mandela said. “Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, fabulous? Actually who are you not to be? We are all meant to shine, as children do. It is in everyone. And as we let our own light shine, we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”
A few other examples of symbolism are present in the movie like the poppies putting them to sleep as they are in view of the Emerald City. Morphine is chemically extracted from poppies. It was named after Morpheus, the Greek god of dreams. Morphine is one of the most effective medications used to ease the transition from this life to whatever happens next.
There were definitely characters representing good and evil with Glenda being the good witch coupled with the Wicked Witch of the West. And of course good wins out over evil...eventually! It is interesting that the Christian baptism rituals use water to cleanse and purify the soul and it was water that was the “weapon” that ultimately banished the one who represented evil in Oz. The giant doors that opened into the Emerald City are not unlike the Pearly Gates opening into Heaven. St. Peter’s counterpart is none other than the Wizard perhaps in sheep’s clothing…but that is a horse of a different color!
So by the end of the movie we have a wise scarecrow, a compassionate, loving, though heart broken tin man, and a courageous lion with Dorothy tucked safely in her bed back in Kansas with her loved ones gathered around her. These are all the character traits that make for a wonderful life. (“ It’s a Wonderful Life” is another of my comfort movies, by the way.) I believe when we use our wisdom, love, and courage, they are supportive of our end-of-life journeys in addition to all the moment-by-moment transitions peppered throughout our lives.