My JJourney
Surrender, Dorothy
HAVE LEARNED that messages of guidance arrive in var-
Lifeious ways, including synchronistic events, songs on the
Iradio, comments of others, and dreams. Recently, I awoke by E. Anna Lebowitz
and was in that early-morning float stage when I heard, What starts out as a miniscule seed, brown and nothing to
“Surrender, Dorothy.” The message was provocative. What on rave about
earth could it mean? gradually takes on a different persona.
Surrender seemed to be the operative word. Okay, I At first awkward and tiny, barely visible to the naked eye
thought, surrender is about letting go. Hadn’t I been practicing begins to show little bits and pieces
letting go already? What more did the quirky message have to tiny bumps here and there.
suggest? Suddenly one tiny spec of green shows itself.
Below the surface, children’s stories, such as The Wizard of A life form has begun.
Oz and Harry Potter, carry treasures from our cultural heritage Then another and onward the growth.
and Jung’s collective unconscious. Stories that emerge from
Color starts to appear, it’s a bud.
our collective imagination take on a shared meaning. These
Watching closely the colorful bud begins to open.
shared meanings and symbols create the language of the per-
Then there is another one and another one and soon we have
sonal and cultural subconscious. Countless hours could be
an array of flowers
spent excavating the symbolic meanings buried in these stories.
And the flowers are part of the same root.
Research into the origin of the line, “Surrender, Dorothy,”
And the tree’s branches are part of the same root.
revealed that it was not part of Frank Baum’s book. It was
inserted in the film version. I found it humorous that the mes-
People, like the flowers and the tree, start miniscule
sage I received should reference the film. It seems the Oz sto-
and begin to grow.
ryline does, indeed, have a cultural life of its own.
Some quicker than others, some bigger and stronger.
By dropping down into the layers of a story such as Oz, I
have found symbolic adventures, hints of universal truths, as
Our root is the same, our branches different.
well as synchronistic words of encouragement and wisdom for
Some branches long and without excitement, some branches
my spiritual journey. Contemplating the deeper gifts of these
filled with adventure.
stories can enhance my life. The most resonant stories invite us
Some scarce, some full.
to explore who we really are and how to nurture the develop-
Some rich in color, some pale, yet beautiful.
ment of our spiritual consciousness.
Whatever your branch is, it is yours.
Inviting relationship with my higher self, my guidance and
And you are unique; you are magnificent.
the Divine, is the spiritual process that informs my life. It is a
Grow with confidence and compassion.
process that anyone can use. We all have intuitive skills.
Saying “yes” to the Universe/God followed by collecting and
using our intuitive tools would be some of the next steps. We
Depression
likely have messages of support and encouragement streaming
by Tina Holsapple Donelan
our way all the time. We can receive them by staying awake
I am bursting
and realizing our larger connections.
like an early, unexpected spring
Back to my waking message: How am I now being nudged
with energy and sparkle
to surrender? Truthfully, writing and offering this article to
Whole Living Journal is a new act of surrender for me.
I lift my face to the sun
What are you experiencing, hearing or seeing that supports
joining the saffron daffodils
your growth? Maybe you, too, will decide to read or re-read
free of frozen ground
The Wizard of Oz.
I join in happy song
About the author: Rhea Singer, MSW, LISW, has recently cre-
with the backyard birds
ated the business Coaching Through Change, LLC. She offers
newly returned from the south
transition coaching accompaniment to people who are travel-
I plea to the crickets
ing their own Yellow Brick Road of change, loss, uprooted-
please let this spring be long
ness, unsettling times and transformation. Contact her at
the blossoms are so fragile
513.236.5977 and at www.coachingthroughchange.net.
May-June 2008 Whole Living Journal 19
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