Sisterfriends Excerpt
Empowerment for Women and a Celebration of Sisterhood

Jewel Diamond Taylor

From the Introduction…

I reflect often on the story and movie of the Wizard of Oz. I find so many hidden messages within this childhood story of Dorothy's journey to find someone to help her find her way home again.

In the past I had given my power away so many times—looking for something outside myself to make me happy—to tell me what, when and how to do something or simply failed to listen to my own inner voice. As I began to heal my broken pieces, dissolve illusions, become spiritually aware and develop self-esteem, the subliminal message of Dorothy's journey to Oz became clear and relevant in my life.

Your life's journey may bring divorce, illness, loss of a loved one, loss of a job, a broken heart or financial setback which can cause you to feel lost and off-centered like the character Dorothy. When Dorothy realized she was lost, the "God Witch" (Spirit's voice within) directed her to follow the yellow brick road. In other words, she was being guided to follow her own gut feeling, tap into her higher mind to know what to do to find her way to Emerald City. The color yellow symbolizes the golden light of awareness, clarity, concentration and creativity. The power of the Sun in our own sun center—the solar plexus—which influences our physical and mental well being. The vibratory energy of yellow vitalizes and accelerates our mental strength. Yellow is the symbol of mind, intellect, high intelligence and wisdom. It is a positive, magnetic vibration that has a tonic effect on the nerves. Yellow is a great equalizer for irritable conditions of the nervous system. The word "soul" comes from sol or sun. The color yellow correlates to the light center within your being. Your third energy chakra is located by your navel and is the center of your body.

As Dorothy followed the yellow brick road, she met three different characters (Scarecrow, Lion and Tin Man) who asked to accompany her on her journey to wholeness. Each character symbolizes the three most critical characteristics we need to be successful in life. The Scarecrow was seeking brains. The Lion wanted to stop being afraid. The Tin Man felt incomplete without a heart.

And so it is with our lives, we need knowledge, courage and love. Without these three attributes we fall prey to ignorance, fear, pain, low self-esteem, mistakes, and misery (the wicked witch). Also, she had her loyal and loving companion—a dog called To-To. Look at the word "dog" spelled backwards. It spells GOD. We need the unconditional loving companionship of God on our journey.

Along the way, she was haunted, distracted and tempted by the "Bad Witch" and of course, the lions, tigers and bears. They represent the negative forces that try to steal your joy like negative people, negative habits, or those temporary setbacks in your life. Dorothy even fell asleep for a while in a bed of poppy flowers. Sometimes we "fall asleep" on our journey. We get overwhelmed, off track, confused and just distracted with less important things.

After more challenges to overcome, Dorothy finally made it to the Emerald City. Green vibrates with harmony, health, nature and abundance. Green is the merging of yellow (soul) and blue (spirit). It appears in the spectrum at the point of color balance, between the first three rays (which are concerned with the physical aspect) and the last three rays (which relate to the spiritual aspect). Green reaches outward in the horizontal manner, blue reaches upward in a vertical manner. Together they form the cross, which is a symbol of life.

Green relates to the heart energy field in your body. Green is calming and soothing to the nervous system. In Egypt and in the Orient, the emerald is believed to have wonderful curative properties for the eyes and was worn to protect against the evil eye. The emerald gem is a symbol of regeneration and life. It represents new birth and the development of a revitalized and beautiful physical body.

When Dorothy arrives in the Emerald City she is groomed, pampered, refreshed and prepared to meet the Oz. Oz is supposed to have the power to send her home. As the story unfolds, Dorothy discovers the illusion of false power outside of herself. She finds out Oz is a fake and is told by the Good Witch that she had the power all along to go home. However, Dorothy had lessons to learn. Since she had the constant companionship of her dog (unconditional love) and her character(istics) of courage, love and wisdom, she was ready. All she had to do was put on the red ruby slippers.

The color red symbolizes life, energy, activity, blood, stimulating and invigorating the body. The focus is on her feet because the feet represent understanding. When she clicks her heels three times (mind, body and spirit…the trinity), she is becoming whole in her consciousness and understanding to stand tall in truth. This act of faith symbolizes breaking all illusions that someone outside herself has power. Dorothy's new awareness of friends (courage, love and wisdom) empowers her wherever she goes. Her understanding is strong, clear and within, The prodigal daughter Dorothy can now go home.

Sisters, you and I are like Dorothy. We need to invite courage, love and wisdom into our lives and always commune with God. We too can break the spell of illusion that someone or something is blocking our goodness or has the power to make us happy. We must improve our awareness and understanding about life's journey. As your understanding becomes stronger, so do your faith, self-esteem and ability to succeed.

On your yellow brick journey, I offer these pages as a map for reference to enrich, encourage, educate and enlighten your way to the Emerald City. Don't lose your ruby slippers or give your power away… From Sisterfriends, Empowerment for Women and a Celebration of Sisterhood by Jewel Diamond Taylor ©1998.

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