Masonry at Work in Oz?
from "Masonsjourney.com
by Bro. Bill Boyd
So, what about all of the masonic influence that's supposed to be in The Wizard of Oz? I've just completed my inaugural "Sat Chat" where I discussed the masonic influence I found in the movie, but more importantly - I think - I discussed HOW I found it. First, let's get business out of the way... click this link "Masonic Influence in the Wizard of Oz" to see the 22 minute Sat Chat on my YouTube channel (A Mason's Journey).
Now, for the important stuff. I originally watched the movie on Thanksgiving night for the specific intent of finding the allegedly ubiquitous masonic influence, but I was doing it wrong - at least at first. I watch and picked out some of our specific symbols (the hour glass, the crystal ball that belonged to Isis and Osiris, etc), but then I had my epiphany and understood immediately "that's now how this works, that's not how any of this works..."
My mistake was to approach the movie almost with a magnifying glass to catch the elusive symbols that might be planted here and there in the movie. In fact, my approach needed to be less literal and more allegorical.
Here's what I mean by that. I wasn't watching the story line and considering what the story. represented as it progressed; in other words, I wasn't thinking in the language of masonry. My "ah ha" moment came when I pictured a scene in the movie that overlapped in my mind with a scene in the Royal Arch Mason degree and it was like a switch flipped - suddenly, various parts of the degree started dropping into place with certain parts of the movie and I was suddenly thinking in terms of how Dorothy's journey matched (to some degree) the journey of our Babylonian captives on their return to Jerusalem. Importantly, characters dropped into place - Dorothy became the main traveler (literally, the Principle Sojourner) who had three traveling companions. The guard popping in and out of the hatch in the door became a master of his door or Master of a Veil. Then there came a scene when Dorothy and her companions arrived for the first time to see Oz and again, the striking imagery made a new kind of sense - I noticed first the image of the object in front of the all-powerful Oz that had a very unique form, then I though of the
historical reference to a High Priest making his annual trek to inner sanctum where he would speak the name of God out loud to preserve the name and the memory. At that meeting, Oz, or maybe the High Priest, gave the traveler and her three companions a work assignment to complete to prove their sincerity.
Each of these four travelers meanwhile seem to have specific masonic representations: Dorothy wanted to travel home - remember where were our newly freed captives in the RAM degree are going? The Scarecrow wanted a brain (Wisdom), the Tin Man a heart (Love/Charity), and the Lion was seeking courage (Strength or perhaps the case could be made for Faith).
That's just a few of the connective points that I saw once I stopped thinking literally and began to think in the language of masonry - symbolically or allegorically. Now that I can look at the movie in the language of our craft, I think I can discern masonic tenets and principles throughout the story and equate them to not only the RAM degree, but to our fundamental masonic teachings.
To me, this strengthens the case that we must ensure that when we accept the proficiency exam of our new Master Masons, that they truly know the work and are now able to think in terms of symbolism. In my mind, these three degrees together with the catechism lessons when properly portrayed and instructed act together to transform the man to a mason. This transformation is what puts the new mason on the level with his brother masons worldwide and it is the most important job we have in lodge!
We get out of masonry what we put in, but if we don't speak the language of masonry, we'll find ourselves extremely limited in what we can receive and how far we can go! I suppose that's a lot to chew on from just watching "The Wizard of Oz", but if your eyes are open and you can spot the symbolism, you might be surprised where you find messages and lessons from our predecessors presented for future generations!
Thank you my brothers, and please travel on and be on the lookout for signs and symbols from our ancestors and predecessors!
BroBill