Land of Oz Workshops Blog: The Language of Metaphor

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: The Language of Metaphor: Metaphor is a symbolic language which arises out of an interweaving of imagery, implication, association, perception, and memory. Examp...

The Language of Metaphor

Metaphor is a symbolic language which arises out of an interweaving of imagery, implication, association, perception, and memory. Examples of metaphors are parables, holy writings, allegory of literature, poetry, fairy tales, films, stories, and the symbolism of nature.

The natural language of the unconscious is metaphorical and the imagery inherent in metaphor visits us in our dreams night after night. Dreaming of driving a car faster and faster might be a message from our deeper self, warning us about our high blood pressure or manic behavior.  Being a passenger in the car while someone else drives might indicate our need to take control over the direction of our own life.  Einstein said that a dream he had as a child wherein he was sliding down a snowy mountain on a sled at such high speed that the stars were spinning in the opposite direction of their natural orbit, set the tone for his research and development of his theory of relativity. He said that his life work in physics was a meditation on that dream.

Years ago when I was a trainer in communication skills and stress management in the corporate world, one of the stressed-out managers in my workshop told us of a dream he had about playing with Disney characters, one of them being Goofy. The dream was telling him that he needed to lighten up, have some fun, and to show his goofy side once in a while instead of always being focused on business.

In order to better understand the metaphorical language and possible meanings of a dream, it is a good idea and a fun exercise to play with the imagery. Write down the basics of the dream and all the images that you remember including how you felt during the dream and discuss it with a friend or just analyze the words and imagery yourself and what they could mean within the context of your current life and future aspirations.

Fairy tales are another excellent example of metaphor.The Wizard of Oz characters: Dorothy, Tin Man, Scarecrow, Lion and the Wizard himself are all parts of us metaphorically depicted in a classic children's tale.

Take note of the books, films, dreams, day dreams, stories, songs, and plays you find yourself drawn to and aroused by and you will discover how the metaphors in these stir up the metaphors in you. Look upon metaphor as simply an inner figurative and symbolic language that we all have inside of us that inspires us to better understand who we are, what we want, and where we want to go.

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Dancing with Change

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Dancing with Change: Years ago I read a story about a woman named Elsa, in a book Callings , who made a vow while still in her twenties that every 5 years s...

Dancing with Change

Years ago I read a story about a woman named Elsa, in a book Callings, who made a vow while still in her twenties that every 5 years she would stop whatever she was doing and do something different. Elsa was an adventurer and her adventures took her all over the world as she took on new jobs and careers every five years. She was a living example of the adage; a rolling stone gathers no moss.

Change is difficult for many of us. We have been taught to create a life plan, to have constancy with our work, friendships, and the place we live. Just remodeling your home can be devastating to your daily routine. Suddenly the house is full of carpenters, electricians, noise and dust.  The thought of remodeling your life every five years may not sound like an adventure but rather a big noisy mess that you would rather not even think about. Change can be viewed as a disruption of those things you want to remain the same. But like it or not, change is always in the air and sometimes comes upon us at what appears to be the most inconvenient time.

Author Alan Watts wrote in The Wisdom of Insecurity, that change is the essence of life. Without change, life becomes very predictable. Watts compared lack of change to stagnation. He said that we have been taught to seek security in just about every realm of life, but once having it, has it helped us achieve peace of mind?  We seek job security and financial security, but are they really the goal of life? Watts believes that we abhor being stuck. But our fear of failure may prevent us from testing our wings and reinventing ourselves. We may want to change but just don’t know how to go about it. Watts said that the best thing we can do is to join the dance of change.

Apple Founder Steve Jobs wrote, “For the past 33 years, I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: 'If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something.”

Over a fifty year period, Elsa worked in dozens of different jobs and took on new challenges all over the world. Change was her friend and constant companion. She owned homes, lived in apartments, teepees, campgrounds, and hotels. Elsa got married at age 72 and made her marriage the exception to radically changing her life every 5 years.

Maya Angelou wrote, “If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change your attitude.” Perhaps you have been longing to explore a new place to live, new job opportunities, and have a deep interest in traveling to new places and learning about different cultures. Change does not have to be lived out as extremely as the life of Elsa, but as George Bernard Shaw said, “Progress is impossible without change and if you cannot change your mind, you cannot change anything.”

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Perception

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Perception: Years ago I read a story about a man who was building a home. One day he was nailing two boards together and accidentally hit his thumb...

Perception

Years ago I read a story about a man who was building a home. One day he was nailing two boards together and accidentally hit his thumb with the hammer. It was a direct hit and the resultant pain was unbearable. To ease his discomfort, he began to wildly jump up and down as he shouted obscenities. In the distance, two elderly women were taking a stroll in the countryside and stopped to watch his antics. One of the women commented, “Look how beautiful he sings and dances,” and then continued on their leisurely walk.

Everything we see, everything we hear, everything we touch, taste, and smell is filtered through our perception.  In the field of Psychology, perception refers to our interpretation of what we take in through our senses. Perception is our sensory experience of the world around us. What two people see in the same situation can be startlingly different, and that is the beauty and aggravation of perception.

Some of us perceive any kind of criticism or suggestion as an attack. Those with a glass half-empty perception believe the world is on the brink of disaster while those with a glass half-full perception see a new consciousness arising.  Perception can literally take us to the heights of heaven or the depths of despair and everywhere in between depending upon how we interpret what we see, what we value and believe to be true, what we hear and understand people are saying, and what we feel as we take it all in.

When we see a film, we perceive its meaning in different ways. When I read the commentary of movie reviewers, oftentimes I cannot believe that they saw the same movie that I saw! The fact is, some of us are more observant of the imagery; some of us are more attentive to the dialogue, some of are more conscious of the feelings the characters are experiencing, and some of us are more focused on the overall storyline. We are all watching the same film but perceiving it differently. Our values, philosophy, and life experiences alter our perception.

Different perceptions take us on different paths in life. Mother Teresa saw the face of Jesus in the poorest of the poor and spent her entire life working on their behalf. Composer Johann Sebastian Bach said he stumbled over notes everywhere he walked and therefore became a prolific musician and composer. Picasso saw distortions of the human anatomy and his art mirrored his perception. Walt Whitman saw beauty all around him and his poetry reflected his perception. Gandhi perceived life as an opportunity for greater service to humanity and therefore, spent his entire life dedicated to this principle.

As noted by novelist C.S Lewis, “What you see and what you hear depends a great deal on where you are standing.”

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Being Thankful

Land of Oz Workshops Blog: Being Thankful: Revisiting the past is a naturally occurring phenomenon that happens over and over again in the course of a single day. Simple conversa...