Customer Reviews

The Zen of Oz: Ten Spiritual Lessons from Over the Rainbow

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On one of my recent journeys through the Land of Oz, the Ozarks, I visited with my friend Roger S. Baum, the great-grandson of L. Frank Baum-the author of the "Wizard of Oz". I asked him what he thought about the theory of his great-grandfather being a Zen Master. He admitted he really didn't know. That he hadn't read "The Zen of Oz". That it has been his experience that such things were only done by people that saw an opportunity to make money off Great Grandfather's work. After I explained the gist of Joey Green's premise I did notice a slow smile take over Roger's face. He was intrigued. Though he would not corroborate Joey's claims he did state that Great Grandfather would probably not turn over in his grave if he knew about "The Zen of Oz". The one caveat Roger then mentioned was that first and foremost the Oz Series is a collection of fantasies for the young at heart. Meant to be taken with sincerity but not too seriously. The rest of our conversation was private.

As for me, I find "The Zen of Oz" quite clever and entertaining. It has added to my enjoyment of the classic movie. I see the movie in a whole new light. Almost as though I am seeing it for the first time. We are Dorothy. Prodigal sons and daughters venturing out into the world on our own only to find out that there is no place like home. That the Wizard can't really give us anything we don't already have. That there is an inner spark of the Divine within each of us. That the Yellow Brick Road is an inner path that leads to the great beyond and that each of us must make the journey for ourselves. To realize that no matter where we are we are already over the rainbow for we make the rainbow. That life is a great mystery and that we are the greatest mystery of all. That life is full of wonder and joy, as well as pain and sorrow. That as Pierre Teilhard de Chardin said, "We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are spiritual beings having a human experience."

A personal thought that I would like to add to "The Zen of Oz." Totality, "Toto", is a synergetic organic unity greater than one but less than two. The whole of ultimate reality is greater than the sum of its parts. We are not alone. Though there is more than one of us there is not a second. We are family and there is no place like home. And dogs, and cats like Slimmy, really are man's best friend.

Just when you thought you had a firm grip on those psychological heroes from the cultural abyss, Green takes a hold of these sacred virginic icons and gives your life a run for its spiritual money.

By examining our subconscious choices, Green drives us deep into the realities of exactly why those characters were who they were, and why they preformed true to form.

One word of caution though, if you've always identified with the Masterful Wizard, you may be in for a shock to the proverbial system, finding out that he was nothing but a bully, and equally as bad as the Wicked Witch.

I always saw myself in the Scarecrow, a man made of straw. Regarded by few and respected by none, caught an eternal crossroads of life with an arm going in both directions - but feet - frozen by own indecision.

Examining Karma can be a good thing and enlightening, when done without the rote mental aberrations and tasks that push us away from our true selves that usually block us from feeling fulfilled and whole.

So ... jump down off that cross, clock tower, wooden pole in a corn field, or where ever it is you find yourself unfortunately by choice and read this book. If you like pretty illustrations ... this one has plenty.

The Zen of Oz is a book worthy of both the Tao Te Ching and The Wizard of Oz. Both of these famous philosophical tools can be used as a guide for following the Yellow Brick Road toward a greater understanding of self and life. Joey Green masterfully applies the wisdom of the East to demonstrate the profound power and simplicity of the wisdom contained within the most popular film ever made in the West. As the author of a book about the Wizard of Oz myself, "The Oz Factors", I applaud Joey Green for his marvelous, magical book. If ever a Wiz(ard) there was, there was...

Wow, what a GREAT book!!! The first thing that struck me as an illustrator was the lavish style of the artwork. The Oz characters are depicted in the style of oriential wood cuttings and brushwork. Very origional and beautiful. Imagine my surprise when the text was just as moving and eye opening as the visuals. This book opened the door for me to start a heart felt investigation into Buddhism. Guess what? I'm now a budding Buddhist. It is great for lovers of the classic children's book (MGM film) and anyone who would like to have an enjoyable introduction to the teachings of Buddah in a non-threatening format.

A very clever way to sell books, I must say. Taking a highly visible piece of art/detritus and magnifying it on a plate of steaming hotcakes where everything is simple as the syrup that drips over the side is poor taste. I found some interesting pieces of thought in the Scarecrow chapter other than that, he's reaching.

The Zen of Oz is a thoughtfully laid out interpretation of an American Classic. Joey Green offers up so much insight for consideration that, often times, my brain felt as full as if it had eaten 2 holiday dinners. Follow the yellow brick road to your check book and buy this one for every human you care about. No one will leave Oz dissapointed.

Um, I like it. And I'm a Zen Buddhist and and Oz fan. So on a cute-scale I give it a higher rating than the actual writing. The pics are fun, the approach is fun... And after all those years of wondering, why did MGM have to make Oz all about a DREAM?! (Some of us hate that.) But I love the Dream, because there are no mistakes in the MGM film, from the metaphorical perspective. (Well, actually, those actors had a helluva time; a nightmare.) The problem with this book is that it's not linear. It doesn't correspond to the run of events in the film. And that drove me winged-monkey-bananas. I suppose that approach could be similar to the Buddhist Bardos?? But I wanted some order. Some editing. I had to keep reading and re-reading in order to figure out where we were in the Tao of Oz - or zen, or what have you? Well, I would have liked some more insight on The Good Witch Glinda's role in things, too! That could have been worked on. So I took that personally and my feelings were hurt. Because we really want to know what makes Glinda tick! That was too vague. You know how the movie ends, Glinda bops back in with her bubble, and is all like, in her extra-terrestrial voice, "You always had the power with you". (See my review on Gangaji's Diamond in Your Pocket.) Fans are so let down by that part of the film! Why put Dorothy through all that junk when she could have just clicked her heels 3 times? And we don't get that answer in this book, so I felt gyped. Also? I felt as if I were being preached to. So I actually gave my first copy of this book away! But I still DO appreciate someone's insights; so I bought it again! Finally?! My feeling is, when a writer writes everything in "we" terms and not in first person? I'm assumming he's talking about that blackberry in his pocket, and not me. Because-b-coz-b-coz I'm perfect! Ok? (And that's my Dream, so I'm stickin' to it.)

So many people have seen and related to the subject matter of the text, almost everyone can easily identify with one of the characters. However, this book takes the identifications that we make and expands, edifies and reassures us what we inherently know. It's not easy to summmarize deep issues. I've given this book to several people to read, all of them reported back with amazement and long discussion. Buy this and conduct your own study of what people say about it, you'll be amazed, and probably have more freinds.

While there is no doubt that much of Eastern thought can be paralleled in such a classic tale. Green destroys the magic (obviously he never read the novel or any of the other Oz books) while he applies smarmy psychology. Aunt Em and Uncle Henry disfunctional! Dorothy suffering from guilt over her parent's death. Give us a break! He also fails to credit any of the other writers who have worked in this area. The illustrations are charming and suckered me in.

A little book that is filled with the whole cosmos. Follow the yellow brick road to a higher consciousness. You'll know why The Wizard of Oz movie has remained your favorite all these years, after reading just a few pages of this book. It takes you way beyond the simple lesson "there's no place like home." Joey Green takes you over the rainbow with Dorothy to experience "satori", the Zen word for awakening.