Co-Creating A Dream Of A Modern Day Oz with Jean Houston, Ph.D.

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Here Jean Houston takes us on a whirlwind tour of the authentic American myth of the Wizard of Oz. She answers the question of what it means to have a brain, a heart, and to act with courage. Using the characters of the scarecrow, tin man, lion, and Dorothy, Houston inspires us to follow our deep yearning in order to develop and contribute to a better world with our full human capacities, She tells us, “We are in the most critical time of history. The time in which we decide whether we grow or die, whether we evolve or perish. Each of us comes in with a kind of added response-ability and we have to prepare ourselves, and deepen ourselves, and constantly educate ourselves to be the stewards of this time.” (hosted by Justine Willis Toms)

Bio

Jean Houston is a visionary thinker, teacher, and philosopher who pioneered the Human Potential Movement and established the Social Artistry leadership model that she used in her work with the United Nations Development Programme.

She is the author of nearly thirty books, including:

• A Mythic Life: Learning to Live our Greater Story (HarperSanFrancisco 1996)
• A Passion for the Possible: A Guide to Realizing Your True Potential (HarperSanFrancisco 1997)
• The Wizard of Us: Transformational Lessons from Oz (Beyond Words 2012)

To learn more about the work of Jean Houston go to www.jeanhouston.com.

Topics Explored in This Dialogue

• How myth is encoded into our DNA and human intelligence
• How do myths help us to find our “yellow brick road of spiritual pollen”
• Who was L. Frank Baum, author of The Wonderful World of Oz: The Wizard of Oz, The Emerald City of Oz, Glinda of Oz, and why he used a girl as his protagonist
• What are the gifts we must recognize in ourselves to live our full potential
• Why including “the arts” in school curriculum is important in developing our highest human capacities
• What is social artistry and how can we expand our usefulness in society
• Why the rise of women is the single most important happening in the last 5000 years
• What are the “fields of poppies” that crop up in our lives
• How is this time reminiscent of that time of great creativity - the Renaissance

Host: Justine Willis Toms     Interview Date: 12/10/2012           Program Number: 3459

Music Playlist

From Album: The Wizard Of Oz: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Artist: various
Published by Turner Entertainment

Opening Essay: Track 16 We're Off to See the Wizard, combined with Track 2 Somewhere Over the Rainbow (custom edit by Lou Judson)
Music Break 1: Track 15 If I only had a Brain (extended version)
Music Break 2: Track 19 If I only had the Nerve
Music Break 3: Track 2 Somewhere Over the Rainbow