Powered by Dreams

Dream City, by Paul Klee, courtesy wikipaintings.org

The basic premise of the Hidden History of Oz is “dreams determine reality.” Compare this with the basic premise set forth by L. Frank Baum in his written introduction to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz:

“… a modernized fairy tale, in which the wonderment and joy are retained and the heartaches and nightmares are left out.” (emphasis added)

As stated on this site, “There is that history which is celebrated … and that which is hidden.” Baum told simple stories with no explanation. They have enchanted generations. The fairy tales of the past have been lost in the shadows as today’s knowledge has expanded. It is time to revisit the fairy tales and discover their meaning for our generation.

What is Oz? How does the Land of Oz interact with the human world?  The Hidden History is the explanation of the simple stories Baum told, and the reason Oz is what it is.

What is Oz?

Oz is a magical land. Created by L. Frank Baum in his classic children’s novel, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. First published in 1900, this story set in the land of Oz has enchanted generations of readers.
The Hidden History of Oz explores the stories and events hinted at in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz that were never mentioned again.
To fully explain the mysteries introduced by L. Frank Baum in his stories, we must allow two basic assumptions:

Hidden History Assumptions

1. Nobody in Oz dreams
2. Magic in Oz is powered by human dreams

Assumption #2 contains two corollaries. These additional conclusions are inferred by accepting Assumption #2.

• Thoughts are things composed of energy that has the power to affect the surrounding world.
• By extension, dreams can affect the waking world

Magic in Oz

Where does the magic come from? If Oz is a world parallel to ours, linked through some currently unknown means, then the thoughts in our world affect the Land of Oz.
As the title of this post implies, the Land of Oz is powered by human dreams. Human dreams create energy that is used as fuel by the Emerald Engine beneath the Land of Oz and turned into magic. Powerful dreams in the human world have strong corresponding reactions in this magical land.
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz was published in 1900. It was very much a product of its time. We can safely infer that Dorothy’s story in Oz takes place at the same time (1900).
The Hidden History of Oz series begins with The Witch Queens of Oz, set 48 years before 1900, or 1852.

Historical Attitudes

Many attitudes prevalent in pre-Civil War America have their mirrored counterparts in the Land of Oz. Slavery and perceived superiority is an issue in the story. The Winged Monkeys are slaves, controlled by powerful people in Oz, and their race is not worthy of freedom. These attitudes are passed down through the generations, and a journey of discovery follows one of the characters as she discovers the radical idea of individual freedom and accountability.

The dreams of the ordinary world affect Oz in ways that may be unpredictable to us. As we examine these events in hindsight, it makes perfect sense that the people of Oz would struggle with those same issues and those same ways of thinking. After all, our history shows that that we struggled during our waking hours. It only makes sense that our dreaming hours would be the same (if not greater) struggling. And just where does all of this dream energy go? To Oz.

The Hidden History series covers the timeline of a tumultuous period of American history, so it is natural to expect that world-changing events will shape the Land of Oz into a different form. The monuments of the old world are gone, and new monuments are raised to commemorate a new generation of people.

Dream a Little Larger

The premise set forth by The Hidden History of Oz is different than that set forth in the canonical Oz books. The history laid out makes the case that L. Frank Baum was right in his vision of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. All books following that initial vision were diluted by the expanded marketing campaign. Baum hoped to catch lightning in a bottle again, like he did with The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, which was a successful book, stage play, and silent film. Everyone knows the original story. Not much pop culture has been devoted to the succeeding stories written by Baum.

If Baum’s original story was true, but it was only the brighter half of the story, then the shadows and the nightmares are the part that was hidden. The light of modern understanding is now required to shine into those dark corners and discover the secrets; to discover what was hidden away. As we go forward exploring, struggling and unfolding the mysteries, they will haunt our waking and our dreaming hours. Oz will become a greater and richer experience as you ponder the possibilities set forth in the Hidden History.

Oz is as real as you dream it.

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