You have no need to travel anywhere. Journey within yourself,
enter a mine of rubies and bathe in the splender of your own Light.
Rumi
I come from an unusual family legacy. My great grandfather
was L. Frank Baum, the author of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz,
and his mother in law, Matilda Joslyn Gage, was a political activist,
visionary, and early suffragist. Each of these giants have had a
tremendous influence on my life.
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As a child I felt like I Iived inside the Oz fairytale. I was named Dorothy and my mother was
named Ozma by her grandfather, L. Frank Baum. Ozma is a princess in Baum’s second Oz book,
The Marvelous Land of Oz, where she becomes the ruler of that magical kingdom. Dorothy is
Ozma's friend and companion, and together they work toward peace and harmony in this land
of great diversity. Although my mother and I did not talk about the story much while I was
growing up, it has been an intregral part of my life and my family. ​
I was called Dorothy for 34 years, until life threw me into an existential crisis.
I embraced a spiritual path, was given the name Gita, and developed a life long practice of yoga and meditation. I have led meditation groups and offered silent residential retreats for many years, and continue to offer a Buddhist perspective and insight in my work with individuals.
In many ways my great great grandmother, Matilda Joslyn Gage, has been a guiding light and inspiration throughout my life. She was a political activist and visionary, and worked alongside Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the late 1800’s to fight for women’s right to vote and equal rights for all oppressed people. She worked in the political arena as a dedicated
freedom fighter, and envisioned a regenerated world rising from the ashes of a global transformation.
As a fourth-generation descendent of Matilda, I feel the personal and collective implication of her words, and see them as a concrete expression of a calling I have felt my whole life. A calling to
identify the sources of oppression, fight for liberation, and speak the truth of my experiences as a woman. Although Matilda was motivated by her metaphysical and spiritual beliefs, her fight for liberation was in the outer world, while mine focused more on the inner world of the psyche.
You can learn more about Matilda at www.matildajoslyngage.org
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Matilda's youngest daughter Maud married L. Frank Baum, and she often visited the Baum
family when their children were growing up. When she heard L. Frank telling the children a story
about Dorothy and the land of Oz, she encouraged him to write it down. I like to think Matilda's
spirit appears in ​the fairy tale character of Dorothy, and that I carry the message of this story forward
by bringing consciousness to the symbolism of Dorothy and the psychological implications of her journey home.
You can learn more about how I work HERE. ​
Over the years I have published numerous articles in professional journals and led trainings and seminars around the world. Many of my articles and videos are available HERE.
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A full resume of my education, professional experience, and publications is available HERE.​
I live and work in Santa Monica, California now, close to my two boys and five grand children.
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