Into the Woods… And Out of the Woods
Whenever I feel lost, I turn to musicals.
The musical “Into the Woods”, by Stephen Sondheim, is not the best, but it does have its uses.
By sheer accident, the musical ends up showing the psychic development of the characters, who start out as children and grow into full spiritual adulthood.
While the main theme of the musical is often summarised as “be careful what you wish for”, I find a deeper reading.
The characters start out looking up and pleading with the Universe, wishing for what their hearts’ desire most, much like children do. They plead and beg to an imaginary “grown up”, for something quite beyond their means, something they cannot bring into their lives by themselves.
The characters then go into the woods looking to make their wishes come true inside that sacred place where, fairytales tell us, magic and transformation are supposed to take place,
In the first act they do get what they wanted. But they aren’t complete. The woods are not done with them yet. And after another round of challenges and catastrophes they do emerge from the woods… changed.
The meaning behind this musical seems to be that we aren’t fully “done” growing until we have been crushed and defeated.
They all go through grief and loss, in one form or another, and by the end they are no longer looking “up” and pleading with a parent / God. They are standing on their own two feet, and leaning against each other.
Cinderella even says “Mother cannot guide you, now you’re on your own”.
If this path seems treacherous and unappealing, the musical gives us a glimpse of what life is like for those who do not go into the woods, and who don’t grow up spiritually.
In short, they are eaten by the mother.
Rapunzel wants to leave her tower, and enter the world, as all teenagers should. But the witch / mother will not allow it. She says to her teenage daughter “stay with me”, as she warns her of the dangers of the world, with its Princes, wolves and… humans. “Stay a child while you can be a child”, she sings, as if wishing alone could stop growth from happening.
But you cannot stop growth when it’s time.
And that’s where we are at, all of us. Humanity in general. We are due for a transformation into spiritual adulthood.
But we resist it. Instead, we wish.
“I wish… I wish…”.
We believe, wrongly, that if only we went to the king’s festival, or we had a child, or the walls of the house were full of gold, then all our problems would be solved.
But that’s child-like thinking.
What would spiritual adulthood look like?
We get a glimpse of it in the musical. The characters build a community, and learn to work together and rely on each other.
But what other qualities must we look for, in spiritual adulthood?
Compassion for others
A commitment to truth
Being a servant to our soul
Knowing in your heart that you must do what’s “right” even when it’s difficult, you must choose what truly matters even if it’s inconvenient.
You must align yourself with spirit, and the world that wishes to be born.
And you must bow in service to them.
