Maybe this needs to be here every month?20:25 Nov 27 2007
Times Read: 670
The Way of the Jedi
By Jedi Master Cheryl
Dedication 1
Forward 1
Being a Jedi 2
The Force 3
Gratitude 4
Anger 5
Empathy 5
Dedication
To Lauren, for always believing in me and for giving me the courage to become a Master…I spent many long years fighting with that rebellious Qui Gon side of my nature. I dedicate this to you…one day you will be a Master too, my dear.
Forward
There is no emotion; there is peace.
There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
There is no passion; there is serenity.
There is no death; there is the Force.
Can one on this planet truly claim to be a “Jedi”? What does being a Jedi mean? Is it swinging a lightsaber and making things fly around with your will power? Probably not, at least not in this generation. We that believe in the tenets of the Jedi as presented in the works of George Lucas and the talented writers who have broadened his original universe feel that this is a viable way of living – to be in touch with something greater than the self and to live with no fear, only a sense of peace that permeates the mind and body in such a way that we find ourselves capable of greater deeds than we ever thought to accomplish before we joined the Jedi Way. For some it started on a summer day in 1977. We were witness to a great feat of moviemaking that year; but some of us instinctively knew that there was something there that meant so much more collectively…we felt that we had been tapped to be noble beings of light. We followed with great interest the adventures of Luke Skywalker and the stories that flowed from the minds of those who tell the Star Wars Universe stories with such insight. But to live as a Jedi is far more than we could have ever imagined in that dark theater bedazzled by sights never heretofore seen (with all regards to Ray Harryhausen, et. al.) It is more than we could ever imagine and the time has come to recognize that the Way of the Jedi is a viable, living neo-religion, which needs its own handbook of sorts. There are too many of us out there who need to have something to convene around. This isn’t meant to a “bible”…I think we all know what that can lead to. This is more of a handbook for those who want to get a truthful grasp on all the tenets that the Jedi of Earth should try to follow to open their minds and hearts further than they thought before they had this type of a guide to follow. It doesn’t require deep meditation every day, but one does need to have a sense of discipline to accept these ideas and make them a part of their life. It isn’t difficult, it is just going further than what is stated in the technological universe we have come to enjoy being dazzled by. There have been some really fascinating ancient religions such as Taoism and Buddhism and more recent works such as “The Tao of Physics” by Fritjof Capra and “Neuropolitique” by Dr. Timothy Leary for instance that start to put the Jedi Way into perspective, but they do not directly speak to those of us who rally around the truth that we believe – The Way of the Jedi.
Being a Jedi
Jedi are the guardians of peace in the galaxy.
Jedi use their powers to defend and protect, never to attack others.
Jedi respect all life, in any form.
Jedi serve others rather then rule over them, for the good of the galaxy.
Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training
Ponder deeply your mind, heart and soul for a minute. Is there any type of blockage to the truth of your soul in the way? Do you find it hard to even meditate for a few minutes or let anger and strife rule your thinking process? Is there any positive outcome that you can envision for situations that may not seem so great at the time, or is blame and shame the name of the game for you? Peaceful thinking is what is needed to follow the Jedi Way. This is not a joke. It is the first and most important rule for Jedi’s of Earth to follow.
When people are clear in their thinking process they become open to the vast universe around us and can tap into it’s energy to create a new, special reality for them and those around them – which in turn creates a change in the energy that flows around them. Anger becomes what it should be – a source of energy used to channel the positive flow of the energies around you to direct away or destroy the Forces of the dark side. Each person who understands the Jedi Way comes to understand the dark side through his or her own experiences on our world.
When George Lucas created the universe of Star Wars, it surely never crossed his mind that he would influence so many people of those generations fortunate to have “grown up” with the lessons taught in the films. There are some of us, however, who understand a vastly deeper meaning that underlies all the films and books. We see and understand the “Force” and are aware of it in our daily lives and how the decisions we make create our reality and the future. Some of us may a seem a little different – but we are the seers, prognosticators, and wise men and women of old brought forth into a new generation. And right now on our planet there are a great many of us who follow the storylines created and some really creative fans have come up with their own characters, stories and dreams. We are becoming, slowly, but surely the Jedi Order of Earth who will one day make contact with those that follow the Way of the Jedi in our galaxy and, eventually our “real” universe.
To those unsure, or skeptics who think “Well let me see your lightsaber, geek…” – I know they are out there and more power to them for not subscribing to “some hokey ancient religion”, I say that the Force of Earth lives around us in everything we see, touch, create and feel. If you are not able to understand this Force and use it – please allow those of us who can to begin our work and I guarantee we will have developed lightsabers or something similar to use within a few generations. To move from the primitive state of our ancestors to the modern society we live in now took thousands of generations, give us some time. Most of those who understood the Way of the Jedi were hunted down and killed in certain parts of the world because they were considered “witches” or worse at certain points in our collective history. It is only recently in our culture that we have begun to tolerate differences in others and have realized that there is another dimension that most individuals are simply not aware of or if they do sense it they do not use their abilities to better themselves and those they interact with. This is not a condemnation of those unable to use the Force…it is a reality and a truth that there are people who are endowed with other gifts that they must discover to fulfill their own lifetime goals.
The Force
We need to get this out of the way right off. There is a Force that surrounds us on Mother Earth. It is in the Air we breathe, the Fire that propels and gives light to our planet, the Water that sustains our lives and composes most of our body structure, and the Earth that we live on and have neglected to care for and have misunderstood for far too long. For countless generations men have thought that they had to “conquer” the Earth – in reality they should have followed the old ways of living in tune with nature and the cycles of the Earth as our ancient ancestors did. Those peoples may seem primitive, but many more of them were in tune with the will of Earth’s Force. They both hunted and gathered when the time was right or they planted and harvested according to the seasons provided by Earth’s and our galaxy’s energy. We have come so far in our thinking, but what have we really done? Decimated our Earth, stripped it of resources, polluted it with no care whatsoever, consume and throw away and buy into the politics of big business without thinking what we are doing by not seeing the proverbial “forest for the trees”. It may not be too long before our world has changed so radically that anarchy becomes the rule and our society falls into decay. For too long we have relied on fossil fuels and they are rapidly being depleted. The sticker shock of prices is dividing our world into “haves” and “have-nots” faster than any other time in our entire world history. Therefore, the ability to understand the Force may be the only thing that sustains human life on this planet in the future!
To understand the Way of the Jedi one must be able to touch the Force in a tangible way – meaning that the individual must be able to recognize not only the actuality of its existence but also have the capacity to see into it and, therefore, control its structure. I do not actually mean that the individual controls the energy – more that they flow with it and use its natural currents to effect change in the space around them. Thoughts have extreme power when utilized correctly. Remember if you doubt this statement that everything you see around that has been made by man began with a thought before it became a reality.
Gratitude
The next precept of the Jedi is that there is always something to be grateful for. They live their lives in Peace and Harmony with the Force as best they can – not all situations are good. Yet, the Jedi can always find the good in the situation – no matter what. They use this positive energy to direct thought waves and create the reality they desire. They are not fooled by the gratitude they feel, they simply use it to further their peaceful thoughts and find peace in the gratitude they have for all life.
There are times in life when Jedi will not feel gratitude. It is inevitable. Everyone, including Jedi – maybe especially Jedi have emotions that are felt with every situation and sometimes these emotions may not be positive in nature. That does not mean that those feelings are wrong. It means that feelings are valid – an emotion. Emotions are never wrong per se…they are what they are. It is in how a Jedi chooses to answer the challenge of the emotional state that determines their focus. Gratitude is a state of focus. In other words, choosing to acknowledge gratitude is a choice for a Jedi. One may think that seeing gratitude is easy. Usually this is so but sometimes seeing the gratitude in a difficult situation is not as easy. It is only through difficult situations that we grow. A choice then lies before those who follow the way of the Jedi. If a Jedi is in a complicated emotional state outlook becomes more complex and it is easier to follow feelings of anger or lack of appreciation. A Jedi attempts in all situations to resolve these distressful feelings.
Feeling gratitude in any complex emotional situation is never straightforward. It is the choice of the Jedi to see the gratitude and follow the mindset of peace, never anger whenever confronted with unpleasant sensations that determines the outcome of any complicated emotional circumstance. If a Jedi follows feelings of irritation that will inevitably lead to a confrontation. A Jedi will never choose the path of confrontation. A true Jedi chooses to acknowledge that their emotions are valid. In fact, anger or annoyance at events may not be easy to overcome, but a Jedi will search their heart and mind for the good in the circumstance before taking any action. As any Jedi knows, actions are what determine everyone’s reality. Therefore a Jedi always chooses to focus their mind on peace and will look for the good in others no matter how difficult it might seem at the moment.
As stated, gratitude is an easy feeling when things are going well but is not so easy when one is confronted with other’s negative emotions.
Anger
The Jedi holds no anger in his heart for anyone who has wronged him in any fashion, for to harbor anger is to allow the dark side to fester in your soul. Through this anger is the voice of the dark side that whispers in the mind. A Jedi lets go of anger through meditation on the problem and communication of the solution. Nothing is forced – only suggested. When action is required anger and fear are channeled into the body to dissipate through strenuous action and anger is utilized to give strength towards courage to face and overcome the “dark side.” In other words, anger is channeled to a positive outcome no matter how desperate the situation. Cursing, shouting and violence are not acceptable tenets to Jedi. They use the emotions that come from these types of feelings to create an alternate reality in which they use the emotion to buttress themselves with a positive flow from the force around us all.
The force around us all in this reality may not consist of “midichlorians,” but as we delve deeper into our understanding of particle physics we are becoming more aware that life does exist on a quantum level. What will this exciting new advent into science present to us in possibly just a few short years? We may yet be surprised that there is some sub-microscopic system of life that does live in synch with us, if only we listen deeply for it.
Empathy
The Way of the Jedi consists of the ability to feel empathy – deep empathy. This is necessary for understanding the feeling and thought waves that others produce which is picked up through the Force. And, secondly, the ability to imagine minuscule and vast spaces. People who use the Force can see both realities simultaneously and tap into the reality around them and into others thoughts if they so wish. But people with this gift must walk a fine line of not using their minds and thoughts to create negative energy and use it to manipulate others. There are many pitfalls in following the Way of the Jedi. How can you always be in the here and now with no worries and calm and at peace at all times in such a tumultuous world? Simple meditation and discipline of the mind is the answer for some and it is crucial for each of us who understands that we are among those who are the Jedi of Earth to perform at least some rudimentary undisturbed meditation to re-gather our thoughts and emotions. Once this has become a daily ritual the student is free to begin exploring other methods of utilizing the Force they are aware of, physical movement is also necessary to keep the body limber and able to move when the Force directs them.
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