Embracing the Force in Everyday Life: A Journey into the World of Jediism
Like Rey in The Last Jedi you might think that the Force is the power that allows Jedi to make things float and stuff. As we learned in that story, this is a misleading assumption. Let’s imagine for a minute that you had the opportunity to be a Jedi in your everyday life. Let’s imagine that it was possible to adopt the Jedi teachings and find harmony with the Force. The cool thing is, that you don’t have to imagine such a possibility. There is a place within the massive neon abode that is the digital realm where one may study the teachings of the Jedi and learn about the Force.
The Temple of the Jedi Order consists of real people who live their lives according to the principles and philosophy of their religion, Jediism. These people do not worship the cinema, or anyone involved with it. They simply seek harmony with the Force. They seek to understand that the Force does give a Jedi power because it is an energy field that surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together. Being a Jedi in our world isn’t about using space magic or fighting with laser swords, although laser swords are fun. It’s about walking your path, wherever it may lead.
This article articulates what I have learned from my time at the Temple. Keep in mind, that this is my interpretation. If you are interested in exploring these concepts further view them from your own unique perspective Enjoy!
“Focus, knowledge, and wisdom all work in concert to create an experience based on truth. All three of these aspects of the self must be developed over the course of life to find the authentic self.”
Focus, knowledge and Wisdom:
Focus: Focus is the foundation of performing any activity well. To live life well one must hone their focus to have all their attention and awareness on the task at hand. One cannot experience this life to its fullest potential and detail without focus. Additionally, having command over one’s own focus gives one agency.
Many people at this moment are unknowingly having their focus channeled toward distractions, false narratives, and political agendas. In a world of unprecedented digital interconnectivity, it is so easy to allow one’s focus to be guided by salesmen, political extremists, and misguided “gurus”.
The first step on the path to self-governance and spiritual freedom is to take back control of one’s focus and learn to home in on what one wishes to accomplish or simply enjoy in one’s life.
Knowledge: Knowledge is acquired by utilizing focus to observe or perform a task. Knowledge can be gained through experience or through consuming information provided by someone who has experience in the subject. Knowledge helps one know what to do in the moment of doing. However, knowledge cannot be perceived without the practiced use of focus.
Wisdom: Wisdom is the source of knowledge and focus. When comparing wisdom and knowledge, on the surface the two concepts appear to be very similar. However, after digging deeper one can see that knowledge is knowing how a machine works. Wisdom is knowing why a machine works. One cannot truly know how a machine functions without first knowing why it functions.
For example, if one had never seen a yo-yo before one could use their knowledge to understand that the string wraps around the axle, and when dropped the yo-yo spins. However, if one does not understand that the yo-yo is a toy whose purpose is to bring frivolous enjoyment through kinetic movement then the object has no true value to the observer. Utilizing wisdom is the act of perceiving purpose.
Focus, knowledge, and wisdom all work in concert to create an experience based on truth. All three of these aspects of the self must be developed over the course of life to find the authentic self. A person’s focus must be their own. It must be aimed at an activity or subject of their choosing. A person’s knowledge must be derived from a concept that the person has chosen to focus on of their own volition. A person’s wisdom must arrive spontaneously from beyond the veil when they experience the use of focus in pursuit of knowledge that they seek out of honest curiosity.
The Jedi Code
There is no Emotion, there is Peace.
There is no Ignorance, there is Knowledge.
There is no Passion, there is Serenity.
There is no Chaos, there is Harmony.
There is no Death, there is the Force
The Jedi code represents the duality of life. Each sentence consists of two halves. The first half is a negative denial of a concept. The second half is a positive acceptance of a concept. Taking the first line of the code as an example, “There is no emotion…” does not indicate that emotion does not exist within a Jedi. The word “no” is a negative rejection of an existing concept. “No” is a pushing away of an idea or action.
“…there is peace.”, in this part of the sentence “is” acts as an acceptance of the existence of peace. The concept of peace is invited to the forefront of the Jedi’s consciousness as the word “is” pulls it. Within the first line of the code, there is a dual action occurring. The pushing away of emotion occurs alongside the pulling in of peace, and so it is with each successive line of the code.
This is the display of the push-pull balance that the Jedi must spend their life experience mastering. “There is” and “there is no” can be applied to any dual concept. Viewing the code through this lens makes each line self-explanatory, they are opposites that push and pull against each other to allow life to continue moving.
However, the last line of the code may require some clarification because death and the Force are two great mysteries. Death is the end, a finality that cannot be perceived in its totality. Yet, the Force is all, the infinite, eternal essence that binds all things together. It too, cannot be perceived in its totality.
By admitting “There is no death…” one is issuing a negative denial of the concept which in turn proves its existence at least as a concept to be pushed away. This is the great cosmic quandary. It is and it isn’t. Death and the Force both exist in tandem and yet by all logical calculations, they shouldn’t. This is the absurd punch to the final line of the code, proving all other lines of the code to merely be masks of the truth. There is all and there is nothing, all at once and not at all within all of us always and never.
The Jedi Creed:
I am a Jedi, an instrument of peace;
Where there is hatred I shall bring love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
And where there is sadness, joy.
The first half of the Jedi creed is a display of the duality of life and a Jedi’s dedication to the positive aspects of this reality. When negative actions, behaviors, or scenarios arise it is the duty of the Jedi to express the positive in response. This positive response is not done out of a self-righteous compulsion to do “good” but out of the understanding that positive and negative energies must circle each other to keep this reality moving, growing, and changing.
A Jedi does not succumb to moral obligations because the Force is not moral, it simply is. The first half of this creed is describing a Jedi’s dedication to express positive light out of necessity and nothing more.
I am a Jedi.
I shall never seek so much to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
The Force is with me always, for I am a Jedi.
The second half of this creed reinforces the concept that a Jedi does not express positive energy to receive shiny golden medals and accolades from their peers. A Jedi expresses positivity because it is a fundamental and necessary aspect of their existence. Through the expression of positivity in the face of negativity the Jedi receives further positivity. Or, one could say that the Jedi receives greater access to the positive side of the Force. A sort of energetic feedback engine is created by expressing positivity. The more the Jedi expresses positivity, the more the Jedi receives.
This gradual process occurs in a Jedi’s life span, and it is ultimately up to the Jedi to determine how much Force energy they wish to work with in this life. However, as the Jedi’s access to the positive aspects of the Force grows so does the negative opposition. The opposition is necessary to keep balance and the Jedi must meet the negative opposition with grace and serenity.
Be sure to check out my high fantasy project, Moonsong’s Descent: A Journal of Infernal Origin
In Tidehaven’s Reach and Owlkin cutpurse named Lysander Moonsong struggles with making ends meet as he works tirelessly to steal enough coin to appease his Guild and feed himself. After being arrested for petty thievery Lysander turns to infernal powers to secure his freedom. Little does Lysander know that he will get far more than he bargained for.
Image of a celestial hellscape. (Image by Valua Vitaly)
Check out the first entry of this post-series!
If you’re just finding this post series check out the Moonsong’s Descent Table of Contents.
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