"The force is what gives the jedi his powers, it's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds, penetrates us and binds the galaxy together."- Obiwan Kenobi.
Ever since I was little, Star Wars has been one of my all time favorites but when I got older and getting into the ideas behind the "force" and all that, I started to understand the true purpose of it and what it means to have that spiritual feeling. Now I'm not into religion or anything like that for reasons I really don't think people care enough to hear or read but I do like the idea of certain meditation practices, breathing techniques, visualization and thinking differently. Meditation has many meanings but the true and sole purpose of it is to have the ability to be empty in the mind and form a connection between yourself and the universe in the present moment.
Some people think in order to meditate, you have to sit or stand in a specific position, make your hands a circle and just empty everything in your brain; that's not as easy to do nor is it the only way. Some form of meditation is by moving or doing things that just have your mind go completely blank and all you're doing is just being. Lifting weights can be meditative, moving like a wild animal can be meditative (just look at guys like Rickson Gracie) or whatever. It's the ability to be in such control of your body and mind that it becomes one with everything around you. I'm not very good at sitting when I meditate, I mainly lay down in a comfortable position and just focus on my breath. Lately, I've been listening to Ambient Sounds and videos with amazing visuals of nature and even Jedi videos.
I would sometimes listen to this meditation I found on youtube that sounds like a Star Wars soundtrack with music and sounds of nature mixed together that is just awesome to listen to and just breathe into. It's about an hour long, other videos have 10-30 minute skits of the same or similar music. I downloaded it into an MP3 on my phone and now I just listen to the sounds. I've also downloaded into an MP3 a Jedi Meditation Guide where a guy talks you through the process and uses quotes and references from Star Wars, it's about 10 minutes long and although he sounds like a robot at times or his broken english is painfully obvious, I just listen to what he says, breathe and just let everything sink in. Done it a couple times now and each time, I feel great, relaxed and more present.
There are books out there that uses various practices like Daoism, Buddhism and others in the words of Star Wars that is actually really cool. Some are catchy and/or tacky a bit but they also share great messages. Some of the references you might need to have some knowledge of the franchise in order to understand but the messages are pretty direct and make good points on meditation, how to be a good person, what to look for when it comes to "energy vampires" or applying certain Jedi Practices in the real world. No, you don't learn to make objects float in the air or use the jedi mind trick to manipulate someone or even shoot lightning out of your fingers like Count Dooku or Emperor Palpatine; but you do learn how to be mindful, practice doing good deeds whenever possible, relax the mind the body often and making good choices.
Meditate like a Jedi or in some cases like the Gray Jedi (A jedi who finds balance in both the light and dark side but doesn't succumb to the evils the dark side creates).
The Way And The Power Of The Force
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