(To be read to the student or recorded and played back during meditation. The student may do the meditation from memory once they have the sequence thoroughly memorized)
Sit comfortably with your back straight and take a few deep breaths, in through the nose, out through the mouth. Pay attention to any areas of stress or tension that you feel in your body and see those area relaxing and unwinding as you breathe. Settle and center yourself for a few moments (allow one minute to allow the student to center).
You are about to embark on a journey, a journey of the mind. This journey will take you to a safe place within yourself to which you will be able to return at any time – to calm yourself, to focus and center yourself or simply to learn more of the ways of the Jedi. Be aware that if, for any reason, you feel uncomfortable during this journey, you can return to the here and now simply and easily. At no time will you go so deep in this meditation as to lose contact with what is around you – in fact, you will find that the meditation enhances your awareness of the Force and your interconnectedness with it.
Close your physical eyes and open the eyes of your mind. Before you is a door. This is your door to the inner pathways of your deep self; it may appear any way that you wish it to. Take a few moments to become acquainted with this door. What is it made of? What does the hardware look like? How is it hinged and are the hinges visible? Step forward and touch the door. Is it warm to the touch or cool? Rough or smooth? This door will serve you well, take the time to know it well. (brief pause for examination of the door).
Now that you know your door, it is time to begin. Open the door, step through the portal and close the door firmly behind you. You hear the lock click into place – do not fret, the door will open to your touch but to no other.
You turn and look around you and are amazed to find a landscape unlike anything that you have seen before. Rolling hills stretch away before you but the grass that carpets them is a rich cerulean blue. The sky above you is blue as well, but a richer shade of blue than the earthly sky – a robin’s egg blue that is pleasing to the eye. Here and there on the hillsides around you are clusters of bright yellow flowers. You smile pleased by this soothing blue landscape and the wind wafts a deep, almost cinnamon smell to your nose. You inhale deeply in pleasure.
The path before you is not well marked but your trained senses pick it up immediately and you move off to follow it almost without thinking. You move swiftly and, as you move, you feel the familiar tingle and pulse of the Force in your bones and your blood. Your body responds and you move even more quickly along the path.
The way is not easy. The hills are high and the path does not skirt many of them so you must walk up then down each one. You are glad of the Force moving through you, easing your way, as the landscape gradually changes and becomes more rocky and spare. Multicolored lichens cling to boulders along the way and the air grows cooler as you make your way through the rock studded plane. You pull the edges of your robes more firmly around you as you walk and you notice that the shadows are lengthening as the sun drops toward the west. You pick up the pace a little more – anxious to reach your destination before night falls and navigation becomes more difficult.
You round a massive boulder and are surprised to find yourself at the entrance to a cave. Above the cave is a symbol, carved into the stone. Look carefully at this symbol and memorize it. (pause for view of symbol).
You follow the path into the cave and, as the darkness wraps around you, you pull a light stick from the pocket of your robe and ignite it. The gentle green radiance fills the cave with an unearthly glow and you follow the path along corridors of smooth cut stone. Gradually, you realize that this cave was no accident of geology, that it was carved from the bowels of the planet for a purpose. Your curiosity pulls you onward.
As you round one of a number of twists and turns in the underground passage, you notice that there is ambient light around you, very faint but growing stronger with each bend that you round until there is enough light to see by . You extinguish the light stick and move on, knowing instinctively that the end of your journey is near.
The emergence into the fading light of late evening catches you almost by surprise but what makes you gasp in amazement is the building that stands before you. Cupped in a small inaccessible valley, built of emerald green and blue marble like stone, sits a simple yet exquisite temple.
A four square building with a spiral tower that reaches to the sky, the temple is not a large structure but the Force which emanates from it is powerful to your trained senses. There is only one way in that you see and you approach the massive door with some trepidation. You can see the tall arch of the doorway before you but there is no hardware or control panel to provide you entry. You stand and stare at the blank green door before you, seeing a dim reflection of your face in the polished stone and then you laugh at your own denseness. What have you trained for for all this time?
You stand straight and tall and use the Force to scan for a latch on the inside of the door. Your senses find the latch with no difficulty and you “push” the latch gently. A loud click sounds and the door pops easily open.
You swing the door wide with respect – it is obvious to you that the portal, ten feet tall and several inches thick, is very heavy but it swings easily on well oiled, invisible hinges. Carefully, you turn and push the door shut behind you, seeing that it latches tight.
The temple is all open space and is lighted by a source that you can not quite discern in the ceiling. It is smaller on the inside than it appears on the outside but the peace and harmony of the Light Side beams from every stone, pillar and slab. You walk the polished stone floor in awe at the energy that was expended in building this temple and making a place of sanctuary and strength for those Jedi in need of solitude. You give thanks to the ones who went before, who saw fit to set up these sanctuaries all across the galaxy so that the Jedi would always have a place to go. You walk to the bare stone altar and place both hands upon it, taking a moment to bask in the energy stored in that stone, an energy of healing and wholeness that you need to keep you on your path. In an alcove behind the altar, you see a symbol, a personal representation of the Force that is yours and yours alone. In each temple, for each person this symbol will be different. Take a moment to meditate on the symbol and its meaning to you. (provides several minutes for contemplation)
At length, you rise refreshed. You have journeyed long to get to this place but must return to the world which it is your duty to serve. This temple has been placed here as a place for you to go and strengthen yourself for that service. Now that you have walked the long way here, you may arrive here at any time simply by bringing to mind the symbol over the cave entrance. Give thanks for the time that you have spent here; it is time for you to depart.
Your return will be easier that you think. Look to the right of the altar and symbol of the Force. There is your door, the door through which you came into this world. Go to the door and step through it, again being sure that it latches securely as you close it behind you. A t first, your surroundings may seem gray and lifeless but, as you adjust, color comes into the place where you stand and you realize that you are back in the room where you started. Take some deep breaths and re-center yourself before you open your eyes. Be gentle with yourself as you begin to move around and be sure to have something to eat or a warm drink to bring yourself fully back to the here and now.
May you be ever present in the Living Force,