Welcome to Jedi Praxeum! This is our second class out of ten, intended to teach you everything there is about Jediism.
Today we are going to learning about the Force.
The Force is central to a Jedi’s life, thus is a huge focus on this training. Without the Force, we are just good dooders with a wanna be saint issue. Jedi recognize the importance of the Force and seek to feel it, feel the hints and tips the Force gives you through a variety of skills, and looks to promote light, goodness, healthy, and happiness through the Force into society. You were attracted to the Jedi and not the Power Rangers because you saw the mystical, powerful, hope bringing aliveness of the Force. You may have already started noticing the Force manifest itself through skills such as empathy, precognition, and sensing. You wanted to be a part of that power. You wanted to do those cool abilities. You wanted to be a part of something greater than yourself and humanity. You wanted to feel the power of the universe. You wanted the taboo, the forbidden, the denied by science, the declared impossible. You set forth on a path that pushes belief up to the edge of reality. So today, let’s learn the basics of the Force.
First thing first, you need to learn what the Force is and how to feel it. To better connect to the Force, you must first understand what it is and isn’t. The Force has many names: chi, prana, magic, psi, even plain old energy. But it’s all the same thing. It’s the same energy that is the sun or wind energy or burning coal or wood. The different names of the Force are just different views and understanding of energy. Remember the story of the tree blind people trying to describe an elephant and they are all hold various parts of the elephant? They described the elephant based on the feeling, shape, and size of the part they were holding such as an elephant is a tree or a snake. None of them are wrong, but they are only understanding a small part of the elephant. The same is true with the many names of the Force. When one truly connects to the Force, a Jedi will notice how every living thing interacts and influences life around them and become aware of the intricate ties that bind all life to each other and the universe. But how to read the Force is a lesson for another time; for now, let’s focus on how to feel it. One must walk before they can run after all.
Let’s get into the nitty gritty of what the Force is. As I’ve talked about the Force in the last class, let’s review and go a bit deeper. The Force is a universal energy that flows and swirls about through all things, living and not. It is your computer, the air, your house plants/pets, the germs on your toilet, the water you drink, in the pollen and dust in the air, in the trees, in space, and all the things known and not that make up the entirety of the universe. The Force is not a god. It does not make decisions. It does not feel or think or act. Yet, in a way, it is still alive and able to affect the universe. I like to compare it water since humans like to make out water is alive. Water has set rules it must follow like gravity. Water will always flow downhill if nothing disturbs it. Water can shape the land, give life, save life from death, and kill people. We talk about angry oceans battering down shore lines. We talk about the peacefulness of a quiet pond. We talk about the purity of clean water and how filthy water signifies the state of things. Consider that when thinking about the Force. While the Force does not really care your date life, you are part of life and you are part of the Force. Life and the Force are forever connected. Go ahead, cue the Lion King because part of that movie has a simple, yet deep meaning about the Living Force.
The “types” of the Force
There are three aspects or view points of the Force. The Force may be everywhere, there are certain noticeable patterns to observe. We Jedi we learn how to feel these different “types” of Force flow to better understand how the Force works and what we can do to help that flow.
There is the personal Force, which is what we will be focusing on today. Personal Force is how you and the Force interact. How does the Force feel in your body? How do your emotions effect your ability to feel the Force? How does the Force flow through you?
The second focus is the Living Force. We have a whole lesson dedicated to that because there is so much to talk about. The Living Force is not longer centered on you, but on life in general. You’ll learn how life and the Force are interdependent of teach other. You will learn how to feel that deep, complex connection of energy and life and life connecting to life. The give and take of the stronger overcoming the weak and how life wills other life to live.
Finally we have the Unifying Force. This is one of the last lessons to be taught because it’s not an easy thing to feel and it takes time to built up to feeling it. The Unifying Force is the big picture. Imagine feeling all the things un the universe, even things we can’t know or describe and you feel it all at once. If you could take a spot in the Christian god and experience a universal flow of energy, that is what the Universal Force is. But don’t worry, I’ll get you built up so you can experience this wonderful, mind blowing energy. Just stick around, do you homework, and come with an open mind.
Who can feel?
Every person has the capacity to feel the Force. But just like learning to do anything, some people learn differently. There are many ways to feel the Force, just as there are many ways to listen to music or read a book. It is important to ask experienced Jedi how they overcame their learning difficulties. We all see the universe through different eyes, you must find the right set of lenses that fit you.
As to why some people have trouble feeling the Force, it may be because they are scared too. Some have mental or emotional issues blocking them. Some simply just refuse to (mostly because they are scared or envious). Never push your beliefs on others. If they don’t want to learn, don’t pressure them to. But to get back to the point, basically if you want to feel The Force you can. You don’t need to born special or to the right family. There is no required religion or banned religion. Although, you may end up looking up different religions and types of spiritual practices to help them. Energy work doesn’t make you a god, a Jedi, or X-men. It makes you human. Some people are genius at math (not me!) some are good at art (I’m above average) and some can sing, dance, be CEO, or use the Force. We all have talents and these talents can be helpful or hurtful depending on how you view and use them. Through this training you will find what skill in the Force you are good at. Please never use these teachings to harm or scare another person. If you need to know why, see X-men as a good example.
Is the Force Right or Good?
You may be wondering if energy work is safe or good. Let’s start with safe. While energy work has never killed anyone, it’s relatively safe. For newbies there is little harm beyond tiredness and a headache, which I will explain later how to avoid with grounding. More advance Force users may over practice and get what I call Force burnout. Basically, repeatedly overloading yourself with more energy than you are used to and overtime you get more frequent headaches and may even feel pain just feeling The Force. An easy solution is grounding, short and limit practices, and not reaching your max tolerance too often. Even most advance people won’t experience this, so there is little fear.
For those wondering if you are going to be “attacked” by demons or evil energy, please understand this guide will not go into the debate if demons are real and suggestion you look inward to your own fears and negative feelings. You’ll find these attacks will stop. And as for other strangers attacking you, consider how few people even investigate energy work, never mind practice to a level to be considered dangerous, the amount of energy it would take to do an attack, and how generally people just don’t want to attack you. The reality is you won’t get attacked unless you look for it. Don’t look for danger. Don’t create fear where it isn’t.
The debate about are Force skills good is a complicated and personal matter. I can preach and list many reasons why I think it’s good and not sinful or evil, but in the end, you must decide. So, I will list my views on the matter to give you something to think about. Energy work is natural. Human kind has been feeling the Force as long as history can show. Look at our religions. Humans yearn to feel energy as much as they need food, love, sex, warmth, and comfort It must be natural because it’s everywhere, in everything. It was there before we humans came about. It was there before Earth existed, because it’s in the sun, moon, space dust and all the things we known and don’t know.
The Force feels good and I won’t deny that or apologize for it Yes, it feels powerful and yes you can go on power trip, but you can do that with any kind of power. As Jedi we learn how to avoid the power trip by learning about ego. The trick is to learn how to use the Force for good and helpful reasons and not use to harm or scare people. Knowledge of energy helps you learn to control your skills and keep centered. Meditation, looking inward and facing your fear, anger, pain, guild, shame, greed, lust, restlessness, and pride will help you stay on the right track. I believe people who want, or fear energy are the reason it’s banned, made taboo, made a secret teaching, viewed as crazy or wishful thinking. Look at our movies, at our superheroes, avengers, wizards, witches ,spell casters, and many more. We love superheroes, but we are told that is just fantasy. Maybe energy work isn’t as power as Hollywood shows, but it’s still real and powerful in its own right.
More about the Force
Also understand The Force is everywhere. It’s in your, in your electronic device you are reading this right now. It’s in the well, the air, life, rocks, even space and all the things known and unknown. We have been taught as a society to ignore and block out any feeling of the Force, but it’s always there, ready to be felt and used. A good example I like to use of the Force is dust. We’ve all seen dust floating in the air when the sunlight hits that right angle. Dust floats in its own way, seemingly to defy gravity. But you can influence dust by blowing up it. You can gather it up with the right tools. So, for this guide we will think of the Force like dust. You can think of it like a blue dust since blue in calming, but you can think of any color you want.
When you are practicing with the Force you need to be in the right state of mind. It’s best when you are first learning to be calm, focused, not hungry, thirsty, or need the bathroom. Be in comfortable clothes that you can forget about. You can sit, stand, lay down in any position so long as you are comfortable. But I would advise not doing this too late in the evening or near a meal time as that can distract you. Try to be in a quiet room with no external distractions such as a tv, radio, dogs, cell phone, kids crying or that annoying parrot who thinks it’s funny to screech at 7am (true story!) It’s also best to have water, not soda, nearby. Drink before and especially after a practice because water is grounding and will help you feel better. It’s also better to practice at the same time each day (or at least 3 times a week) to develop a habit. You are welcome to practice more often so long as you aren’t getting tired or getting a headache. Stop if you are getting a headache.
In this modern day of social media and constant flow of information it can be easy to be distracted when trying to meditate. This can be frustrating and causes many to give up. But this is normal and expected. You will find that most of the time, our frustrations are a product of our inability to “control” our own thoughts. The goal is not control, it’s to flow with the Force. If you have a stray thought, don’t focus on it. Acknowledge it, then leave it be. It will go away on its own. Also don’t be upset with yourself if you have more than one of these thoughts pop up; it’s normal and will get better with practice.
Now that we have covered all the elements in which to practice, let’s get down to business!
Feeling the Force
Step 1. Breathe
Take slow deep breathes from your stomach. As you breathe relax your body. Find those stress points and relax them. Find the pains and the aches and let them go. Find the worries and fears and let them go. Just breathe. I will give you a few mins to do this.
Step 2. The song:
Pick a song that is calming, and you know well. You can play it, sing it, hum it, but best method so you can do this in public is to play it in your head. Let yourself really feel the peace and the calmness of the song. Let it wash over you. Remember to breathe. I will give you a few mins to do this.
Step 3. Stare at Air
It sounds weird, but I promise this will make sense. Ever been deep in thought, staring at something, but not really seeing it? It’s like you are staring at air. Well today you are going to do that. Find something to look at that isn’t thing screen or moving. Now mentally take a step back and look at the space between you and the object. Gently look, like a glaze. Now play the song and remember to breathe. Relax. Let go. Just be.
Ok now notice what are you feeling? I mean what are you physically feeling. I know you are calm, relaxed, and peaceful. Go deeper. What is your body feeling? Post when you are ready.
Results: Are you feeling: warm/cold tingly/ buzzy light? Blood rushing, but not its blood? If so, you are feeling the Force! Congrats! Now practice this once to 5 times a day for a week.
Tips: for those struggling to feel the Force, remember you need to relax and let yourself feel. Stop thinking. Stop looking for a result. It will come naturally if you give the practice an honest try. Also look at your environment and mental and emotional state. Are you tired? Emotional? Hungry? Hurting? Distracted? If yes to any of those, try this technique another time.
Homework: Practice feeling the Force, making a few Force balls, and grounding. Practice this up for 30 minutes a day. I would advise short practices to avoid overloading. Focus on learning how energy feels within you. Focus on relaxing, breathing, and feeling more energy (carefully). Try feeling the Force without the song, just remember what the feeling is and search for it. Focus on making your Force ball faster, smaller, bigger, or even two, one in each hand. Try grounding in different areas and see if that has an effect on you.
Be prepared to talk about how your homework went at the beginning of class and to feel the Force for a minute before we get into the lecture. You are welcome to post your progress on this group.