Light
Jedi: Lecture #22
Towards
Harmonious Living
Lightside@forceacademy.com
The
following lecture comes courtesy of T. Watson (Caledvolc), and as
always, he has my sincere gratitude.
Harmony, for the purpose of this lecture, may be defined as a sense
of balanced energy that leads to feelings of calm, and from which
the Jedi can operate without a sense of being rushed or harried.
The Jedi who has great internal harmony is very difficult to put
off balance, and thus has a greater possibility of being at one
with the Force at all times.
Therefore, harmony is a most important aspect of a Jedi's training.
Without a certain amount of internal harmony, it is extremely difficult
to walk the path of the Light Side. Harmony does not come about
simply by wishing it, however - we Jedi must work at its development
as much as we work on training Force abilities. Paradoxically of
course, the more we strive for it, the more it evades us.
It should also be noted that the Jedi who walks in harmony is far
less likely to encounter and vastly more able to deal with the disharmonic
influences spoken of in prior lectures. Simply put, the harmonious
person does not light a beacon in the Other World (usually by means
of confusion, unsettlement or arrogance) attracting influences of
all types, benign or baneful. Rather, he or she is content to join
the flow, accepting what is and subtly manipulating events to serve
a set purpose.
There are four basic elements of harmonious living. Each must be
pursued, and all must be in balance, before harmony can be achieved.
1. It is absolutely essential for any student of the Light Side
to develop a daily meditation practice and do some sort of physical
training on a regular basis. The practice of meditation is probably
one of the most important ways of developing internal harmony because
it allows the student time in the "eye of the storm" each day and
helps him/her to recognize that place within the self from which
harmony generates. As training progresses, physical training can
become a time of meditation as well. Martial arts students will
already be aware of the concept of "mushin" (no mind) from Zen,
a relaxed state of perfect clarity from which an action simply performs
itself. This kind of clarity comes as the result of repetitive training
that incorporates technique into the body's movement alphabet. At
the highest levels of martial arts training (and to a lesser extent,
other forms of physical activity) lies a place of harmony from which
movement simply flows. In Force terms, this means that we are one
with the Force and moving with its flow.
2. Spend as much time in nature as possible. Nothing helps refresh
the spirit more than a walk on your favorite hiking trail. If you
do not have a favorite trail, then exploring the possibilities in
your area would be a good idea. Nature has much to teach us about
the Force and its cyclical nature.
Nature proves to us that no energy ever really ceases to exist -
it simply transmutes to a different form. It is important to realize
this because it aids us in dealing with one of the greatest blockages
to internal harmony, i.e. fear of death. If we realize that all
energy continues in some form or other, or as in the well-known
law of Physics, "Matter is neither created nor destroyed", then
we can deal effectively with the fear of death by understanding,
on a deep level, that nothing ceases to exist - it merely changes
form. Or, as the Jedi Code teaches us, "There is no death, there
is the Force."
Another benefit of the great outdoors is that it is easier to find
some peace there, as we are not subjected to the constant pressure
of other people's thoughts and emotions, but are free to feel the
flow of the Force around and through us, and to feel and know deep
inside our place in it.
3. Do not fear silence, but embrace it. We live in a world where
we can be, and are, subjected to sound and stimulation during almost
all of our waking hours (and in our sleep, for some). We must break
away from the noise and stimulation regularly. Exposure to silence
leaves us open to what is really going on in our minds. I have recommended
to meditation students in the past that they set up a "monastery"
weekend for themselves on occasion - a time when they do not speak,
spend extensive time in meditation, go about all their tasks mindfully
and observe what is going on in their head as a result. Most find
that the mind races frantically for the first few hours or (in extreme
cases) days of such a retreat, but eventually the mind shuts down
and they can go about their day in peace.
Time in nature and silence may be combined by going on a lone retreat
in nature. However, if you plan to do this, be certain to take someone
with you who can check on your safety.
4. Be aware of the messages that you are sending to your subconscious.
I have worked with students who could not understand why they were
not experiencing any harmony in their meditations. They would then
leave the class, get in their cars, crank the stereo up as loud
as it would go, and listen to lyrics which seemed, to me, to be
consumed with hatred of others and/or self-hate. To make things
worse, those lyrics were often accompanied by music that was designed
to drive the message home. It has been well known for many ages,
especially in primitive cultures, that the beat of a drum, for example,
serves to relax the mind, open the subconscious and ready it to
receive the accompanying message - a mild hypnosis technique, if
you will. Any percussional element will have the same effect, whether
it be acoustic guitar, drums or whatever.
Your mind, all of it, is listening constantly to what you are feeding
it, and the old computer adage applies - "Garbage in, garbage out".
The spoken word and music have deep effects on our consciousness.
It can raise our consciousness or lower it, and the decision is
totally ours. I ask that you simply be mindful of what you are putting
into YOUR system. You will get out of it only what you put into
it.
Ellen Merrit
EdmRead@aol.com
