Meditations on the Force...

The Jedi of this world are a unique blending of many ideals, following the ideals of our fictitious predecessors in most respects, but varying from them in others. For example, the Jedi of fiction see the Force as a dualistic existence, bringing about the Light and Dark sides of the Force. This is not true in this world, and I am unsure how it is true there. The Force holds no sides, and no opinions. There is no "right" and/or "wrong" to the Force. These are ideas defined by sentient beings. The Force simply is.

The Light and Dark sides exist, but on a much more intimate scale. They exist within each person. Intention and means of action decide Light and/or Dark. Acting in the Light is detatched, controlled, and calm even in the face of danger. The Darkness is when your mind is clouded by your emotions, fear being the source of all blinding emotion.

Some adhere to the ideal that using emotions for a source of energy and direction is a bad thing, and that is plain ludicrous. If not for our emotions, we would never act. Emotions are very powerful tools, when used correctly. Allow me to clarify, YOU use your emotions, never let them use you. Yes, we all get upset, and yes, we all lose our temper, but it is times like those when control is needed most. Be angry if you must, but never lash out due to it. Act on it if the situation calls for it, but never act outside of your own control.

With those few basics laid out, I would like to discuss the beginnings of this way of life, the Force. Study of the Force does not make you Jedi, and it has existed throughout time by many names, and many understandings. Here, I will only touch on the Force from the perspective taught to and by the Jedi.

The Force is the core of all existence. It is the fabric of time, and the threads of all things. All that we know, and all that we don't know, these are all woven of the Force. As with all things, it has a unique level of sentience. No one knows, nor will they ever know for sure, if the sentience of the Force created life, if life created the sentience of the Force, or if they were created at the same time, one designed to support the other. It is the age-old question of "Why?", and we will never know the complete answer while we are on this plane. Some believe this is just a rung on the ladder of spiritual evolution, others feel this is the stage of existence, no up or down. We cannot know the truth on that, either, until we step away from this life. I hold my views on it, and will not attempt to influence anyone else's on it. The choice is yours to make, but I do urge you to research and explore all possible answers before you make your decision.

The Force exists in parallel to life on this plane, fed by our existence, and stretched thinner by our numbers. I personally believe it is fed by belief. As human numbers grow, oddly enough, faith and beliefs degrade. We are too distracted by everyday life to even think about something more. So, being that we are all subject to these failings, I have taken the time to help one understand the Force in a more technical manner. Anything beyond that, coming to a true understanding, will have to be left to each person.

The Force is like a faceted stone. There are many ways to view a stone that greatly influence the perception of the stone by each viewer. The three major ways to view this stone vary from each other to such an extent, they can nearly be considered branches of the Force, as if the strands of a rope. They are the Living, the Guiding, and the Uniting. Think of them as the three primary colors of light: red, green, and blue. Each phase has a different frequency, and a different reaction to the eye, as well as the mind. Each is adequate in several situations, but no one is perfect for all. It is only when brought together in their true brilliance that they form the purest of light, brilliant white.

The Living is the vibration of energy created by life. It is the first intellectually experienced phase of the Force. The Living is what, after your first steps, you feel coursing through you like a river of electricity. It is what will be felt with eat breath of air, and each bite of food. With this experience, one becomes more acutely aware to the subtleties of personal health, and become more receptive to the failing of their health.

The Guiding is the vibration of energy brought about by self-awareness. While not as easy to distinguish at first, the Guiding is the first we ever really feel. It is the gut feeling, the unexplained instinct, that puts us in the right place, or out of the wrong place. It is because of this very intimate experience that some call this phase, the Personal Force. I do not agree with the term, because no phase is 100% localized enough to label it Personal. However, it is your road to walk, and after all, merely a word.

The Uniting is the most elusive phase of the Force. It is the energy in the non-animated, and non-sentient. The most direct way to experience the specifics of this phase is working with crystals, or entering crystal mines, where the pure energy surrounds and penetrates your very existence. This phase is difficult to access, and even moreso to maintain. However, with the brief glimpses we get into its nature, I believe it is the key to a grander understanding and interaction with the Force. It is often difficult to teach someone to actively access, but it is very much there. I look at the spaces between the stars, so to speak, to find this phase of the Force. Elusive as it is, this is the most powerful aspect of the Force. Just a gentle brushing can bring about reactions within one's self that are mind boggling. For example, when I first touched the Uniting, I could not sleep for days. Another brush with this phase, and I stepped out of myself during martial training, and fell into nearly-perfect flow of technique.

These three phases twist around one another in an infinite triple helix, to make up a single "strand" of the tapestry that is the Force. With that, one's path to understanding the Force, and training in Jedi Energetics, is also broken into three. Each section deals with the understanding of each phase, as well as how one cannot step up the ladder without a firm footing, so to speak.

The first stage of training is Control. This is done through meditation and conscious effort. This is the hardest, and longest stage of training, as it will require the rebuilding of personal habits and reactions. It requires the tempering of will, and stepping forward to see your inner demons in new light. Removing doubt is very difficult to do, but it can be done. You are rebuilding yourself, so that you may take your first step. Because of the internal nature of this stage, it deals mostly with the Living, as this is the beginning of the honing of your ability to experience and interact with the Force.

The second stage is Sense. This stage deals with taking your perception outside of yourself. It is likely that transition to this stage will have already begun, because your energy grows with understanding and training, so you likely have already started to step outside of your physical bonds. However, those are just the beginning. It is now that you learn to sense things within the world. First, you begin to sense the pull of the Earth's magnetics, and the cardinal directions associated with them. After, you will likely gain a refined sense of the weather. These are simple examples, and as your learning progresses, you will find these but the tip of the iceberg. This stage is the one that brings about the most wonderment of all.

The third stage is called Alter. It deals with the partnered use of the Force, and the ability to transmute and unite phases of the Force, so as to change what is around you. As you might have guessed, this stage deals with the Uniting phase. Many people have some natural affinity to certain Alter skills. I have seen some with a draw towards electricity, increasing or decreasing the flow thereof. Often times, people experience a connection to the weather, altering the direction of winds, or the intensity of a storm. Some have the affinity to aspects of the Uniting dealing with health in another being, be it altering for the better or worse. This stage is where the temptation to misuse the Force comes into play. When one finds they have the ability to alter that around them, they often lose sight of the grander purpose we all are meant to fill, and reach to use their skills to better their own lives.

These are not separate fields of study, they are a progression, just as with the understanding of the three phases. Without control, one cannot sense what is around them. If you cannot sense something within the Force, you hold no ability over it, thus you can alter nothing about it.

With time and experience, understanding will grow when it comes to the aspects of the Force. You will find how each phase deals with one of the forms of Self: physical, mental, spiritual. Skill in one facet over the others is common, and due to our stage of development thus far, is usually aligned with the Sense skills. Many can touch the Alter skills, but it is a mild connection, and haphazard at best. We all continue to work, and continue to grow. In time, who knows what heights each will climb to? There may come a day, in the New Age, where the Jedi can see with no eyes, hear that which makes no noise, or walk a thousand miles in an instant. The Force has no limits, so the only limits are our own.

The topic of the Force is the core of the Jedi Path, and the building blocks of the Jedi Arts. Without the Force, what are the Jedi then: monks, zealots, soldiers? Not Jedi. There has been, from time to time, those studying the Jedi Path improperly that would ask "Why learn combative arts?" and "Why learn study the Force, and learn its ways?" I have never understood such questions, as without the Arts, and the Force upon which all is built for the Jedi, what truly is left? Some interesting quote from a muppet with bad grammar, but no true path, no calling.