Feel the Force

Jedi Realists have for a long time taken the lessons of Star Wars as guidance for their own lives. The philosophies presented in the four movies thus far completed have inspired us and probed deeply into the consciousness of us all, giving rise to our infinite potential.

Though the movies have been more than capable of satisfying our philosophical sides, there is undoubtedly a great deal of room for expansion when it comes to learning exact practices with which we may be able to accomplish the amazing feats described throughout the epic tale. Although actions as amazing as levitation and telepathy may be far beyond us, there is an aspect of the Jedi way of life within our reach, as has been described thoroughly in many eastern philosophies and martial arts. What I speak of is the profound ability to feel the power that connects us with the divine, to allow the Force itself to flow, tangibly, through us.

The Chinese labeled this tangible power chi, which can be translated many ways. The actual meaning of the word is irrelevant at this point, for we need only concern ourselves with the concept of the spiritual force that we may allow to flow through us, with practice.

You may wonder then, what would be the point in achieving this? The answer to this question lies only in how you wish to apply it. A common effect of this practice is a kind of elation, or lightness that gives the practitioner a sensation of connection or oneness. This is merely the beginning of what may lead to an understanding of compassion, love, and a kind of synchronicity with the events in one's life- all of which I will explain in time.

At first, these exercises will involve a great deal of imagination. The point is to teach your mind to be able to control the elements of chi/Force within your body. Once this is achieved, the imagery will no longer be needed and the reality of the feeling you experience will take over. It is important to realize that each of these lessons is meant to be practiced until no longer useful. Follow the first lesson and then decide for yourself what you would like to do next. In other words, invent your own exercises. Then, as you progress, you can use the rest of the lessons as a guide to add to or perfect what you have created. You may even wish to alter the first lesson for your own tastes. Remember this is only a guide. If you allow yourself the time, you will naturally discover your own method.

I must issue a warning at this point that these techniques are highly experimental and that the results I have found from such practices are my personal experiences and will not necessarily be identical or similar to yours. I would suggest not practicing this after eating, or when you are overly tired. My suggestion would be to practice this when you are awake but calm, such as early in the morning or at night but not just before sleeping. If you feel dizzy or nauseous then stop immediately. I've also found it important to be in decent physical health. Diet plays an important role as well as frequency of exercise. If you have any questions before continuing with these techniques, feel free to contact me.

You must feel the Force around you! Between you. Me. The tree. The rock. Everywhere!" - Yoda

"Feel the Force flowing through you." - Ben Kenobi

"I can feel the Force!" - Luke Skywalker

"But you cannot control It." - Ben Kenobi

Lesson 1

The first exercise is simple, and it involves breathing. As you will find, most of the following lessons involve the process of breathing. The most important thing to remember at this point is not to force your breath into any set pattern but to allow it to happen on its own.

Sit in any comfortable position that allows you to relax. Don't bother getting too fussy about this because it will only serve as a distraction if you worry about what position you are in. The point is what you are about to do. If you meditate frequently, this will be easy, as you can simply use your normal meditative posture.

Now, imagine that as you inhale you are breathing in absolute purity. Envision it as light coming in through your nose and down into your whole body, spreading out and renewing you. Then, as you exhale through your mouth, imagine dark clouds of unhealthy particles being released from your body. Continue doing this for a time until your whole body is filled with light.

Next, imagine all this light collecting at the base of your spine. Watch as a ball of light forms there, growing larger. Feel the power surging from this spot. Now gradually imagine it flowing up your spine. If you lose your grip, just start over where you left off. Keep going until you reach the top of your head and imagine then that the power of this ball of light is suddenly released and explodes in all directions, flowing out all over the world to everyone, while it continues to come from you, up through your spine and out the top of your head.

If you don't feeling anything yet, don't fret. Just keep doing it. The point is to practice (there is more in the journey than the destination). Start from the beginning if you have to and "breathe in the light". Don't stop practicing though once you are successful. Keep doing it until it no longer feels useful. This could take weeks or months. I will not say exactly what the feeling will be like. That way, you won't be watching for the experience and simply concentrate on the practice itself.

Lesson 2

If you've followed the first lesson and the pointers I gave in the introduction, you may be experiencing a lapse in the effectiveness of the first lesson. This is most likely because you have reached a new level of consciousness. When many practitioners of meditation and chi techniques first begin, they experience extreme levels of elation. After a while this wears off simply because they are now used to that level.

Now it is time to take greater control of the flow of this energy. As opposed to releasing the energy out of the top of your head as was described in the first lesson, now you are going to direct it in a circle. (You may or may not have to begin by inhaling the energy like in Lesson 1) As you progress you will understand that the energy is already within you and that the imagery used for inhaling light is really just a stimulus to alter your mind-set. Therefore, you may not need to use it anymore. If you do, it is still fine, because the imagery is somewhat necessary at first, and in time will be dropped from the technique.

As you inhale, imagine the energy flowing up from the base of your spine to the top of your head. Instead of letting it go, as you exhale imagine it flowing back down the front of your body toward the base of your spine. If it helps at all, as you inhale press your tongue to the roof of your mouth and role your eyes upward. As you exhale, press your tongue down and role your eyes down. Apply the same guidelines here as with the last paragraph of the first lesson.

Lesson 3

At this point, all imagery is dropped and the flow of energy is definitely felt. If you have not reached this point yet, then continue with the first two lessons before coming to this lesson, experimenting with your own techniques.

You no longer need to imagine the flow of energy, for you will feel it and be able to consciously direct its flow. Most likely this is much easier when you are sitting still. Your energy may also rise without the need to breathe in concert with it.

By now you may notice just what this sensation is like. If you have ever felt attraction to someone, or even fallen in love with someone, you may notice that the rise in energy up through your spine is what occurs in these situations. Now that you can consciously raise your energy, you can therefore increase the level at which you show compassion to those around you, as well as the love for those close to you.

As I said in the introduction to this series of lessons, you may also gain an understanding of synchronicity. If you are of a higher plane of understanding, you can therefore be in a state of awareness of the occurrences around you, and the way they naturally flow together. Watch for coincidences and use your newly formed technique to enhance your awareness of them, thus seeing the direction your life is taking, as well as the direction the energy is flowing.

Streen
The JEDI Website