Long, long ago, in a galaxy pretty darn close to us…we celebrate Star Wars Day on May the 4th! It’s hard to believe how a movie that opened nearly 44 years ago is still influencing us today, thanks to memorable characters, a twisted timeline, and of course, ingenious marketing. The movie Star Wars debuted and made movie history as one of the largest grossing films of all time. When I watched Star Wars for the first time at the age of 8 I knew I was hooked. Staring at a dark screen, blaring horns kicked off the gold STAR WARS logo followed by the white letters that said “Part IV A New Hope,” a brief synopsis of what we were about to see, only to have all of it disappear into the back of the movie theater screen. Part IV? Wait…what happened to Parts I, II, and III? Oh…nevermind! There’s a space princess with a blaster and masked scary guy in black. I guess we’ll just worry about those other 3 movies in May of 1999.
Back to 1977…I loved Star Wars so much that I asked my mom to braid my long hair and twirl it in cinnamon bun style, just like Princess Leia’s. Mrs. Scudder, my tap and ballet teacher taught us a Star Wars dance routine where we started off moving like C3PO. We wore shiny gold costumes with black fringe, because we were also doing a 1920’s Charlie Chaplin inspired tap dance routine in the same recital. I crushed on Luke Skywalker until I was about 12. 4 years later, I was about to become a hormone crazy teenager with a preference for older men so I quickly ditched Luke Skywalker for Han Solo, Indiana Jones, and an interest in biblical archeology…which we just might save for another blog. Raised on Sesame Street and The Muppet Show, I had no problem with connecting Yoda as a spiritual leader / puppet in The Empire Strikes Back.” You may remember his teachings:
“The greatest teacher, failure is.”
“Named must your fear be before banish it you can.”
“Many of the truths we cling to depend on our point of view.”
“Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.”
"Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
“No try. Do or do not. There is no try.”
Even though “perfect grammar, Yoda possesses not,” I loved his quirky behavior, the simplicity of his lessons, the fact that little 900 year old shit could kick some serious ass with a glow stick. The fact he had ears like my cat didn’t hurt either.
Fast forward to 2015. I was in the early stages of my hypnosis career, learning everything I could. It was recommended that I become an Ordained Minister with The Universal Life Church so I could legally touch my clients as a hypnotist, with the added benefit of being able to perform weddings. When I went to check out, there was an offer: become a Jedi Knight for an extra $10. Do become a Jedi Knight, I did. Then I began realizing, that there were numerous parallels between what I was learning in Hypnosis, Hypnotherapy, NLP, and The Force.
While “Hypnosis” is not “The Force,” you may recognize some common themes in A Jedi’s Code, according to The Universal Life Church:
A Jedi's Code (from Universal Life Church)
Be in touch with the Living Force flowing around and through you. Become sensitive to the energy of the Force.
Focus on the present. A Jedi doesn't worry over past mistakes and fret about the future.
Maintain a clear mind through meditation. You cannot let your mind become cluttered and infected by the Dark Side.
Be mindful of your thoughts, and focus on the position.
Trust and use your feelings. Rely on your intuition as your mind becomes harmonious with the Force. You will learn how to become a Jedi Knight as you practice the awareness of the Force.
Be patient.
Be mindful of your negative emotions, like anger, fear, aggression, and hate.
Do not ignore physical training.
Protect the peace.
A Jedi knight trusts destiny and knows that every creature has a purpose.
Jedi believe in eternal life. You can grieve as you will, but do not become obsessed with mourning.
A Jedi is humble and uses the Force only when necessary.
It’s time to be less Dark Side and more Jedi Knight!
May the 4th Be With You.
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