Good day Jedi everywhere. May the Force be with y'all today and this week.
In the Star Wars world, MASKS are key and used to symbolize a few things. The original is Vader. As the saga and epic unfolded over the years, many more masks have come into play and into existence. There is a reason for this.
In “The Expressive Power of Masks,” Sara Brown, an assistant professor and the director of design for MIT Theater Arts, writes that: “A performer in a mask is obscuring one identity in order to embody another one. Often, masks for performances have meanings that can be instantly understood by an audience that is familiar with the specific codes embedded in a particular theater form. In Japanese Noh theater, for instance, a mask worn by the principle character can indicate the character’s age and gender, and if the character is human or divine. Though the masks are static and cover the entire face, a skilled performer can invoke a range of expression through changing the mask’s orientation and relationship to light.”
Masks can be symbolic. Many masks are primarily associated with ceremonies that have religious and social significance or are concerned with funerary customs, fertility rites, or the curing of sickness. Other masks are used on festive occasions or to portray characters in a dramatic performance and in reenactments of mythological events. Masks are also used for warfare and as protective devices in particular activities or during inclement weather. Can you see how being a human and the understanding of the MASK is kind of a necessity? With so many options, what do we choose? How do we choose? One of the oldest masks is that of an aardvark back in 900 C.E. An aardvark. So, what is the deal with all these MASKS?
Living or trying to be something we are not can cause us to stress out our mental being. This is where one of the ideas of "burn out" can exist and dwell. This is where we get tired and upset and grouchy and where the "salt" start being present in our service and walk of life. It happens to Jedi and humans alike. Count on it. We have limits. When our limits are reached, the mask come off. Humans can master anything. Masks are no exception. We can hide behind a mask like its a natural every day event. We can hide. The illusion of the perfect life come into mind and into heart when we use a mask or two. It is very easy to get trapped into a STAGED world. Which is real and which is not can be the most difficult path we can take on any journey. I want to encourage every Jedi to take some time to understand the masks in our life's and in our paths. When is it time to move on and put them on and when is the time to take them off?
Part of what we do here in the Temple of the Jedi Order is encourage others- Jedi - to know themselves.
Do you have a mask or two in your path? What is the significance?
Is there a draw for you that exist to a mask or a idea you use?
When is it safe to take the mask off?
Love Pardon Faith Hope Light Joy
To console
To Understand
To love, receive and pardon are not some ideas that are fake and used to cover up or hide. There is a very specific set of ideas out there we can share.
Look around...it may be time to take your mask off Jedi. Are you hiding? Only you know and only you will be able to take the time to understand your own masks in your path. Take the time. You will not regret it.
Something for you to decide today Jedi and May the Force be with y'all.
