Sermons

On Gratitude

2024-11-22T17:41:20+00:00

This is the time of year when many of us in the U.S. practice some ritual of gratitude. Gratitude forms the basis of the twelve-step recovery programs that were the beginning of my spiritual journey. But if you search the Temple’s current doctrine, you won’t find the topic of gratitude anywhere.

Or will you?

Certainly, ctrl+F won’t turn up any form of the word, but that doesn’t mean it’s not there. One of my favorite quotes about gratitude comes from Marcus Aurelius in the Meditations:

Receive without pride; let go without attachment.

One of the reasons I find this quote so useful is that it is not specified what we might receive, whether a material gift, a favor, a compliment, etc. Nor is it specified whether we receive from another person or from pure happenstance. No matter what good fortune might come our way, it is incumbent upon us to have humility, to put aside feelings of pride and entitlement. And the easiest way I know of to do this is to feel grateful for what I have been given.

Similarly, it is nowhere specified what we are called upon to let go. People and material things come and go, and it is important that we recognize the futility of a continual chase for transient material gain, of whatever kind. This isn’t to say that we have to turn away from all material pleasures, but rather that we must learn to appreciate them when they arrive without clinging desperately to them.

So once we start looking at gratitude as a way to practice humility and non-attachment, core values for us as Jedi, we can see that gratitude is all over our doctrine after all.

I’d like to share one quote from our Creed that similarly, I think, sidles up to the concept of gratitude without talking directly about gratitude:

[I]t is in giving that we receive;

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned; . . .

So whether you take part in some seasonal celebration of gratitude or not, I do hope that you find blessings in your life for which you can feel grateful.

But enough out of me. I want to hear what you think.

*FLASHBACK "Open Hands, Clenched Fists." by Verheilen on 11 Feb 2022

2024-11-16T17:33:54+00:00

Jedi are kind, compassionate, and empathetic. We are defenders of peace and sworn to help those in need. It’s only natural for us to want to help others. But we must always be aware of our actions and the effects that they can have.

“The Force binds all things. The slightest push, the smallest touch, sends echoes throughout life.”

These are the words of the fallen Jedi Master Kreia from the “Knights of the Old Republic: The Sith Lords” video game. There are those that might scoff at any potential knowledge that a fictional video game character might have to offer, but they would be missing out on some great nuggets of wisdom. Throughout the game, Kreia is a constant advocate of balance, foresight, and understanding that all actions have consequences.

A notable example occurs when the PC (player’s character) and Kreia are on the planet of Nar Shaddaa. Shortly after disembarking from your ship in the “Refugee Sector'' of the planet, the PC and their party are approached by a beggar in need of help. The beggar asks the PC if they have any spare credits to give them. The PC is faced with a choice: give aid to the beggar in need, or ridicule and abuse them. This decision that you make as the PC is mostly based on the alignment that you’ve chosen to follow, light side or dark side. But regardless, the choice is yours.

As Jedi, one could assume that we would all choose to help the beggar. If the PC makes this choice, the beggar thanks them for their aid and runs off to, presumably, use the credits given to them to buy what they were in desperate need of. Kreia steps in at this point and admonishes the PC for their choice,

“Why did you do such a thing? Such kindnesses will mean nothing, his path is set. Giving him what he has not earned is like pouring sand into his hands.”

The PC argues that even this small act might truly help the beggar, if only to survive another day.

“And would that be a kindness?” Kreia responds. “What if by surviving another day, he brings darkness upon another? By giving him something he has not earned, perhaps all you have helped him become is a target. Seeing another elevated often brings the eyes of others who suffer. And perhaps in the end, all you have wrought is more pain.”

We see, in a cutscene that goes along with this dialogue, that Kreia is indeed correct. The beggar is robbed and beaten by another who saw that they had gotten the credits from you. In the end, he is left worse off than before. A similar outcome takes place if the PC chooses to hurt the beggar rather than help him. You are again admonished by Kreia for giving into your feelings and using your power to cause the beggar pain.

“Cruelty leads to suffering. And when one suffers, it is the way of life to spread suffering. The suffering within builds, until its sound is all one hears. And when a kindness is offered, it is punished.”

In the accompanying cutscene, we see Kreia’s words again ring true. The beggar, utterly miserable and dejected, takes out their rage and frustration on another refugee who stops to offer them their aid.

What can we glean from these interactions? Of course we must realize that these are fictitious events played out specifically and purposefully to prove Kreia’s point, furthering the game’s storyline and character development between her and the PC. But is there any truth to what she has to say? I feel that there are several questions that we need to ask ourselves in this regard:

What are the consequences for each action we take?

How far do our “echoes” go?

By helping someone in need, do we hurt them in other ways?

Can something as seemingly unimportant as a curt remark or negative

interaction derail someone else's life completely?

The short answer is yes. ALL actions have consequences, whether they are big or small. Now, that’s not to say that if you give change to someone asking for money that they’ll later get beaten and robbed, or that if you are rude or abusive to someone that they’ll go home and take it out on their family. The point is that we simply have no clear metric on just how impactful the consequences of our actions can be.

Balance, foresight, wisdom; these things are so crucial to our paths. Knowing that even the littlest actions have consequences forces us to look at things through the proverbial “Jedi lens” at all times. For being a Jedi isn’t just something that you do, it’s something that you are.

Be a Jedi at all times, be aware of your actions, be balanced in your approach. Find the wisdom to discern when and where your help is actually needed. Sometimes a cry for help is just a desire to be heard. By intervening where it’s not actually necessary, you may be robbing someone of an experience that will make them stronger in the long run. Sometimes the person who you find annoying, burdensome, or insignificant can have the biggest impact on your life. By overlooking them, writing them off, or ridiculing them, you’re burning a bridge that you both might’ve needed to cross at some point in the future. Not everyone who you criticize or scorn is deserving of it, and not everyone who seems to need a helping hand actually does.

“And that is my lesson to you. Be careful of charity and kindness, lest you do more harm with open hands than with a clenched fist.”

The Roles of Clergy Part 2

2024-11-08T15:24:34+00:00

At the heart of Jediism lies a profound connection to the Force, however you interpret it. Many faiths and ideas work with Jediism’s. Which means we must always be open to learning new and wonderful ways to cross the boundaries so often leading to conflict in our world. Clergy does not force a way, it guides the way. Our ministries are ones of personal integrity. Our covenant is with the Force and all its wonder.

Clergy serve as spiritual guides, helping individuals recognize and nurture their relationship with this universal energy. Ministers mentor others in understanding the nature of the Force, encouraging mindfulness, compassion, and harmony.

In my times with a physical congregation, I had initiates of many faiths, conflicting faiths as well as those without faith, seeking it. We explored the differences and the commonalities, then began to work on what we believed together. This spun off into many explorations of the beliefs in Jediism. It is amazing what you can accomplish by listening and asking questions. After a few months we got to the spirituality of it. I could have pushed my beliefs onto them, but eventually, they found their way.

The Doctrine and Code provides a moral framework that guides Jedi and those seeking enlightenment. Clergy members interpret and teach these principles, promoting values such as peace, knowledge, and self-discipline. Through teachings and discussions, they help individuals navigate life’s challenges, fostering a community grounded in shared values. Slowly, they create circles of enlightenment that all walks of life can benefit from.

Clergy are also mentors, taking on the responsibility of teaching and training new members. This mentorship is not limited to one subject; it extends to emotional and spiritual growth. Clergy members inspire their students to cultivate virtues such as patience, humility, and resilience, ensuring the continuity of our values through generations. They will challenge and reinforce, argue and support, most clergy will seek not to give you answers, but help you ask the right questions.

The last point in this aspect is the thoughts of what many call absolution, or confidential talk/advice. Each clergy has an oath to give those who seek this. This oath of confidentiality is the equivalent of the confessional seal in Christianity. If you ask for this from any clergy, and they give it. Then you can be assured that the conversation, and the advice given will be kept in the strictest confidence.

The clergy has many roles and today we have explored some. Keep in mind these when you consider clergy, as we are here to serve the community.

From Ordinary to Epic

2024-11-03T14:58:28+00:00

Hello everyone!

Welcome to today's adventure! Life is a grand journey, a quest to discover who we truly are and what matters most to us. Sometimes, like any hero, we might face challenges or detours on our path. But by understanding our core values, the guiding principles that make us who we are, we can navigate those challenges and create a life of true fulfillment.

Today, we'll embark on a mini-quest of our own. We'll explore the Hero's Journey and discover our own definition of success. This can be used as our compass, guiding us towards the life we truly desire. So grab a pen and paper, because we're about to dive deep!

To begin, the first thing we need to understand is the idea of radical responsibility. No this is not blaming yourself for everything that goes wrong. It's about recognizing that we have the power to influence our circumstances and create the life we want. It's about understanding that we are not victims of fate, but active participants in our own story.

You have the choice to follow the light or the dark path of the Force, to stay as you always were or to transform your life into one you could never even imagine.

Now to embark on this heroic journey, we must first embrace the Hero's Journey framework. This timeless narrative structure, as outlined by Joseph Campbell, provides a blueprint for personal transformation.

From the Call to Adventure to the Return with the Elixir, the Hero's Journey mirrors our own lives. We encounter challenges, overcome obstacles, and emerge stronger and wiser. By understanding this structure, we can recognize the patterns and themes that shape our experiences.

I can see many parallels in my journey to nomadic and will use my experiences as illustrations but please look at an area of your life for which you see the parallels. If you haven’t heard my whole story here are just some highlights.

So what are these stages?

It starts with the Call to Adventure: This is the initial spark that ignites our journey. It might be a dream, a message, or an external event that triggers a desire for change. For me, that was when I went into meditation and was told to get in an RV and go.

Refusal of the Call: We may initially resist the call, feeling inadequate, afraid, or unwilling to leave our comfort zone. I had a whole day of thinking how absurd that is, how I am not the one to really even enjoy going in the woods, and I can’t even make a fire.

Acceptance of the Call: Eventually, we decide to embrace the challenge and commit to the journey. This was when I started asking why not and start really looking at what life looks like on the road.

Crossing the Threshold: We leave our familiar world and enter a new, unknown territory. When I got the Mini Cruiser.

Tests, Allies, and Enemies: We encounter obstacles and adversaries that test our skills, strength, and character. We may also meet helpers and allies who will support and guide us. This would definitely show up from the whole time I was in the Mini Cruiser, not being able to keep it running and together, getting the fifth wheel, covid hitting, and the various things that went with that.

Approach to the Inmost Cave: We approach the heart of the journey, the place where the ultimate goal or prize is located. Finally getting on the road and having all the issues that I had.

Ordeal: We face our greatest challenge, a life-threatening or life-changing experience that tests our willpower and commitment. Going into the water and losing the fifth wheel, getting the new rv and having the motor blown.

Reward: We emerge victorious from the ordeal and receive a reward, such as a treasure, knowledge, or power. Getting the engine fixed and getting back on the road.

The Road Back: We begin the journey back to our ordinary world, but may still face challenges and obstacles on the way. Being back on the road again in the motorhome.

Resurrection: We face a final test or challenge that requires us to use all the skills and lessons we have learned on the journey. Being in New Orleans with no money and no AC.

Return with the Elixir: We return to our ordinary world, transformed by our experience and equipped with a valuable gift or insight that will benefit ourselves and others. Where I am now heading back to Detroit so that I can go to Chicago and then back on the road.

So where are you on this journey? If you are anything like me, you have multiple quests going simultaneously and can be in different spaces about each. My challenge for you this week is to look at each of the spaces in your life – education, relationships, finances, and don’t forget fun then write down where you are in each of them then write down what winning looks like for you in each of them.

In Search of Integrity

2024-10-26T14:36:51+00:00

If I were to ask you to define what “integrity” means to you – without looking it up – what would you say?

I think that for many of us, integrity equates to something like honesty or trustworthiness. Being impeccable with our word, as Don Ruiz might say. Integrity might also imply for you a sense of unwavering consistency: a person of true integrity will exhibit honesty not just on one occasion, but on every occasion. And in fact, that’s baked into the very definition of the word: firm adherence to strong moral principles, which would of course include honesty.

In traditional bushido, the martial philosophy of the samurai knights of feudal Japan, the principle of integrity, or gi, is one of the seven cardinal virtues. Gi is sometimes translated as “rectitude” or “righteousness,” and includes connotations of not only honesty, but also right action and justice for all people. That sounds right too, doesn’t it? The “strong moral principles” to which we should adhere must include right action in all circumstances, must include the pursuit of justice in all circumstances.

We use the word “integrity” in more specific ways today, as well. It’s not uncommon these days to hear the phrase “structural integrity,” and I suppose that’s okay as long as you’re not on an airplane or a bridge at the time. I can’t even count the times this week I’ve heard the phrase, “election integrity,” and I’m just going to put that phrase down and back away slowly.

Integrity is the subject of our Thirteenth Maxim, and one of the subjects that carried over from prior versions of the Maxims, albeit in much different form. Let’s take a look at the current version:

“Integrity - Taking the right action even when nobody's watching, integrity is easier kept than recovered. There is no such thing as a minor lapse of integrity.”

This last quotation comes from a management guru named Tom Peters, and to be honest, I’m not certain how I feel about the sentiment expressed here. Remember, one of the definitions of integrity is “firm adherence to strong moral principles,” and on the surface, that seems like a fine quality to maintain. But is that always true?

Recall that to the samurai, integrity included a requirement to seek justice for all. It’s not hard to envision a situation in which rigid adherence to a particular moral principle might lead to an unjust result, or even cause harm to another. Is that still integrity?

Or imagine that one’s view of a particular moral principle is skewed by honest misunderstanding – or deliberate misinformation – and therefore leads to action based on untruths. Considering that we started this discussion equating integrity with honesty, is this situation still integrity?

Moral purity that is too inflexible can appear sanctimonious at best, dogmatic or even fanatical at worst. On the other hand, failing to adhere to one's own principles would be hypocrisy.

But enough from me. I want to hear what you think.

Rock Bottom

2024-10-19T14:55:42+00:00

Good time zone my friends and fellow Jedi. This last year has taught me a lot. It was truly the good, the bad and the ugly. Although the pain is still raw and we are still working on getting things back into our families new definition of ‘normal’, I can’t help but think of the lessons I was blessed and blasted with.

Rock bottom. We’ve all heard the term and the expression. What is it? The belief we have hit the bottom of life and things can’t possibly get worse. Why is it? In life there are highs and lows. Both are excellent teaching points if we know what to look for. Rock bottom is different for everyone because circumstances are different for everyone. Many, if not most, of us have been there. Some of us more than once or twice. One persons rock bottom is no better or worse than another’s. As I have learned, rock bottom isn’t necessarily the bottom. Sometimes it is just another landing that we can fall from and find ourselves lower than we were before.

Other times, we fall, climb back up and fall again to find the rock bottom has changed. But it is not the landing that has changed, it is our perception that has changed. If we picked ourselves up, learned what we did wrong and pushed ourselves to grow, the landing would be less intense and we may not even feel like we hit rock bottom again but if we’ve done nothing to grow and have become stagnant, the landing can feel even worse than the first time even though circumstances might be similar.
[10:32 PM]
Then there are the times you feel like John Wick from John Wick 4. You get almost to the top of the massive hill of stairs only to get knocked back down close to the very bottom. Landings you were on before fly by and you find yourself falling deeper and deeper with the clock running out. I have been in that situation this last year. It was difficult and I’m still dealing with a lot of it. Like John though, I picked myself up and made my way back up the hill, but I couldn’t have done it without help, just like Mr. Wick.

When we are at our lowest we find reasons and excuses to not pull ourselves out of it. The pain of having to move and start the climb again for one. Life can be highly uncomfortable at times, so how do we deal with it? There are many ways but I’ve found having a few people you can trust and lean on makes the going easier. They won’t carry you but they will help you up and assist you as you climb. They will encourage you, lift your spirits and assuage your fears. There will come a time they might need a hand up and you can have the chance to return the favor or even find someone else that is at rock bottom.

We have to remember that we are only human and that we need to love ourselves, forgive ourselves and be willing to help others when they are down. The people who helped me all had their own stuff going on but they will still willing to extend their hands to help me back on my feet. Rock bottom isn’t a fun place but it’s not the worst place either. It’s just one stop on the path and there will be many more. Sometimes we go up and sometimes we will go down. What we do when we are down makes all the difference for when we are going back up. On the same note, what we do when we are up makes a big difference when we are down. Actions and consequences. What we put out, we get back, good or bad. If you find yourself at the bottom, don’t stay there. If you need help, reach out. Whether it’s me or someone else, just reach out.
[10:32 PM]
May the Force be with us all.
October 19, 2024

*** FLASHBACK from Sep 2017 Are you Stirring or Stilling?

2024-10-18T14:49:41+00:00

May everyone be happy and free, and may the thoughts, words, and actions of my own life be to the greater benefit to the happiness and freedom for all.

The essence of water and the relationship it bears with my own existence has been one of my greatest teachers. Its suchness is underappreciated throughout our vibrantly busy lifestyles as a sole mechanism that quenches our bodily thirst. But I encourage you to explore some of the more interesting facets of awareness and existence that reflecting on water can cause to arise.

Water, in this sermon, will serve to illustrate the natural stillness in regards to our unforeseen difficulties. I invite you to explore this idea with me a bit more. This does not take too much effort, just remain as naturally curious as you were when you decided to open the link to this sermon. Arrive at a place in your mind, where the problems of the world are emphasized much less, and your attention is on the words you are reading and the mental picture you are forming.

As we arise at this point together, picture with me, sitting alongside the banks of a quiet lake. The water in this lake represents the mind in which you are trying to achieve in this moment. Up on the surface, we can observe numerous processes that can stir the calmness of our waters. Let this serve to represent the external environment that coexists around us.

Reflect on this idea for a moment. What do some of the inhabitants look like that disturb the outer surface of your equanimity, your mental stillness? Are there people who play too loudly or make too big of splashes within you? Does your physical location smell of sulfur dioxide and detract people away from you?

Now think about these external aspects in your own life. Do you allow the actions of others to steal your equanimity? Are you a pleasant person to be around? These are difficult questions for me to ask you to contemplate on, let alone, for you to provide an answer to. When looking at the essence of water, we can learn about a few appropriate actions that we might take.

Let’s do an exercise together. Can you name a few things that you have direct control over? Take some time to give some thought into this.

Hopefully, if you have arrived at the same conclusion as I did, we see that we often have very little direct influence about the situations that surround us. We did not choose were we were born, our social class, or the parents that gave birth to us. We do not have the ability to slow down time or to go backwards in order to mend hurtful words. We do not have control over the weather outside, the people who work with us, or the particularly negative feelings that can arise. So what can be done?

Taking all this into consideration, we could evaporate our waters as a way to trade a brief interruption of stillness, for an action that may have little effect on the circumstances that we are dealing with, but at what sacrifice? Are we sure that the place where we do settle will not come with even more struggles?

Acceptance is one of the means of overcoming our troubled waters; and is quite often the only thing we can do in certain situations. When we accept our circumstances that doesn’t mean that we don’t have any negative feelings. It’s absurd to assume that all feelings will stop if you think about them hard enough. The end goal of life is not to repress or ignore our anger, our anxieties, or our fears in life, but to approach them as they approach us.

When an angry person comes over to me and throws a huge log in my mental pond, there is no doubt that my initial reaction will be blurred by the means of my own inability to equalize my thoughts. The true nature of reality is reflected within the surface of still water: not rippled or running water. Water captures the reflection of its surroundings and maintains that image. When people come to stir our waters, the image is still there, but it becomes distorted and often unrecognizable. In order to understand our intention, we must calm the turmoil that arises, when others try to torment us, before we can focus on what is next. We must learn to be at peace with ourselves before we can act without reaction.

Action outside of this only perpetuates the disentanglement of our ability to get along with others and only feeds into our anger, sadness, and our anxieties. When we change our attitude on a situation, we change our lives.

So I invite you to welcome adversity when it meets you in life and cherish your moments of peace. In situations outside of your means of control, don’t be afraid to make friends with your challenges and feel what you feel. The surface of your water may be disturbed, but the depths of your being exists at a deeper level. The surface is just a place where we can interact with others and explore existence outside of ourselves, in whatever form that might be. Reach out to your aggressor and treat them with compassion and understanding. Do not feed their monster with an unsettling reaction. Reflect within yourself, calm the waters of your being, and act with a purpose.

Life is an exceptional teacher, always giving us advice, and we can only listen if we practice and maintain our stillness. Stillness allows us to observe characteristics of ourselves too often overlooked in moments of our extreme movement. Don’t meet hatred with movement, meet it with serenity and a willingness to listen, and you will begin to change the way you interact with the world.

I’ll leave you with one final thought:

The secret of the receptive, must be sought in stillness. Within that stillness there remains the potential for action. –Zhou Xuanjing

Thank you for sharing in this experience with me. As we depart from each other, my words and your being, remember to actively be engaged within this present moment and cultivate a sense of compassion and stillness.

Inhale, exhale, repeat, and May the Force Be with Us All.

By Thomaswfaulkner September 9, 2017

You say goodbye, I say hello.

2024-10-14T15:04:38+00:00

Taken from the Ordination of Serenity

Everyone seems to be excited to start a new beginning. I am looking forward to my job as an Ordained Minister in this Temple. We all love stories about how people start over again. There are endless quotes and inspirational stories that demonstrate that we, as humans, love a new beginning. We love to romanticize the beginning.

The end of a chapter, however, is very difficult for us to deal with. In order to embark on any new adventure, we first need to say a proper goodbye to the chapter we are currently in. In embarking on my journey as a Reverend here I need to let go of the old me and start work on being the new me that will make sure I am up to the task that you all so graciously blessed me with today and earn your trust. I need to let go of old hurt, resentment and start a fresh new chapter of my life in the Temple. Luckily for me (and you) I already started that process when I came back to Totjo in 2020. I wrote, processed, talked, contemplated, traveled to make sure that as little as possible was in my way to settle in again, realizing that with every Goodbye, there is a new Hello.

Saying goodbye provides a sense of closure, allowing us to acknowledge the reality of a situation. Whether it's a loved one moving away, a relationship ending, or the passing of someone dear, saying goodbye enables us to come to terms with the change and accept the new circumstances. Our brothers and sisters who are trapped in the horrible weather conditions in the USA and other parts of the world know all about that. And so do i as i lost someone very close to me recently.

The word Goodbye is a contraction of the phrase “God be with ye.” In ye olden days, people didn't have the means of communication we do today, and they often didn't know when or if they would see that person again when they parted. So, they issued a sincere send-off, asking God to be with them until they met again. As Jedi we talk about the Force a lot, and tell people "May the Force be with you" as a goodbye and blessing. Focus on why they matter so that you can move on with the next part of your life. Goodbyes help us self-reflect, provide closure, help us show gratitude, and respect time, and help us handle our emotions in a better way.

There are so many reasons why goodbyes are important. But for me the most important part is that we learned from our goodbyes enough that we are a better person after it. So as i say Hello to you as a new Reverend here, I say Goodbye to the chapter of my life before this, and ..

May the Force be with you all, always!!

*** Flashback "Stillness" Taken from 30November 1999 by Mark Anjuu

2024-10-06T20:04:43+00:00

Whenever I sit down to write a sermon, I seek inspiration from what is happening around me and from the energies that are engaging with me at that moment. The past month has been hectic: work has picked up, my studies have increased, I started a new exercise and diet regime, I've begun new spiritually-focused workshops and courses in my local area, my 5-year-old nephew has been on school holiday so there's been a lot of emphasis on family time recently, not to mention all of the behind-the-scenes and front-of-house work here at the Temple. Trying to make sense of all that action in a neat little sermon...well, it was practically impossible!

So I stopped.

Took a deep breath and slowly let it go.

When I opened my eyes, I was immediately drawn to a framed print on my wall. It's a rendition of a card from the Osho Zen Tarot deck and I bought it at the Big Green Gathering (an environmentally-conscientious festival in the UK) a few years ago. The picture always reminds me of that time – in a busy year, I took a week out to relax, chill out and unwind in the company of friends and with the most amazing experiences. I never took the trouble to look up the meaning of the card before so I present a condensed form of it to you now:

“Now is a very precious time. It will be easy for you to rest inside, to plumb the depths of your own inner silence to the point where it meets the silence of the universe. There’s nothing to do, nowhere to go, and the quality of your inner silence permeates everything you do. This moment, as the silence penetrates in you, you can understand the significance of it, because it is the same silence that Gautama Buddha experienced. It is the same silence of Chuang Tzu or Bodhidharma or Nansen.... the taste of the silence is the same. Time changes, the world goes on changing, but the experience of silence, the joy of it, remains the same. That is the only thing you can rely upon, the only thing that never dies. It is the only thing that you can call your very being.”

So this is my lesson for today, the guidance that the Force has seen fit to show me. In the turbulence and frantic activity of life, do not be afraid to just stop, even if only for a moment. Great speech-writers know that the pauses and silences are as important as the words that they nestle between and our actions are the same. As Jedi we seek to move from a position of understanding and usually this first requires us to stop and consider.

This weekend celebrates the festival of Beltane, a pagan festival that marks the start of Summer. Traditionally a time of activity, this season is full of light and movement, song and dance, passion and fire. All light springs from darkness and all action rises from a moment of stillness. Without those pauses, these times of reflection, we would be constantly moving and acting, reacting and racing through life from one thing to another. It's only when we stop that we truly appreciate what we are doing.

So cherish these moments when you can, for they allow us to connect with the flowing, all-pervading, graceful harmony of the Force. At the centre of every storm is a place of calm and within all of us, the beating heart of a Jedi reflects this quality just the same.

A Jedi View of Death

2024-09-28T15:16:17+00:00

Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not.

– Yoda

It’s not unusual for me to quote Yoda; after all, I have often joked that virtually everything I know about Jediism comes from something Yoda said in The Empire Strikes Back. It’s highly unusual, however, for me to quote Yoda from any of the prequels. But this is one of the few quotes we have from the fiction on the Jedi view of death.

By this time, though, nearly six movies in, we’ve seen that at least for some Jedi, death is not the end. It’s not a consistent ability, open to all; in fact, in the original trilogy, we see only three Force users become Force spirits, and one of them was arguably no longer a Jedi. The retroactive history of how the Jedi gained this ability only makes the inconsistency worse, especially when we see so many Jedi perish over the course of the prequels without becoming Force spirits.

But let me put the fiction aside. I don’t think any of us believe that our end will come in a peaceful fading of our physical body from existence, leaving our voice and consciousness behind. Rather, I read the quote from Yoda more in the context of how Alan Watts views life:

We do not “come into” this world; we come out of it, as leaves from a tree. As the ocean “waves,” the universe “peoples.”

So how does any of this line up with our IRL doctrine? Let’s look first at the Fifteenth Teaching, which I think contains the clearest view of the reading I alluded to above:

The Jedi realise that all phenomena, including that of life itself, arise from and dissolve back into the cycles of creation and renewal of the Force. We are aware of the interconnectedness and the continuum of all phenomena, that unconditional love and compassion are central to us, and that pain is real. When we must bear witness to the dissolution of those we care for in our and their limited, incarnated, organic capacity, we must extend our compassion, our faith, and our comprehension to re-balance that which we otherwise would feel as loss. The Force only creates and renews, it does not deprive.

The first sentence here is, I think, a neat summary of not only what Watts said, but what Yoda said as well; we come from the Force, and eventually we return to the Force. But it’s the third sentence on which I want to focus. We will all have to bear the loss of a loved one, and it’s possible you already have. The compassion this Teaching tells us we must extend, extends to ourselves as well; if it feels in the raw pain of new loss that we’re not handling our grief with the complete equanimity of a Jedi, we have to be able to cut ourselves some slack. Even today, as I’m writing this, I’m coming up on a year since my beloved black Lab returned to the Force, and I have to admit that despite the work I’ve done in meditation and contemplation to view the loss correctly, I still miss my dog sometimes. Yoda’s exhortation to “Mourn them do not. Miss them do not.” is aspirational at best, or at least at first. We will mourn, and we will miss people and beings that we love. We will grieve, even as we process our grief. What we won’t do is allow our grief to overwhelm us.

There are other Teachings that inform the Jedi view of death. The Second states that we stay in balance, in clarity, by practicing meditation. The Third tells us that through this clarity, we are able to perceive and adapt to cycles of creation and renewal. And the Fourth says that because we so perceive and adapt, we can practice “non-attachment, maintaining an awareness that the cycles of creati[on] and renewal in the Force give rise to phenomena as others pass away.” Again, this non-attachment may well be aspirational in the immediate face of loss.

There’s one more thing: if you are experiencing loss or grief, you need to know that you are not alone. Every member of the Clergy is ready to listen and try to help you process these feelings. Please don’t hesitate to reach out for help.