• May the 4th be with you!

    It is serendipitous that May 4th marks the launch of this journal as it would be considered a blasphamas mockery by any of the original masters. Life is different now and we must adjust to the societal norms of the lives we now lead. While the Jedi code is still at the core of my thoughts (There is no emotion, there is peace. There is no ignorance, there is knowledge. There is no passion, there is serenity. There is no chaos, there is harmony.), my daily focus is concentrated into to four simple principles. I look forward to sharing this knowledge with my comrades and evolving the heart of the Jedi order.

  • Making of a protagonist

    I find myself looking back at friendships over the years and dissecting the stories of the ones who have taken a darker path. All future states are shaped by an event, interaction, or response that came to define the rest of the narrative. It is a fascinating study to look at the protagonist in each story and try to understand what separates the villain’s path from that of the hero. Often, the two characters grow up in the same town, study at the same school and suffer similar hardships in their development. One theory is that the response to trauma is to become angry and vengeful or to use it for learning and personal development. Our antagonist, who carries the pain, often seeks a path to unload it to others; to pass the very anguish they feel on to the world. Our hero has learned from the effect of such distress and vows to protect others from having the same experience: same pain.. different response.

    It creates a guiding principle that we should all remember as we traverse the difficult cycles in life. That which does not kill you can empower your inner hero if knowledge (rather than emotional scarring) is the end result.

  • Balance with Alsha and the dark side

    Balance with Alsha and the dark side

    In my younger years, I never quite fit the mold of those around me and consistently lived in a place where I felt the need to prove my worth. All the frustrations, fears, and environmental factors planted seeds of pessimism that took me years to control. The friction and anger quickly became a limitless reserve of personal power that served me well. We’ve all been there, whether competing in sports and using past losses as motivation or finding the nerve to stand up to that bully / narcissist in our journeys; there is power there.

    The problem is that each interaction wherein you tap into a darker side of yourself disrupts your homeostatic psychological state. ver time the negativity that once powered your victory becomes part of your character and distorts the lens in which you experience life. Some Jedi masters condem any use of n gative energy to enhance focus and drive for this very reason. I believe as we mature, we can find the discipline to use less of these energy altering forces and rely on Alsha.

    Note: The light side of the Force, also known as Ashla, was one of two methods of using the Force. The light side was aligned with calmness, peace, and passiveness and was used only for knowledge and defense.