Jedi Studies 101.-Lesson Four: benevolence

I really like the idea of MBOs and BPs. I have thought a lot about them, and I've realised they have showed me another point of view of the Force I hadn't explored yet. I've realised that this agrees with my point of view of the Force and life, you know, that we are energy, and that our bodies are just a kind of "personification" of that energy which allows us to interact with the physical world. Our energy is too big to be stored in a body, so some of our our essence exists outside our body, forming our aura/halo/awareness. Which we can contract and expand indefinitely as I learned in Lesson One. Because we are energy, and energy has no limits. So, it makes sense that our thoughts are energy too, and in that way we can interact with the Force and modify, at least sightly, everything around us.

As I was saying, I've found this idea very, very interesting. During the last two weeks, I practised both MBOs and BPs. Mostly MBOs. I asked, for example, for my trip to Denmark to be greater than I could imagine, and it has certainly been awesome. Apart from the trip itself, which has been wonderful (Denmark is a really beautiful country, and my Danish family was just lovely), I have met a very interesting person (which, amazingly, lives just five minutes away from my home) which has changed my point of view about many things. We have talked a lot about many things, both during the Exchange program and after we arrived Spain and, in a way, I think we have helped each other with a lot of things, which is fantastic. You know, it's difficult to talk about anything more apart from Facebook, iPhones and handsome guys with high school friends when you are 16, so it is just great to find someone of your age with who you can speak about, let's say, more important and interesting things.

Also, I prayed about a really big argument I had with one of my oldest friends. We hadn't spoken to each other for almost five months, and I couldn't see any solution to the problem. I was fearing our friendship was lost forever when suddenly things changed and everything is starting to be fine again between us. We've tried to talk a lot of times before, but only after I did the MBO we were able to work the problem out.

I have prayed for many more things and people, and I am truly amazed of the power this technique. It is amazing how effective (and helpful) asking for help can be. And I think one of the most important parts of the prayer itself is to say "thank you". It reminds us that as Jedi, and people, we don't only have to help other people, but also let other people (and, by extension, the Force) help us too, that each person needs help of some kind at least one time in his life, and that sometimes, we need to let us be helped if we want to help other people sucessfully.

 Really, I'm more grateful of having found this Path each day that happens. I have already learned more things that I could have ever imagined and I've just started walking the Path.

Jedi Studies 101.-Lesson 3: Core Ethics Part 2

Respect the law & defense assignment

1.-What is my experience with defense (physical, mediation and/or conflict resolution)?

Well, as a member of my high school’s student council, I’ve learned a lot about mediation and conflict resolution and I’ve helped to resolve some ... let's say...disagreements between teachers and students. About physical defense, well, I know how to defend myself from a couple of punches or kicks, but nothing more. I’ve always wanted to learn some martial arts, but my mother wouldn’t let me, and know I don’t have the time nor the money to go to an academy.

2.-Could I intervene in a skilled manner?

Verbally, I think I can be helpful in many situations, but, apart from some young sister-little cousin conflicts, my daughter-father arguments, some (quite strong) arguments between friends and the student council, I’ve never tried to intervene in a serious situation. I've always thought that sometimes it is better to let people work out their differences without intervention. Physically, I think it would be better if I didn’t try to help, for me and for the rest of the people ;)

3.-What areas do I feel are most important to train in over the coming five years or so?

I’d like to learn about martial arts and self-defense, because my knowledge about that area is lacking. But, as always, I’m open to learn as much as the world can teach me, so learning more things about mediation and conflict resolution will be nice, too.

4.-Am I familiar with my legal rights and protection?

Well, I literally know nothing about this area. I really need to work on this :)

Action assignment: choosing when to act

I found this really interesting. The next time I have to decide to help or not to help another person, I will post the experience here. But I’ve realised that I’ve done this a lot of times, maybe not about helping or not helping another person, but when I have to make an important decision, I think I instinctively seek the answer in the Force. Sometimes there is an answer that kind of “shines” when I close my eyes, other everything seems confused in the beginning, but after some time everything seems to become clearer and I can see the “shining” decision in my mind. And it has proven really effective.

Jedi Studies 101.-Lesson Two: Core Ethics part 1

1.-Loyalty to the Code
What codes are you familiar with, Jedi or otherwise? Do you find them beneficial in your life?
As I am working in my Creed 101 Workbook, I am familiar with the three Jedi Codes, the shorter and modified version of Odan Urr's Code and the Skywalker Code. I've never liked very much the Skywalker Code, although I recognise that I defines fine a Jedi's duty nor the original "There is no emotion, there is peace" Code, it is too absolute for me, even with interpretation. I prefer the shorter "Emotion, yet peace" five-lined version. Apart from these "defined" three codes, I don't know more. I have a lot of values which guide my behaviour, but they aren't exactly "defined" codes, just principles I have adopted as I have grown up: that every creature is as important and valuable as anyone else, and must be treated like that; that we must respect nature because represents a very important part of ourselves; that every piece of knowledge makes us grow as people, so we must seek it and never reject it, that we should never judge a person's behaviour without knowing his/her true motives; that we must be empathic and kind to everyone even if they aren't kind with us... and etc.
I do find these moral codes beneficial. They describe my path and make it easier to return to it when I get lost. They also describe my behaviour, which allows me to avoid being random.

2.-Duty to all
How can you serve your community in your current capacity in the offline world? How can you serve the Jedi community?
I serve my community in little ways. I'm good at maths and physics, between other subjects, and, as those subjects are very problematic to a lot of students, I try to help them during the schoolyear and also give classes during the summer. I also tidy my neighbours' garden because they are too old to do it by themselves, and help my father with household duties when I can. My "students" and my neighbourds give me some money, but I really don't care, I help them because I want to. At school, this year I was a member of the Student Council and representative of my grade and I "work" as librarian with some friends at my high school's library twice a week. I also try to listen to people's problems and try to help them find a solution. Every months I donate food, clothes and money to a local NGO which helps poor people and sick chlildren, too.
How can I serve the Jedi community? Well, each time I post something on the web, I like to think that maybe some of my experiences/exercises will be useful to anybody else. I participate in discussions every time I can and give my opinion if I think it can be useful. As I am Spanish, I can also translate important post to my lenguage. And I think that's all.

Jedi Studies 101.-Lesson One: The Ineffable

First of all, I agree with what you said about the ultimate definition of the Force, Jax. The short time I've been walking the Jedi Path has been enough to make me realise that not everybody thinks the Force is what I think it is, and that it is such a vast concept that it is almost imposible to describe it accurately.  :ponder So many things to consider.

Exercise One: Feeling the edges

As you know, I've always thought that we are more than "these crude matter", as a certain great Jedi Master once said  :yoda. And I've always looked at myself that way, too. I learned long ago that sometimes eyes are not to be trusted. When I look at myself at the mirror, I try to remember that I'm more than a mutant teenager.

I liked this exercise. I found it really interesting. I saw myself as floating in a kind of sphere of an undefined color. It changed its colour each time that I was able to identify what colour was it. Its edge/limit wasn't defined. It was like a blurred line, something inconsistent and variable. To I tried to "reach" that edge, only to discover that each time I tried to reach it, it moved further away. I tried to reach it another time and obtained the same result. I was so centered in reaching my edge that I hadn't realised that that bubble which surrounded me had expanded. So I experimented. I kind of expanded and contracted myself. I tried to reach farther and farther and also tried to make myself as little as I could. I realised that, as energy, I don't have an edge, and that I can expand myself as much as I want. There aren't walls or obstacles in that realm. And I think I could almost kind of feel other beings' bubbles (especially my sister and father, who were sleeping nearby  ;) ), but maybe I just was imaginating that. But the exercise was really interesting. How did I feel? It is difficult to put it in words. Serene. Infinite. True. I think I kind of connected with myself  :ponder .

I've always had "problems" with what people call "private bubble" or "personal space". My mother used to said that I had too much energy to keep in only one body. When I am in crowded places, with a lot of people around me, I feel like I am being comprimed in a very little space and I get very nervous. But I don't get so nervous when I am in a small place. I've thought that maybe this happens because, when I am in crowded places, other people's bubbles comprime mine forcefully, so I feel like if I'm being chocked. But when I am in a small place, my energy is free to comprime and expand. It just slips through walls and floor if it is too big, or readjust itself to an smaller size. I've also realised during these last days that my sphere changes with my mood, and that I unconsciously make it smaller when I try to avoid being noticed. And that each people's bubble/presence in the Force is different and that you can kind of read how they are feeling in it. Yesterday, my neighbour visited us. She was looking for my father, but he wasn't at home. She said that I was okey, that she would return the next day. I felt something was wrong with her and I asked her if she was fine, and if she wanted my father to phone her when she arrived. She smiled and said she was perfectly and that she would phone my father herself. She left "cheefully" but I kept having the feeling of that something was wrong. That night, my father told me that my neighbour's wife was at the hospital, with a recently discovered breast cancer killing her.  And even if she was calm and apparently happy, I could feel her sorrow. Interesting. A lot of things to think about  :ponder  :meditate .

  

Exercise Two: Becoming space

This exercise was nice. I don't if this is a kind of meditation technique, but I've been using this during my meditation sessions during the last days. This experience reminded me of something I did when I was little, and still do sometimes now. I've always had a lot of nightmares, especially when I was very young, 4 to 9 years old or so. I remeber I sometimes woke up in the middle of night and was so afraid I didn't want to call my mother or turn the lights on or anything. I remeber I looked at the darkness in my room and saw like a kind of little spots of different colour floating in the air, creating spirals and flying towards me. And then, I felt myself expand and I became those little spots, and I wasn't afraid anymore. I don't know how to describe it, but the feeling was astonishing.

Returning to my exercise. It is really difficult to put in words, but I'll do my best. After I relaxed myself and started my habitual meditation "ritual", I started to try to find those spaces between my atoms. At first, when I tried to expand them, I didn't feel anything. But as I kept pushing, I started to feel something, like a tickling sensations. It was strange, but not unpleasant. It was if like all my energy concentrated itself in the same point. So I kept pushing. And then, I exploded in every direction. I kind of left being Zariah to become part of something much greater, but, at the same time, I kept being Zariah. The feeling was wonderful. The physical suddenly became less important and I felt free and infinite, like if I was only energy. It is really difficult to put in words, but it felt like if I was dying and borning at the same time. I felt more in peace than I had in a lot of time. There weren't emotions, only a astonishing feeling of peace and communion with the Universe and the Force and an undescribable feeling of happiness. I was everywhere and was everywhere. I felt powerful and wise and infinite. I think I left some atoms floating out there.