What You and Luke Skywalker Have in Common

George Lucas, genius creator of the Star Wars empire (no pun intended), knew what he was doing. Consulting with Joseph Campbell, expert of world religions and mythology, Lucas created a brilliant story that appealed to just about every person out there. How? He used classic mythological and archetypal themes that are found in every culture around the world, and which speak to us in a language that our souls deeply understand. Why? Because as Sallustius said in 4th Century A.D., “Myths are things that never happened but always are.” In other words, Lucas told us our story, and he did so in an exciting, intriguing way.

 

My world view has been greatly influenced by the fact that in my twenties, I listened to this in detail about 5,000,000 times in The Power of Myth, an interview with Campbell by Bill Moyers. You can get in in different forms on Amazon (I highly recommend an audio version) or download on iTunes. You will never be the same once you experience this body of work.

 

My favorite part of the Star Wars series has always been when Luke Skywalker trains with Yoda in the swamp. Learning to master “the Force” and having a Master is classical Eastern stuff (think Zen, Martial Arts, Qi Gong, Shinto priests….), and anyone who has ever studied the nature of energy and the quantum world can readily translate Yoda’s words and concepts into their own tradition. Luke’s life perfectly illustrates the hero’s adventure that never happened but is always occurring in our lives.

 

One point that has really been in my mind lately is this: when Luke witnesses tiny Yoda pull the ship out of the swamp via telekinesis, he states, “I don’t believe it!” And of course, Yoda’s answer: “This is why you fail.” Again, this is truer than any of us know when we are trying to create something in our lives. When we don’t really believe in our hearts and souls that it can happen, we fail. We must practice every day seeing, feeling, and experiencing ourselves as if the goal has been accomplished. This, combined with necessary, real-world actions, will be a powerful electromagnetic “force” to make your dream a reality.

 

 

Here is the scene for your review: