Are You Living In Your Head

Are you living in your head? Are you identifying who you are with your thoughts? With your career? With your possessions? With the story your mind is constantly telling you? People who live in their heads identify themselves with their minds and thoughts, and their minds are totally in control.

The mind is a good tool for the indwelling spirit, but the mind makes a terrible boss. Jedi believe in the spirit within; that the mind and body are but tools for the indwelling spirit during its journey on earth. The spirit was meant to control the mind and not the other way around. Yoda said: "Luminous beings are we; not this crude matter." -Episode V. The Jedi Path clearly believes in the presence of the indwelling spirit, and life after the death of the physical body.

But how do we stop living in our heads? By calming our thoughts, by stopping our thoughts at least temporary, and by listening to our feelings. Yoda taught Luke that: "You will know when you are calm, at peace, passive." In other words, you have to still or calm your thoughts first and be at peace.

Have you ever noticed how animals seem more to connected to the Living Force than humans are? That's because humans are conceptual creatures; we have very busy minds that are always coming up with thoughts, concepts, mind games, ego trips, what if's, etc. If we turn off our thoughts, at least temporary, we can become calm and more connected to the Force. We can learn that we are much more than just our busy minds or thoughts.

Obi-Wan taught Luke to "Stretch out with your feelings" and Yoda taught the younglings to "Use your feelings you must". They didn't say to stretch out with your thoughts, or use your thoughts you must! The ability to feel is in everyone, but most people are very rusty because they were told to stop feeling when they were children.

As Jedi, we need re-claim our feelings and intuitions, and stop living totally in our heads. We need to become the bosses of our thoughts and minds.

The Upanishads, written in India over 2500 years ago, tells a parable describing the mind being like wild horses attached to a chariot, which represents the body. If the charioteer, the in-dwelling being, holds onto the reins firmly, and controls the wild horses, then he can take control of the chariot in order to fulfill his/her journey.

In the same way, Jedi need to control our tool, the mind and its very busy thoughts, by taking firm hold of the reins. We need a mind that's in control. Like Obi-Wan said: "Be mindful of your thoughts". MTFBWY Always! Jedi Kidohdin

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