Become the Force

In a dark place we find ourselves, and a little more knowledge lights the way.

Yoda, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

The only prerequisite of Jediism is intelligence. Not intelligence as defined by school grades, degrees, book learning or the use of complicated words, but the intelligence to understand that the meaning of life is to learn. In other words, curiosity. A lot of people don’t understand this definition of intelligence so I will talk about my beginnings now to help redefine any conditioned thinking about intelligence you may have – or as Master Yoda says to Luke in The Empire Strikes Back, “Unlearn what you have learned you must.”

ETERNAL STUDENT

From as early as I can remember I’ve wanted to know the meaning of life. I’ve never been satisfied with being told that “this is just the way things are” or that we simply can’t understand why we are here. The eternal student in me has always refused to accept that anything in this life is a closed book. No book stays closed as far as I am concerned. I find a way to open it, even if that book is the book of life itself. But, I can hear you thinking, who is this guy? Who is Daniel M. Jones?

Well, I’m from a galaxy not so far away: Holyhead, the largest town in the county of Anglesey in Wales, to be precise! I am no different from you or anyone else in the universe, no better and no worse. I’m part of the eternal living Force that pulses through all of us. However, I am also a Jediist Master and founding head of the Church of Jediism.

Google my name and you are likely to find a “hero” with many faces: Jediist Master. Musician. Star Wars nerd. YouTuber. Asperger’s sufferer. Big kid.

Okay. I admit it. I am all those things and the critics may have a point about the big kid bit. All children, except me, grow up. Absolutely impossible to deny. I live for and love Star Wars. I have a fine collection of lightsabers and Star Wars memorabilia. I’m childlike in my terminal curiosity. I see the world around me as one of infinite possibility. In all those senses I am very much a boy trapped in a man’s body. However, this is not the whole story. I have a darker and more mature side. I approach life in an incredibly logical and scientific way. I analyse and compute everything. My immediate response when I encounter someone or something new is to try to figure them out from every angle, and then I try to work out how I can understand or improve things. Friends and family have been known to compare me to a machine in the way I systematically process people and things.

So, I’m a mass of contradictions. A child at heart who is wise beyond his years. A spiritual seeker and a scientist. A pop punk musician who craves silence. A chemist and an alchemist. A fierce critic of authority who has founded a new religion. A shy but articulate public speaker. A peace-loving rebel. A serious clown. A distracted student who lives to learn.

During my childhood parents and teachers tried everything they could to figure me out. They were desperate for me to fit in. I was always the exception and a cause of anxiety to those who tried to mentor or “educate” me. Yet, as I watched those around me tear their hair out with frustration, because no box, school, therapy or approach ever seemed right for me, I knew that my destiny was not to repress my energies or try to be someone I am not but to find a way to balance and control my opposing energies and to stand out with my uniqueness rather than fit in. I believe that is exactly what I have done with my life. I have found ways to understand myself and fulfil my potential through my understanding of the Force and founding the Church of Jediism.

I’m fast forwarding here so let’s step back in time to my childhood. I was born in 1986 in St David’s Hospital, Bangor, and grew up in Holyhead, North Wales. By the age of 11 I was this challenging oddball that nobody could figure out. Incredibly self-willed, I decided to take matters into my own hands and figure myself out. It soon became clear to me that the way to do that wasn’t to start with me but to start with the bigger picture, life itself. I was a drop in the ocean of life. If I could figure out the ocean, or meaning of life, I would understand me.

What was the point of it all? One place I wasn’t finding enough answers to the meaning of life question was school. I felt let down not so much by what I was taught but by the way it was taught. I wasn’t inspired. Many of the teachers weren’t interested in or simply didn’t have the energy or passion to give their time to a pupil who never stopped asking “why”. There were exceptions. I remember having absolutely brilliant conversations in my teens with my physics and chemistry teachers. I’d quiz them about the possibilities of time travel or start lengthy discussions about how life came about, how humans exist, what thoughts are and so on. History too was a particularly engrossing subject for me, learning about why people do the things they do and how to relate history to the present and the future. Apart from that, though, school wasn’t satisfying my insatiable appetite for meaning.

I have dyslexia, and so reading was a challenge. It took me ages to decipher a book and I soon began to rely on audio recordings or family members reading to me. I spent my evenings listening to and memorizing the Encyclopaedia Encarta discs. I was an expert on lots of unusual things. I had and still have a very curious mind that needs constant input and stimulation. Sometimes I would have so many mindblowing thoughts firing around in my head I would go into meltdown. I would scream and hit walls or hide under tables in frustration because there was too much happening in my mind. I needed internal peace and focus but didn’t know how, so I lashed out physically.

My irrational mental and physical meltdowns really alarmed my parents and alienated me from my school friends. In lessons I would irritate my teachers with my endless interruptions and uninvited “why” questions. They would give me that exasperated stare and I was sent yet again to sit outside the headmaster’s office. I actually preferred that location because it gave me something I treasured: peace and quiet to think and dream. The distractions, noise and constant untidiness of the classroom were challenging for me to deal with.

And while we are on the subject of challenging environments to learn and grow up in let’s talk about my father.

FATHER AND SON

Growing up, I couldn’t let anyone get close to me, even my family, and I remain a work in progress to this day as far as emotional closeness is concerned. The working of the heart is an area I constantly need to develop greater understanding of. I believe in time I will.

My relationship with my father, Christopher, was particularly influential. I love my father, and I know he loves me, but we are similar in that we both have issues with understanding and expressing our emotions, and because of that we were not as close as we could have been when I was growing up. Perhaps this emotional distance is what made me fall deeply and completely in love with Star Wars the first time I saw the movie at the tender age of four back in 1990. The mysterious father or authoritarian Darth Vader figure looms large in many people’s lives, even for those who have never known their fathers. Perhaps that is the reason the films spoke so eloquently to me during my childhood and continue to inform my life, as connecting emotionally with my father is a constant ongoing process.

Having an exceptional father is both a blessing and a curse. He sparkled academically. I left school with few qualifications. He was a respected archaeologist and historian before becoming an even more successful entrepreneur. I have never settled into a formal career and have no desire to. My father is sporty and a powerful physical presence. I’m not a sportsman but a musician and dreamer. The only meeting ground we had when I was growing up – and still have – was his love of Karate and several years later in my darkest hour it was this mutual respect for martial arts that would come to my aid.

My father was a master of martial arts just as he was a master of everything he applied himself to. As well as the physical discipline of Karate training there is, of course, the mental discipline and in my childhood and teens that is what fascinated me rather than the physical training. For reasons unknown to me at the time, joining a group of people to learn martial arts practice was anathema to me. I suffered from agoraphobia, and I didn’t like to be touched or to be in large groups of people. Physical activity was another potential meltdown trigger for me. I felt safer with the cerebral world and learned about the Japanese and Buddhist spiritual approaches to life from my father’s love of martial arts, and so was first introduced to the way of the Samurai and the mighty universal power of Chi or life Force energy. The concept gripped me from day one. I immediately sensed the resonance with the Star Wars movies and the importance of harnessing the power of Chi energy and balancing the light and dark sides of our natures or the light and dark side of the Force.

I hadn’t even started primary school when I watched Star Wars for the first time. It was love at first sight. I was mesmerized by Luke Skywalker’s transformation from a meek boy into a determined and confident Jedi Knight and my first thoughts were: “Wouldn’t it be cool if I could become the Force.” From then on I had the movies on endless repeat, watching them both before and after school. I couldn’t get enough of Star Wars. I collected all the literature and toys and memorabilia. It would not be an understatement to say Star Wars was absolutely everything to me. To this day I can quote almost every scene of the original three movies (Episodes IV to VI) word for word. Star Wars was, and remains, my obsession, but on reflection my entire life is obsessive. I didn’t play with toys; I would categorize them, line them up, and then reorder them over and over again. My mind perpetually buzzes with thoughts, ideas and insights, not just about Star Wars but about countless things, and always there is that urgent need to find meaning, purpose and order.

When I watched Star Wars for the first time it was love at first sight.

MENTORS

One person who significantly inspired my love of learning and helped me find some meaning and order in my mind was Uncle Derek, my father’s brother. He was a fantastically intense and clever man. I was, and remain, in awe of him. Serving in the navy, he had travelled the world, and from him I learned about art, history, music and culture and living an adventurous life. He was also a hypnotherapist and psychologist, and he taught me much about psychology and how the minds of people work – in particular, the power of the subconscious, what is stored or locked in there, and how to unlock it.

I think you get the picture by now: I was a strange child. Not surprisingly, I went on to become a strange teenager. My parents were exhausted by my intensity and, for want of a better word, my weirdness. My father didn’t know what to do with me. My mother wondered if I would ever get a job and a girlfriend, and thought my Star Wars obsession and indoor lifestyle and tendency to live in my own world was unhealthy. I did not get a formal diagnosis of Asperger’s until the grand old age of 26, and that diagnosis changed everything. I think my parents were in denial or thought they could correct my unusual behaviour themselves or I’d just grow out of it. I think they also put too much faith in my therapist, a child psychologist who didn’t seem to have any understanding or awareness of autism. Indeed, I don’t think there was real awareness in Wales until the late 1990s, or perhaps the therapist I visited didn’t think I was on the autism spectrum, but whatever the case, I wasn’t diagnosed until years later. I had sessions from the age of five but they were completely ineffectual.

DIFFERENT ROADS, SAME PATH

I dropped out of school at 16 without qualifications. It’s not that I was lazy, unable, unintelligent, didn’t want to learn, or couldn’t handle the exams. I just found school didn’t give me enough answers or a sense of meaning. My school reports were dismal and teachers didn’t predict much future ahead.

Although the system couldn’t figure me out I never gave up trying to figure myself out. My self-education continued. Leaving school with no qualifications, I was fortunate in that I found a natural outlet for my hyper-energetic and out-of-the-box personality in the performing arts. I did a diploma in performing arts, and then studied music technology and e-media, where I learned about website design and gained camera and filming skills. All this training gave me confidence and a skill set I would draw on later when creating the Church of Jediism.

After that diploma I went on tour in the United States with my band and came into contact with a lot of people who took recreational drugs. Feeling high and in tune with the universe was a natural state to me so I was never once tempted but watching others risk their health for a temporary chemically induced high could well have sown the seeds for Jediism. It got me thinking about helping people find natural ways to induce that “in tune with the universe” feeling without the side effects. I knew that the chemicals and endorphins to trigger that high were already in our bodies and drugs were simply the catalyst. I knew that because, for reasons I didn’t understand, feeling high and connected to the universe seemed just to happen naturally to me.

While on tour my mind was as questioning as ever. I spent a lot of time while in America studying the culture of the Far East. I studied just about every religious, spiritual or esoteric movement I could, from major ones such as Buddhism, to specialist ones like Scientology, to esoteric societies, such as the Freemasons. Everything that promised answers to the meaning of our existence I analysed in depth and filed what was relevant away in my mind. I began to see very clearly that all these movements were pointing in the same direction. In different ways and using different names they all talked about an all-powerful eternal life energy that sustained us and how our relationship to that energy or power shaped our destinies.

Okay, enough for now about me. What I have shared here is relevant to the important theme of this chapter, intelligence, because, as mentioned at the onset, intelligence is absolutely essential for anyone who wants to call themselves a Jediist.

Let’s return to that theme now and remind ourselves what intelligence is and what it is not.

WHAT IS INTELLIGENCE?

Intelligence is not about degrees and qualifications. Intelligence is knowing that the purpose and meaning of your life is to learn. It is admitting that you know nothing. It is taking you back to square one and saying that you should forget whatever you know because most of what you know has been designed to keep you from realizing your full potential. In this sense Jediism is for those who want to take the red pill (to reference another sci-fi classic, The Matrix, in which the hero Neo must choose between finding out the truth about who he is by taking the red pill or living in ignorance via the blue pill). Jediism is for truth seekers. It is for those with open minds. It is for those who dream of becoming a butterfly. It is for those who want to learn and use that knowledge to awaken to their potential to be amazing.

As Albert Einstein is supposed to have said, “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” In other words, we all have genius potential, but what we lack is the key to unlock that potential. Intelligence, the hunger to learn and grow, is the key: understanding that you are extremely powerful and can do amazing things if you harness the power of the Force within and around you.

Intelligence is knowing that the purpose and meaning of your life is to learn.

This is the essence of Jediism: the belief that everyone, no matter what their grades at school, can awaken to their genius potential by learning how to tap into the power of the living life Force or energy within and around them. You just need to believe in yourself. Jediism offers a framework to show you how to find that self-belief, how to break through the barrier of thinking you can’t be who you want to be, and how to harness the power of the Force. This will involve not denying but understanding the power of the negative or dark side so you can learn how to defend and protect yourself against it, and seek the light by making intelligent and self-aware choices.

I believe we have become conditioned to believe we are not intelligent, powerful and capable of achieving whatever we dream of in our lives. School, governments, religious and social pressures have played a part in that suppression. Right now the world has never been so unintelligent and so in tune with the power of the dark side of the Force. We are told what to think. We have no control. We live our lives on autopilot. We are saturated by the online world and our senses are overloaded with junk in all media – like a constant hypnotic feed of nonsense. This is not an enlightened and awakened way to live. We need a spark and a framework to wake us all up. We need to be connected to the power of the Force. We need to be on the light side of the Force. We need Jediism.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE

A central theme in Star Wars is the tension between humanity and technology – the power of the mind (the Force) versus the seemingly invincible technological weapons of the evil Empire. However the movies do not condemn technology. Indeed, artificial intelligence is shown to be our most loyal companion in R2-D2 and C-3PO. The Church of Jediism embraces technology and encourages members to learn all they can about it and master it. (See Appendix for information about the Church of Jediist technology.)

LESSON ONE: INTELLIGENT LIVING

Read silently or, better still for the energizing and ritualizing impact, read out loud to yourself the following teaching and then incorporate the practical suggestions into your daily life. Making a commitment to those suggestions is essential otherwise this book is nothing but ideas and words. Too many people get stuck in the “thinking about it” stage but never find the courage or the discipline to do anything about their grand ideas. A Jediist has courage; a Jediist has self-discipline; and a Jediist will also live or embody what he or she believes. If you are to evolve into a Jediist you must move from theory to action as soon as possible. You must both be and do. There is no “I could” or “I might”.

The First Teaching on the Force

It is a blessing to have your attention. May the words that you now read or hear help you to discover the light and might of the Force within you and all around you so that the dark side has no power over you and others can be guided and inspired by your light. The theme of today’s teaching is intelligence.

Intelligence is the desire to learn and expand the mind. It is knowing that you are always capable of being and achieving more. It is knowing that you are here on this planet to learn and to evolve. A Jediist has limitless potential and is forever learning about the world around him or her, searching for meaning and understanding there, and at the same time looking within themselves to awaken to higher and more advanced levels of awareness and insight.

Intelligence is making smart choices, starting with your thoughts. It is creating good vibrations by choosing positive and peaceful thoughts and following that up with positive and peaceful action. What you spend your day thinking about will directly shape your life, so invest your time and energy into your dreams not your fears.

Few of us realize just how powerful our thoughts can be but the hidden truth is that our reality is our imagination made manifest – meaning we experience what we think. We create everything in our lives with our thoughts. To quote Qui-Gon Jinn from The Phantom Menace, “Always remember your focus determines your reality.” Focus on the negative or dark side of the Force and that is what you will get. Focus on the positive and the universe is your friend.

If you are filled with fear, anger and hate, just let it go. The dark side of the Force is consuming you. If you let go, you are free. If you don’t let go, the universe will reflect that anger and hate back at you. Far better to have love and joy and the power of light reflected back to you. Don’t let fear overrule your ability to make smart choices. Fear is the root of all evil. It can grow into anger, hate and suffering. Hate leads to suffering. Fear is your biggest enemy and stops you being an intelligent student and living the life of your dreams.

Intelligence is also being acutely aware of the power of the dark or negative side of the Force that exists both within and around you. A Jediist does not deny the existence of evil. The dark side is part of the fabric of the universe and the balance that sustains it. Without darkness there can be no light, just as without light there can be no darkness.

An intelligent student must therefore learn not to deny but to recognize evil so he or she can choose the light and avoid or protect him or herself against the dark. This can be especially hard as evil is often hidden behind multiple layers of deception that present themselves in the everyday and seem benign when in fact they are not. For example, in the food we eat there are stimulants and chemicals that can damage our health, and we need to learn to identify and avoid them. There is also a tendency when we do wrong to find ways to justify that wrongdoing. No evil person believes they are evil. They rationalize it, so we need to constantly watch out for self-deception.

In other words, a student of Jediism needs to be able to identify where evil is hiding and shine light into the darkness so balance is restored to the Force. This is illustrated in A New Hope when Obi-Wan allows Darth Vader to kill him. That scene is so powerful and beautiful because Obi-Wan embraces what he cannot ignore and by so doing becomes part of the mystical universe. He sacrifices himself for the greater good and becomes more powerful as a result. A Jediist will always consider the greater good. A battle with the dark side is inevitable but that battle will strengthen rather than weaken if intelligent choices are made and the Force is mastered for good rather than for evil.

A student of Jediism takes an oath to themselves to always be the best that they can be by avoiding stressful situations as much as possible, coping with the stresses they can’t avoid, being compassionate and kind, taking good care of their body and maintaining a peaceful state of mind. However, becoming a Jediist is not about being perfect. Nobody can ever be perfect because perfection is inertia, and the living life Force we are a part of (and must learn to harness) is a constant swirl of energy, potential and evolution. An intelligent student therefore knows that they can never learn all there is to learn or have all the answers. When you find yourself thinking, “I know all the answers” or “this is definitely right”, always be willing to open your mind and add to your knowledge further by considering the other side and why the other side thinks the way they do. This is why a Jediist will never condemn the beliefs of other religions. A Jediist respects and learns from the beliefs of others.

Above all, intelligent students of the Force make smart decisions. They seek the light whenever the dark side threatens to lower their vibrations. They have an instinctual understanding of what is wrong and what is right. They know they are in charge of their destiny and that they always have a choice and do not have to follow what parents, teachers, bosses, friends or the media have told them to. They have the courage to follow their intuition and listen to the wisdom of their hearts during moments of silence and contemplation. The answers they are seeking, the intelligence and the power are always within.

Hold this prayer close to your heart at all times:

A JEDIIST PRAYER FOR INTELLIGENCE

You are a blessing, no less than the trees and the stars. You are intelligent and powerful and the Force is with you. You are a Jediist. The universe is as it should be, so approach each day with love and peace to every living creature. Never miss a chance to learn something new. Seek out the light but if you do find yourself stumbling and making mistakes in the darkness, continue to think of everything as a learning experience and look for ways to return to peace and harmony.

With all its confusions, routines and broken dreams, this universe is a wondrous place. The Force is on your side if you trust in it and your limitless potential for goodness and see everything in your life as a learning experience. Always concentrate your energies on the supreme power of the Force. Strive for harmony and happiness. Make intelligent choices and decisions at all times.

Take a moment of silence now to send positive and loving thoughts towards yourself and others. Then awaken from your rest and continue your adventure through this life, constantly learning and evolving and walking in peace and in harmony with the Force.

Without darkness there can be no light, just as without light there can be no darkness.

INTELLIGENT LIVING GUIDELINES

1. Read, read, read

Read some inspired teachings every day, teachings that expand your mind and spiritual awareness. I have a few book recommendations to get you started:

How to Become a Buddha in 5 Weeks: The Simple Way to Self-Realisation by Giulio Cesare Giacobbe. This is an excellent and easy-to-read introduction to Buddhism, but if you can’t get a copy, do your own research and reading about Buddhism. Jediism draws inspiration from all the world’s religions and mystical teachings but has a particular affinity with Buddhism in the way we position ourselves in the universe and space. Trying to get your head around Buddhism can be very hard because it is such a vast topic but this epic book is a fantastic layman’s read.

The Complete Guide to Cosmic Ordering by A. Moore offers simple and easy-to-apply instructions for how to talk to the universe and receive into your life what you want. I talk to the universe every day and that is how many of my dreams have manifested into reality. If you can’t read this book, do some of your own research online about cosmic ordering. See also Chapter 2, which explores Jediism and thought control in more detail.

The Book: On the Taboo Against Knowing Who You Are by Alan Watts. Don’t read this book unless you are ready to realize the truth and change your life completely. It is all about spirituality and your place in the universe and I cannot recommend it enough for intelligent students of the Force. If you can’t get the book, do some research online about the writings of Alan Watts. You won’t regret it.

Zulu Shaman: Dreams, Prophecies and Mysteries (Song of the Stars) by Vusamazulu Credo Mutwa. This off-the-wall read is recommended if you can get a copy. If not, try to listen to some audio downloads. Mutwa’s books will take you to the heart of African ancestral wisdom and fire your mind and your imagination. The courage Mutwa had in revealing to the world what would otherwise remain hidden commands respect. Mind-opening indeed.

2. Seek the new

Constant learning and evolving is the mark of a true Jediist. In the words of Yoda from Attack of the Clones, “Much to learn you still have.” Every day is a new hope but few of us acknowledge that by making a point of learning something new every day. Going online, of course, provides a constant flow of new information but it doesn’t register in our minds because we process online data too fast and then throw it away without giving ourselves a chance to digest the information. The best way to feed your mind is to slow down and be more mindful of your daily routines.

For example, your journey to work each day. You don’t take note of it anymore because it has become so familiar. So every day take time to look at everything around you with fresh eyes. You can never know everything about your journey to work. Make yourself aware of the smallest change or texture in things you would typically ignore. If you walk past a tree, for example, notice the changing colours and textures each day. If you have a plant on your desk, study its changing appearance.

Here’s a simple thing you can learn right now that you might not know. Who is featured is on the back of a common banknote? Chances are you haven’t a clue because, as mentioned before, when something is familiar we think we know all there is to know about it but we actually don’t.

3. Shake things up

As much as possible shake up your daily routine a little: go to work via a different route or sit in a different place when you have your evening meal. Brush your teeth with a different hand. You will be amazed how hard it is to change your daily routines and how much a creature of habit you have become, but habits are death to your mind – and your mind, along with your heart, is your connection to spirit.

Each time you learn something new or do something new your brain grows new neural pathways or connections and you add to your library of knowledge. So seek the alternative and different in your daily routines. If you can’t make changes to your routines, approach what you do in a mindful, observant way as outlined in point 2.

4. Take a deep breath

Deep breathing from your stomach is a great way to wake your mind up and think more clearly. The brain needs oxygen to think efficiently and clearly, and most of us deprive ourselves of enough of that with shallow and limited breaths from our chest. Have a go now. Sit upright, and from your stomach (not your chest) take a long deep breath in. Fill your lungs completely and then slowly release the air until your lungs are completely empty. Repeat a few times and notice the immediate difference in your mental energy levels.

5. Educate or encourage others

If you know something that has benefited you – for example, that deep breathing energizes you – pass it on. Don’t dictate to others, just offer your advice as a suggestion and then let it go, as whether they follow that advice must be their decision. If you find yourself eager to help and educate others this is a marker for you that you are becoming an intelligent student of the Force because you can only teach others what you know yourself thoroughly.

6. Let music in

I’m on home ground here as, along with my search for the meaning of life, music is my passion. I’m in an up-andcoming pop punk band, Straight Jacket Legends, and even though I have no formal music training, I write and perform my music. I’m referencing music now because ever since research first suggested that something as simple as listening to Mozart can boost children’s brain power, educators have linked making, listening and performing music with increasing intelligence levels.

What is it about music that jumpstarts the brain? It seems to have something to do with the fact that music never stands still. Whether you are playing or singing or listening to music your brain is constantly being challenged to process and make sense of the tune and rhythm. Music is also thought to stimulate areas of your brain used for problem-solving as well as creativity and therefore to engage the brain’s full capacity.

There’s no denying that music can inspire and stimulate. So, what are you waiting for? Make music a part of your life. Sing or learn an instrument, or if you haven’t got the inclination or time for that, listen to your favourite music. Shake things up a bit by listening to different kinds of great music, or music you wouldn’t normally listen to. Just watch the volume so you don’t damage your hearing.

7. Sharpen your memory

Learning new things is great but not so great if you forget what you learn. Lots of us have stopped bothering to flex our memory muscle because if we want to know or remember something, we simply Google it or check our phones, but it’s far more impressive for a Jediist to have a store of knowledge in their head. It makes conversations more engrossing.

It’s easy to improve your memory. You just need to practise every day. Think about something you have learned to do, like riding a bike or driving a car. You practised until it became second nature. We all know that is true for physical things but it is also true mentally. To improve your memory, exercise it, exercise it, and exercise it more. One really easy way to start building up your memory muscle is to try to memorize phone numbers of friends and family. Store them in your address book but see if you can actually remember them too. When you meet someone new, try to remember a detail about them rather than relying on Facebook or other social media to trigger your memory. Find ways each day to give your memory a work out. Your brain will thank you for it.

8. Pay attention please

You’ll notice before each of the teachings in this book I ask you to take your time and read the words slowly and thoughtfully. What I’m really asking you to do here is to concentrate.

Concentration is of utmost value for learning something new. If your thoughts are scattered and your mind not focused on the task in hand, this will affect your brain power. Concentration is absolutely crucial for intelligence because if you can’t focus, you can’t learn new things. The online world fosters a short attention span, so learning to slow down, reflect and ponder when you read, hear or see something new is going to take some practice. Mindfulness and meditation techniques can help and you will learn about those in later lessons. For now here are some really simple but effective ways to improve your concentration:

• Know your enemy: If you know certain things distract you, such as noise or bright lights, avoid them. Silence is the friend of concentration.

• Take regular breaks: This will help you sustain your concentration to give your brain a chance to absorb and recharge. At least once an hour be sure to take a few minutes of time out.

• Oxygenate: The deep breathing exercise (see point 4) will improve the flow of oxygen to your brain and increase alertness. You should also avoid sitting or standing for long periods and do some light stretching or walking around.

• Refocus: Closing your eyes or looking out of the window and focusing on something in the distance if you have been reading a book or working online for a while can also refresh and boost concentration.

• Free up some mental space: One of the biggest obstacles to better concentration is a restless mind full of clutter. Decluttering your mind can clear mental space in your head and improve your focus. Physical clutter increases the chances of mental clutter because it bombards your mind with too many stimuli, so tidy your desk, work and living space. Limit the amount of information you let into your mind by deciding what is relevant and what is not. Most of what you read on your social media newsfeeds truly isn’t relevant, so limit how much time you spend on social media. Don’t let “to dos” pile up. Be decisive. Prioritize what is urgent and do that first. Mental clutter gets in the way of being able to think clearly and focus on what really matters in your life so declutter your mind regularly. Meditation (see page 58) is a great way to rid your mind of unnecessary clutter.

9. Lighten up

Intelligent people have a sense of humour. They know that panic, stress, unpleasantness, rudeness or worry can never solve problems. Those things just make things worse, and confuse and deceive the mind with falsehoods. Intelligent people know that good-natured laughter energizes thinking, lightens moods.

The Star Wars movies are littered with humour – often understated and ironic but funny all the same. In short, take your Jediism training seriously but, as you learn how to use the awesome power of the Force, be sure to use the magical power of your smile too.

I AM A JEDIIST

Brooks Palmer is a best-selling author of Clutter Busting: Letting Go of What is Holding You Back and a Jediist Master trainer for the Church of Jediism. His work has been featured in the New York Times, the Chicago Tribune, Huffington Post, and the Los Angeles Business Journal and on television shows for the Oprah Winfrey network. Below he talks about how the Force guided him from the age of five and how it continues to inform and inspire his work and writing as a physical and mental decluttering expert (www.clutterbusting.com).

Clutter is anything in our lives that is no longer supporting us. It’s not just stuff. It can also be activities, people, beliefs and thoughts that hold us back. When we live with clutter in our lives, whether physically or mentally, we feel overwhelmed, tired and depressed. As a Jediist Master of Clutter Busting I use the Force to help people find and remove both their physical and mental clutter so they can take back their lives.

I do this by asking people to turn their attention away from feeling the despair that comes from living with clutter to begin to look within themselves. Within everyone is the Force. It’s the animating presence in all living things. Its home is in our hearts. By taking this curious look within, people begin to see with clarity. They are using the powerful quality of wonder. When you feel wonder, you are open to positive change.

By having my clients look within, I’m reminding them of their Source. This is what you are. Not your thoughts, feelings, and emotions. Not your things, your job, the things you do. Those come and go. You are the Aliveness within. You are the life Force. You are the Force. From this place of strength and knowingness, ask yourself about the things in your life you are considering. Ask of each thing and thought that you have, “Do I like and use it, or not? Does it give me strength, or does it deplete me? Does it fit my life today, or is it ill fitting? Does it empower me or not?”

The Force is not an alien all-knowing element that you are conferring with for answers. It’s who you are in the most basic of ways. It’s not something you can see. It’s felt as the most intimate primary force. I first became aware of the Force when I was around five years old. I remember getting a deep strong sense that we are connected by primary energy. That feeling grew in me as I got older. It really came home when I was dying of a lung disease. As my body was wasting away, I was stunned that I felt a great aliveness within. I sensed that my body was like a candle melting down, but I was the flame that was fully burning brightly. That flame is the Force. I got a double lung transplant in June of 2013 and today my body is strong again. I feel the energy and wonder of the Force in my mind, every single moment of every day.

What is the meaning of life? To give your life meaning.

Daniel M. Jones