I’m back with the next blog in my series: Life Lessons from Star Wars. Earlier this year I did Life Lessons from the Original Trilogy, which you can read here!
Now, we’re up to what’s my personal favorite era: the Prequels. (& yes of course the cover photo had to be a pic of me with the legend himself Ewan McGregor!)
Honestly I love the prequels and I think it has to do with Clone Wars. Being a Clone Wars fan fills in so many gaps and it makes the prequel era that much more meaningful. It gives everything new depth and new layers. So if you haven’t watched the Clone Wars yet, I definitely recommend, and then after go back and watch the prequels because it will make them that much better!
I will eventually get to a Life Lessons of Clone Wars blog, but with all the episodes that one will take a while!
So for now, here’s Life Lessons I picked up from Episodes I, II, and III: The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith.
The Phantom Menace
Right away in the beginning, we have one of my favorite bits of dialogue. As Qui-Gon Jinn and a young Obi-Wan Kenobi are attempting to attend a meeting, Qui-Gon tells his Padawan: “Don’t center on your anxieties, Obi-Wan, keep your concentration here and now, where it belongs.”
To which young Kenobi replies, “But master Yoda said I should be mindful of the future.”
“But not at the expense of the present moment. Be mindful of the living force, young Padawan.”
This mirrors later on in the film when Qui-Gon tells Anakin: “Your focus determines your reality.”
These philosophies are all so true in our own life. When we’re focusing on our anxieties, we’re detaching ourselves from the present moment. Time only ever exists in the now. We can’t go back and change the past, and the future hasn’t happened yet. In fact, our thoughts and expectations are creating our future. Where our focus goes, grows. We receive more of what we think of. Everything is energy, including our thoughts and feelings. The more we focus on something, the more we are sending our energy towards it and the more likely we are to energetically attract to us (Law of Attraction!)
Be mindful of where you are in the moment. For myself, I find I am always so much happier and way less anxious when I am focusing on the present; when I’m living in the moment and enjoying my time. I’m anxious when I’m reliving the past or worrying about the future. Qui-Gon’s words remind us to be mindful, to center ourselves, to live in the now, and to focus more on what we want.
Qui-Gon proves to be one of the wisest Jedi, as later when asked where they’re going, he says: “Don’t worry, the force will guide us.”
Which again reinforces the statement that the Universe truly has each of our backs. Sometimes we don’t need to know how to get there, all we need to know is that we’re on the right path and the Universe will absolutely guide us to where we’re meant to be. Surrender and have faith that you’re always being led to what’s meant for you.
That statement even kind of reminds me of Jar Jar Binks’ journey! (Sidenote: just want to say Jar Jar was way before his time. I know he was very unpopular when this first came out, but I think if he was introduced to today’s audiences people would’ve found him hilarious and been obsessed with him). Anyway, Jar Jar never had a clue of what he was doing … and yet things always happened to work out for him! He was magically led straight into Qui-Gon, which not only helped him become unbanished from Gungan city, but it helped him become a Senator for the Republic! I also think of him during the battle against the droids later on, where he keeps messing up completely, tripping, bumping into things, and yet it always works in his favor! His clumsiness helps the Gungan’s defeat the battle droids! So Jar Jar is proof that sometimes we don’t know at all what the heck we’re doing… but it doesn’t mean things aren’t going to magically work out for us! Sometimes, they really do. Know that the Universe is protecting you and going to make things work in your favor - just like the Force does with Jar Jar.
The Force of course guides the Jedi to Tatooine. Now at first glance this may seem like a bad thing. One could argue if their ship wasn’t damaged and they weren’t forced to go to Tatooine and they wouldn’t have needed to go to Watto’s shop, they never would’ve met Anakin Skywalker aka future Darth Vader. Not going to Tatooine could’ve saved the galaxy from Vader’s wrath, however I choose to think of a different perspective. Palpatine already had his plan in place. If not Anakin, he would’ve created some other apprentice or he would’ve stuck with Dooku. Nothing was going to stop him from taking over the galaxy and creating his Empire. And who eventually stops him? Darth Vader. With the help of Luke of course (who wouldn’t exist if Padme didn’t cross paths with Anakin on Tatooine). So, ultimately, they were needed to find Anakin, to train him as a Jedi, because while it would take years of darkness, ultimately Vader was the only one able to finally put an end to the Empire and stop Palpatine (temporarily until Rey does decades later, but you could also argue that Rey is able to because she has help from Ben Solo, who wouldn’t exist if Padme and Anakin never met soooo…)
Anyway, the point of all of this is proof that the Universe has a plan. Sometimes it may take a really round about way, sometimes it may seem like things aren’t working for the highest good of all involved, but honestly, they really actually kind of are! Sometimes patience is so key, because in time things are going to get to where they need to be. So even if it may seem like a bad thing at first, it’s actually necessary for growth, and it will absolutely turn in your favor eventually. Things can (and will!) work out.
Some more great quotes from Qui-Gon, he tells Anakin before the pod race “Feel. Don’t think. Use your instincts!” Advice we can all learn from! Honestly, sometimes we just need to tune our brain out, clear our mind, and trust our heart and our gut. Connecting to your intuition and following what feels right will always, alwayslead you to where you’re meant to go.
I love that he also tells Anakin, “Our meeting was not a coincidence…nothing happens by accident…” It’s really true. There really are no such things as coincidences. The Universe has a plan in place. Like I always say, we may just see the road ahead of us, but the Universe sees the entire map. It knows all the players and it has a way of rearranging things to work in your favor. Again, trust it. We don’t know better than the Force, so if the Force (The Universe) is guiding you somewhere, if something seems like a coincidence, it’s not. There’s always a reason for everything.
Upon discovering Anakin has the highest midi-chlorian count ever, he has a choice to make. To stay with his mother in whats familiar and known or to go off on his own and become a Jedi. His mother Shmi tells him, “This path has been placed before you. The choice is yours alone.” Which I think is a great reminder that we all have choices to make and we’re often the only one who can make them. It’s not always easy, but ultimately we have to make a decision, and once we do, it’ll set things into motion, set us on a new path, and allow us to manifest more clearly (the Universe love when you decide firmly! It makes it that much easier for it to bring the best to you!)
Shmi also iconically tells Anakin, “You can’t stop change anymore than you can stop the suns from setting,” and “Be brave and don’t look back.” Which reminds us change is inevitable, we often can’t control it. The only thing we can control is ourselves and our reaction to change. When we surrender and go with it, it makes it that much easier to accept the Universe has a plan and it can work out for us. Change and the future may be scary, but we can never retreat into the past, all we can do is keep going forward and have hope we’re being lead through an amazing journey.
My last takeaways from this particular film are when Qui-Gon is dealing with the Jedi council. He always does what he must because he knows his beliefs are right regardless of the opinions of others aka the council. He’s not worried about being on the council or being accepted by the other Jedi Masters, he just follows his heart and trusts his own intuition above others. Obi-Wan even warns him that the council senses Anakin might be dangerous, and Qui-Gon reminds him that it’s just from his point of view. Point of a view is a theme that appears throughout all of Star Wars, and really reminds us that we each have our own perspective on things, and most of us are convinced we’re right. Sometimes, we need to look at things from a different angle or see other people’s point of view, in order to truly see we may be biased or how our own perceptions of reality are affecting our judgement.
And finally, the council senses fear in Anakin which worries them because fear is what holds one back; it prevents each of us from connecting fully from the Force and tapping into our potential. That’s true for us as well. Honestly, feelings of fear, feelings of failure, feelings of not feeling worthy enough or good enough, are almost always the key source of why we aren’t achieving what we want to achieve. Fear takes over and makes it so hard for us to believe in ourselves and to trust the path of the Universe. If we can just let go of our fear, (or even integrate it to be part of us and acknowledge it but know it won’t determine any part of us) we can do anything. It’s often the biggest block standing in our way, and when we can conquer it, we can truly manifest anything and create a brilliant life for ourselves.
Attack of the Clones
The more and more I watch Attack of the Clones, the more I actually love it. Again, it feels very Clone Wars, and I personally love, love, love the clones themselves so seeing Kamino and Jango Fett in this film is always my favorite part.
So just a few thoughts from this one (I feel like Phantom Menace has the most life lessons solely because of Qui-Gon! His dialogue is so good and so accurate to our reality!).
When Anakin and Obi-Wan are assigned to speak with now Senator Amidala, whom Anakin spent the past ten years dreaming about, he’s instantly distraught thinking Padme didn’t even care and she hates him. (Vader coming through already!) to which Obi-Wan reminds him, “You’re focusing on the negative Anakin be mindful of your thoughts…” and later tells him “She was pleased to see us!”
I think this is a reminder we all need often. We’re humans so it’s only natural but sometimes we truly focus so much on the negatives, on what’s wrong, and we often even automatically assume nobody likes us and it is all going wrong. These are just thoughts that pop up almost to protect us from disappointment. It’s imperative to, as Obi-Wan says, be mindful of our thoughts. Acknowledge the negative ones, but don’t like them take over. I once heard great advice that it’s okay to thank your negative thoughts for bringing up concerns, but gently tell them you’re going to choose not to listen to them. Instead, choose to focus more on - well what if it works out? What if they do like me? What if everything is going to be fine? The more you play into those thoughts, the more likely they actually manifest for you. The thoughts you think determine the vibration you project, so when you play more into your positive thoughts, it will attract more positive experiences.
Later on, when Anakin is throwing a fit and complaining about Kenobi ala “It’s all Obi-Wan’s fault; he’s holding me back!” Padme tells him, “All mentors have a way of seeing our faults; it’s the only way we grow.” While, I don’t agree with this statement entirely, because I think sometimes a mentor or parent constantly picking out your faults in hopes of aiming to push you can create so much more resentment than progress (which is exactly what happens with Anakin). But I do like the idea of learning and understanding our faults helps us grow. This is about doing that shadow work, about going inwards. About going into the uncomfortable feelings we’ve experienced, the uncomfortable habits we’ve developed, and working to heal them so we can do better and be better!
And finally, in Attack of the Clones, I love the scene where the Kenobi goes to ask Yoda about his missing planet and Yoda has the children help him find it. The children easily come up with the solution to which Yoda giggles and says: “Truly wonderful the mind of a child is.” It’s true. Children, before they are programmed with all the biases, negativity, insecurity, fears and doubts we as a society keep regenerating, children are just humanity at its purest. They follow their bliss and they have no problem letting others know when they’re upset. The operate from natural instinct instead of overthinking. That’s why it’s so often so great to tap into your inner child. As they say, figure out who you were before the world told you who to be.
Revenge of the Sith:
Personally, I think this film is the best of the trio. Revenge of the Sith is just so good and it really shows Anakin’s final descent and giving into the dark side. I really think Anakin only chooses the dark side because he believes he has no other choice. He needs Padme alive thus he needs the Emperor alive to help him. Once he stopped Mace Windu, Anakin realized the Jedi council never ever would’ve forgiven him, they would’ve expelled him and thus the life he knew would be over forever. He felt in that moment, he had no other choice but to join Palpatine, and simultaneously he was blaming everybody else (like Obi-Wan) for his problems. But this is a reminder that we always have a choice. Even if we may not see the choice right away, doesn’t mean a choice won’t pop up. Anakin didn’t think clearly - he could’ve just run away with Padme and lived on Naboo raising their children forever. He could’ve gone back to his mother. He could’ve even not stopped Mace Windu and thus actually would have prevented Padme from dying. He really had many more options than he believed ahead of him; but instead he gave into fear, panicked, and operated from a scarcity vibration, which led him down the wrong path.
I think it’s also important to note that Anakin created a self-fulfilling prophecy. By trying his hardest to prevent Padme from dying, he actually caused it. That’s why its important to be careful with your beliefs, your thoughts, your expectations - they’re always coming together and creating your reality. You always get what you expect and that’s why so often we do create self-fulfilling prophecy. Again, this is a reminder to be mindful, to tune out your negative expectations and remind yourself it’s possible for things to work out. There may always be another and much better option to allow you to receive everything you want.
So overall, Anakin really is our reminder to not give into our fears. To not feel trapped. To remind ourselves there’s always a way; a better way; and by trusting in the Force and operating from that “things can work out!” frequency, solutions can always come to us.
In Revenge of the Sith, when Anakin approaches Master Yoda with his concerns about his visions of Padme dying, Yoda assures Anakin, “Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around you who transform into the force.” This quote reminds me of Dumbledore telling Harry Potter, “Do not pity the dead, Harry. Pity the living and above all, those who live without love.” Death is super hard and it’s okay to grieve and to mourn and to miss your loved ones. But remember “the ones who love us never really leave us”. Everything is just energy and energy can neither be created nor destroyed it merely changes form. When we leave our Earthly body, I don’t believe we cease to exist. We’re energy, we can’t be destroyed, we just change form. I believe we connect to our natural soul and become one on the other side until we choose to reincarnate again. We see very clearly in Star Wars, via the Force Ghosts appearing to everyone that no one is ever really gone. Even death can’t separate people and we can always communicate with our loved ones on the other side. So yes while death is so difficult, we can’t let the fear of it stop us from truly living.
Another standout quote in this movie is when Padme says, “You ever think what if we’re on the wrong side and the Republic has become the very evil we’re trying to destroy and this war represents a failure to listen?”
This takes me back to the “point of view” and reminds us to always kind of try to see things from all perspectives. Not to mention, fighting absolutely always is a result of a failure to listen. If more people just listened to each other, allowed others to feel seen and heard and understood, maybe there would be a lot less fighting in this world; people wouldn’t be screaming over each other; maybe if we all just listened and could communicate properly the world could become a more peaceful place.
I will say too I love that after their intense battle, when Anakin tells Kenobi he hates him, Kenobi replies with “You were my brother Anakin and I loved you.” He refused to stoop down to Anakin’s anger; seeing that Anakin truly was lost and not in his right mind. He reminds him how much he cared and loved him … and I think it’s such an amazing vibration to send love to those who hate. In fact, those fueled with hate truly need the most love of all.
Finally, I think it’s just overall important to mention how the Jedi were led to their downfall because they chose to stay blind to the dark side. Everything was so black and white with the jedi. They just automatically thought: fear = bad, attachments = bad, anger = bad, and thus kind of encouraged their Jedi, including Anakin, to suppress their emotions. No wonder Anakin lashed out and went to the Dark Side; he had soooo many emotions and being constantly told to suppress them would be maddening for anyone. The Jedi’s real failure was that they too were also imbalanced. They rejected their darker emotions, instead of embracing them and trying to work to truly understand them and integrate them in a positive way. Anger, attachments, fear can all be positive if treated correctly. If you allow those emotions to be heard and understood, you can calm them down, and use your anger and fear to push you to make change, to feel determined, and spark that fire within to achieve great things. Attachments can be so positive because they too can push you to become the best version of yourself because you want to be good for those you love; they’re you’re reason for looking to achieve great things. While the Jedi have amazing philosophies about being mindful and meditating, their fear of their darker side and refusal to deal with their inner darker sides definitely led to their downfalls. To be a real Jedi, I think should be about incorporating and honoring all sides of you. We’re all human, we’re going to feel the full spectrum of emotions; and instead of trying to shove some of the undesirable ones away, dealing with them properly is the true key to achieving balance. Balance exists because there’s both light and dark sides and the more you can handle both, the more at true peace you really will be.
Hope you enjoyed these takes from the Prequels! I’ll definitely do another Life Lessons of Star Wars soon! Maybe next will be the sequels, Rogue One, or one of the TV shows - either way, check back later for more :)
