Lesson #1

"The force is what gives a jedi his power. It is an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us and penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together." -- Obi-Wan Kenobi

To understand the ways of a jedi one must first understand the basic tool of the jedi although it is far from basic. To truly know the Jedi way you must have a firm grasp on what exactly the force is. So....clear the doubt from your mind and allow me to refresh your memory and what exactly the force is, was and ever will be.

The mysterious energy field known as the force permeates the world. It is created by life, found everywhere, a part of everything. It lies beyond that which can normally be percieved, yet a few beings -- such as the jedi -- know how to feel it's ebb and flow. The force has been known by many names in real everyday life. While some non-believers say that the force is not real, there have been many groups of people in the past Millenia that would say otherwise. The Arab and Islamic People have believed in "Karma" for as long as time can tell. Martial artists to this day believe in an inner force known as "Chi". The Jeet-Kun-Do teachings of the late Bruce Lee dealt with such a thing. Some martial arts, such as some forms of Tai'Chi are based solely on this inner force. Even the simple form of relaxation and healing known as Yoga deals with such an inner power. For all those that do not believe in the force at all I tell you this. The force is very real. As a person who has studied the martial arts for 10 years, I know very well of this inner force which I, like many others ,like to refer to simply as the force.

There are those out there that will tell you that because most people lack the ability to levitate objects and control peoples mind that therefore the jedi do not truly exist but to them I just smile and go along my way. This will be explained later but Know that the Force truly does exist and therefore so do Jedi, even if they lack the ability to levitate objects (although it has been proven that the human mind when focused does have the ability to make objects move, very few actually have the intuitive ability to move it but a fraction of a centimeter). The jedi shall be discussed more at a later time. For now, let us return to the subject of the living force.

The force is the foundation of the beliefs of the jedi. The force is an essential part of nature --- like energy or matter --- but it has yet to be quantified and analyzed. The force is not to be understood in the same manner as the physical qualities of the universe. The laws of physics are observable; Technology is predictable and readily-controlled. The force is neither controlled nor controlling --- it is a part of life itself and asking if it controls is like asking if a person controls his cells or his cells control him.

It is not known whether the force has always been, came about as life evolved into intelligence or if it coerced the evolution of intelligence. To the jedi, it does not matter. It is enough to know that the force IS .

----------------------Jedi Master Justin Storm----------------------------