The Baby Yoda inside you

My family and I are currently in quarantine (BOO!) and we have been watching more movies/TV than usual. In fact, we've decided to watch a movie a day as a family. My younger kids have really taken a liking to the Mandalorian this season because of Baby Yoda (the rest of us were already on board), so in keeping with that theme, we've watched a few Star Wars movies.

Unless you've been living under a rock for your whole life, I assume you know the basic premise of these movies -- bad guys seeking power and control vs. good guys seeking peace. (I am not a diehard fan here, so please no judgment of my take on these movies).

But there is one thing some of these good and bad guys have in common: The Force.

Here's what a quick internet search told me about this power:

The Force is a mysterious energy field created by life that binds the galaxy together. Harnessing the power of the Force gives the Jedi, the Sith, and others sensitive to this spiritual energy extraordinary abilities, such as levitating objects, tricking minds, and seeing things before they happen.

And just like so many things, it can be used in amazing, positive ways (light side). Or it can be used for great destruction and negativity (dark side).

What makes the difference? The emotions behind it. To tap into the power of the dark side it requires indulging in raw emotions such as aggression, fear, anger, hatred, and passion.

These are easy emotions to indulge in. They feel useful and justified and just like indulging on good food, they leave us wanting more and more. It is a dangerous cycle to get in and can be tricky to get out of. They also seem to offer a quicker, easier path.

To quote Yoda: "Fear is the path to the dark side. Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering."

Maybe these are some emotions you are familiar with? Maybe you're like me and the last year has brought even more of those emotions to the surface for you. I, in fact, have had a bit of a struggle with anger just this week.

So this begs the question, what fuels the force for good? What can we do to combat this dark side?

A true Jedi would say that the light side is to be used for knowledge and defense, and channeling it requires being calm and at peace.

I love the idea of these words coming together: knowledge & peace.

When we are open to learning and seeing a different perspective, it allows space to be calmer. When we are NOT pushing against, or resisting something with a negative emotion or aggression, we can't help but be more open to greater understanding and peace.

When we let those dark side emotions be our fuel, they get in the way of seeing the light. Darkness and light cannot exist at the same time.

So today I want you to know that those indulgent 'darker' emotions are normal - we all have them. It is what we do with them that matters.

If you are finding that they are coming up too frequently and you are desiring a different outcome, here are some suggestions I have used myself to access the light side:

• be aware of the emotions, notice when they are happening, and name them

(anger, fear, etc.)

• ask yourself if they are getting you what you want?

• ask yourself if there is another way to view the situation/person?

• most importantly: love yourself for being human and for having thoughts and all the emotions and learning from them!

May The Force be with you.