Kristin Baver, writing at StarWars.com, reveals the cover of the upcoming book Star Wars: The Jedi Mind and talks to its author Amy Ratcliffe about her second Star Wars book, available from Chronicle Books this fall.
StarWars.com: Fictional stories can be such an important tool for understanding our own feelings as well as universal experiences and ideas. What inspired you to start thinking about mindfulness and how it’s exhibited in the Star Wars saga?
Amy Ratcliffe: It started with meditation. Pausing to meditate and breathe opened the door to mindfulness for me. It’s just one of the many ways to practice mindfulness, but it’s the cornerstone for me. Whenever I would meditate, I would think about the Jedi. Specifically, I think of Qui-Gon Jinn dropping to a seated position and meditating during his battle with Darth Maul in Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. The first time I saw the movie I was so surprised by that. Like, “Buddy, what are you doing right now?!” But as I sank deeper into the world of Star Wars, I realized how much sense it made for Qui-Gon — specifically Qui-Gon — to pause when he had a chance and be in the moment.
Then as I thought more about that I considered the Force and how the Jedi teach others about it and the things Jedi say about the Force. Obviously the Force doesn’t exist in our lives and mindfulness is not called out in Star Wars, but they pair together beautifully.
StarWars.com: I love that you connect a quote, character, or moment to a real-life aspect of mindfulness on each page and include a suggested practice. As a self-proclaimed worrier, do you have a favorite passage or page? Can you talk about why it speaks to you so profoundly?
Amy Ratcliffe: Mindfulness helps me stay more centered, but I’m always going to worry. I can spiral like a champ. Writing this book and going through all the practices repeatedly meant I really got to learn which ones work the best for me. One thing I struggle with is how I react to situations around me and how I allow external forces to affect me — particularly the ones I can’t control. In Star Wars Rebels Bendu told Kanan, “Only you can change yourself.” I connected that moment to a self-acceptance meditation. Kanan was carrying so much weight on his shoulders, particularly after his battle with Maul and losing his eyesight, and Bendu’s guidance helped Kanan accept himself as he was. That really hit me.
Pre-order the book from Chronicle Books (US) and Amazon.co.uk. Read the interview in full here.
