Every religious group has its practices and set of rules that govern the everyday movements of its members.
Whether praying, fasting, or having to do an excursion in nature, they all have something that brings them closer to the deity they recognize.
The Star Wars universe is not different. There’s a significant amount of realism inserted into the franchise.
Even without the label of religion, various groups would have a set of practices specific to them.
One such organization shining through the Galactic Republic is the Jedi. The Jedi often followed teachings and the training of the Buddhist religion in our world.
Given this fact, do the Jedi meditate? Why do they, and what does it entail?
This will be addressed in the article so keep reading to find out more.
Table of Contents
Why do Jedi meditate?
The Jedi were taught to clear their minds, be devoid of emotions and attachments, and become one with the light side of the Force.
This was collectively done through a process called Jedi Meditation.
It must be remembered that the harboring of emotions directly violates the Jedi Code.
This code is the rule book that all Jedi and all who wish to become Jedi must adhere to. As per the Jedi Code, the inability to get rid of emotions can lead to attachments.
While some attachments can be good, such as between a mother and her baby, more often than not they turn into something horrendous.
As innocently as it could begin, with love, affection, caring, kindness, and adoration, time and time again, these emotions are twisted into something more sinister.
As the attachment forms, over time, love can become hate, affection can become jealousy, caring and kindness can be poisoned into a blistering rage, and so on.
Generally, this is an unfortunate involuntary process but one that can send even the best Jedi hurtling towards the dark side of the Force.
This is exactly why Jedi meditate.
The Jedi are supposed to be empty vessels that the Force could then fill with the level of peace and calm they need to remain on the light side of the Force.
How do Jedi meditate?
To carry out Jedi Meditation, the Jedi isolate themselves.
This is because they need to be alone, away from whatever makes the emotion within them, to begin with.
In Jedi Meditation the individual sits away from distractions and clear their mind.
From there they are to focus on whatever emotion is at the forefront of their minds. Then the Jedi are to acknowledge their feelings and the effects this emotion can have on them.
After this moment of introspection and taking a healthy approach to whatever they may have been feeling, they must then learn to let go of those emotions.
The major goal of the Jedi Meditation is for the Jedi to clear their minds of any and every emotion regardless of how good the intentions behind them may have been.
The entire premise of Jedi Mediation is relatively simple. So much so that anyone can do it if they so desire.
So long as they follow the aforementioned layout and they too can learn to meditate like a Jedi.
How long do Jedi meditate for?
Meditation was of the utmost importance to the Jedi Order.
For that reason, the Jedi High Council made it a mandatory part of every person in the Order’s daily routine. Regardless if they are a Padawan or a Jedi Master.
The need for the Jedi to meditate is so crucial that the Jedi High Council created a regimen for the new Jedi Order recruits.
They were to meditate five times a day, every day.
Now, this was not a permanent arrangement. Rather it was done until the newer Jedi got the point of how important meditation truly was.
What’s more, they were to stick to this strict meditation schedule until they had the Jedi Code and its importance committed to memory.
Particularly the part speaking against emotions.
Once this is achieved the Jedi are, for the most part, free to meditate whenever they want. Still, it is recommended that they engage in the act daily.
Do Jedi float when they meditate?
When the Jedi partake in the most basic Jedi meditation, they do not float.
However, there is a more advanced version known as Floating Meditation, where this feat is possible.
Floating meditation, known by its other name, Rising Meditation, is a modified version of the Jedi Meditation technique.
For the Floating Meditation to work, the Jedi who is trying to achieve this status must make use of the Force while practicing their Jedi Meditation skill.
Once they can tap into this particular skill, the Jedi would then be able to hover a few inches off of the ground.
Extraordinarily, when the Force user uses this skill they are not the only ones affected.
As a matter of fact, most, if not all, of the objects in the surrounding vicinity of the individual using Floating Meditation, floats as well.
Needless to say, this is an impressive skill that many within the Jedi Order would love to learn how to master.
Conclusion
In our reality, meditation is a practice that many spiritual persons use. It allows them to be more in tune with their inner self, their spirituality and their minds.
Some believe that meditation even allows them to get closer to mother nature.
In the grand scheme of things, meditation just brings the users peace. Perhaps more peace than they have ever experienced before.
This is essentially the same concept in the Star Wars universe.
When the light side Force-sensitives engage in Jedi Meditation, the main outcome they want is to be one with the Force.
Consequently, they want to find peace and clarity so that the Force can use them as a good vessel and fill them to the brim with lightness.