A Return to Foundation
by Robert McKinney
First, welcome to 2014. While time has a different meaning for each of us, I would like to thank each of you for taking the moment to read the sermon I have written. The choice you make reflects on your decision to learn more, and perhaps walk, the Jedi path. Whatever your reasons, I appreciate the time you spend learning how to better be yourself.
With the start of a calendar year we look at the endless possibilities that come before us. I am not speaking of creating some master plan for the year, or setting “New Year’s Resolutions”, but looking to the future as the realization that it’s simply there. We may have dreams of what the future should be, or what we want it to be, but all of that is off in the distance. And, as many can tell you, the road to tomorrow exists in the present.
When I was moving through the Initiate Program I found myself constantly referring back to the 16 Teachings. I would post to my journal my current strengths while looking for ways to improve myself in places that were not so strong. This ‘self-check’ is something I still do, ensuring that I keep myself founded in the roots of the teachings themselves.
When I speak of roots, I am also speaking of the concepts and lessons that you find most important. Some of us treasure the words of Joseph Campbell for his unique and inspiring views on the Divine. Others find wisdom in Alan Watts, who took an old concept and made it new. Maybe you find truth in Lynne McTaggart’s words. These are the lessons that are the foundation of our teachings, lessons that should not be learned or discarded easily.
As we all move forward in the moment, I challenge each of you to start the year by revisiting the first lessons we are taught. I am not speaking about dwelling on the past to understand the present. Instead, I speak of viewing the material through your current understanding, through the lens of the present. We all have learned more about ourselves, and in doing so, have acquired new eyes to see the words in a new way.
May the Force be with you, always.
Archon
