September 26th, 2013

In Return of the Jedi’s original pitch, following the death of Darth Vader, Luke was meant to don Vader’s mask and rule the Empire. George Lucas ultimately settled on a happier ending because “this is for kids.” Thanks, George.

The cold planetoid Pluto and masked lord Saturn continue to bemuse the young Skywalkers of the hero’s journey. Has your reality been riddled with such temptation?

Flipping through flashes of perceived destinies like the newest app—multi-touch, gesture controlling, reduction scanning, fingerprint locked, and quad-core processing—we mutter, “No, no, yes, no, maybe, no,” landing upon the latest road not taken. Less “who are you?” than “who are you choosing?”

Jupiter trines Venus in Scorpio, so getting out there and meeting that special someone might result in unforeseen fortuitous connections. With Mars squaring Venus, don’t be shy about confrontation—it could transform into a night of heated passion. Sun in Libra trines Juno—the asteroid of commitment and marriage—in the quite uncommitted sign of Aquarius. Extend beyond your typical allowance of compromise. Be cool with changes of mind, attitude, and relationship boundaries, and see if you can find something new and exciting about mutual engagement.

As we finalize the epic dark cave saga of self-unfolding—transitioning into the realm of the Libran “other”—we come to face our greatest enemy. As the demon is plunged through with our sword, he or she is unmasked to reveal our own face staring back at us. We are our own enemy.

One of Pluto’s major reoccurring themes is power. There is a reason Pluto co-rules Scorpio, the sign of secret governments, primal sexuality, and other people’s money. Likewise, the dark side in Lucas’ mythos was glinted with dreams of personal empowerment and the submission into one’s emotional senses.

Last week, I gave myself an “anger cookie” and let myself get uncharacteristically distempered, vehemently expressing myself as such, if only for a few moments. After that, whatever chemicals were released in my body heightened my senses, alertness, and effectiveness of my tasks-at-hand, as if I’d just injected myself with a super soldier serum. Full disclosure: it felt good.

In the days that followed, I observed myself growing angrier more easily, at least internally, giving myself the super boost and attaining desired outcomes in a pinch. Hulk dutifully smash.

One must be careful; misplaced anger is like a bolt of lightning charging through your body, and you can hurt yourself more than anyone. Alternatively, however, I felt capable for wanting to deal with the emotion—channel, and turn it into something—rather than displace it with a passive Om. What can I say? Mars is in Leo.

When I was a child, the Emperor was in fact my favorite token in Star Wars Monopoly, whom I’d often use to shoot imaginary lightning at other players. I didn’t care about being evil, only having fun. More powers? More fun.

Lucas opted for an ending that would be less controversial, and much less entertaining. Given the choice, anybody playing the video game version of Return of the Jedi would put the helmet on and begin directing the Empire. Kid in candy store.

I wonder how dark is the dark side, really, if it hasn’t simply been tainted with maniacal tyrants of late. We all have roles to play, after all.

There is a plague of fear going around regarding emotions, sexuality, and all-around expression. Yet, we test our own moral compass when embracing, understanding, and sympathizing with fictionalized evil—I defer to my other favorite W.W. This tells me there’s more to spiritual ethics than meets the eye, and “right” or “wrong” has more to do with the heart than what’s written down on paper. Perhaps the dark side simply exists to keep things interesting, and the light side exists to keep things from falling apart.

It’s time to take the reigns of your emotions, no longer owned by expectations, titles, or presumptions. Throw away the rules, and own the game. Rewrite your parchment of destiny. Put on the helmet, the ring, whatever the metaphor is, then do as your heart commands.

I’m unconvinced that the meek will inherit the earth. I’m thinking, the imaginative, grounded, and empowered youth will inherit the earth. In fact, I’m pretty sure that’s what happens with every generation.

It’s okay, because you are capable. We’ve learned that temptation is an illusion–it only directs you back to the self. The prime directive is mastering your fears, not fleeing from them. Face yourself, be creative, and know that you are beyond mere magic.