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“Stories are our primary tools of learning and teaching, the repositories of our lore and legends. They bring order into our confusing world. Think about how many times a day you use stories to pass along data, insights, memories or common-sense advice.” ~ Edward Miller, founder of Edward Elementary, illustrator and product designer
“The purpose of the storyteller is not to tell you how to think, but to give you questions to think upon.” ~ Brandon Sanderson, fantasy and science fiction writer
I’ve been thinking about writing a book about all the practical things I’ve learned from analyzing stories. I know what you’re thinking, “She’s not finished with the novel she’s been working on. Why is she starting another book?” I’ve asked myself that question too, but sometimes an idea burns in my head and to clear it out, I have to write it down. I mean, after all, stories are the oldest teaching tool of humanity and we might just need them more than ever now. So, I will be using this blog to develop essays to include in my new book, which at present is titled: Story Lessons. Another better title may present itself, but until then …
So to the latest lesson: Barry and I have been watching all three Star Wars trilogies and something stood out for me as we watched the first three movies, starting with The Phantom Menace. The main character of that trilogy is Anakin Skywalker, who later becomes Darth Vader, and he’s a perfect example of how unaddressed fear can ruin your life. We first meet him when he’s a precocious child. He knows he’s different than almost everyone around him. Even though he’s a slave and lives with his mother, his owner relies on him to repair the things he sells. So, on the one hand, he values Anakin, on the other he has power over him as well. Anakin and his mother have little hope of escape.
As a former actor/director, I’m always asking why a character feels the way they do, or why they make the decisions they make? In Anakin’s case, I think he’s deeply afraid. Maybe he’s afraid of losing his mother, or not having control over his life, or maybe he’s afraid of feeling that he’s different from everyone else. He doesn’t know why he feels afraid. He hasn’t had anyone to help him figure that out. So his fear grows. But he doesn’t want anyone to know he feels it. He buries it deep inside thinking it will eventually go away.
Since I started studying theatre, I decided it would be good to take a few psychology classes and I still read articles in psychology magazines so I can keep up with the latest research. Just as a way to give my suppositions about Anakin substantiation, I looked up the emotional effects and symptoms of fear and found the site, verywellmind.com. I found this definition that perfectly describes Anakin Skywalker’s reactions to his fear throughout the three movies.
“One aspect of anxiety disorders can be a tendency to develop a fear of fear.3National Alliance on Mental Illness. Anxiety Disorders. Where most people tend to experience fear only during a situation that is perceived as scary or threatening, those who live with anxiety disorders may become afraid that they will experience a fear response. They perceive their fear responses as negative and go out of their way to avoid those responses.
A phobia is a twisting of the normal fear response. The fear is directed toward an object or situation that does not present a real danger. Though you recognize that the fear is unreasonable, you can’t help the reaction. Over time, the fear tends to worsen as the fear of fear response takes hold.”
Anakin is drawn to Padmé/Queen Amidala from the time he first meets her. When he grows up, they fall in love. They marry in secret, because he’s a Jedi padawan and not allowed to marry. But when she becomes pregnant, he dreams that she dies in childbirth. He not only dreams it but feeds his phobia about losing her in conversations with her and with his “friend” Chancellor Palpatine, who is secretly a Sith Lord. My contention is that Palpatine feeds Anakin’s fear to accomplish his own ends. Unfortunately, Padmé does die, but it’s not from complications from childbirth. She dies of a broken heart because Anakin believes what Palpatine/Sidious has told him, that the dark side is stronger and will protect Padmé. When she realizes he’s turned away from the light, she feels betrayed.
But here’s the thing, as Frank Herbert wrote in Dune, “Fear is the mind killer.” In Dune, Paul Atreides is taught to master his fear, whereas for some reason, Anakin is unable to so. It’s not that the Jedi don’t try to teach him, but they have no idea what Palpatine is doing to Anakin.
The consequences for Anakin of not being able to manage his fear is that eventually he is unable to tell the difference between a truth and a lie.
In the book, Power vs. Force, David R. Hawkins, M.D. Ph.D., chronicles his studies into human energy calibration, Hawkins points out that anyone calibrating 200 or below is unable to tell the difference between a truth and a lie. By contrast people like Jesus and Buddha calibrate at about 700. So Anakin’s fear and developing phobias rob him of the high vibration of the Jedi and make him unable to see that Palpatine is the real threat.
That was all really technical but it leads me to share what I learned from watching these movies this time around.
Yesterday morning as I was going through my routine of meditating and writing in my journal, I heard Barry opening and closing file cabinet drawers in his office. I knew he was preparing our tax documents and immediately I felt anxiety. But I had just read the Course in Miracles Experiment lesson for the day. Pam Grout always has a quote at the beginning of each lesson and the quote for yesterday was by Craig Ferguson, “Like all bullies, fear wants you to believe it’s tougher than it really is.” That was exactly the quote and lesson I needed at that time.
We all tell ourselves stories about all kinds of things, but mostly about the past. My anxiety about tax filing goes way back to a time when Barry and I had to pay substantial taxes every year and since we didn’t have loads of money, coming up with the payment was always stressful. But that’s in the past. For several years, now that we both have home based businesses, we’ve enjoyed tax refunds. Why was I allowing that old story to make me feel anxious? It’s not true anymore. I can get rid of that old story and work to see my situation as it truly is instead of how it used to be.
There are lots of tools to help us get rid of our anxiety. Meditation and journaling are two that I use. Checking in with friends and family who tell us the truth is another one. Or we can simply remind ourselves that there is another way to look at our circumstances. What we think is going to happen, may not. In fact it’s a good idea to wait and see all the possibilities.
Stories of all kinds still have lessons to teach me, even ones I’ve seen many times. I love that I can watch a character go through their ups and downs and learn from their experiences instead of living through them myself, like I did with Anakin’s journey.
Thanks Mom and Dad for using stories to teach me important lessons about what it means to be a human being.
Welcome new followers. Thanks for reading, liking, and commenting. I hope you are doing well and enjoying this new year.
Blessings,
Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2024
The Space Between Time
Have you ever experienced life shattering events? Yeah, most of us have. In THE SPACE BETWEEN TIME, Jenna Holden gets slammed by her fiancé walking out, her mother’s untimely death, and losing her job all in one week. But she receives unexpected help when she finds her 3-times great-grandmother’s journals and begins the adventure of a lifetime. This started off as a very different book. It’s amazing where the muses take you. You can get a hard copy of TSBT at Amazon, or at your favorite ebook retailer. Now back to working on book two.
Best Book Awards: American Book Fest 2017 winners and finalists: http://www.americanbookfest.com/generalfiction/fantasyscifi.html
Rita Gau’s review: Recently, I finished reading a book titled, The Space Between Time, by my friend, Lucinda Sage-Midgorden. It was the best book I’ve read in a long time. It kept me captivated, which I have not experienced from any other book for the past couple of years. I loved all the little gems of meaningful and what I call spiritual statements throughout the book. You know, those words that make you pause and think, and sometimes have an “aha” from or a deeper awareness about something. And it was entertaining and informational about some of the history in the 1800’s and yet, contemporary. It also reminded me of the importance of “living in community” and how important it is to help one another and be engaged in your community. Thank you Lucinda for a wonderful, entertaining and captivating book!
Story-Power on Patreon and Apple Subscriptions
I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power podcast, Patreon Community, and Apple subscription so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. Patreon is $5 a month for content not found on the Story-Power podcast, or on my Sage Woman Blog. The Apple subscription is $3 a month, again with content not found on the Story-Power podcast. If you’re passionate about stories, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower. Or, you can add the subscription on Apple podcast where Story-Power is published.
PodMatch
If you are a podcaster, or have a message or fantastic product you want to share with the world, I encourage you to check out PodMatch. I call them a dating service for podcasters. Use the affiliate link and tell them, Lucinda sent you. Then contact me so we can set up a Story-Power chat.
Sage Woman Chronicles 