Meditation 101

[Tia'Ilandra Shaasa]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Gladly accepting the crystal from her masters hands, Tia’Illandra glanced around seeking a quiet spot where she would not need to disturb any of her fellow students. She found a likely spot and as she happened to pass close by the other female Togrutan Tia had taken a moment to inspect the markings of her pale features and study her counterpart. They were of similar height but Tia fancied that she was a little stronger than her mirror, though immediately she realised that such a judgement was likely a simple bias on her part, and a facet of her own latent narcissism. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]We are all one with the force and we each excel in our own ways[/SIZE][SIZE=14.6667px], she reminded herself of the lesson, envy, jealousy and arrogance were inimical to her progress and though she had made great strides in isolating such feelings Tia was still not perfect.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]In fact she would never be perfect; Tia understood the truth was that the practice of the light side of the force and the Jedi code would be a lifelong struggle that would test her again and again, but still she quietly judged herself.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Taking her place the Padawan gracefully descended to her knees let her eyes fall closed. Without question meditation had been the Padawan’s great strength in the course of her training so far and the exercise she was about to take part in had already been a staple of her regular practice sessions for some time now. Still she approached the discipline with the same assured focus as ever before, eager to improve and more eager still to honour her master’s teachings.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]There is no emotion, there is peace.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]There is no passion, there is serenity.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]There is no chaos, there is harmony.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]There is no death, there is the Force.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]With her vision dulled the world of her remaining senses was clearer, she heard the steady breathing of the other students, and the distant echoes rendered unfathomable by the labyrinthine temple.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]It was the effort of another moment to turn her thoughts inwards, dismissing the noise of the outside and then focusing only on the sounds of her thoughts, [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]In the absence of light and sound the Padawan was acutely aware of the weight of herself, the chill on her spine and the hardness of the floor beneath her. Slowly with a systematic care she shut out each of the sensations until all that remained in distractions were the scents of the room, the shapes and maps her natural echolocation built in her minds eye and the twin emotions at the heart of her being, the satisfaction and joy at her successes and the fierce, painfully hot, knot of pain that represented the rage she buried at the depths of herself.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]The effort required to subdue the distractions of her sense of smell and space always seemed harder than the other senses, they stuck around and were prone to lead to distractions and disquiet. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Very carefully and slowly she focused on her serenity, the point within her mind’s eye she cleared for the focus of her meditations. She pictured the crystal in that empty space and though she could not see it with her eyes she knew its shape intimately in her mind’s eye. With the littlest mote of effort she split the crystal and watched its form part to reveal the intricate pathways within. With this stage complete, Tia managed to cast aside the shape of the outside world from her mind, [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Know came the final stage (the most dangerous step she had always imagined). Left alone once again with only her deepest thoughts and feelings. Only two things stood to bar her path to tranquility in this space within her mind. Rage and Joy.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Both were equally dangerous in this place, one likely to shatter her peaceful emptiness, the other oft to distract from her focus. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]There is no emotion, there is peace.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]There is no passion, there is serenity.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]There is no chaos, there is harmony.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]There is no death, there is the Force.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]The mantra came unbidden to her thoughts once more, and in she felt the jagged white hot shape of her rage in the pit of her stomach. Repeating the mantra she closed her mind around the emotion, feeling the painful burden begin to cool. As she doused her rage in the focus she felt the edges of its shape soften, before dissipating and shattering like a crystal, its shards dissolving into the furthest reaches of her psyche.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]With only the exuberant energy of joy and satisfaction remaining Tia allowed herself a moment to dangle there, on the edge of serenity. A second to enjoy the power she held here, before she cast the emotions away and floated into the emptiness that remained.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]There is no emotion, there is peace.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]There is no ignorance, there is knowledge.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]There is no passion, there is serenity.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]There is no chaos, there is harmony.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14.6667px]There is no death, there is the Force.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Immediately the new sensations arrived, the churning, flowing, pulsing tides of the force around her, with the lightest touch she sent out a measure of her own calm and stillness into the roiling tides of the force energy and watched it lap around the other shapes becoming ever clearer in her mind’s eye. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]She felt her masters warm presence acutely, and recognised it immediately. And then the shapes of other forms resolved. Eight, each unique in strength and form and flavour. Some guarded from her, others open, if she chose to look closer.[/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Time felt meaningless here, what had seemed like the most titanic effort to reach this place had in fact taken mere seconds, in this place a minutes contemplation could feel like an hour, or a days could pass by in what seemed like minutes. [/SIZE]

[SIZE=14.6667px]Tia returned her thoughts to within herself, to the peaceful void she had returned to time and time again. [/SIZE]

[member="Corvus Raaf"] | [member="Ryiah Tenriem"] | [member="Togo"] | [member="Nen Katoa"] | [member="Dune Rhur"] | [member="Raya-Tat"] | [member="Ryker Tal'verda"] | [member="Ben Corscifine"]

 

[Nen Katoa]

Nen took the crystal in his palms, and began concentrating. At first it was hard to stop thinking of everything. It wasn't as easy as he had anticipated. The more he tried to stop the flow of memories, the more they came back. Most memories were happy ones in his life, as he had no real troubled life. But there were sad ones too. Times when he had witnessed his parents sadness, and simply didn't know why. Nen thought that if only he could've helped them back then, they wouldn't have been sad for whatever reason they were.

But he had to forget all that now. He was here, training among other Jedi to become stronger. Perhaps one day he would return to his home planet and visit his parents. Until then, he would continue his training. Nen inhaled and exhaled, taking deep breaths. Finally, Nen would clear his mind, and focus solely on the force.

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Togo"] [member="Dune Rhur"] [member="Tia'Ilandra Shaasa"] [member="Ben Corscifine"]
[member="Ryiah Tenriem"] [member="Raya-Tat"]

 

[Corvus Raaf]

They were having mixed success – and for some reason Corvus had a song stuck in her head and it wouldn’t shake.

But they’d learned the basic theory of Meditation.

“Practice and practice alone will improve your depth of Meditation and the time taken to reach the state. But you all…well most of you…have got the hang of it.”

She was pleased a few of her own Padawans had made the class. Some new and some less new.

Corvus decided now was the time to take this to the next step.

“Next we'll consider Emptiness. Not to be confused with any other Ability, this is a Control-based Force power.”

“You must further empty your minds and allow the Force to flow through you, entering a deep meditation. You will become oblivious to your surroundings, and would hunger and dehydrate as normal. Individuals in states of Emptiness are difficult to detect in the Force, and Force powers directed at you would have little or no effect. Entering a state of Emptiness clears and strengthens your connection to the Force, allowing you greater control for a limited period of time after exiting it. I used it to good effect on Kashyyyk as I awaited the oncoming Sith."

 

[Ben Corscifine]

"Emptiness."

It sounded simple enough, which is probably what made it difficult. Ben was already having mixed success with entering a basic trance. Emptying himself completely, which was definitely a next step, not a separate process, sounded like a little more than he could muster at the moment. Then, one final thought occurred to Ben:

What if it really is as simple as it sounds?

His eyes still shut, he put his attention on the focusing crystal and slowly took in and let out breath. He made no attempt to push anything, simply allowing himself to breathe and do nothing else. The Force was all around him, it flowed through him and every Jedi in this room. He didn't have to do any work to feel it; it simply was there. Perhaps, Ben considered silently, the Force could do the work for him.

The Force is an ally, not a weapon...

One uses a weapon, and trusts an ally. Perhaps meditation was simply a matter of trust as well.

Slowly, but surely, Ben let go of his conscious tendency to check his own progress. If only for this once, he felt his weight--physical and emotional--sinking in the stream of energy all around him...

Corvus Raaf | Ryiah Tenriem | Togo | Nen Katoa | Dune Rhur | Raya-Tat | Ryker Tal'verda | [member="Tia'Ilandra Shaasa"]

 

[Dune Rhur]

[member="Corvus Raaf"] [member="Ben Corscifine"] [member="Nen Katoa"] [member="Tia'Ilandra Shaasa"]

Emptiness.

Not a lack of something, but rather, a chance to fill it. The beginning, not the end. Many beings told old stories of creation. Their worlds sprang forth from emptiness. The blank page in a book, ready for an author.

The thought made him smile. He wasn't afraid of the silence of the beginning, instead it thrilled him. In his mind were images of the nothing before a star was born. The most primal kind of creation in all of the known universe. He didn't think about it but he experienced it. It felt like the Force....

 

[Corvus Raaf]

[member="Ryiah Tenriem"] | [member="Togo"] | [member="Nen Katoa"] | [member="Dune Rhur"] | [member="Raya-Tat"] | [member="Ryker Tal'verda"] | [member="Ben Corscifine"] | [member="Tia'Ilandra Shaasa"]

Spoiler

Gentle bump

 

[Raya-Tat]

Raya was listening to the grandmaster speak while she was letting her her mind empty of thoughts even the song in it as she suspected someone was hearing her before she moved a little. "Understood grandmaster... I mean Corvus." She offered a smile but went back to being focused and clear minded. The feeling of her body relaxing while the scents all around came to her while she was breathing in. Deeply she focused before her stomach rumbled a little from hunger and she wanted to keep focused as her tail swished a little in excitement while she continued to push through with the meditation of emptiness.