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  1. In Memory of LAJ_FETT: Please share your remembrances and condolences HERE

Star Wars and the Tree of Life (Original Trilogy)

Discussion in 'Star Wars Saga In-Depth' started by Thoth093, Mar 10, 2005.

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  1. Thoth093

    Thoth093 Jedi Youngling

    Registered:
    Mar 10, 2005
    Here's an ancient post I sent once to a Kabbalah discussion group I'm a member of. For those unfamiliar, Kabbalism is originally a Hebrew form of mysticism that has since been co-opted by a variety of types ranging from Christian mystics to ceremonial magicians.

    I tend to work in the "hermetic" form of Kabbalah, so I make no claims that this reflects any orthodox Jewish interpretation. If you want a further introduction to some of the concepts, then I suggest Colin Low's faq at:

    http://www.digital-brilliance.com/kab/faq.htm

    The truly intrepid can slog through his brilliant but long introduction to Hermetic Kabbalah at:

    http://www.digital-brilliance.com/kab/nok/index.htm

    All this said, here's the essay:

    Star Wars and the Tree of Life

    I've been on a Joseph Campbell trip recently. Campbell was always talking about Star Wars as part of our new mythology. I've been thinking about this, being quite a Star Wars fan, especially in my youth.

    Therefore, as mentioned in a previous post, here are my Star Wars Tree of Life associations with some relatively brief explanations. Note that these are the
    positions of the aforementioned characters AFTER Return of the Jedi ends. This is where they end up when it's all said and done.

    You'll note that the three characters I've chosen to represent the Supernal Triad, Anakin, Obiwan and Yoda, are all dead. Does this mean that George Lucas believes you have to be disincarnate to achieve ultimate Wisdom and Understanding? It's an interesting point of debate.

    Here are the associations:

    Malkuth: Chewie. Of all the characters, Chewbacca is the most earthy in nature. Although he is sentient, Chewie still has a very animal nature, ruled by many almost instinctual behaviors. He doesn't really grow or evolve in the course of the films. He's always just plain Chewie. And yet, on his homeworld, Wookies live very much in deep harmony with nature, again reflecting their connection to the Sephiroth of earth. (In the original draft for ROTJ, Endor was supposed to be a planet of Wookie slaves. I would have enjoyed that much more.)

    Yesod: Lando Calrissian. With Lando, nothing is ever as it seems. He is the head of Cloud City, and we all know that having one's head in the clouds is a synonym for daydreaming. Lando spends much of his time in the films deceiving one side of the rebellion or the other. While it is apparent he achieves some personal growth in his decision to help rescue his friend Han Solo and in the heroic assault on the second Death Star, once again he's a character that doesn't seem to grow all THAT much. It's possible that he is on the brink of truly entering the realms of Hod and Netzach in a more free manner, but his constant deception and apparent inability to be honest with even himself places him fairly confidently in the realm of Yesod, the sphere of the imagination and the beautiful deceptions of the Treasure House of Images.

    Hod: R2D2. In the realm of logic, intelligence, thought and conventional wisdom, R2D2 reigns supreme. In contrast to his droid counterpart C3P0, R2 always keeps a cool head and has a ready solution for any situation his band of rebel friends may find themselves in. Artoo often knows the answers when other characters do not -- and if he doesn't have the answers handy, he at least knows how to get them -- and he continually keeps a cool, logical head resting firmly upon his mechanical shoulders. Although he obviously experiences emotions, he rarely allows them to get the better of him, instead rising to the occasion with logic and a highly capable and creative "mind."

    Netzach: C3P0. I find it significant that the two droids, purely mechanical devices, represent two very different sephiroth most often associated with purely human qualities. In contrast to his traveling companion R2D2, C3P0 is almost entirely ruled by his emotions, often to the detriment of his friends in the rebellion. Unable to stay calm in even the most minor of crisis situations, Threepio represents emotion almost totally devoid of logic. He ranges from ch
     
  2. Darth-Seldon

    Darth-Seldon Jedi Grand Master star 6

    Registered:
    May 17, 2003
    This has to be a discussion of the characters of both trilogies because this forum is designed to have cross-trilogy discussions.

    If this is only an original trilogy, discussion then it belongs in that forum.

    http://boards.theforce.net/Classic_Trilogy/b10002/



    -Seldon
     
  3. Katana_Geldar

    Katana_Geldar Jedi Grand Master star 8

    Registered:
    Mar 3, 2003
    Thoth, I'd welcome your comments in the Tarot thread as I know how it is linked with the Tree of Life
     
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