“May the Force be with you”

In times like these it’s natural to think about the regions beyond in terms of energetics: “May the Force be with you.” What distinguishes this saying from “May God be with you” is that it uses an energetic word; but most people will feel that Force means some Higher Power. Power, of course, is another energetic word.

In an earlier post I’ve pointed to the widespread use of this kind of reference in many cultures using equivalent words (here): chi, prana, baraka. The western form of this is grace.

Grace is not experienced in the same way by all individuals—or the same individual at all times. If it were we would think of it much as we think of life. We’ve got it while we’re living. Therefore this kind of energy is of a special, subtle kind—and what we do (or don’t do) can increase its experienced presence in us. It may be thought of as everywhere present, and to the same degree, but not always accessible.

The teaching of the cultures agree to this extent. Concentration of a certain kind produces the experience of grace; and when it is felt, it is transformative. The concentration must come from a freely willed decision—which makes it different in kind. Meditation, prayer, attention to some things, detachment from others—and carried on not for pragmatic reasons but in order to be transformed. In the Catholic doctrine, for instance, sanctifying grace attends salutary acts and the state of holiness. The acts are tied to mindfulness; they produce a state—of receptivity.

No word, however subtle its initial reference may have been, is protected from abuse. De Gaulle famously claimed that he had baraka when addressing the Algerians—thus using the word in a political context. Grace is available as a description for pleasing movements in dance or skating. But the human intuition knows full well that something, call it magical, is at work here. Does it matter whether or not we trace it back to a divine source and fit it into an organized religious system? It matters for some. But if we stay with the energetic terminology, it suffices to remember that energy is intimately connected with doing work. The word derives from the Greek ergon, meaning just that. And in that context I recall one of the short sayings of Laura Huxley’s, in You Are Not the Target: It works— if you work.