I was flipping through some of my mythology books the other day, and I stumbled upon a reference to the Norse frost giant / Chaos deity Loki being referred to as "the Skywalker." Now, I know that the ancients gave epithets to their deities for a variety of reasons, so that might not seem important...but hear me out...there will be cyber cookies at the end*

Chaos deities (i.e. Loki, Set, Samael/Satan, Coyote, & c.) are not evil in and of themselves. They are representations of the uncontrolable forces of Nature - hence the "chaos" part of their title. They also tend to get all the undesirable traits of a society. For example: Set, in many myths and references, is a mean drunk, a womanizer (or impotent depending on the version - hey, he's the "dry god of the desert"), a pedophile, a murderer, et al. In Greek, Set is referred to as Typhon, from which typhoon is derived. Loki also is responsible for the death of the god Baldur and he was the mother of Odin's eight-legged horse Sleipnir (yes, HE was the MOTHER...he just was...don't ask) among other things. Loki controlled the great frosts and winter storms that ruled the Norse winter. The combination of these undesirable traits and the fact that they represent the part of nature that mankind cannot control with any level of technology, tends to make them appear as "evil". And from the point of view of "order" they are evil, because they upset the system. However, they can also serve as a catalyst for change; many of the mystery traditions see these beings as the "Guardians of the Threshold" to elightenment. They are the ones who test those claiming to have great knowledge, spiritual power, and wisdom. Take Satan/Samael (Samael is his name in Hebrew, it means "venom of God") who tested Christ in the desert before the beginning of his ministry; once Christ proved that he knew how to use and not abuse His power and knowledge; Satan immediately departed. His work was finished. Samael also functioned as an angel of death who carried a poisoned sword - the ultimate portion of nature we cannot stop: the end of life. So while not evil in and of themselves, their actions, from the finite point of view of mankind are evil, because mankind cannot see the "big picture" that the infinite sees. (That does not excuse these same acts when performed by humans. In mythology, what is allowed the Gods is not always allowed humanity)

There is enough archaological, linguistic, and literary evidence to strongly suggest that chaos deities were once foreign gods that became part of the dominant pantheon. Ever wonder why Set has pale skin, red hair, and green eyes when his brother Osiris and sisters Isis and Nephthys have dark skin, black hair, and dark eyes? That's the common academic assumption; and as history of religion has taught us, the gods of the old faiths become the devils of the new.

What does this have to do with the GFFA? This: Consider our own Anakin Skywalker as a chaos figure. He was a force of nature that no one could truly control. He came from outside the norms of Jedi society - already too old to begin his training and having formed attachments to both his mother and to Padme. He was rebellious and arrogant. All these qualities have been exemplified, to one degree or another, in other Jedi, but instead of facing their own mirrors truthfully, they lumped all these qualities onto Anakin and the Council - most notably Mace Windu - chose to not trust him.

Now here is where prophetic interpretation gets interesting. Qui Gon Jinn was right: he was the Chosen One who was destined to usher in the balance of the Force. Unfortunately, the Jedi, in their complacency and arrogance assumed that meant maintaining the status quo as they enjoyed it. Too bad for them, they mistook the meaning of "balance" as one of monastic overindulgence in abstinence.

Consider this: the Jedi removed themselves from life. Those worthy to train were taken from their families at a young age, so their only loyalty will be to the Order. This indoctrination from a young age may free them of the difficult emotions of family life; we all know how turbulent dealing with family can be. They also wall themselves up in the Temple or their enclaves, venturing out only to help those they deem worthy of their assistance. They do not allow love or possession. While these two things can lead to jealousy and greed, the fact that all these things: possession, family, love, and some level of autonomy of action are forbidden keeps all Jedi cloistered inside their ivory towers. That is how they maintain balance.

The Buddha taught that balance occurred through walking the "Middle Path." The Oracle of Apollo at Delphi pronounced the best life was one of "nothing to excess." What the Jedi have done is overindulge in abstinence. That is not balance, it is excessive denial of core aspects of humanity. Instead of embracing life, which creates and nurtures the Force, they run from anything that could lead to the Dark Side...(but fear leads to anger...). Ironic that to become one requires a test of courage, and they practice courage by running from life and their own nature.

Enter Anakin. He had already learned to form attachments to family and friends. His fear of losing his mother worried the Council, and that clouded his path in their eyes - he would never be "one of them." His attachment to Padme became love, and that did lead to jealousy. (N.B. I forgot to mention that Set is the origin of the term "green eyed monster" because of his jealousy at both Osiris' rule and his wife Isis.) His arrogance and rebelliosness are traits found in many Jedi (Yoda mentions this in AOTC and Palpatine condemns Yoda for it in ROTS), but instead of facing this and changing, they throw all their faults on him, amplifying his and distancing themselves from him.

Anakin tries to find balance. He tries to be both a Jedi and a husband...a Jedi and a man, if you will. There's a great line in the movie The O]rder where the Sin Eater asks Heath Ledger's character if he's a man, and Ledger replies, "No, I'm a priest." The Sin Eater retorts, "I'm glad you know the difference." Anakin wanted to be both, husband and Jedi Knight. Unfortunately, the system that was in place at the time did not allow for such things. Fearing that he would be expelled and scandal would destroy Padme's career, they hid their relationship, knowing that the secret would ultimately destroy them.

In the Clone Wars special features, Anakin is described as a "solemn force of energy." He is a wave of nature that the Jedi cannot control. Palpatine told him this, using his lies to further the divide between Anakin and the Order. In his own arrogance, Palpatine thought he could control Anakin's power, but that was not to be the case.

The Galactic Civil War ushered in as a result of Anakin's turn is similar to any period of chaos caused when the Chaos deity gets his way - look at Set's rule after he slew Osiris or what happened to Job. However, peace is ultimately restored and the old, dysfunctional order is replaced by a new one. Destruction is merely creation with an agenda. One must be spiritually broken before salvation can be achieved.

Anakin did bring about change and balance. The change, unfortunately, was not what the Jedi wanted. They wanted balance to validate their narrow, dogmatic views of the Force. The Force wanted a new order where the Jedi did not remove themselves from what it meant to be alive. It sought true balance where the Jedi experienced life - and by extension, the Force - to the fullest: it wanted them to love, to have families, to live lives as lives were meant to be lived all the while serving as guardians of peace and justice.

In order for this change to occur, the old dogma had to be destroyed. Anakin's fear at their rejection of him and his marriage led to a secrecy that offered the Sith a chance to flip the balance of power from Light Side to Dark Side. All this did was continue to allow unbalanced energy to dominate the galaxy.

Then another Skywalker showed up. Luke's compassion, which he gained from his mother, allowed him to light a candle for his lost father. And the light of that single candle provided Anakin with enough courage and illumination to see his path and act upon it. He destroyed the Sith and when he died, the last of the Old Jedi died as well. The binary mindset that Yoda failed to instill in Luke (Jedi or Sith..no turning back.) faded into the past, and Luke forged ahead, creating the new order that the Force demanded through this period of chaos: an order where the Jedi loved and married...where they could experience life to its fullest and still be dutiful stewards of their power and responsibility.

It is through this balance that the Jedi learned, or should have learned, that the Dark Side is part of each person. Each person can fall - even those who grow up in the halls of the Jedi Temple and enclaves - if they do not guard their minds, hearts, and spirits for the shadow tendrils of the Dark Side. It does not come openly; it seduces by twisting the noble ideals so that its influence is not seen until it is too late. That is why balance is found neither in abstinence or overindulgence but in moderation. Through moderation one can find the way to let go of attachments that open doors to allow the Dark Side entry.

That is the balance the Force sought: one where the Jedi, the stewards of the Force, neither denied their "human (or whatever species)" nature nor overindulged in anything that make life out of existence. The old order could not see this necessity, as arrogance and complacency blinded them, but it was the period of chaos ushered in through Anakin Skywalker that allowed his son Luke to finally fulfil the prophecy by exemplifying what balance meant - living a life as a man and as a Jedi simultaneously.

May the Force be with you.




*Lord Noctifer is not legally responsible for any claims made to treats. He is a Sith Lord; they lie. Also, cyber cookies may or may not be beneficial to your cyber health. You have been warned. Any attempt at legal action will be futile, as he has liberal arts degrees (that means he has no money).