Star Wars is religion. In many ways it could be said that Star Wars is my religion. I grew up in an environment that fostered free thinking and self-determination on metaphysical matters. I was four years old when the film that became "Star Wars Episode I: A New Hope" was released. Not only is seeing "Star Wars" amongst my earliest memories, but the anticipation of seeing Star Wars, because my older brother saw it first, and his reaction led me to believe it was something very special (he was seven). Maybe the greatest thing ever. And when you're four its easy to have your expectations met and even exceeded.
"A New Hope" clearly was a pioneering film in many ways, and amongst its paradigm shifting influences was its highly effective marketing. And it all worked extremely well on me. Star Wars figures and accessories, Star Wars sheets and pillow cases, Star Wars Halloween costumes, Star Wars lunch boxes, and on and on to the Outer Rim. Seriously, one of the primary focuses of my young life was acquiring Star Wars figures, they were like a drug. I still have a special fondness for the particular characters and ships that personally belonged to me, Darth Vader's TIE Fighter, the partial Death Star set with working trash compactor and rubber Diagnoga, a Dewback, Slave-1, etc., etc. Of course they're all gone now, lost or broken. I played constantly with those toys, crafting my own child-logic, miniature, plastic melodramas.
The Star Wars movies created spin-off material and appearances on other programs. I came across an article in my research where the author was moaning, groaning and rabidly snarking over early Star Wars era appearances of R2-D2 and C-3PO on "Sesame Street" and it was clear the individual who wrote the piece did not experience Star Wars as it was happening. The "Sesame Street" appearances obviously weren't crafted for a jaded teen to adult fan audience. It was for little, little kids. They loved it. I was one of them. I loved "The Muppet Show" with R2, 3PO, Chewbacca and Luke (also appearing as Luke's cousin Mark Hamill). I loved the "Star Wars Holiday Special". I would have loved "Droids" except it was on ABC and our antenna couldn't pick up any affiliates. A small part of me died each Saturday morning while it was on the air. In short, I cared a lot more about all things Star Wars as a child then any system recognized as a religion or a philosophy.
Of course Star Wars was not created in a vacuum. it was inspired by many sources. For people of my age and disposition Star Wars led to an interest in the works that informed it as well as the many works that were in turn inspired from it. The first comic book I ever bought for myself was a Marvel Comics Star Wars issue, and it was the first title I ever subscribed to as well. Love of Star Wars led me to Jack Kirby, The Lord of the Rings, Dungeons and Dragons, Joseph Campbell, Akira Kirosawa, et al. Star Wars instilled a love of and passion for the mythic, the epic, the fantastic, the dream-like, the Baroque. It's by no means a straight line, but its safe to say that Star Wars led to my overriding life interests in art history and esoteric symbolism.
I should note that, despite how it may seem while reading this, that I am not a stereotypical Star Wars fanatic, not that there's anything wrong with that. But I haven't bought a Star Wars toy (unless you count video or role playing games) made after 1985. I don't have any posters, I no longer have any of my comic books (unfortunately), I've never been to a convention, I don't speak Huttese. Like many people around my age my youthful Star Wars mania subsided as a teenager (but it never went away). I didn't see Episodes I-III in the theater, something I now regret. When I did see "The Phantom Menace" I was initially disappointed. I harbored mixed feelings towards all three sequels for some time. More recently, especially with my most recent viewings, I've come around on the matter. I'm not quite a prequel-apologist, but I think they're good films. They add new levels of depth to the franchise. My initial reactions were not just wrong but wrong minded.
If you're not sure what I mean by "esoteric symbolism", I use it to refer to symbolism that is hidden, secretive or otherwise not readily apparent. These are my observations and insights, and a lot of what I talk about may not be deemed "canonical". You very well may disagree with me. Sometimes esoteric symbols are purposeful and sometimes they are a matter of happenstance. It's not always possible to tell the difference, and to my way of thinking the intent is not the primary point of interest in most if not all cases. What will become clear, and I hope to make this case, is that George Lucas utilized many story telling techniques in crafting his epics, including occult symbolism to a degree that does not allow for the accidental. This does not necessarily mean that Lucas is an occultist (a term that should in no way be taken as derogatory or accusatory). I can't say one way or the other whether he is or isn't. He likely, as an artist and a storyteller, has an interest in and knowledge of occult symbolism. I have great interest in and some knowledge of occult symbolism, but I'm not an occultist. I'm an esoteric symbolist.
I'm detail oriented by nature. I tend to look into the little nooks and crannies of things that intrigue me. I'm planning to delve into Star Wars on many levels. I'll be dealing a lot with mythological systems of many sorts, religious iconography, and occurrences of synchronicity. Some of the subjects I discuss may read as many as "conspiracy" topics, including Freemasonry, the Knights Templar, Grail Legends, 2012, Alchemy, etc. As Star Wars is an inherently visual topic you can expect many images in my articles, far more then this introductory post would suggest. I'll be jumping right in with my next post. And as we should expect it all starts with a couple of droids.
May the Force be with you, always.
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