Lesson 5 – Part 2: Experiential and Emotional Dimension
Original journal entry from July 22, 2025 – Response to Lesson 5: Introduction to Religion (Part 2: Experiential and Emotional Dimension). This was my reflection on the felt, emotional ways I connect with the Force/God — through nature, daily intuition, physical practices, corporate settings, music, and a personal healing that transformed my introversion into openness to people.
In many parts of my writing, I have talked about my spiritual experiences, relationship with God, and my belief in how everything has been created by God, including the Force. A lot of this writing has really challenged me to dig deeper and think about what I really believe. There are things I have seen that I cannot see, and there are things that I have experienced that I cannot un-experience. However, what I have been learning here and I have been seeing unfolding is a belief where God uses the Force to do things in the world and in me and around me. The Force is one way of connecting the spiritual with the physical.
When I think about how I connect with the Force, I think of that feeling when I’m out in nature, and I feel connected to my surroundings, it makes me feel alive and content. Or standing by the ocean, and watching the waves, smelling the smell of the sea, hearing the rhythmic sound of the waves, I feel connected to my surroundings, connected to the flow of the Force. Even on the most normal day, doing the most mundane task, I can sense a connection through the Force to my surroundings, even what some people might call intuition, being able to anticipate the next thing about to happen, like a choreographed dance that has already been planned ahead of time.
There are also ways that I have experienced being more intentional in connecting with the Force, such as meditating on the flow of the Force and discerning where it is directing. With that in mind, I have discovered that practicing movements with a lightsaber can be a form of meditating on the Force as well. Or intentionally seeking the influence of the Force to show me which color my lightsaber is and why. Breathing exercises or breathing meditations have been great ways to connect with the Force as well, and being aware of the flow of the Force within the body and bodily processes, how it flows through me and around me.
As an introvert, most of my life, I tended to stay away from large crowds as much as possible. I do need to insert here that something has changed, a spiritual healing has taken place over the last 3 to 5 years, where as a byproduct this introvertedness and being shy has pretty much evaporated. Somehow, I am now a people person.
Having said that, as I look back, I see a pattern of feeling connected with the Force, and with those around me when I am in a corporate setting, such as a worship service, concert, or sports event. There is something about bringing groups of people together, who are all focused on the same thing, that brings a feeling of connectedness, to the Force and through the Force, and to each other. One of the ways that I like to describe that feeling is to say, “the air is electric” or “the air is on fire.“ it’s the same feeling I get when I am listening to songs like “Where the streets have no name,” by U2, or “I am your beloved,” by Bethel, and I get goosebumps all over my body and just the feeling of how the sounds and rhythms connect with my spirit. It is the Force that makes this connection.
Where the streets have no name by U2
https://youtu.be/GzZWSrr5wFI
I am your beloved by Bethel Music
https://youtu.be/BaBsx3COdQM
Umalohókan
House of Twin Suns
TM: Carlos Martinez
"You don't have to see the whole staircase just to take the first step."
(Signature links to IP Journal, Apprentice Journal, A.div Journal, and Degree Tracker omitted for brevity — these were forum navigation links at the time.)
The following user(s) said Thank You: RosalynJ
Looking back now: This entry captures the felt, emotional side of connecting with the Force — from nature's aliveness and daily intuition to worship energy, music-induced goosebumps, and a profound personal healing from introversion to openness. It shows how the program helped me experience the Force as alive and relational in both solitary and communal moments.