The Journey of Luke Skywalker by Steven A. Galipeau

Author:Steven A. Galipeau
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780812699432
Publisher: Open Court
Published: 2015-11-29T00:00:00+00:00

Figure 4

A modern artist amplifies the psychology of a modern myth. “Dork Vader” Cartoon by Mike Peters, Mother Goose and Grimm (Los Angeles Times, 31 March 1997). © Tribune Media Services, Inc. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.

Terribly shaken, Luke ponders this invitation as Vader extends his hand to him. Slowly he draws away to the edge of the platform, looks out into the abyss, and lets go. Like Obi-Wan fighting Vader on the Death Star, he trusts in a greater mystery. Letting go and falling into an abyss is highly symbolic. Dreams involving the themes of letting go and falling depict the need to let go of the old ways of doing things in order for more creative and grounded ways of being to emerge.

In A New Hope fate broke the hold of Luke’s father complex, forcing him to leave the life created for him by his uncle, and move on. By choosing now to reject the offer of his power-driven father rather than join him, he alone acts to break the hold of the old dominant complex. He can now take this greatest risk because of his experiences with Ben and Yoda, whose very way of living has given Luke a far more expanded view of reality.

To where does Luke drop? Soon after his loud “primal scream,” he ends up sliding through a large metal chute at the bottom of the abyss. When he comes to a stop, the hatch below him suddenly opens; he drops through it and finds himself hanging precariously on the cross-pole of a weather vane. For the fourth time since he hung in the Wampa cave on Hoth, he is upside down! Symbolically, he descends to the ground of his own being. Throughout this descent, we encounter rebirth imagery: a passage down a “birth canal,” dropped out into the air through an opening in the tunnel, and left hanging precariously in the sky. He’s as vulnerable and alone as a newborn infant. He tries to climb back inside, but the hatch closes and his way back is blocked. He cries out for Ben, but there is only silence. Ben had told him he couldn’t help him if he chose to try and save his friends. Then another name comes across his lips, “Leia. Hear me, Leia.”

Leia, meanwhile, is piloting the Millennium Falcon; she sits in Han’s old seat. Through the Force she hears Luke’s call and realizes they have to go back. “I know where Luke is,” she tells the others. Overcoming the objections of first Chewie and then Lando, she orders Chewie to turn the ship around. Luke’s rescue, symbolically, comes through his turning his attention to the feminine principle. Staying connected to the feminine allows a man to chose alternatives to the grip of a power principle that serves itself but not life’s fullest potential.

While Vader is boarding his shuttle to leave the city and return to his command ship, the Millennium Falcon arrives to pick up Luke. Lando opens the

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.