One of the very first lines in the prequels centers on Qui-Gon’s insistence about being mindful of the “Living Force.” While the Jedi Council often seem fixated on the distant past or uncertain future, the Living Force is by contrast grounded in the present moment, the “here and now,” the only reality we can truly know. As such, it is also steeped in flashes of intuition, focused spontaneity, as well as an empathy with and deep connection to all beings.
That, my Padawans, if the first lesson I will teach you. The living Force is that which surrounds our daily actions as we are carrying them out. The Jedi Council of old was very centered on that belief that the living Force controls what we do. This belief was not explored as much in the New Jedi Council, which existed from the time of the Yuuzhan Vong war onward.
The living Force seems to explain Anakin Skywalker's presence in the Jedi meeting room when he was nine. He had an exceptionally high midichlorian count and Shmi said that he had no father. The general idea is that the Force was Anakin's father, therefore the name living Force. The living Force is that which, as The Star Wars Heresies explained, surrounds us during our daily lives.
In our next lesson we will travel to the living world of Zonama Sekot, in the Unknown Regions, for a lesson on the unifying Force. Get ready to jump to hyperspace!
