jensaarai Elements of the Force (Force Sub-Tradition)

[Sreth Bones]

History:

 

According to older teachings known simply as the Elementals, the Force does not in fact come from life, but rather everything, including life, comes from the Force. All things, from the fiery supernovas to the smallest grains of sand, come from the Force. All things that exist have the force flowed into them, and in turn, when things die and are destroyed, they return to the Force. This teaching was absorbed and referenced several times by the Je’daii Order. 

In time, this teaching became a little less literal and more metaphorical. While the belief that these five elements do compose every single thing in the universe, people trained in the Force see that these elements represent certain aspects of the universe, such as sentient life, raw emotion, and peace of mind. This teaching was used to help prospective students of the Force to find a way to understand the Force as something more than an invisible field. This teaching also gave  students an idea on how to control themselves, and provided a language that was easy to catch on. If a person was emotional and rash, people could say that the individual was filled with fire and needed to balance themselves with more water. A wise man would be considered one with the ground while a powerful warrior could be said to know the aspects of the metal in his body and how to use it correctly. 

However, when the Je’daii Order became the Jedi order, this method of teaching was mostly forgotten and pushed to the side to make room for more ‘civilized’ and ‘scientific’ methods of teaching. The fact that the Elementals discussed very little of the light and dark side of the Force made it especially unpopular. A few members of the Jedi did pass the knowledge to their pupils and made several holocrons of their teachings for researchers to study, but for the most part the teachings were forgotten. 

During the Republic Classic Era, a group of Jedi rediscovered the holocrons holding the Elemental Teachings, as they were renamed. These Jedi sought to make a resurgence with the Elemental Teachings, only to be blocked at every turn by the Order. They were told to hand over the holocrons and forget about these ancient ‘barbaric’ teachings. Instead, the group of eight Jedi left the order and set up a temple on Toydaria, a planet where people would not expect to find Jedi. The group died out about two centuries later, for unknown reasons.

This temple remained hidden until the height of the Galactic Empire. The temple and its teachings inside were discovered by a Jensaarai warrior known as Bursa, who was trying to find a base for the Jensaarai to use. Overjoyed at his discovery, he presented his findings to the rest of the Jensaarai, who decided to incorporate it into their own teachings.  They renamed the teachings as “Elements of the Force” and heavily edited them so they would be much easier to incorporate, even adding their own criticisms of other Force traditions and teachings as well as how some of the elements connect with certain Force abilities.  Some sections from the Mireinio Ysbrydol are direct quotes from the Elements of the Force even. However, the Jensaarai also point out that the Elements of the Force are not necessary to understand the Force. Still, they are a useful tool in lessons about the Force, and for those who connect with the elements around them, the Elements is not to be discarded easily. 

The one criticism that the Elements of the Force still receives from outsiders is the entire lack of focus on the Light and Dark side of the Force. While it mentions Ashla and Bogun, it only uses those as examples on how the elements oppose each other. While modern versions of the teachings have criticism of the Jedi and the Sith, they do not explicitly state what is light or dark. However, many Jensaarai point out that by following the teachings and developing a strict code of honor, one will learn the difference between Light and Dark naturally. Whether one uses the elements to protect or to murder depends on the Tradition it is paired with, though the Jensaarai are very keen to direct its students towards protection and not aggression.

 

Rankings:

 

The Elements of the Force is considered a Sub-Tradition. That is to say, by itself it could be a tradition, but it works best when it is paired with another, more accepted tradition, such as the Jedi, the Sith, or the Jensaarai.

    Still, within the teachings of the Elements of the Force, there are rankings. These rankings have their own requirements, as well as include whatever requirement the Force Tradition these teachings are paired with. A person can’t become a Master in Elements of the Force if they have not attained the rank of Master in the Jedi or the rank of Dark Lord in the Sith or Defender in the Jensaarai.  

 

•     Initiate: A person who is being introduced to the Force as well as the very basics of the Elements of the Force. People at this rank know that the force exists as well the names of the five elements and vaguely understand what they represent. 

 

•     Disciple: A person becomes a Disciple of the Elements once they have mastered the basics. They can recite from memory what the elements represent, and have begun to practice all the forms of meditations the Elements include. They have learned at least one Force power that belongs to each element, and have a deep understanding of at least one of the elements. Most Disciples have begun to learn the Elemental Bond force power at this point. 

 

•     Master: A person becomes a Master once they have a deep understanding of all the elements. They have journeyed to the sacred sites of the Elements and practiced the appropriate form of meditation at those sights. In addition, they have made their own private sacred site dedicated to the Ground element (explained in the sacred sites). A Master will usually take up an initiate, usually in the form of an apprentice through the order the Elements are partnered with. 

Teachings: 

Below are the words from the Elements of the Force, as written. 

 

All things are made up of the Force. Life flows from and to the Force. When a creature is born, it is by will of the Force. And when a creature dies, its spirit and essence return to the Force. When you are knitted in the womb, the Force is building you. And when you are decaying in the ground, the Force is receiving you. 

As the Force creates everything, there are five basic elements the Force uses to build all things: Plant, Fire, Ground, Water, and Metal. Depending on how these elements are combined and composed gives everything its form. Because all things are made of these elements, the Force flows through everything. 
Consider the Force like a river. As it flows through the elements into you, it becomes diluted and weakened. There are those who are especially connected with the elements and are especially connected to the Force. As such, they can influence the elements and the Force around them, and allow the Force to flow more freely into them.

From these elements the Force flows through into us, and in turn, we flow back into the Force. Recall how when a being dies, it goes through a series of changes. When their last breath is drawn, the element of Plant leaves them and returns to Plant. Water in the body turns back to Water as the body becomes dry. Fire turns back to Fire again as the body gets cold and still. Metal turns back to Metal so the body loses its strength. The corpse shrinks and does not function. After all this, whether cremated or buried or simply rotting down, the remains go back to the Ground. The bonds that connect the body will scatter and break apart. As the body returns to the elements, the elements return to the Force.

Just like how the Force is both Ashla and Bogun and opposes itself, so too are the elements. Particular elements oppose each other. Fire, as Bogun, and Water, as Ashla, attempt to destroy each other, as do the Ashla Plant and the Bogun Metal. Only Ground is both Ashla and Bogun. That is not to say these elements are inherently good nor evil. Peace of mind can be used for mass slaughter by cunning generals, and emotions can give rise to courageous acts of martyrdom. Life can be both healthful as medicine, and as deadly as a virus. Good and evil must be determined by a strict code of honor, one that does not bend easily, nor changes from situation to situation. 
 

The Elements: 

 

PLANT:

 

Plant is the element of life incarnate. All that grows, matures, and develops over time has Plant in it. From the smallest of reproductive germs to the largest of space dwelling monsters, you can find Plant. It is not restricted to just organic beings, for even beings like the Shards, the Tsils and the Vaathkree can draw from the Force. 

Plant is also the element of sentience and thought. To create ideas, to develop plans, and to be sentient  is to draw from the element of Plant. Freedom comes directly from this element, and to restrain the Plant element in another being is to damage how the Force interacts with them. 

 

All light siders draw from this element. It is easiest to feel the effects of the Force from this element due to the fact that freedom and sentience come from it. Dark siders must grudgingly draw from Plant however, for to affect other beings, you must acknowledge how the force uniquely exists in all things. Many dark siders try to pervert this element, and as such, pervert the Force, while light sided users, such as the Jedi, wish to let Plant exist freely. Recall how the Sith Alchemists of Korriban used Plant to mutate prisoners into deadly, mindless Sithspawn. And how when Jedi Master Kaara rescued those prisoners and used Force Healing and medicines to bring them back to sanity.

To meditate on Plant, place yourself where there is life. Whether it is a thick forest, a grassy plains, or even a busy street, as long as there is life around you. Feel the life around you. Connect with all that is around you. Be one not with just your thoughts, but with the thoughts of those around you. Start small, with feeling the blades of grass under your feet, and grow from there. 

Use this element to connect with other beings around you. Feel how their presence and yours are similar. You both think and have independent stories. You and everyone around you has Plant inside. You both live and draw from the Force, and will eventually return to it. This connection binds all living things together. 

Tricks such as telepathy, illusions, mind-affection and healing, are but the weakest uses of this element. You can use plant to harm and inflict damage. Darth Vishna discovered this when she utilized plant to drain the very life and thoughts out of Jedi Knight Arrauch on Coruscant in an attempt to save herself. Plant however can also be used in more passive and beneficial ways. Plant can be used to aid healing the flesh, or to trick the enemy into not seeing or remembering you. Recall how Jedi Master Jensho, running from a group of bounty hunters, created a vision of a rancor charging towards her pursuers to momentarily frighten them away.
 

FIRE:

Fire is the element of passion and emotion. All that you feel, from the joy of helping another being to the rage at being hurt, comes from the element of Fire. To be lost in rage or depression is to be consumed by Fire, and as such, it must be carefully controlled.  However, it is not to be avoided. Happiness, joy, and excitement draw from Fire, and thus the Force, just as much as anger and sadness do. 

Fire is also the element of energy. From it, a person can draw enormous power and fuel for their bodies. Recall how an angry man can strike quickly and with more muscle then he could when he is calm. Fire enhances the other elements and can grant access to powers impossible without Fire. Lightning, combustion, and redirection can come from this element if properly trained. Defender Saava utilized all of these abilities while saving the Ithorians on the Green Hand  from the starweird, able to feel the pain the Ithorians had suffered and channel her own righteous fury into energy to stun the monster. 

But with these uses, there must be careful application. There is a difference between burning down a fortress with enemy soldiers and burning a senator's home with innocent civilians. You do not kill with the stun settings of a weapon, but instead force your target to halt. The same is with Fire and your emotions. A moment of pain can clarify many things, as Defender Reek discovered when he used Fire from his body to stun and shock the nerves of his apprentice lost in a rage. Had Defender Reek gone a moment longer however, it wouldn’t have been about stunning his apprentice, but killing. Thankfully, his intent was benevolent and his own anger did not drive him further. 

To meditate on Fire, find a place where you can easily call up emotions without distraction, but also a place that is warm to the touch. A fireplace, an observation deck facing a star, or a smelting forge will do. Start by calling up happy times in your life. Laugh at the jokes that come to you, chuckle at the celebrations you have partook in. Then let this happiness die down to sadness. Concentrate on the losses you have experienced. Feel the injustices you have witnessed. Then let anger flow into you. Do not be ashamed of this feeling, nor do not let it overflow. Rather, follow where your anger flows, and understand that what it targets is something you must deal with in time. Call your anger back, and douse it with understanding. Repeat these steps until you can call up any emotion in an instant, as well as put it away without worry.  

Use this element to accomplish great deeds and to connect with others around you who are in pain. Draw power from Fire, but keep in mind how fire is a deadly element. Those who use fire to kill often call upon fire to create storms of lighting or pillars of fire to burn everything around them. If not controlled, it can consume the user, as many dark siders discover. Recall how many sith, consumed by anger, lose most of their bodies and have to implant more metal to replace what was lost.  Fire must be restrained, used with careful consideration, such as by summing a flame to bring heat in the dead of cold, or to absorb an energy blast from hitting a friend. Fire is an element to not be feared, but respected. Without fire, one grows cold and apathetic to the world around them. 
 

GROUND: 

Ground is the element of balance. It is stable and comforting. It is both light and dark. At its core, it is the closest to what the Force actually is. Force users who often draw from this recognize that the force is much bigger than anything they can comprehend. They witness the majesty and pure power of the Force. When a person becomes connected to everything, they recognize this element easily if not by name. For this reason, Ground is the most important element to learn about. Through Ground will a wise man experience what the Force truly is with none of its illusions.

 

Ground is also the element of reality. There are no falsehoods in Ground. There is only what is and isn’t. There is no future, nor past. There is only now. There are no what ifs. Only what can be done and what is truly impossible. There are facts and nothing else. Out of all the elements, those who focus on the Ground element are the most literal and blunt students, like Defender Mudhorn, who was never deceived by lies nor Force tricks, even when with the witches on Dathomir. 

The element of Ground also represents wisdom and knowledge. Unlike Plant, which represents thought, or water, which represents calmness, Ground is factual. It is said that people who are older and closer to death are often wiser because they are closer to the Ground. 

Meditate on the element of Ground by balancing yourself, both physically and mentally. Find a place where balance of body is difficult but not impossible. A stump, a narrow rod, or a shaky rooftop. Place yourself on it without falling and bend your mind to the realities of the world around you. Practice the stances of the other elements without falling, recognizing that despite how all the elements fight each other, they are all needed to bring balance. 

 

Use the element of Ground as a way to balance yourself, mentally and physically. Draw from it to recognize how truly great the Force is, and how many concepts of it are only fractions of the big picture. Realize how there is a reality that you are a part of, and use Ground to help recognize that reality. From Ground you can find ways to balance your pain with comfort. Your presence can be easily hidden when it is balanced with your environment.  And due to its relation to reality, space itself folds to the element of Ground, if you can draw enough from it. Defender Glerg first realized this when, while gathering information, moved through solid durasteel to avoid notice by Hutt gangsters on Tatooine. 

 

WATER:
Water is the element of peace and serenity. Even when moving, Water is at rest inside of itself. It is simultaneously in action while perfectly still. To draw from water is to draw from the calm. To allow your mind to be still, and to have no emotion troubling you allows you to draw from the element of Water. 

Water is also the element of vision, both outward and inward. It is the element that reveals your inner most desires and fears. When drawing from the element of water, you will see your own flaws as well as the state of others around you. When your mind is calm and still, you will often see things that can save your life. 
Many people who see the future, especially Jedi, often draw from this element. However, the most clever sith generals do not dismiss this element easily. A person who chooses not to learn from Water is often brash and unthinking. They do not plan ahead, nor learn from the past. However, to focus exclusively on this element will leave one cold, unable to bond with the world around them. Recall how at the height of the Jedi Order before the clone wars, they were unable to care about how the galaxy was shaping around them until war broke out. 

Meditating on Water requires patience and stillness. Find a secluded spot, one where the distractions will not be easily accessible. Hold several ounces of purified water in your hand as you let your mind go blank. If no water is available, find another liquid that you can hold in your hands without distraction. Listen to the stillness around you. Notice how when you move, the water shifts but ultimately is calm. Feel how the water tries to match your own temperature. Be like the water. Let your mind become blank and serene.

Use Water to calm yourself, and to think ahead through all situations. Feel the water in you and how, even during chaos, it is still. Let that stillness spread to your eyes, and see perfectly. If you can draw enough from Water, you can even help others become still, whether by choice or not. Darth Leerak, once Jedi Knight Tal, first began his descent when he utilized Water to slow his prisoner’s body and cloud the mind to make escape impossible. Do not grow cold like Leerak. Be more like Defender Mynock, who when investigating an illegal mining operation, tricked the minds around him by making them think he was a simple worker. Remember how angry you felt when a wrong was done against you. Recall how it can feel to suffer under the Force. The end never justifies the means. 

 

METAL: 
Metal is the element of strength. It can be both raw or refined. Your muscles and bones draw from this element. Metal is powerful by itself and needs little to continue functioning. Warriors work on their bodies to constantly purify the metal in them, making themselves stronger and stronger. 

It is also the element of willpower and determination. Metal allows a person to restrain themself, and to hold back on their thoughts. Like a bar of durasteel, a person who draws from Metal is unflinching and determined. A person can focus on a task and power through, no matter what is happening around them.  
 Both Jedi and Sith often draw from this element to make their movements quick and strong. It has a unique bond with the element of Fire, for together strength becomes liquid and adjustable. A person who is in rage can bend the metal in themself for greater purpose. 

However, focusing solely on Metal without regard to the other elements can be costly. Think about how a droid functions. It is determined and focused on its programming. It is strong and able to accomplish great feats. But without Plant, it is unthinking and non sentient, and doomed to follow orders forever. 

To focus on Metal, follow a strict structure of training. Whether it is practice of swords, blasters, or muscles, do training exercises that will not only exhaust you, but push you to your peak performance. During all this, feel the pain that courses through your body. Feel the adrenaline that flows through your veins. But most importantly, focus on the training regime before you, and do not break the rhythm you develop. Only then will your Metal be purified. When your metal is purified, it is much easier to use in times of trouble to accomplish astonishing feats. 

Abilities such as speed, strength, and telekinesis come from this element. Defender Tokin of Kalee was a master of Metal, training his muscles every day in strict rituals. This granted him abilities like Force Wave and Force Weapon to defend himself on his homeworld in an attempt to stop two warring tribes. However, he never allowed his thoughts to become too rigid and automatic, as he refused to develop the ability of choking his opponents with the Force, nor did he kill a single Kaleesh during the battle of Dragon's Tooth. Instead, he utilized Ymladd Heb Arfau and stunned each combatant. 

Edited September 11, 2020 by Sreth Bones
Additions of meditations and spelling mistakes