Allow Yourself to Evolve

by Matt Johnson

I have been a Star Wars fan since 1980. The first movie I saw in the saga was not the first one in 1977, but “The Empire Strikes Back”. I remember sitting there with my father just marveling at all the special effects. I was absolutely into it and I have been ever since. I went home and got my hands on a children’s storybook version of the first movie so I could understand what had happened in the first movie. 

A short time later, “A New Hope” was re-released to the public and I saw it in the theater. When the film was originally released in 1977, it was just “Star Wars”. Then, when I saw it, it had been renamed “Star Wars: A New Hope” and was now called “Episode 4”. This confused me as a kid and I became convinced for a time that there were lost Star Wars movies out there and I had to find them. 

A few years later, “Return of the Jedi” came out. This was labeled “episode 6”. In this movie, Luke learns that Leia is his twin sister. That certainly threw me and many others off because there was some definite sexual tension in the first two movies between those two and Leia even planted a big kiss on Luke in episode 5. 

I learned much later that George Lucas was ever tinkering with the story. Sometimes, this would even happen on the set of the movie. As George Lucas came up with what he thought were better ideas, he simply changed things. Originally, there was no plan for Luke’s father to be who he was even as they were shooting “The Empire Strikes Back”. 

Later on in the 1990s, Lucas retooled many scenes in the original trilogy to make them look more up to date. Some people really hated this. When he made the prequel trilogy of episodes 1 to 3, he seemed to have more of a laid out plan this time. 

Some people have gotten upset about the Disney sequel trilogy of Star Wars because they feel it was made with almost no plan laid out. I personally think this doesn’t matter. Even if it is the case, they all work together very well. I also believe there are spiritual and practical lessons there to be learned that may or may not have been intentional.

First of all, Lucas intentionally set out to create a new myth for kids to learn that was based off of all religions. I believe that what I have set out to do with my book “Universalism” is the same thing he set out to do with inventing “the Force” and “the Jedi”. There really IS a Force that permeates all living things that you can tap into. Some call it the Universal Mind, the Unified Field, God, the Universe, prana, chi, energy, vibration…doesn’t matter. It is all the same thing. For those of us who know how to use it, it is very real. It is the truth behind all religions. 

Lucas also taught about the importance of choosing light over dark and the importance of being ever vigilant to protect democracy from bad people who would twist it for their own greedy purposes and power. I also believe the contradictions and errors (Luke kissing his sister) are a good lesson regarding religion and holy books. This stuff contains truth, but ultimately it is all made up and you can’t take it literally. You have to read between the lines to find the true message. 

The Disney movies faithfully carry on all the same lessons Lucas taught. I even like how Luke became an angry old man even AFTER achieving enlightenment. How many of us have gone that route? We get so far in our spiritual journey that we are tempted to just check out and not help others along the way because we don’t see the point anymore. We get lost in the idea that everything is a hologram and we just want to go sit on a mountain and bliss out. 

I think it was a VERY cool plot line to have Luke experience that. Ultimately, he becomes a bodhisattva of sorts and gets back in the game helping his friends and family. He uses his great psychic abilities one last time to make a difference for others. That is a powerful lesson as well. 

There are many other lessons in Star Wars, both from the Lucas era and the Disney era. I think they are all fantastic and I enjoy them. 

For a time, I was beating myself up because I have written and rewritten the same book for 6 years. At first, it was called “The Hermeticron”. Then later, it became “The Best News Ever”. There were several updated versions of each. Most recently, I have updated it and renamed it simply “Universalism”. 

My purpose in this incarnation is to spread Universalism as I understand it. Humanity is in desperate need of a spiritual upgrade. This is important not just for ourselves, but for the entire planet Earth. I am not going to change this final version of my book. As you read my blog entries on the “University of Metaphysical Sciences” website, you will see me refer to “The Best News Ever” and you will also notice how my bio changes a bit. I thought about trying to change all that and to hunt down any old versions of my book, but I decided to just write this article instead. 

Lucas, when asked why he made changes to his work, said it was his work and he could do whatever he wanted with it. That really helped me. We are all evolving. Even very advanced people are evolving. Sometimes, we devolve for a bit and then snap out of it like Luke did in “The Last Jedi”. This is all part of the journey called life. Sometimes, Lucas even has said some things I have thought were little out of character and not cool. He later corrected himself. As great as he is ( I believe he is one of the greatest spiritual teachers of all time) he is just a man like myself. He is just a human having his good and bad days like the rest of us. 

If you have a beloved teacher, author or friend that goes in a direction you do not agree with, wait a time with patience. Love them even if their opinions clash with your own or even offend you. Perhaps, someday, they will change. Or perhaps, someday, you will come to agree with them. Hang in there and allow them and yourself to evolve, devolve and then evolve again!

I started my classes with UMS back in 2017. However, I really kicked it into gear to finish them in 2020 thanks to being stuck at home during the pandemic. I have grown in ways I never thought possible because of my studies. I have been challenged and pushed. I did not always agree and that is ok. That helped me to expand my mind. The classes are truly transformative and I believe they will stand the test of time. 

I hope you are enjoying your studies with UMS and my little book. Be kind to yourself and others. Allow each other the space to evolve! 

 

Matt Johnson is a spiritual teacher. His calling in life is to teach humanity the truth behind all truths…Universalism. He teaches this in his book “Universalism” which is available for free online. He is also a graduate of the University of Metaphysical Sciences. You can learn more about him at: https://universalismofficialpage.blogspot.com/