Why does Yoda grab our attention and comfortably ground us amid uncertainty? Yoda is a symbol of a wise old man, a guiding figure archetype, a teacher or mentor whom we encounter on our life journey. But symbols on the outside mean the same on the inside, for our inner world. If we don’t read the symbols on the outside, we will never transform on the inside.
Yoda is your inner voice, the wise old man within. The voice that guides and grounds you in times of flux and uncertainty, when life is in transition. The Oracle, in the Matrix, plays a similar function as a wise old woman, but with more embracing qualities.
Whether George Lucas did it on purpose or not, Yoda is not just a little green man. Lucas ended up choosing the color of mystics, which makes Yoda a mythical figure, connecting him to many ancient myths, religions and rites.
The Ancient Egyptian god of life and vitality, Osiris, has always been depicted as green-skinned. According to the myth, Osiris was murdered by his brother Seth and then reassembled by his wife, powerful goddess Isis. In some versions of the myth, Isis restores Osiris as the Tree of Life, green and bursting with energy. In others, she herself is the Tree of Life, suckling their son Horus.
Mystical figures in Sufi Islam are always depicted wearing green. Some are guiding figures, sharing secret knowledge and aiding people in the time of distress. In Eastern Christianity, green stands for the mystical triad, the life-giving Holy Trinity. The church is clothed in green vegetation during the Holy Trinity week.
The green Tara, a female consort to the bodhisattva (Buddha-to-be) is green. Matangi, Hindu goddess of music, knowledge and the arts is also green-skinned.
Yoda carries this mystical legacy of green. The green color also makes Yoda one of the most natural and comforting figures amid the high-tech landscape of the Star Wars space opera. But he is there for more than lightsabre fighting. He is there to wake the verdant wisdom within you … a symbol to move us.
Image source: www.observer.com
By Tatiana Tiaynen-Qadir and Ali Qadir
May 14, 2021