FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mary Alice Howard, Social Media & Publicity Specialist | (630) 229-3104 | publicist@loyolapress.com
CHICAGO, February 6, 2024 — In his latest book, My Life with the Jedi, award-winning author Eric Clayton takes readers on a galactic journey that uses key principles of Ignatian spirituality to inspire readers to use characters, places, and themes from Star Wars to make sense of their own spiritual lives.
Eric Clayton, a life-long Star Wars fan, is the deputy director of communications at the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States where he focuses on producing content that invites audiences to reflect on how to integrate Ignatian spirituality in their everyday lives. Marrying his two passions in My Life with the Jedi seemed an obvious choice given the popularity of Star Wars and creator George Lucas's documented interest in comparative religions and mythologies.
"Star Wars oozes spirituality," Clayton writes. "[This] mythic tail invites us to look inside ourselves, weigh the light and the dark found therein, and discover our own place in this great big galaxy... Everyone gets to see their own spiritual journey reflected back to them through Star Wars."
A student of Ignatian spirituality, a lens through which to understand the Catholic faith, Clayton unpacks the spirituality of Star Wars in three parts:
- Part 1: "Naming the Phantom Menace" is an examination of both the forces in our lives that prevent us from embracing new spiritual opportunities, and the forces that might be beckoning us onward but go unheard.
- Part 2: "Engaging the Duel of the Fates" brings the collision of spiritual forces, the Light and the Dark sides of the Force, so to speak, deep into our inner lives.
- Part 3: "Discerning a New Hope" explores the needs of our communities and how we can better serve the common good.
Clayton also shares insights from other spiritual traditions and examples from his own personal adventures with Star Wars. Each chapter ends with a "Wayfinder Exercise:" a modified form of the Examen prayer to help readers connect the spiritual lessons in Star Wars with their daily lives.
My Life with the Jedi is available February 27, 2024.
For interviews with Eric Clayton, contact Mary Alice Howard, Social Media & Publicity Specialist, publicist@loyolapress.com.
This book is not endorsed, approved, or affiliated with George Lucas, Lucasfilm Ltd., or The Walt Disney Company. The views expressed are solely those of the author. "Star Wars™" is a registered trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. and The Walt Disney Company.
About the Author
Eric A. Clayton is the award-winning author of Cannonball Moments, a prolific writer on pop culture and spirituality, and the deputy director of communications at the Jesuit Conference of Canada and the United States. In this role, he writes the weekly column “Now Hear This” on Ignatian spirituality and storytelling. He is also a frequent contributor to Dork Side of the Force. May the 4th is a holiday his family observes without fail.
About Loyola Press
Loyola Press embraces the Jesuit passion for helping people find God in all things. We continue the Jesuit tradition of excellence and service by providing inspiring content for children and adults and by being people for others.
My Life with the Jedi
by Eric A. Clayton
February 27, 2024
Loyola Press | $19.99 | Paperback
ISBN: 978-0-8294-5701-8
ISBN: 978-0-8294-5701-8