David G. Allan is the Editorial Director for CNN's Features sections. This essay is part of a column called The Wisdom Project, a series on applying to one's life the wisdom and philosophy found everywhere, from ancient texts to pop culture. The views expressed in this commentary are solely those of the author.
(CNN)The way I feel about the Star Wars films is akin to religious fervor, speaking to something deeper in me than their cultural populism might suggest.
Photos: 'Star Wars': An epic is born
Photos: 'Star Wars': An epic is born
The original 1977 "Star Wars" starred Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia and Harrison Ford as the swashbuckling Han Solo. Almost 40 years later, Disney has announced that an anthology film about Solo's origins -- a solo Han Solo film, so to speak -- is in the works and will be overseen by "Lego Movie" directors Christopher Miller and Phil Lord. Click through the gallery to see the growth of the "Star Wars" universe.
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Photos: 'Star Wars': An epic is born
Luke attempts to master the lightsaber, from the original "Star Wars." The young Luke was encouraged to "use the Force" to improve his feel with the weapon.
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Photos: 'Star Wars': An epic is born
The Jedi Temple was located on the planet Coruscant and served as the training facility for the Jedi Order. It was later destroyed and rebuilt in cycles indicating the changing politics of the universe.
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Photos: 'Star Wars': An epic is born
"Star Wars" was a phenomenon upon release in May 1977, with lines around the block (in the days when theaters were largely located on city blocks). Here, people line up in New York to see the film, which soon became the highest-grossing film of all time -- a record it held until "E.T." took its place five years later.
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Photos: 'Star Wars': An epic is born
Much of the original "Star Wars" played like a throwback to old pulp flicks, with Han Solo and Princess Leia providing the witty repartee. Chewbacca the Wookiee and android C-3PO were along for the ride.
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Photos: 'Star Wars': An epic is born
Film editor Marcia Lucas with her then-husband, director George Lucas, editing "Star Wars." The film gave George Lucas the power to call shots in Hollywood -- influence he used to do everything from market video games to produce films for one of his heroes, Japanese director Akira Kurosawa.
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Photos: 'Star Wars': An epic is born
Myth scholar Joseph Campbell's book "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" inspired George Lucas in creating the "Star Wars" universe.
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Photos: 'Star Wars': An epic is born
Obi-Wan Kenobi, played by Alec Guinness in "Star Wars," was the noble warrior who helped guide young Luke Skywalker.
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Photos: 'Star Wars': An epic is born
Darth Vader, the villain of "Star Wars," and Obi-Wan Kenobi battle in the original film. Vader's life is explored in the second "Star Wars" trilogy, starting with 1999's "The Phantom Menace."
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Photos: 'Star Wars': An epic is born
Yoda, here seen in "The Empire Strikes Back," is a wise and powerful Jedi Master who takes over Luke Skywalker's training. His voice was provided by Muppet great Frank Oz.
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Photos: 'Star Wars': An epic is born
C-3PO, left, and R2-D2 are the loyal droids who serve as companions to various "Star Wars" characters. They're somewhat based on two characters from Kurosawa's film "The Hidden Fortress," a key "Star Wars" influence.
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Photos: 'Star Wars': An epic is born
Members of the "Star Wars" fan club celebrate May 4 ("Star Wars Day") in front of the Colosseum in central Rome. Why May 4? It's related to a pun on "May the Force be with you" -- "May the Fourth be with you."
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Photos: 'Star Wars': An epic is born
"Star Wars" creator and filmmaker George Lucas at Disney's Hollywood Studios theme park. Lucas sold his Lucasfilm empire to Disney in 2012 for $4 billion.
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Photos: 'Star Wars': An epic is born
The newest "Star Wars" film -- "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens" -- is due at the end of 2015.
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Both Harrison Ford, as Han Solo, and Peter Mayhew, as Chewbacca, are returning for "Star Wars: Episode VII - The Force Awakens."
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"The Force Awakens" cast, along with droids, executive producer Kathleen Kennedy and director J.J. Abrams, appeared at the Star Wars Celebration fan convention in April.
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Fans gathered at the official Star Wars Celebration event in Anaheim, California, in April.
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The canon is deeply spiritual when one examines its themes, or more narrowly, the monk-ninja Jedi way of life. It's also Abrahamic in its Old Testament dichotomy of good versus evil, dark side versus light. The mystical Force alone is a transcendental concept rooted in ancient parallels such as the Hindu prana, Hebrew rauh, Hawaiian mana and the qi of Chinese medicine and martial arts.
I was born in 1973, which means I was four years old when "Star Wars" first came to the theaters -- neither too young nor too old to begin the training. Like baby chicks bonding with their mothers for survival, it was perhaps the perfect age to imprint "Star Wars" on my psyche. My childhood was tumultuous in a way that was popular at the time: divorce, moving a lot, single-parent home, latch-key autonomy. And besides my mother, the only thing that was consistent, reliable and affirmative throughout my youth was "Star Wars" (including the sequels at ages 7 and 10). The influence of the canon and its scholarly sources led in no small part to my being a philosophy major, concentrating in comparative religion. My ally is "Star Wars," and a powerful ally it is.
Yes, "Star Wars" is overly commercial. Yes, it has pointlessly cute and cloyingly goofy characters (Ewoks and Jar-Jar, respectively). Yes, it has been co-opted by everything and everybody to the ubiquitous edge of meaninglessness. But the same could be said of Christmas, with its many secular traditions, cute and goofy red-nosed animals and chubby elves, and a sleigh-full of merchandise tie-ins.
But underneath all that noise there is the true meaning of "Star Wars." The purpose of this epic is that it serves as a great spiritual myth. Myths are the collective storytelling of humans, for humans, all about the unique human condition, stretching back to the beginning of humankind. Life creates myth, makes it grow. Myths surround us, teach us, bind us together as a species.
And there are great mythic themes to which mankind keeps returning. Breaking away from the safety of home to challenge ourselves in transformative ways. Finding wise old teachers to lead us and give us the tools we need. Confronting and conquering our deepest fears. Staying righteous in the face of temptation. The tension of faith versus reason. The redemptive power of love, loyalty and sacrifice.
These are the parables of Camelot, the Buddha, Native American folklore, the Bhagavad Gita, Goethe's Faust, the Torah, Grimm's fairy tales, Homer's epics, Gilgamesh, Jesus. And they are the mythic lessons of "Star Wars."
The sounds of 'Star Wars' 00:38
In the seminal "The Power of Myth," the premier scholar on the subject, Joseph "Follow your bliss" Campbell, said of George Lucas that he "put the newest and most powerful spin" on the classic hero's mythic journey. Lucas has acknowledged a deep debt to Campbell and his book, "The Hero with a Thousand Faces," for the writing of the great space opera.
Campbell identified Lucas' vital gift to his home planet: ancient stories repackaged in a powerful and contemporary way. The films are more than just exciting and enjoyable to watch (that's how they get you), but soulfully satisfying. When fans say "May the Force be with you," it has some real meaning behind it. And those of us raised Catholic may also hear an echoed call-and-response of "And also with you" in our heads. I've sat through a lot of masses in my youth, and watched a lot of "Star Wars," but as an adult I only genuflect in the Jedi Temple.
My generation, X, lucky to be born into this optimal "Star Wars" window of revelation, also famously reinvented the notion of cynicism. So I can appreciate a good dose of iconoclastic rejection of whatever is popular, even just for contradiction sake.
But "Star Wars" is not a dim mainstream phenomenon worth rejecting. This isn't the dreck you're looking for. Choose something else from the long list of more worthy candidates of scorn. If you open yourself to the profound moments in the original film and its equally essential sequel, "The Empire Strikes Back," it can be of great spiritual value.
So let the Force awaken. And, as they say, may it be with you. Always. Amen.
