A Jedi is...

A Jedi is a being that follows the Force: as a model, an ideology. It is these that learn the ways of the esoteric warrior mystic.
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A Jedi is a child of the Force, charged with the protection of their siblings in life.
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A Jedi is a defender of the weak, a champion of the helpless, and a keeper of balance. These are they who step into the darkness, a guiding star by which those who would look may find their course.
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A Jedi is a student of war and combat so that they might be the teacher of peace and harmony.
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A Jedi is the hand of the Force, extended to do its will. The hand may be gentle, or rough... but it is never weak. A Jedi's strength flows from the Force.
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A Jedi is one who works to grow above those around them, and makes themselves lower by its way.
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A Jedi is a servant of the people, and a worker for life.
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A Jedi is one who sharpens their sword so that it might never spill blood.
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A Jedi is a person who does not fear death, for there is no death. They are ones whom lives their lives as if it is over. In accpeting their death, a Jedi grows beyond it, and finds life.
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A Jedi is one who holds reign over their emotions, but does not deny them. They see the Force comes to the true self, and in denying a part of that self, they would deny the Force.
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A Jedi is one who puts the Force above their wants, understanding that needs are to be met, and wants are to be let go of.
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A Jedi is one who sees the Path rigid, but the Way unique.
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A Jedi is a Walker of the Path, a Tool of the Arts, and a Seer of the Way.
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J = Jedi
P = Path
A = Arts
W = Way

J =/= P + A
J =/= P + W
J =/= A + W

J = P + A + W

Only when the equation balances is a Jedi found.
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A Jedi is a warrior, scholar, monk, and sorcerer. To remove one would remove the Jedi.
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A Jedi is one who studies all works of the past to learn the path of the future.
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A Jedi is one who sees the Force in all things, and in nothing.
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A Jedi is one always carries themselves with honor.
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A Jedi is one who seeks to know all facets of the jewel.

Revolution Resolutions...

This is the last day of the year 2006 AD. On it, many people make what they see as promises to themselves to do better to do better in the new year. While a valiant idea, it is one so seldom held to. Many keep their resolution for two to three months, then forget them. It is too hard for the human, who lives day to day, to keep one promise for an entire year.

The Jedi are no different. In that, I have come up with an idea that I hope many will take into consideration, and possibly even act upon. I call them Revolution Resolutions. This is to make a large resolution at the beginning of the year, to have stopped doing something by the time that Revolution around the sun is completed. However, in that, there are daily resolutions, much smaller in scale, that build up to the larger one for the year.

With each revolution of the planet itself, we should each wake and take the new day for what it is, a NEW day. A day where we can change who and what we are, piece by piece. This is a way to push one's self towards their goal. For instance, many make the New Years Resolution to stop smoking, or work out more. Each day, they should make themselves a promise to follow the path to that main goal. Like, for smoking, a vice I hold personally, allot a certain number of cigarettes to each day, and gradually step down day after day, week after week, until you no longer need, nor want them. Find reasons why you should give them up: health risks; horrible taste; horrible, penetrating smell; monetary loss of the habit...

This is how all resolutions should work, but seldom do. Remember, as you take your steps to self-perfection, be they stopping smoking, stopping eating fried chicken, or simply training more; take these promises a day at a time, and do not put off until tomorrrow what you should have done yesterday, and can do today.

A Jedi's Heart...

The Jedi is a servant of the Force, and a champion of the people of the world. The heart of a Jedi must be open to the pain of the world, and of those around him. Many feel that, because of this, we cannot open our hearts to a specific person.

Falicy! The Jedi are strengthened by their love. They must learn to treasure the world, its people, and the Force... and to do that, one should always treasure another personally. Love is needed in the Jedi. Obsession is the cousin of treasure, though, so be wary one does not fall into that trap. Obsession breeds jealousy and greed.

So I say this to all, find your love... your compliment. Once you have found that person, never let her go. Hold her close to your heart, and form a bond unbreakable. Let two become one, do not fear... for the gain is more than could ever be put into words.

To my Star in the Darkness, to whom I owe my all.

Keeper of Peace, Wager of War...

"Jedi do not fight for peace; that is a slogan and is misleading as slogans naturally are. Jedi fight for civilization, as civilization creates peace." - Mace Windu, Star Wars©: Shatterpoint™

In the Jedi as they stand today, the idea of martial training is a seldom-followed one. The drive of a person who is meant to keep the peace to learn to wage combat is a perplexing one. For that reason, I have gone against my nature, and posted a great quote from one of the Star Wars novels. In this line, it shows that one must know the opposite of peace, ie war, in order to know how to maintain peace.

Peace is a fickle thing, and a highly-subjective idea. What is peace to one, may just be a lull in aggressions to another. True peace is a destructive and damning idea for all things. With total peace comes complacency, and stagnation.

The Jedi are taught to know that combat is a part of life. There are many these days to that do not see it as such, but the truth is rarely an easily-accepted thing once it has been forgotten. The Jedi are made of predominantly Knights for a reason. Knights fight to preserve peace, honor, and the ideals they hold within themselves. For that, a Jedi must know how to do combat, in the interests of keeping the peace. Peace is not something that will ever be a permanent thing, which is why there are those who can and will strive to undo it... and among those people, some will succeed. Chaos is easy to destroy, where as peace and balace are that which are the hardest things to maintain for any length of time.

So, young Jedi. Train hard, and train often, for the war you wage is the path to the peace you bring.

A Lack of Balance...

I am sure many of us have noticed a large amount of tolerance towards those who would call themselves Sith these days, and IMO that is a very good thing. But why exactly is it that we can do such a thing now that could not be done before? The answer is Balance.

I am aware that many Jedi do not like this symbol, as it shows a duality that does not exist in the Force. That much is true enough, but it also shows a duality that DOES exist in those who follow the Force. There is but one problem in that. We do not have this balance.

There are many who would call themselves "Jedi" who do not truly follow the path of the Light... and there are many who would call themselves "Sith" who do not truly follow the path of Darkness. There are many on both sides who would rather walk the terminator line, so as to be neither Light nor Dark, hoping to learn from both at once. This is a very bad thing, for both sides of the coin... and yes, when it comes to people, there IS a coin.

Let us examine the symbol above some, just in case there are some who do not completely see its depth. The white section, often called Yin, will represent the Light, and the black section, called Yang in this example, will represent the Darkness [I say "called" because in truth, the symbol is of variables... effectively X and Y, meaning any two things linked, be they pairs or opposites, can be seen in this example when one looks for them].

The Force is a creation of balance. What is there will be balanced, no matter how hard one might push it another way. To be Light, the Darkness must thrive. For the Darkness to be strong, the Light must also be strong. When one loses the strength of one, they lose the strength in the other... because balance will be maintained. The Path of the Light holds the seed for Darkness in its core. The Path of Darkness holds the doorway to the Light at its center. The two are forever linked, and to end one is to bring death to the other.

To my original question: why can we now, rather than before, accept the Darkness within our "doors"? The answer is because, within those who would use the Force, the Darkness is dying. The Dark Paths are filled, for the most part, with good people, and children who are just there to catch a taste of the power the Dark offers, but not commit to it. For that, the Darkness has lightened some. The Light has grown dimmer due to this. We have the ability to open our arms to those of the Dark Path because many of them do not understand the depth of the Darkness, and we as a group do not understand the brilliance of the Light.

It is no fault of anyone. The world is dark enough that people see how bad that can be. It does not touch the Force the same way a Dark Force user does, though. That is not to say it does not echo through the Force, but a echo is faint when compared to its origin sound. For this, those who step towards the Darkness will not allow themselves to trek deeper into it. As such, the "Dark Side" is shrinking. When the Dark Side shrinks, so does the Light Side, to use archaic terms.

We have doomed the Jedi to a fate unthinkable to us all by realizing there is no Dark Side in the Force. In that, the Darkness is shown to be in each person, and that gives people more power to resist it. Wasn't that our goal, though? Yes, it was. It just shows that the Jedi who set that goal, those past and present, did not truly understand the Force. The Force cannot be brought out of balance... but when we remove the Darkness from those who use it, we remove the access to the Light as well.

So, the problem is seen. We are killing all that which we knew. This is why the Jedi of the past, those who left the online world, could claim greater power than those who enter it now. I am not conceded enough to think I am a highly-powerful Force Master, but I can even feel my skills slowly growing weaker, no matter how often I train in them. So, how do we fix this?

We, as Jedi, simply cannot. The Jedi are children of the Force, and the bringers of the Light. We have succeeded, for the most part, in erasing the "Dark Side" from the Force, and in doing so have condemned us all to the same fate as those we undid. One would need to emerge as a strong point of Darkness, and strengthen those of the Dark path, for those who follow the Light to once more see the brilliance of it. That does not seem to be coming any time soon. Those who occupy the Dark Paths are lost in a flawed philosophy, allowing themselves to be controlled by their immature Dark natures. A close friend of mine said it quite well. They are as children playing with matches, who burn each match to see the flame, rather than harness the power of that match to build a bigger, stronger fire. No one remains in the Darkness who knows what the Darkness truly is. To that end, we cannot hope to regain the power that was once given us in the Force.

Yes, I know... if it is, it is because it is the Will of the Force. That is undeniably true, but I feel it is the Will that such happen so that we might learn this lesson.

I am not sure why I made this post, it is just something that has been weighing on my mind for some time. I know how to end it, but as a Jedi, I cannot... it would undo everything that I have worked so hard to become... that we have all worked so hard to become. Okay, I am done ranting. If you think I am nuts, I will understand. Thanks for listening, nonetheless.

Magick is NOT the Dark Side

I would like to break down one of the first of the drastic misconceptions of the Jedi. I feel the need to break it down because I know, in the past, I was one who supported the idea. I was wrong then...and I know that now. That is, after all, what the training is...making what is wrong, right. This misconception is towards the distancing and shunning of the esotericisms of the western world...most specifically the study of magick.

Yes, there is a difference these days between magic and magick. "Magic" is the term for prestodigitation...stage illusion. It is instant, it is flashy, and it is not real. "Magick", however, had been adopted by the esoteric world to be that which magic was. This is the use of the universal energy...the Force...for altering the world, be it on a small scale or on a large scale. Sometimes this comes from shallow things like attracting love or money or luck. Other times, it is for grand, selfless things such as curing another person of some horrible illness...or just trying to end the terrible things of this world before they spiral too far out of control.

The misconception is that for a Jedi, the use and/or practice of magick is the "dark side". It is giving into their inner darkness and need to manipulate and control. But, I say this now...that is wrong. Ritual is not the harbenger of darkness. Using incense, stones, blade, and wands does not make one less of a Jedi. In fact, it makes them a greater Jedi. Their power increases, and their control of that power along with it.

I have heard it said that Jedi do not use such tools to contact the Force. And I ask, why? I will not bring up the idea that they did it in Star Wars [Bendu Monks, Datholmir Witches, Aing-Tii, etc.], but instead remind people that the Jedi as they exist today are made of an incomplete part of a misunderstood picture. People say that to amass power intentionally is the dark side. If that is the case, we are all horribly lost. Anyone who works out, reads, learns to play music, draws, or anything more than eat sleep and breathe is lost to their inner darkness...Jedi especially.

The Jedi are meant to learn, understand, and use the Force. Selfishly or selflessly used, power used is power used. And in order to use power, one has to amass that power. We accept amassing that power when it is called the Force, qi/ki/chi, reiki, prana, and several other eastern words...but not magick. Why is that? The power is the same, it is just the dogmatic terminology that changes.

The Jedi are sorcerers, as it has been said before. We amass power because we are given the power to amass. It is, sadly, not a skill everyone can have. Everyone can work to gain some skill in the ways of the Force, but so few have the ability to latch onto it, and use it more to its potential. This means using the Force in as many ways a person can find to train in...including the use of magick.

Magick is a confusing term: it can be viewed as a noun, verb, or adjective. I will see what I can do about clearing that up.

• Noun: the energy of the universe; the Force.
• Verb: the use of the energy of the Force.
• Adjective: purtaining to the use of metaphysical energy [magick wand].

Lets look at the big parts of magick to see if we can figure out why it is shunned so, shall we? Magickal practices include causing spells, lighting candles, and using rituals.

Magick is metaphysics. What is the difference in a spell and a "Force power"? Nothing! Spells do not have to be spoken, or use tools, or anything of the like. What about candles? I don't know of any Jedi that has never used a candle in their training. They are quite well used and well accepted tools of training. So, that means the difference between eastern metaphysics and and their western counterpart is the rituals by which the energywork is done. Some might say that eastern metaphysics does not have ritual...but they would either be ignorant, or lying. Meditation is a large part of all metaphysics. Sadly, however, meditation is the most well-used, and poorly-known ritual IN metaphysics. How many times does one close their eyes before using a metaphysical skill, especially in initial training? That, too, is ritual. Just because it is not elaborate does not make it not a ritual.

End all be all of it: magick is not the dark side. It is just another road to get to the same point. The Force can breed darkness in people, and so can magick. Magick can be used for good, as can the Force. They are one and the same...and the intention dominates the affect. If one has dark intentions, then the spell will be evil. If one has pure intentions, then it will not. Do not shy away from the use of magick because it uses wands and daggers and chants. Embrace it, and broaden your view of the Force and of its capabilities.

Hatred: THE World Religion

Everyone wants to unite the world in one religion. They have done this for the entirety of organized religion. War after war after war has been waged in the name of religion. Crusades, Inquisitions, and Jihads...all fought for something as simple and complex as a religion. This has done its job, though. It has caused one united religion amongst almost the entire world. Even those that fight it feel it from time to time.

Hate.

Everyone hates someone, no matter how many times it is taught against such actions in the various religions of the world. I am willing to bet that even the Dhali Lama, at one point, said "I hate you" and meant it. The "religious" and "non-religious" of this world have finally come together in one united calling...hating one another! Yay!

What are we to do to undo this religion of the world? Wars have been fought and won in the name of this calling. What are we, those who can see this flaw, but are still subject to it, to do the combat this tidal wave of darkness? And should we? To combat hatred just makes people hate you.

We can preach against it! Oh, no...that won't work. They are already doing that. It seems to breed hatred. The human race is so absolutely stubborn that telling them NOT to hate someone just strengthens their resolve to hate them. The hate is hidden from the world, and thus eats at the person from the inside out. They also start to hate those who tell them to not, knowing that the speaker is just as tainted by the flaw.

People do what you tell them not to? Teach them to hate! Oh no...they do that already, too. The only problem is that hatred is so natural that people won't go against it. That is like teaching a person to breathe. There is no reason for them to go agaisnt that.

Well, the answer seems obvious. Kill everyone but those that do not hate us, and there is no reason to hate...right? WRONG! That sounds like a Crusade to me. The killing is the biggest problem in helping this religion of hatred grow. To even think such a thing shows the hatred. But, we all think it from time to time. So, how do we stop hatred from ruling the world?

Anyone?

Mysticism in the Jedi

So many people in the Jedi Community are nearly totally ignorant to the extent at which the Force exists, and the extent by which we can influence it. I will never be one to say that I know how to use the Force completely, because such is a delusion. I will, however, tell everyone that I do not keep my eyes closed to the very wonderous ways the Force can be used.

We enter into this path, thinking it is such a new take on such an old thing, and we are right. We understand that the way the Jedi view the world is only 3-4 decades old, at best. However, the Force has been around, and recognised, for countless decades and centuries before that. It makes me wonder, then, why so few Jedi look to their admitted past to see where their footing should land.

The Jedi, by their namesake example, are warrior mystics. We are, as "Jedi", Knights of the Force. We learn to use the Force in ways that most common people do not understand. In that joint aspect, we also learn to fight for the Force, and its children. That is what has drawn us together as Jedi. However, we are, as a Community, losing both aspects.

The Jedi Realist movement has perverted the idea of a Jedi. They have stripped away the ideas that "the real world" does not accept, and are only taking bits and pieces of a broken ideology to mesh with the idea of society as it exists today. "The Real World"

I laugh at the idea that the narrow view the human race holds as being the "real" world. It is the physical world, the concrete world at best. The Jedi, of both our namesake and of our Earthly history, were warrior-mystics. They accepted the ideas of the Force being grand and useful. They also accepted the idea of the Jedi being the Knights they were designed to be. We have perverted those ideals, and have taken them to the ideas of things we are not meant to be as Jedi: philosophers, actless teachers, and those who are so without drive that they no longer call themselves Jedi.

This is something that so few see in its complete problem. The originators of the Jedi Realist movement had the right idea at first: they sought to take the RPG element out of the Community. They have succeeded for the most part, but we must now stop them from continuing further. They push to take the Knights and Mystics from the Jedi. They ask "Why train combat?" and "Why train the Force?" in forums locked from public view. They run schools of thought, not principle...of idea, not action.

The Jedi were dying by way of the pretenders, and the RPGers. Their saviors, the Jedi Realists, are now the bane on the Community, on the Path, and on the Way. They seek to take all the hardships and mysticism from the Jedi. They wish to breed an era of fluff-bunny pacifists that do nothing to fight for what they believe in. This inaction, this death they bring to us, is not the way of the true Jedi. Our founders in this world, Kharis Nightflyer, Baal Legato, Koren Jey, and Forcemaster of the FA, would be ashamed of what they see in this community of self-called "Jedi".

I do not say these words to harm anyone, or drive a wedge. I say these words because we are at the place where the Jedi Way is not just a word, it is a religious view. It is an outlook that spawns from, and is given to, the Force. I say these words to strengthen you all in the mysticism and warrior mindset that underlies the Jedi Way. Only by bringing ourselves from this realist-ic view can we hope to save the Jedi before they are wiped out with the best of intentions.

Symbol of the Jedi

The symbol above is what should be adopted as a universal symbol for the Jedi, as it signifies all that a Jedi should strive to be, do, and understand. In it is shown the very nature of the Force itself. The symbol itself was given to me in a vision almost 10 years ago, and I have spent this time devising what exactly this symbol meant to myself and to the Jedi.

It is simple, and humble, showing a humility all Jedi should strive to learn from. It is simple, dignified, and elegant. No other symbol to date has demonstrated such traits. To date, the largest symbols usually include things like stars, yin yangs, or worst of all, lightsabers.

As of late, some symbols have come about that do not fit these characteristics, but they are not as inspired as this. It also seems to resemble a crescent moon, and this was intentional. A crescent moon is a very common symbol of other metaphysical sects, and this shows a universal unity between the Jedi and other traditions.

The stars, usually held in rings or moons, show some form of hidden knowledge. This is in the case of a dedicated Jedi, a very factual symbol. However, to show it seems to be some sort of egotism, and thus removes the "hidden" aspect of hidden knowledge. In not showing this grand form of cosmic understanding, and instead having the center empty, it shows how much we all have to learn.

Yin yangs, while a very recognized symbol of the metaphysical and martial arts, is a symbol that should be abandoned within the Jedi. It perpetuates an outlook of duality that the Jedi has discarded. The yin yang is a very misleading symbol when it comes to the Jedi. They are also too vague to be associated with just the Jedi.

Lightsabers are just not something that should be in the Jedi of Earth anymore. Their existence to this point in the Community thus far has done nothing but harm the appearance of the Jedi. The removal of that symbol does to distance us from our fictional counterparts.

The symbol is also a ring, holding no faces, as Arthur's roundtable. It shows that the Force plays no favorites, and takes no sides, and the Jedi should learn to be the same way...a lifelong struggle, surely.

It shows the wheel of time, having no beginning and no end. It shows the repetition of the ages, all different, yet all the same. It shows that even in our strongest times [thick bottom] or our weakest times [thin top], we are all still connected, both to one another and to the Force. This is done to give us strength.

The black in the center also shows the universe in its entirety, and the silver ring is the Force, chosen gray to show its balance of light and darkness, thus removing the notion of a bipolar entity. It is also larger than the black, easily enveloping all we know as the universe, and still being larger...as the Force proves itself to be day after day.

The piece is also designed for another purpose. If the Order were to use signet rings, similar to a Mason's ring, this symbol could be the face of it, with the black being a piece of onyx. Onyx is a stone known for its attributes in giving metaphysical strength and mental clarity. It can also be used as a focusing tool, which IS something the Jedi Order should endorse in its members.