The Vision of Knighthood

Be a jedi in mind,body,and spirit

Be a knight in mind,body,and spirit

Be yourself in mind,body,and spirit

Be a jedi knight yourself in mind,body,and spirit...

i read somewhere that wiccans are witches but witches arent necessarily wiccans

i see the same with knighthood and jedi

i think first of all that i see a balancing act between the ideas that being a jedi is a matter of results, accomishment, tangible growth

and simply being commited to the jedi path

is a person who's behavior is clearly selfish undisciplined and shallow a jedi because they say they are a jedi?

obviously its not my place to tell someone what they are or are not

but for myself i know i am jedi because of the principals i am commited to and the methodoloy that i use to attain and embody those principals

not to say i exemplify them perfectly at all times, but that my commitment is to exemplify them at all times.

i see the rank system as being
1) person who is not jedi but curious about what jedi means

2) person who has found a jedi community or access to jedi philosophy and is "testing the water" in jedi thought

these will be influenced more or less by core jedi tenents or their perception of the "jedi" they interact with.
usually it will be a blend of both but there are those who will merely socialize and use this as their introduction to what it means to be jedi without spendig much time on the coursework
and there are those very rare but real few who will dive into the course work and never post so much as a single reply to a single thread.

it is the work however which makes on a jedi imo

not the course work or IP per se, but the work of understanding the things that the IP is conveying and integrating this understanding into ones behavior

at some point a person is either commited to the path or theyre really just a groupie
even groupies will grow however so respect is always appropriate imo

3) once a person has a basic understanding of the core value and has made a sincere commitment to those values they are in effect a jedi, though not usually a developed one

4) after consistant pursuit of jedi principals and the exploration and practice of methodology, there comes a time when one has actually developed into a legitimate but fledgeling jedi

this is similar to being awarded a black belt in many traditional martial arts
it means one has really learned and internalized the foundation, and the real training can begin!

the gains one has made by this point are such that even if this is where one stops growing they will still live a mostly deliberate and most definitely meaningful life.

5) at this stage a person will see clearly that their lives reflect their jedi teachings
also they will have taken responsibility for their own welfare and initiative
their lives will be relatively ordered and they will be growing in a deliberate fashion towards goals beyond the jedi path which they chose with care and self awareness so that these goals represent the true expression of their innermost character, rather than just something they feel obligated to or just fall into

this is where the distinctiln of knighthood can be made imo

the word KNIGHT has specific meanings

it doesnt necessarily mean one uses martial methodology to serve
obut it DOES mean that ones primary life commitment is to service, to the extent that one is completely willing to put their life on the line if it is a requisite of their service

i dont belive i will ever change my view on that

a jedi in general ought to spend considerable energy resolving themselves to the reality of their own personal death, but a knight imo is a warrior by definition and there is no compromise that a requirement of the rank is the willingness to face and accept personal death in ones commitment to serve

this is always what gives a warrior the impetus to be the best of themselves
because they know that their life will depend on their prowess and their adaptability

also the resolution to accept ones death empties one of a huge quantity of shallow and petty thinking and relating with others
this is why warriors are respected as strong and honorable people, because they think and act from a place which realizes their own death

i would add that knighthood is an option and not a mandate and that the jedi path has any number of ways one may be an empowered and respected personage


thats my vision of knighthood
thanks for reading