Robes and Sabers

What role do these play in your path?

Do you feel we are helped, hindered, or unaffected by associations between Jediism (the real world thing) and these aspects?

Do you feel they are valuable in identifying us as real Jedi, or more of a roleplay element?

Are they fine, but entirely separate from what we do here? Or should they play a larger role?

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No wrong answers, just looking for the Temple's opinion today. I'm aware we have discussed this before, but the faces change, and even the same faces' ideas change.

I feel that they are an addition more than a necessity.

A robe makes it feel more official for me. The robe strengthens a certain resolve, but my resolve does not rely on the robe.

The saber is completely optional. If you want to walk the path of a warrior, you can purchase a saber and practice forms of saber combat.
If you want to walk the more spiritual path, then the lightsaber may not be something that you need.

For me, I'd like to forge a path that is a fusion of the spiritual and warrior path. Create a deeper spiritual understanding by mastering the forms of saber combat.

tzb wrote: What role do these play in your path?

Do you feel we are helped, hindered, or unaffected by associations between Jediism (the real world thing) and these aspects?

Do you feel they are valuable in identifying us as real Jedi, or more of a roleplay element?

Are they fine, but entirely separate from what we do here? Or should they play a larger role?

-

No wrong answers, just looking for the Temple's opinion today. I'm aware we have discussed this before, but the faces change, and even the same faces' ideas change.

Mm.. personally, medieval cloaks are fine.. if it is not movie related.. I feel not comfortable with movie related associated parts of the Jediism community, like light sabers. I did not say Jediism right? Jediism community! Lets dig into it..

When we look to Jediism, people are free to do as they please at moment. Should we make rules to force people to not have movie related stuff? It is a choice to be made. Let Jediism not be associated by the movies but by the people that enjoy the movies? Or let Jediism not be associated by the movies, including indirect member-movie-actions, and associate Jediism with limiting the boundaries. What to do, what would the effect be?

For me it does not feel like a problem at first eye, but many of the members start to associate with Star Wars. While the temple says that Jediism, does not associate with Star Wars I began to ask, what makes Jediism and the community practicing Jediism different?

May the force shine with you,

~ Aqua

[edit]

tzb wrote: What role do these play in your path?

Absolutely ZERO.

Do you feel we are helped, hindered, or unaffected by associations between Jediism (the real world thing) and these aspects?

I don't think people realize that it makes them look like fans who have taken their fandom WAY too far, like creepy Scientologists or Twilight fans. Jediism, for me, is not connected with the movies AT ALL. I kinda feel like you have to distance yourself in order to be taken seriously. (My "May the 4th" thing is different, that's just honoring a movie that I like, I don't consider it a Jediism thing).

Do you feel they are valuable in identifying us as real Jedi, or more of a roleplay element?

People in costumes will never get taken seriously. This is why I'm a little worried about going to the Jedi Gathering in August. I want to go for the exploration of philosophy and to become more involved in the meaningful things related to who we are, but I really hope people take it seriously and don't act weird. I'm not part of a LARP group, I want to meet others interested in service and in becoming better people.

Are they fine, but entirely separate from what we do here? Or should they play a larger role?

Definitely a smaller role.

Nobody hate me, this is just my opinion

Snowy Aftermath wrote: (My "May the 4th" thing is different, that's just honoring a movie that I like, I don't really consider it a Jediism thing).

Then why is it in the Jediism forum..?

Aqua wrote:
Some other questions:

Please post these in a separate thread, rather than pulling mine off-topic. Thanks.

tzb wrote:

Snowy Aftermath wrote: (My "May the 4th" thing is different, that's just honoring a movie that I like, I don't really consider it a Jediism thing).

Then why is it in the Jediism forum..?

Cause I'm a boob and I didn't really think about it until you responded with what you did. But what you said is true... you have to lay those distinctions down or people get it all mixed together and think it's the same when it isn't.

edit: also, how do I change it?

tzb wrote:

Aqua wrote:
Some other questions:

Please post these in a separate thread, rather than pulling mine off-topic. Thanks.

Removed it :blush: Shall make a seperate topic for it

In my path the robes and sabers are purely symbolic images or ideas that relate to the original fictional Jedi archetype that our order originates from which is inescapable. The use of robes are found in many religious settings as are swords, daggers, etc. I don't desire to dress in robes or have toy sabers but at a gathering or physical temple I may don a robe, or cloak rather.

Like I said, our association with the fictional Jedi is inescapable plain and simple regardless of robes and sabers, but I do think robes and toy lightsabers may be a hindrance to us being taken seriously by the general public. I wouldn't place too much value in them identifying us as the 'real' Jedi, they're definitely more for roleplay in my mind. At the end of the day it doesn't really matter what the general public thinks of us as a group or individuals though. We are not politically motivated or trying to establish a Jedi caliphate, this is a movement or transmutation of consciousness within each and every one of us.

A lot of people are lazy and only see things at face value, and I personally am not interested in advertising myself openly as a Jedi by posting pictures or walking around dressed in robes with a saber because I don't want to be perceived as a Star Wars obsessed roleplayer. This temple and lifestyle is pretty much for me and how I can tune my inner world to maintain a positive response and participation in the outer world by engaging in a form of self-education through interacting with others who have a similar interest in a tolerant, friendly, quasi private, multicultural environment. I don't need that sense of outward Jedi identity or to have the world recognize me as a Jedi.

Don't get me wrong, I love Star Wars and spent years playing Star Wars Galaxies and still follow the emulator. The different robes are awesome and so is building your own lightsaber hilt. They have their place here and do play a great symbolic role.

I think it's just a personal preference. I mean, Jediism is based on Star Wars, lets be honest. Without the movies we wouldn't be here, as Lightstrider explained. So where one draws the line between the fiction and the reality is entirely on an individual basis.

Personally, I like my brown hoodie. It's realistic, but representative of who I am in relation to Star Wars. I also am collecting lightsabers, which is more of a hobby than a spiritual practice, but they are symbolic of who and what I am.

I see nothing wrong with robes and sabers if you're comfortable with them. But I suppose if you want to be taken seriously as a Jedi, you might want to leave the robes and sabers at home.