Robes and Sabers

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?

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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.

A saber for me isn't really anything but a toy. ( Until we get real ones :laugh: ) A robe, however, can be both a useful tool or a fun way to dress as a character from a movie you love. It can put me in a very formal mindset for things like studies or ceremony or it can just be a fun costume for all hallows eve.

For me it really depends on the intentions I hold when I don the items. As far as identifying us as real life Jedi well if a group of Jedi went to do some community work maybe that could be a good way to let people know we exist. However, for me that is more a personal/group decision than anything.

As far as their role in the Temple or in our path that can be best summed up with the idea that they are tools. If the tool works for you that is great, if not so be it. The path of the Jedi and the tools that help it are as varied as the people that walk it. And that is what makes this place so great.

I believe the robes and sabers are symbolic to some, and help them feel a connection to their beliefs in the same way other religious symbols do inn other faiths. I don't knock anyone for liking and wearing them.

Personally, they play no role whatsoever in my walk, but that's just me.

Snowy Aftermath wrote:

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

Glad to know I'm not alone. Star Wars plays absolutely no role in my interest in Jediism. In fact, I don't particularly care for the movies. My attraction was from the original (pre split) TOTJO's merger of philosophy and psychology from the likes of Alan Watts, Joseph Campbell, and Carl Jung. I also had, at the time, more than a passing interest in Taoism and Buddhism. Religion. IMO, is just myth and metaphor. Every now and then we need to update our myths to match our times. To me, Jediism is a good candidate for the update. Its like ZEN 2.0 :laugh: