AMA JLSpinner

You know the drill.

Tell me about the symbol you currently have as your avatar.

Whats the drill?

Also, how did you come to Jediism?

What does it mean to you personally to be a security officer? Is there anything you'd like to change about the position?

Manu wrote: Tell me about the symbol you currently have as your avatar.

In the very center you see a five pointed star. This of course represents the five lines of the Jedi code.
Emotion, yet peace.
Ignorance, yet knowledge.
Passion, yet serenity.
Chaos, yet harmony.
Death, yet the Force.
Surrounding that are 16 points to parallel our 16 teachings. Now this combination might look kind of familiar to any Supernatural fans. There is a symbol on the show that protects against possession. Now whilst I don't believe in demonic possession I do believe in being possessed by our own demons. This touches on some personnel battles from my past. Most of which I was on the losing side of.
Beyond that we find an inverted Triforce. The three pieces of the Triforce are Strength(or Power), Courage, and Wisdom. These three pieces make up what I call my Three Pillars of Knighthood. I have some info on that if you'd like. The Triforce is inverted as a reminder that violence should not be my first resort. Beyond that lie trisecting circles. These are of course the Tenets.
The symbols you see are the Anglo-Saxon based Moon Runes used in the Hobbit. I use these here for a few reasons. I have read fluent Moon Runes since 2003. I have written stories, letters, notes, poems, graffiti, and only Hawking knows what in these runes. Although I love the runes I used the for a majority out of fear. No one could read what I wrote so I could be absolutely unfiltered. Nobody could tell me my story was no good. Nobody could judge me. I use them now as a reminder that fear is only as powerful as I let it be...and The Hobbit.

Would you share all the info you have connected to the triforce as a spiritual device? I am a big fan of the Zelda series, and I wish that I could work with the Triforce more often.

Arisaig wrote: Whats the drill?

Also, how did you come to Jediism?

In 1997 my Dad came home super excited one day. Well as excited as he got anyway. He pulled out a box with three vhs tapes. I was seven. In 1999 came The Phantom Menace and with it an incredible new look at what a Jedi was beside some desert hobo who fought clones or something with Vader before he went crazy. With it also came a wide range of toy lightsabers that only cost $6. At my peak I had around 15. I had a close proximity family so my brother, my three cousins, and I(plus neighborhood kids) put 'em to use. I developed my skills and eventually found online material around 2005 when we got dial-up.
As a teenager I called myself a Jedi Christian and committed to walk a narrow path. I abstained from sex until I was married. I worked volunteer very often for things like Habitat for Humanity or Vacation Bible school or running the audio/visual for the Services on Sunday or running the YMCA Leaders Club. I even started college with the intentions of becoming a Youth Minister.
Eventually I couldn't continue being a Christian. I couldn't hold it up against logic and factual evidence. I couldn't accept the atmosphere of intolerance it could create. Or the bigotry I had witnessed. I grew up in the life. It was m life. I have the tattoo I got declaring my body as "His Temple". But when the religion left I had nothing left to lean on or to guide me. I was utterly and completely lost. My life went in a dark direction.
I'll leave that one alone for now. Eventually I clawed my butt back out of that pit and built myself up. I developed my Three Pillars of Knighthood(several rewrites ago. This site has been a huge influence.). I got myself a new tattoo for it and I decided to be a Jedi. I joined this site around a year after I got my tattoo.

would you be willing to share a photo of said tattoo?

I'll be getting one soon as well that will help me with my life. I have over 25 of them and they all mean so much to me (except 1, I don't regret it but oy....).

ReallyRiver wrote: What does it mean to you personally to be a security officer? Is there anything you'd like to change about the position?

I see my role as trying to take care of the image of TOTJO. While it's mostly things like accidental double posts or moving threads there are instances that require immediate attention. This means I'm online or checking on the site for a very large portion of my day. It's a good thing I have unlimited data.
Would I change anything? Not really.

Connor L. wrote: Would you share all the info you have connected to the triforce as a spiritual device? I am a big fan of the Zelda series, and I wish that I could work with the Triforce more often.

This is a sermon I prepared for my Seminary Training.