Do Jedi use

Consecrated oil, holy water, healing herbs or ointment?

Just ran into a situation where a person requested a blessing and I just thought that in that religion oil is part of the ceremony. Just wondering about it.

Well, there is nothing for it or against it. It's up to the individual in that regard. I am working on a Jedi religious manual that will contain rituals that might use something like that. But this is my personal practice, not anything that is community-wide. Though there are several Jedi that I know of the mix various practices with the Jedi path that likely include sacred oils or holy water.

As the idea of consecration involves both someone or something that performs the act of "consecration" and also requires someone or something to consecrate to, I don't believe that idea is compatible with Jediism as I see it - but as ours is an individual path, anyone's free to use whatever makes him or her find peace and happiness and give that to others.

What's sometimes been discussed is certain places where people may or may not think that the force can be "felt" more strongly but I haven't heard of that being applied to objects.

What's used though is symbolism. I personally like to light candles or cultivate plants, buy flowers etc. as reminders of the impermanent and ever-rejuvenating nature of life. We're all part of the Force. A common sentence used for well-wishing is "May the Force be with you" - which again is symbolic in nature as we're all the Force

MadHatter wrote: Well, there is nothing for it or against it. It's up to the individual in that regard. I am working on a Jedi religious manual that will contain rituals that might use something like that. But this is my personal practice, not anything that is community-wide. Though there are several Jedi that I know of the mix various practices with the Jedi path that likely include sacred oils or holy water.

I'd still love to take a look at that when you get it done.

LIke MadHatter, myself and Gabriel Calderon have been working on ritual practices for our own Jedi Mystic program for a couple of years now.

When it came to cleansing, we left it to the individual to use what they believe is right. This has a three reasons:

1) Hailing tradition of your family. This works on two different theories-
a) If you believe that gods follow a family/ethnic line, then the god of your house should be honored.
b) Even if you do not believe in gods or choose not to honor one, you may still choose to honor your ancestral traditions as a way of honoring the life they gave you.

2) Honoring a God of your choice. Like the previous point, but you may believe that it is your right to choose the god that takes care of you.

3) Psychological. Everyone has a different way of getting themselves to a point where they are a peace with their environment. Cleansing a space might mean rearranging it, or using certain types of aromas to set the mood. This might even mean just cleansing themselves through a grounding meditation.

Because Jediism is Synchronistic, we had to take into account the fact that many will have varying ideas and understandings of how "the Force" works. For "Pureland Jedi" (those that do not incorporate any religion), the answer to a question about what would be useful falls squarely in the realm of "Psychological"- what makes you feel as though you have honored the rite?

For us (Gabe and myself), the ceremonies are based around spacial arrangement (Labyrinths) to give a sort of moving visual aide for your meditation.

Most of those tasks are also generally left to clergy.

Jediism itself has no use of oils or waters (which are only tools and not implements of blessing themselves in most cases) that I'm aware of. Having said that, Jediism is syncretic, and many other faiths use oils and waters, incenses and herbs, ritual and rite to "get the job done." If you belong to one of those faiths, as I do, perhaps you could look deeper into it. If not, follow Alethea's advice to see where on that spectrum you fall, and whether or not it would be good for yor practice.

I would also really love to read through such a religious manual or formally written text that discusses Jedi rituals and ceremonies, as well as the tools and devices used in them, what purpose they serve, how they are implemented or manipulated, and the philosophy behind such traditional and ceremonial practices.

Although, I don't think I'm knowledgeable or bold enough yet to demonstrate any kind of ritual in front of or too anyone just yet. I'll leave that to more honorable practitioners like the Clergy and Jedi Knights and Masters.

Still, I'd love to read something like that just for my own understanding. ^^

ནའдհдཀ༑ནკ wrote: Consecrated oil, holy water, healing herbs or ointment?

Just ran into a situation where a person requested a blessing and I just thought that in that religion oil is part of the ceremony. Just wondering about it.

Every answer may be different - not every Jedi is the same.

In my own personal practice I use a "blessing symbol" . The Abrahamic fAith uses the symbol of the cross.
I use the symbol of earth. There's nothing magical or sacred to it in a sense it's this all powerful thing - yet I use it to remind my self of the humanity of things. I never have the "right" or the "permission" to absolve any one of anything yet ... I can forgive and treat others and encourage them in a way that is not common. When I give my blessing I say you are personally forgiven by me and owe me nothing, live like you are free.
Personally , I start north south east and west then all around and bid them well. This blessing is not a fix all go away type of thing ... the exact opposite ... if- in my life I bless some one it's gunna take me actually blessing them - it comes with action. How will I bless you ? What will...I ... do. Changes things a bit but totally worth it . Most times it's encouragment when the need calls for : real encouragment . Real actions real forgiveness - you know real blessings. Oils and symbols are and can be a personal choice and preference. Some oils are use symbolically and some are uses for tangible reminders. Some oils are used to remind of the sanctity added and the importance given and others can be ritual. If you practice you will have your own preference and your own practice.
I myself am a Gardner by habit so - I use plants and herbs to heal as well as to burn and give to people to help. Good medicine is good medicine . Placebo or good tidings ... either way my goal is to spread good vibes and vibes that help - not harm.

There's a book called color therapy . Good read as well as a book on water by masaru emoto about water that can be a helpful start to those who wish to study how we can " influence " things any how - happy traveling and seeking out ! It's in the seek we find !

Interesting question and topic - it's been good to read all the replies. I echo that it's an individual call, and my take on it doesn't speak for what should or should not be as a whole. This has been an area that I've been pondering a great deal as well. In the prior training that fuels my current Jedi practice, we were discouraged from doing anything that relies on a symbolic/substitutional connection or which isn't done from a direct application of a natural energy (in other words, no sympathetic magic or manipulations). I've carried this rule into my personal understanding of Jediism, where I view all things as having their own expression and relationship with the living Force, rather than as just blank carriers of whatever energy I would want to connect to them.

The problem, as I see it, is that many styles of consecrations - for instance, the ones that are used to consecrate holy water in several traditions - use a formula of exorcism rather than augmentation of the substance's natural processes. While at the softer level this can be seen as clearing the substances of impurities to make it better suited for whatever work is intended, in the extreme versions, it involves exorcising the "earthly" energy of the substance (seen as inferior or "fallen") to replace it with the operator's will and a (perceived) higher energy. Since we know from the chemical analysis of holy water fonts that the consecration doesn't do squat for the bacterial purity of the water, to me that becomes a purely symbolic action, with a rationale behind it that doesn't fit my worldview. Water is sacred in its natural state, as far as I'm concerned, and I don't see it as needing anything but respect and wise use of its existing properties from me.

I do use things that have a natural healing ability (with a lot of research and consultation of duly trained specialists) and for me, these are part of what I do as a Jedi to take care of my physical self, that I may serve well. This has become an important part of my practice - the core, along with physical training and intellectual study. I make my own dit da jow and tendon lotions/oils, use aromatherapy for its effects on my moods (which are part of my physical state as well as the mental), and other forms of natural therapies - sauna or sweating purification, energetic clearings, food as medicine, etc. I work on making sure that the relationship with the substances I use is as balanced, reciprocal, and ethical as it can be in the modern world. As far as blessings, there are healing meditations that I do for others, when requested (but I do prefer to work with the person more directly to support whatever changes or therapies they are doing, because if someone is not working to make necessary changes, it's just me throwing time and energy at it.) I also have a deep love of ritual, and am working on developing my own...but they have to fit with that general "keep to only what is necessary" rule of practice, so I am having to get used to giving up a lot of the "bells and smells", LOL. But I've also come to deeply believe that the greatest blessing we can do for others is to interrupt the illusion of powerlessness and help them connect to the Force, and to realize that it really is with them. And in that, a caring ear or word may be far better than any ritualized response.

I do not use oils or water but I do burn plants, usually white sage or sweet grass, during smudging ceremonies. The smudging ceremony is a custom of Native American and other indigenous cultures.

Smudging creates a cleansing smoke bath that is used to purify the body, aura, energy, ceremonial/ritual space or any other space and personal articles. Smudging is performed to remove negative energy as well as for centering and healing.

Smudging ceremonies often use plants such as tobacco, sage, cedar, sweet grass, juniper, and lavender are burned and the smoke is directed with a single feather or a fan made of several feathers. Sage is said to purify and drive out negative energy, sweet grass to attract positive energy, beauty and sweetness, cedar to ward off sickness, lavender to bring spiritual blessing. Many tribes consider tobacco to be the most sacred plant, chasing away bad or negative feelings and bringing on good and positive thoughts and to connect people with the spiritual world.