Jedi in the Real World

Hello all.

I was recently communicating with Brother John, and the suggestion came up that I might share a bit of my story here with others who are interested. I think that such might be a good thing, and since it goes beyond the scope of a simple introduction, I thought that this section of the forum would be a good place for it.

Well, I was mentioning to John, and he heartily agreed, that there have been people in the world who were basically Jedi without ever calling themselves that and who were in the world long before the imagination of George Lucas ever brought them to the screen. I know this, because in my life I have had the honor of meeting one or two of these people and they had a huge impact on who I am today and the path I follow.

Once I was a lost and confused young man, waaaaay back in the early 1980s. I felt as I imagine many young folks still do today - that the world has no place for them and that life can be a lost cause. From that kind of thinking rose anger and frustration; things which are no good for anyone. The dark side beckoned and in some ways I served that nature for awhile, much to my detriment.

Then one day, while I was out in the mountains, taking a break from the rat race, I met an old man; an amicable Native fellow. He and I got along well together and eventually became friends. More than that, he eventually became my adoptive Grandfather in the Native American tradition. He taught me how to live; for the first time I came to know a bit of why I was in the world and that indeed, the world had a plan for me: I had a destiny.
Over the years that followed I learned much: How to survive in the wild places; how to hunt; how to get closer to the world of spirit. I witnessed things in deep nature and from my Grandfather and his close friends that simply blew me away. I saw things that I would normally have dismissed as impossible or the stuff out of fantasy novels. Yet, there these things were; right in front of me.

My Grandfather believed in a power that prevailed in the multiverse; it was an energy source that was produced by all life - not just life as we know it, but life on other planes of existence; even things we don't normally think of as even having life. He taught me that this 'force', or 'the Spirit that moves through everything' connected everything and everyone, and that it was through that connection that anything was possible. He taught me the very simplest basics of this, and taught me the simplest ways to start becoming aware of this force; this 'gift of the Elders' as he also called it. My Grandfather was a Native traditionalist in many ways, but in many ways he also was more than that; he had moved forward on his own path over nearly ninety years when I met him, always adapting; always integrating what worked and un-learning what did not. Many times had he battled the dark side too, I was told. he carried more than a few scars from his experiences, yet they had always made him wiser and stronger.

Eventually I came to know others who were like my Grandfather; friends of his; brothers on the Warrior path. Eventually I became part of this brotherhood and came to know a few things I had not known before. I endured 'trials' of a sort and when I had proven myself to the satisfaction of these 'masters' (I called them Elders)I took an oath - something I have held to this day. I have seen and done many things since then. I have seen the face of the dark side and fought it and its servants too.
Wished I had a lightsaber a few times back then I can tell you

And years passed, the Elders went to their rest, and I and a small group who had been taught carried on in life. We had our own trials and adventures, some of us died and some of us continued in this incarnation. It took me quite a few years to realize that the men who had shared their knowledge with me; who had done their best to set the feet of a troubled young man on a good path - were in fact temporal versions of the Jedi. They were living examples of folk who had become close and learned in the ways of the Force and walked on the road of light in a good way.

And so it is that I know - for a fact and from personal experience, that the 'idea' of the Jedi is a very real and very ancient thing: It is the fire from within the hearts of a few who are not afraid of the dark and who fully embrace their destiny no matter what the cost.

These men that I knew never called themselves Jedi, and I am sure there are many like them living today in many parts of the world, who also do not specifically use the word 'Jedi' to describe themselves or their path. Yet, they are there - as I am; as my brothers are.

I see hints of that inner fire here on this forum; I see people who are determined and eager and dedicated - and most of all not afraid - to reach out and quest for their destiny.

I say to those folk: Don't let anyone or anything hold you back from following your destiny as Jedi. Fools may mock and others may disbelieve, but that is the way of the ignorant. They are like cattle lowing in the fields while you soar overhead like hawks or eagles. The ignorant are of two kinds: Those who are as yet unenlightened, and those who will never be.

I will tell you that our world; our people NEED people like you. They need those serious minded and dedicated people who are not play acting; nor role playing, but who seek the mantle of Warriors who are not afraid to stand before the maelstrom.

Call yourself Jedi or something else, or even just 'Joe down the street', but if your heart is there, you already *know* what you are doing is good and noble and right. Know well that there ARE real Jedi in the REAL world.

...and you are among them.


Be well, stay strong and may the Force be with you all.

Qorvas