Garms Holocron

I think that I will start a holocron here since I do not follow any of the other Rites.

I won't bore anyone with my past, I prefer to turn a page and start afresh, my history is intertwined throughout the annuals of the temple so there is no need to repeat it here.

Upon googling Spiritual Humanism-non-religion spiritual path I found that many hits combined the groups such as buddhism, witchcraft, or druidic into this definition as well as the belief in science exclusivly. Also there is a fair amount of anti-religious content mixed into the body of many sites and or articals.

I don't think that is the purpose if this path here at our temple, I see this as a look at the world (and life) in its plain glory and uglyness, and what way does the force fit in.

Now I may be kinda science and phylosophy oriented, but I do not completely dismiss any religion or faith.

Sounds like a paradox right? well it is...logically I look at the world and it is very hard to not see the 'engineering' behind most things. However I have had my fair share of things that can't be explained by science, and then there are the things that are accomplished through faith...And add that the belief in the force in itself is a form of faith, and could be considered a religion...see, here lies my quandry...*sigh*

So where exactly do I stand? The truth is I am not entirely sure myself.
My time spent in the Jedi community and with this temple in particular has presented me with many challenges, challanges that allowed my immersion into the differing paths. I have had the opportunity to experience the light and the dark paths frist hand and to fully embrace and practice the art of them both.

Even with this knowledge I have not come any closer to unlocking any great personal answers as of yet. I am actually in the same spot faith-wise as I was three years ago. Then I had the theory but lacked the reality, now I have the actual experience of the light and dark and know the highs and lows of both.

These experiences have had a profound effect upon my being. I find myself actually quite empty. My efforts in both worlds (sith and Jedi) are somewhat non-committal and lack-luster. I fully belong to nether at this time.

I declined to lead this path in the past, while I have no desire to lead anything I will post here and attempt to explore the Spiritual Humanism Path. I hope that it will not prove to be a mere monologue of a Jedi Master / Sith Lord / Force Geezer's ramblings. :silly:

May the Force be with you all !

Thanks for starting this -

Whilst a bit off topic - I think you will understand the relevance with the following

I was watching a documentary last night about the London City air ambulance (helicopter paramedics basically) now one of the patients featured was a lady who was hut and ended up under a double decker bus weighing over 12tonnes

In the interview afterwards she said she couldn't remember much of it (probably either shock or the drugs given at the scene) but she said she feels that whilst she is not remotely religious minded - she feels she was being watched over that day by someone or something for her to have survived with serious but comparatively minor injuries (double pelvic break and other stuff)

Now when she said that - i thought to myself - I wonder if many other people in the world DONT believe in anything as such - simply because they have not 'felt' anything ?

I have to sort of fess that whilst I was not religious and dont consider myself to be so now - that past events in my life shifted my view or opened my eyes to things outside our 'normal' view of things.

I completly understand what you are saying. I feel the same, while I am not religious there are times that events have kind of made me stand back and say...wow, now thats got to be a sign or ahemm... miracles ?! These occurances have quite an effect on me, and there are enough of them to simply pass off. They always cause me to question where I stand on the issue.

maybe I should listen to FBI Special Agent Fox Mulders office poster...'I want to believe'

Been away from the net lately, work and when not at work lots of time spent off-roading. I stumbled across two young moose last weekend while out on my dirtbike, but of course no camera with me. Really cool, they just stared at me chewing away about 30 feet from me. They didn't even flinch when I started my bike back up to leave.

Today at multiple jedi sites there seems to be quite a lack of activity over the past week. I believe that I'm about to delete many from my favorites. There is just no point logging in to some anymore. Now while The Temple here looks to be one of the busiest at this time there is something that disturbes me.

At the few active sites the majority of the posts by far concern lesson material. There is very little general discussion going on. I wonder what has caused this trend. At one time there was so much activity there was little hope of reading all the posts from one or two sites every evening, now I can read everything new from a half dozen sites on my lunch hour - easily.

I understand that students are concerned with conversing with their masters, but there is very little in the way of general traffic. Are Masters and Knights pre-occupied with studies to the point of not interacting on a variety of topics?

This trend is common among sites, unfortunately a decline ending in inactivity is the usual result. The membership becomes so entangled in the student/master circle that little else spills onto the forum that is of interest to others, expecially to those not engaged in a formal apprenticeship. the result is stagnation and eventually members stop bothering to visit at all. The students become masters themselves, take on a padawan of their own, and the cycle repeats. Some Knights/Masters do not take a new student and look to the forum of their own temple and find little...not understanding why there is little for them there, they look beyond only to find the same at other sites...eventually outthey find something else to put their efforts to and jediism suffers the loss...

I can predict exactly who will respond to this post, for the past few months it is always the same few...there are 1740+ members but it won't be any different this time.

Everyone should become active, it's surprising how a simple new thread on a topic that seems so insignificant can spark a large response. After all open participation and disscussion is as much a part of training a knight as the code...what good is knighthood if one is not willing to make a statement or post an opinion?

Anyways, just an observation.

I have left my council post at the Unified Jedi Sith Order for the reasons I stated above. The pre-occupation of student / master activities have brought the site to a standstill, there are still things happening in the background, however, the forum is deader than Han Solo’s Tauntaun on Hoth…and just as cold.

I will be following suit on a few other sites this evening, there is just no point if there is nothing there in the first place. I intend to cut out the dead wood from my internet time and concentrate on what I believe may still be breathing… TOTJO still has a pulse.

In my last post I said that Masters have been in-active…well, I too am guilty, I have been a Jedi Master…and I too have been sitting on the sidelines thinking that others should be posting for my enjoyment…what a thing to think…(shakes the cobwebs from head) it’s time I participate as well, put my postings where my mouth is sort of speak…. It is time that I acted like a Jedi Master again.

So with permission I will stay awhile and add topics that I hope will be interesting and worthy of comment and discussion.

I have to admit I too have noticed the lull in activity - however - from memory, it was about the same this time last year - actually, i help with or fully run a number of forum sites around the web - and they all have the same thing this time of year - ie as active as sedated slugs.

Now I have thought about why in the past and my conclusions include the weather/longer daylight hours (at least in europe anyway) also the academic year is drawing to a close and many students and teachers are busy preparing for exams etc - likewise - holiday/travel season is also upon us so people are busy with that.

I know it isnt much of a contribution but I have tried to spark some interest via blog posts - as you know I have real world problems and feel really bad that I physically cannot do as much here as I want (the mind is all too keen but the body is a wreck) - you might want to see the masters staff room for an update.

I also know that other masters here have real world issues right now but I would like to take this opportunity to thank those who are doing a grand job in their respective roles here.

I am fairly sure that many of the Jedi(ism) sites (or Sith(ism) or whatever will pick up again in time - but in a way its a sad fact of life on the tinterweb that sites stagnate and eventually just fail.

I also seem to recollect a discussion in the not too distant past on this site about some regular 'hot topic' discussion being established and I still believe this is a good idea - to keep the juices flowing and to bring in the real world to out temple - Id suggest subjects that are set in/on the world stage - recent news making events that sort of thing.

Just an idea - others are more than welcome (by ANYONE)

MTFBWY - A (or at least make you a decent coffee in the morning )

Count me in. So far I have been lurking (mostly) but I am ready, willing and able to discuss whatever seems worthy (and that is a lot).

remember, the only failure is when we fail to try...:dry: or something like that.

I wrote a somewhat lenghty post describing all my transgressions and then erased the whole of it...it was selfserving dribble.

So what can I say?

I personally have been down on the Temple for quite some time...I trashed its motives and mocked its lofty ideals, dismissing the good and embracing the position that good is dumb and for softies. I ignored the efforts of others who did not share my views, and used my heavy personality to advance a Sith agenda.

I regret my actions of the past and am sorry for the stress I undoubtably caused some of the Order.

I will close by saying that the whole Sith thing is really a load of BS. We are who we are and the light and the dark reside inside all of us, it is our own choice as to what we wish to follow. There is no predestined path, no inherent good or evil that controles us - its all up to us alone...and I knew this and wrote about it...in what seems soo long ago.


With that covered, yes Kana there is a drop off due to summer approaching. but there seems to be more than just that, its not just volume, its content over the whole of the year. Not just here, actually we are one of the better off jedi sites, oh, I cannot speak for TOTJF, I have not been there in months...Anyway for whatever the reason I intend to pull my share and try to stimulate our forums...

TOTJF (in my own opinion) is in much the same boat as the rest.

One way to look at the whole situation is as you said - its quality not quantity - and so what if there only a handful of dedicated active Jedi (term used in as much as force followers of the real world)

I actually dont see what you have to apologise for either - you and I both know (as will most of the longer standing members) know what your referring too - and no one is blameless but everyone did what they felt was right at the time, some may have regrets some wont, some will still feel like victims and some probably wont forgive and or forget - but isnt that the human condition in any given situation?

If nothing else, you are in a good place to teach others about such mistakes and at least you have learned something from it which is what makes us grow as people. (this line probably doesnt read as i intend)

Im glad to see youve been more active recently anyway

MTFBWY - A

one thing is certain...I have learned that Yoda was right...always in motion, the future is.

One just never knows exactly what tomorrow can bring

I have just asked to be deleted from the rolls of UJSO. There are a few things happening and others in the works that I just don't want any part of; so as of right now...TOTJO is the only Order that I have any connection with.

Perhaps without the multiple sites I will be able to pull my act together and concentrate on finishing the past projects I started and starting on a couple of others.

Thats partly why im only active on the same 'family' of sites (TOTJO/TOTJF)

some people think this the wrong attitude - but thats up to them - those of us who know what your talking about will understand 100% ad i hope I speak for us all but for myself - I stand by you 110%

MTFBWY - A

something new, over the past few weeks, meditation has been different. In past practice I have been able to achieve a calm and passive state, what I am currently experiencing is more of a heightened awareness of my immeadiate surroundings, while the calm is there I seem to pick up on the smallest of sounds(?)movement(?) around me. I find it disturbing as it is not my norm and I'm not coming away with the same \"feeling\" as before. It's not a bad feeling, just different.

wow, that is interesting. I really don't know what to say about that except do you 'feel' a presence of some sort?

Are you the same person you were yesterday? Not if you dare to contact the Force, and meditation makes that possible. Unsettling, who isn`t when they`re dancing in the dark. I don`t think I need to tell you this but familiarity needs time and above all regularity. When I read your good news, since it is a message for us all that meditation works, the first image that came to mind was a pool of water being sucked up by a sponge as soon as they make contact. I saw you a being the water and the Force sharing and giving you room. The longer the contact the more we take on the form of that sponge... Anyway congratulations Brother and keep us posted.

I just seem to pick up on the small things around me. Anora, I don't feel as if there is anything else with me at the time, I'm not particularly attuned to that sort of thing (my wifes department)but i wouldn't rule out a third party (for lack of a better term ) being there.

The bothersome thing is that I don't get into as calm a state as before, while the little things around me are more pronounced they do present a distraction of sorts. I just may need time to adjust to this 'mode'. I'll concentrate on not concentrating on returning to the old method and just let it take its course and see what happens.

just a thought Master Garm - but if you remember from Watts Psychedelic piece - there he describes a person being aware of the little things not normally taken much notice of.

Perhaps your sort of going out of yourself in a different way - your less self focused and thus 'picking up on the little things'.

Not related to meditation as such but I hope you understand the comparison - I have 3 fish tanks in my bedroom - each of which has at least 2 filters p;us air driven supplies - essentially alot of background noise. Im so attuned to the noise of each piece of equipment that I now wake up at the slightest difference in sound (usually a reduction in flow). Now all my family etc say that theyd find it impossible to get to sleep in this noise whereas Im so used to it - I don't think id sleep without it.

This last few days - weve had a little invasion of mice - and for the first time I can remember - they've gotten into my section of the house and believe it or not - I was actually 'disturbed' by the sound of a mouse easting a few stray crumbs of fish food in the dead of night.

What im saying is that one becomes used to the 'normal' noises - ie the usual 'distractions' and the mind finds new ones.

Whether or not this is good or bad is open to debate (largely on the context I guess) but as Im saying to you - perhaps your tuning into a new level - perhaps trying to fight against this is a bad idea?

MTFBWY - A

I'm going to just let it be and become one with this, at least for awhile (like I'm really able to change it anyways :laugh:) like your background noise, I suspect that I will become accustomed to this new way in time.

For some reason, your dream about the stream and the rocks comes to mind. You were speaking about the force of water moving the rocks of our awareness crerating new expressions. It was a very enlightening, yet beautifully simple metaphor. Thank you for sharing.