what makes a jedi?

A commitment to better thoughts, better choices & better decisions today than were made yesterday. An acknowledgement that I will, at some point fail, an acknowledgement that fear exists in response to failing, and a persistence to provide the greatest effort I can muster regardless. Also a sincere belief in the Force and a connection to all living things, as well as a willingness to serve and an open mind...

Each religion has its own mythology, and each of them has a message.

The Jedi mythology points towards a message of interconnectedness, and by that we are prompted to fight against the Machine that attempts to negate this interconnectedness. The fighting style, however, can never be the same one of the machine (segregation, violence, imposition), lest we become the machine ourselves.

Our aim is freedom. Our method is kindness.

jediskitty wrote: strange question, I know.. but we can choose from over 100 cults and religions, all unique.
but jediism.. what is it that makes a jedi?

A better question might be, what makes a Jedi according to this temple vs what makes a Jedi outside those bounds. Along those lines, there is a distinction between just "Jedi" and "Jedi Knight". If you are looking for qualities that you should aspire to with the goal of becoming a Knight here at this temple, there is a narrow and specific set of criteria that you need to demonstrate. Making this place just another of those 100 or so cults.

My advice, don't depend on the opinion and especially the approval of others. Instead, define the spirituality of jediism as you see fit and then follow that unabashedly!

Its a commitment/lifestyle/way-of-thinking etc that speaks to us. It answers the questions in a meaningful way when we did not hear it from others.

My advice, don't depend on the opinion and especially the approval of others. Instead, define the spirituality of jediism as you see fit and then follow that unabashedly!

Unless you have no idea what you're doing, in which case feel free to use other people's guidelines and teachings until you're comfortable stepping out on your own.

There's no real shame in it.



(Not to Kyrin's taste, obviously, but assume our dear Wyldstar learned to prepare food, and drive, with no prompting )



How to choose?

Well, you could research them all, and pick on that appeals - or you could assign each of them a number from 0-99, and roll the dice

JamesSand wrote: How to choose?

Well, you could research them all, and pick on that appeals - or you could assign each of them a number from 0-99, and roll the dice

Best way to know if you like the taste of the kool-aid: drink the kool-aid.

Note: do not join any cult that forces you to drink anything you are not 100% sure the contents of.

Note: do not join any cult that forces you to drink anything you are not 100% sure the contents of.

You would be absolutely no fun at any party that goes past midnight :laugh: :whistle:


Banter aside - It may be worth noting, that as far as I've observed, Jedi or anything similar enough by any other name, is not particularly pross...prozet...prozac...pringles... trying to get more members.

The Members of various groups find that group and its "ways" appealing, but no one* is really trying to "convert" anyone, or persuade someone that their brand is better than the other**



*I am, but I'm selling something

**Because when you've got Coke, you don't need to persuade anyone that it's the best. Everyone already knows.
Drink Coke. It's the best, and you know it!

jediskitty wrote: strange question, I know.. but we can choose from over 100 cults and religions, all unique.
but jediism.. what is it that makes a jedi?

It's not really a strange question, but one not generally asked so directly. Why do you ask?

What everyone else said

Though the Temple here doesn't tell you 'if' your a Jedi so much beyond administrative requirements to define who is and who is not a member, and rather just offers a system to support particular types of interaction and development of ones own path and the ranks just support that is all. Its what you make it above and beyond those bare minimum thing the Temple asserts as that system, and what it asserts is deliberately open to allow each Jedi to be unique as much as the Temple thinks it can get away with it without being 'too' broad.

And since lots of people for different reasons have different opportunities available to them, different circumstances, it probably should not be about qualifications or activity as a measure necessarily (beyond things that do need measuring), but instead genuine intention and commitment within ones own personal circumstance.

So for me personally, like everyone else, its quite unique.
Personally, a blend of astronaut and pyschonaut, a merging of science and spirit in active engagement as much as possible. I couldn't go the particular way I wanted, but it doesn't stop me going as far as I can in both. It suits me because I grew up on the original trilogy being about 4 when Ep IV appeared. Sort of like a future-tense but contemporary spirituality, and a bit like extropianism and technogaianism but with a large chunk of exegesis over history to be firmly rooted in reality and not float off with the pixies too much. I think those two streams are very much related, and what is being represented by the source fiction and what it was trying to represent about humanity so far and its potential.

JamesSand wrote:

My advice, don't depend on the opinion and especially the approval of others. Instead, define the spirituality of jediism as you see fit and then follow that unabashedly!

Unless you have no idea what you're doing, in which case feel free to use other people's guidelines and teachings until you're comfortable stepping out on your own.

There's no real shame in it.



(Not to Kyrin's taste, obviously, but assume our dear Wyldstar learned to prepare food, and drive, with no prompting )



How to choose?

Well, you could research them all, and pick on that appeals - or you could assign each of them a number from 0-99, and roll the dice

My dear Mr Sand,

Rest assured that your attempts to indoctrinate falls on deaf ears here as far as I am concerned and i will make every effort to keep your recruitment machinations from influencing others within earshot of your demon tongue.

I have learned to both cook and drive quite effectively with no to little instruction of others. And even given those corporeal pursuits I have been even more independant when it comes to my spiritually. For you to even suggest that we are required to enlist the aid of others in order to learn about ourselves flys in the face of independent thought.

I'm sure you and your ilk have a massive pitcher of magical lemonade that will give all that buy into your song a ticket on the next spaceship to the stars, but I am not one. However, i wish you well on your journey.