Allow me to introduce myself, I am known by the names of Peter, given to me by my parents and after my great great grandfather, and Tragamite (Trag), a name I created as a character and have carried with me for almost 40 years as of this post. Where biblically Peter means rock, Tragamite was also derived from a rock, stalagmite. I have often felt affiliated more with earth than any other element, despite being a water sign, Pisces.
I found my way along the road of Jediism, while contemplating such things as death as I served in the army in Iraq. I had lost a number of brothers and was suffering from survivals guilt. As I considered the idea of heaven and nothingness, neither appealed or really even made sense to me. I happened to see Yoda discussing death and rejoining the Force. I started researching the concepts and ideas around the Force. The idea of my energy being transformed from its form of keeping my body alive to dispersing throughout the universe feels like something I need to pay attention to. Where my consciousness would join a collective of other consciousnesses within the Cosmic Force, where I might still be contacted and have contact with those residing in the Living Force, makes sense in my head.
After a number of years, building my own path, I wondered if anyone else had ever considered the Jedi philosophy as a real life practice. I conducted a search on the Internet and found that people have been legitimately working to be real life Jedi since the 1990's.
As new works are put out for entertainment, I look to the deeper lessons of who I should be as a Jedi, student of the Force. A Jedi maintains an open mind and seeks knowledge. It doing so I find what makes sense to my path and apply it. That which doesn't make sense doesn't mean it's wrong, just that it may not apply to me. I enjoy hearing what others have taken and applied to their journey. This allows me to consider what does not makes sense to my path but might to another.
I believe a Jedi's path is a solitary one. Though you will cross many others on your path, no two people travel exactly the same path. Thus we must consider and accept other's on their own journey without judgement or prejudice. If we don't agree with anothers path, ask the questions that make you both think, consider, contemplate, and realize truth so that you might become the best version of yourself. Maybe your perspective is the one someone has been waiting to hear to make changes happen.
What is the Force, and what is your connection to it?
For me the Force is the collective vibration of the universe. Everything is in vibration, this is the energy of all things, and like shockwave in water when stones are tossed in, we impact one another through the vibration that radiates from us. Everything is fluid so we are the water and in the water making waves and connecting with everything.
What does it mean for a Jedi to maintain an open mind, and why is it important?
An open mind is very important for a Jedi to be open and accepting of things they may not agree with. Differences we have in things like cultures may make something appear wrong, possibly even evil. However, maintaining an open mind allows a Jedi to see things from other points of view. We can't always trust what we see with our eyes. An open mind allows us to explore and gather as much information as possible before we make our conclusion.
What is the Jedi code, what do the parts mean, and how does it apply to your daily life?
The Jedi code I have adopted for myself is as follows:
Through my emotions, I find peace.
Where I find ignorance, I seek knowledge.
In my passions, I will know serenity.
In the chaos, I bring harmony.
Death is not the end, the Force is eternal.
We are emotional creatures, however we cannot allow our emotions to control us, we must find peace with our emotions in order to find peace ourselves.
If we don't know something we shouldn't just fake it till we make it, we need to learn. This goes with having an open mind as well. Don't close yourself off thinking you know everything or even one thing, challenge what you think you know to know that you know it.
Having passion or being passionate is not a bad thing in and of itself, but like emotions, we can be consumed by our passion, forgoing everything for those passions. We must balance or passion with other things in life so we don't become overwhelmed.
Chaos is all around us and, as Jedi, we are the peacemakers. We must bring about the harmony that unites those in conflict to come to peace.
We are energy, our body is powered by our energy. Energy is not destroyed or created, it transforms into other types of energy. And since the Force is the collective and connectedness of the energy it must be eternal and so are we. Our energy will transform from powering this body into another form.
The code is a blueprint for health and happy living. Living by this guidance will help you manage and balance your life it to something more.
What is a Jedi, and why are you striving to be one?
I view my path as a spiritual philosophy guided by the principles and good doing of the Jedi of lore. Taking the passive aspects and applying them to real life so that I can grow to be better every day. That is what a Jedi is growth.