Welcome to the Jedi Sanctuary on-line temple!

by: Jedi Kidohdin 2004 - edited by Jedi Seven 11-2008

We hope that your visit to our on-line temple will be informative and helpful. Please keep in mind that the Sanctuary is made up of dozens of writers - and hundreds of members. You will find content that frankly contradicts itself - but this is about your journey and what you find to be useful!

"The more I study Jediism, the more I understand that
its all about service. Service to the Force, service
to other people, service to all forms of life." - Jedi Kidohdin

In existence since 7 July 2003, the common thread of our Jedi sanctuary congregation has been star wars and the philosophical teachings of the Jedi Knights.

At Jedi Sanctuary we used to say we were the home of the Jedi Religion. People were getting confused believing they needed a dogmatic religious path full of ritual and nonsense high councils in order to participate. We do not condone any sort of dogma or bizzare rituals or actions related to being a Jedi. We consider it a very old philosophy (see Joseph Campbell's Heros path) and most of us follow it as such. The philosophy you live your life by can be considered your religion. Here are a few beliefs we hold and follow here at Sanctuary:

• No High Councils
• No Rituals
• You can belong to any Religion and still be a Jedi (Christians, Buddhist, Pagans, and everyone else who follows that which is right are welcome).
• We’re about positive change in the world.
• We haven’t turned our back on Lucas’ Star Wars. George Lucas Rules.
• We like to discuss what happened in the movie and also discuss classics of literature.
• We’re really into Joseph Campbell (don’t know who that is? See you should join!)
• We discuss all aspects of being a Jedi, fitness, meditation, conflict resolution, negotiation, staying positive, making good decisions, having healthy relationships, trusting in the Force, and personal growth.
• And finally – we don’t take ourselves too seriously. (It's FUN to be a Jedi!)

The Sanctuary was founded by Jedi converts who really didn’t like what was happening with so called high councils and people calling themselves masters. We’re non-political, non-militant, and pro-active in our communities.

We follow a creed:

• Jedi are the guardians of peace
• Jedi use their powers to defend and protect, never to attack others.
• Jedi respect all life
• Jedi serve others rather than rule over them
• Jedi seek to improve themselves through knowledge and training.
• Jedi live in the present, not the past or the future.
• Jedi stay mindful of the Living Force.
• Jedi learn to trust their feelings and instincts, and listen to their inner wisdom.
• Jedi feel devotion to the Living Force. Jedi are determined never to serve the dark side. Devotion to the Force can carry a Jedi through the many trials of life.

There is also a Jedi Code - it is said someone in the 70's wrote the following:

• There is no emotion; there is peace.
• There is no ignorance; there is knowledge.
• There is no passion; there is serenity.
• There is no death; there is the Force.

There is debate about what the Creed and the Code mean - but what is important is what it means to you personally. Being a Jedi is a personal path and leads to self discovery and self trust.

We not only live, we also unify... We are connected to everything and everyone around us. We are connected with the universe, and it also is connected to us. We are life... We are a connection to the highest will... We are unified with The Force. This faith that all life is interconnected lends itself to respecting not only others but ourselves. The Jedi way if full to the brim with useful life tools.

The spiritual teachings of Star Wars were taken from real religions, and they are ‘the real part’ of Star Wars. The fighting skills of the Jedi were taken from real eastern martial arts too. So, the spiritual teachings, the martial skills and the psychic skills, are the true or real parts of ‘Star Wars’. The rest of Star Wars is pure mythology, and enjoyable mythology at that.

Lucas: "When I wrote the first Star Wars, I had to come up with a whole cosmology: what do people believe in? I had to do something that was relevant, something that imitated a belief system that has been around for thousands of years, and that most people on the planet, one way or another, have some kind of connection to. I didn’t want to invent a religion. I wanted to try to explain in a different way the religions that have already existed. I wanted to express it all. (Moyers 'Of Myth and Men' Interview)

Lucas: "I was trying to get fairy tales, myths, and religion down to a distilled state, studying the pure form to see how and why it worked. . . . I wanted to make a kids’ film that would strengthen contemporary mythology and introduce a kind of basic morality. (Quoted in Pollock's 'Skywalking')

Lucas: "The conclusion I’ve come to is that all the religions are true. I put the Force into the movie in order to try to awaken a certain kind of spirituality in young people – more a belief in God than a belief in any particular religious system. I wanted to make it so that young people would begin to ask questions about the Mystery." (Moyers 'Of Myth and Men' Interview).

The Jedi Sanctuary welcomes you again and thanks you for visiting our website. May the force be with you!

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