Mutt is a good analogy

Mutts are usually nicer personalities and healthier animals all round

Much like Jediism - it may be a cross breed (aka Heinz 57) but its healthier and nicer than most (if not all) others

Mutt Anology

Kana Seiko Haruki wrote:
Mutt is a good analogy

Mutts are usually nicer personalities and healthier animals all round

Much like Jediism - it may be a cross breed (aka Heinz 57) but its healthier and nicer than most (if not all) others [/quote


Ok, ok, ok,   So...
First I say this with LOVE and not to insult anyone or anything, just following the discussion lines....

Jedism is a combination  of all the religions... Or at least saying they are all common when boiled downtown to basics.    

So.... Reversing that... All the religions came from a common source or thought, what did Campbell call it? Similar thinking or taking belief with you, and adapting it to new areas. 

Like all canines are desendents of the wild dog. And were specifically bred for certain characteristics? And by breeding for characteristics, flaws became apparent? (in canines) hip displacia, cataracts, etc......

This where we headed? Back to where we started? By allowing all Jedi to still follow their heart ( and _base_ religion) we combine ourselves to the beginning? ( I wish I knew how to attach a drawing, I have a great one in my mind). 

Using the anology, mutts seperated to become pure breed, then problems, so recombined to become healthier.....

Wow..... I gotta lay off the energy drinks...... Lolol... Rebuttals?

All major religions, spiritualities and schools of faith have elements that can be traced back to shamanism, which is in itself a loose term for the indigenous practices of each tribe. This was a time before any other, when we lived in complete synthesis with our surroundings. The healers and visionaries (shamen, medicine men, call them what you will...) would commune with the transcendent "Gaian supermind" for the betterment of the tribe and each tribal member would appreciate the direct _link_ between the life of the nature around them and the life within themselves.

Sounds familiar? No, not Avatar (although it can be argued that that is the latest representation of such ideals), but Jediism. So any of our beliefs as pagan Jedi (and even those of other rites) are interconnected even though we may give them different names. "A rose by any other name...."

My own shamanic path developed and took on a huge Taoist element (Taoism being a direct descendant of Eastern shamanic practices and beliefs) but I don't see the differences, only the binding correlation between the two.

I guess what I'm saying is: hello to all my fellow Jedi (and particularly the pagan ones!) and I extend the hand of friendship and brother/sisterhood to you all!

MTFBWY

just be kind !!!

kindness goes a long way in any philosophy
flexibility and adaptability should too, though it's not often found in many religions.

At a personal level, I think that kindness is awesome. Using the soft approach to things often gets done what forcing the issue does not. In Buddhism (at least, I think it's from Buddhism, though it may also be from Confucius) it is said that the wise walks with his head bowed, and is lower than the dust. In this way, people are struck by the wisdom and tend to be more receptive to advice which fits their situation.

But there are also people who confuse kindness with passivity: is it kinder to allow a man who is intent on killing himself to do so, or is it kinder to use forceful means to save his life? Though it depends on the situation, most Buddhists agree that the use of force to save the man's life is actually a kindness, while being passive and allowing the man to kill himself is an act of violence.

In Paganism, I've noticed that this passivity is prevalent among the people who just don't know what they're doing, especially among certain groups of the New Age movement. However, these are the minority any more, as people who become spiritually aware come to a natural balance within themselves and begin to understand how the balances of energies work. They understand that kindness is a means of preventing suffering, and so they become forceful where soft kindness wouldn't work. This is what makes people like Tiamat so effective at what they do, even when they are seeming to come off as negative at times: they are diminishing the suffering of others by directing the suffering away from them.

Thus, a Pagan Jedi is really no different from any other kind of Jedi, other than the perspective from which they perceive the Force. I think that the reason we have rites is not to separate, but to allow for a "comfort zone" while people come to an understanding of this. It's the illusion of separation which creates comfort, and though we are not the same, we are all still one.

This idea can also be _frame_d into Christian and Humanist terms, but I'm already risking the tl;dr limit.