Training

Borrowed from D.J. Conway's By “Oak, Ash, & Thorn”. Modified this test is aimed toward the Celtic faiths but can be applied to any, fill in appropriate words where needed. Also, I am not looking for anyone to answer these openly online, just a way for each individual that reads it to take a closer look at themselves.



Q: What are your real, deep reasons for wanting to practice Jediism/Druidry/Shamanism?
A: I enjoy the freedom to believe in what I wish, and I feel this path brings my closer to nature and closer to others.

Q: Can you discipline yourself to follow through on plans and goals?
A: Discipline is a way of life for me, taught by the Army and acted upon at all times.

Q: Have you balanced your life mentally, physically, and spiritually?
A: I feel that the life of the Jedi will bring the balance I seek to my life.

Q: What changes can you make to achieve balance?
A: Work to better myself more both physically, mentally, and spiritually through my Jedi training and teachings.

Q: Do you fear the unknown? The non-physical? Why?
A: I have no fear of the unknown or the non-physical. I have experienced fear on a very high level, the fear of death, but I did not fear for myself, I feared for the others around me. Fear is the physical manifestation of the unknown and if you question the unknown it puts the unknown into a physical perspective one can understand and therefore no longer fears.

Q: Have you had psychic experiences? Hunches or gut feelings that led you to make the right decision even though the visible facts may not have supported that decision?
A: Yes, but I differentiate between a psychic experience and a hunch. To myself a psychic experience is something I have little or no control of, usually experienced during an intense meditation. The mind is allowed to wander and can take us places never before experienced, sometimes good, sometimes bad. A hunch is an experience derived from physical and learned experience, a decision is based upon before hand knowledge or training to recognize a prior situation or experience.

Q: How sympathetic are you toward others? Too much? Too little?
A: I am very sympathetic towards others, I feel as if I am here to help others, but at times feel I cannot do enough or do not have to means to help enough.

Q: Can you temper advice to fit another's religious belief if that belief is different that yours? Can you avoid giving advice?
A: Any advice I give will always be in a neutral frame of mind, one should never give advice laced with your own belief to someone of a different faith, that would be contrary to the need for advice, it would be more of an opinion. I only give advice when it is implied or asked for.



Q: Are you used by friends who arrive feeling depressed and leave feeling wonderful, while you end up being and and/or exhausted?
A: I never feel as if I have been used, I give freely and that in itself alleviates the feeling of being used. I am not necessarily exhausted, but I am sometimes worn out or tired.

Q: Have you faced and accepted responsibility for what has happened in your life, or are you still laying blame on other, such as parents, teachers, companions, etc.?
A: Any and all decisions we make are done on our own, however, they may be influenced by others. If you make a decision based on the influence of others only to find it was the wrong decision, the fault lies solely with you, because you chose to move that direction. Any decisions I make fall solely on me.

Q: Have you let go of the past, or do you still talk emotionally about old hurts?
A: The past is just that, it can not be changed, but it can be learned from. One must let go of the past in order to move into the future.

Q: Do you use the victim role, helpless, illness, or guilt to manipulate and control others? Be brutally honest on the point.
A: I have used it in the past, it is always easy to pray on the emotions of others to achieve what you may feel as a goal or a small victory. But as with many things, it is also something that is done unconsciously and or without the knowledge that you are even doing it. It requires the desire to be the center of attention, one feeling I do not always wish to have.
Q: Do you have trouble with patience when your desires are not met immediately?
A: I can say with absolute certainty that patience is one of my strongest points, it is not a trait someone is born with, merely one that is learned with time.

Q: What effect does a sunset have on you in a moment of calmness? The sight of moonlight on fresh snow? When you see beautiful nature scenes, does something within you yearn to express itself, yet you cannot find adequate words?
A: Watching a sunset is a moment of calmness for me and can cause almost a moment of mini-meditation. The moonlight on fresh snow has to be one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen, it is also a wonderful sensation if it is a full moon that does the lighting. Any nature scene I see does just that, I wish to step out of my physical form and become one with the vision, and there are few word to describe the feeling.

Q: Do you believe in a Supreme Power that created everything in the universe, yet feel uncomfortable with the accepted orthodox explanations?
A: I do not believe that any one supreme power created all. I feel that many powers created our universe, whether it be many beings or many forces. One thing I am sure of… The Force itself is was binds everything together.

Q: Do the phases of the Moon affect your moods? Cause bouts of nervousness or lethargy?
A: Yes, certain phases cause some anxiety, and others, more toward the full phase, cause peace and calmness. I am at my most calm during the full moon and this is when I will meditate the longest.




Q: Do certain seasons of the year appeal to you more that other?
A: I prefer the fall when nature is at her most vivid, and you can see the change as it happens through the colors, and the temperatures. The ending of a season, (fall into winter), is like the end of a life, only to be reborn again in the spring.

Q: Do you have precognitive dreams? Sometimes these are clear immediately, other times cloaked in symbolism that can be interpreted only at a later date.
A: This happens to me quite often and sometimes will manifest soon after the dream, other times it may not manifest for weeks, months, and even once or twice, years.

Q: Have you had a severe illness, a life-threatening surgery, great personal loss, or near-death experience that caused you to change your opinions on the spiritual?
A: No I have not. My faith was just a change of path that I felt was right for me.

Q: Do you have an affinity with animals? Can you communicate with them in some way?
A: Yes, there are a very few animals both domestic and wild that feel threatened when I am near them. Any communications are done on a sub conscious level with the mind rather than the physical. Animals sense rather than commune. It is a feeling I have that is hard to explain.

Q: Do you consider yourself liberal, moderate, or conservative when assessing and accepting new ideas?
A: Liberal, one must be open to new ideas in order to learn and to experience this world we live in.

Q: Is it important to you to attain/maintain a certain social position, or do you value privacy and personal expression above what others think of your life style?
A: My position in society is base solely on how I feel about myself, I value the opinions of others but I do not let their opinions influence my path. I do express myself freely without reservations of how others may perceive me, I am what I am and do what I do because that is how I chose to live.

Q: Can you keep silent about your personal life, beliefs and actions, or do you rush to share them with anyone who will listen?
A: My personal life is an open book to those who wish to read, I volunteer only that which will help inspire others, and only if they ask. I do not push myself or my beliefs on others, unless they request, and then only to inform or enlighten.

Q: If someone tells you something in confidence, can you keep the secret?
A: Yes, my physical life demands it as well as my spiritual life, however, if the secret they share may cause harm to another it is my duty to redirect their anger or frustration to something positive.

Q: Can you be happy spending time by yourself, or do you feel the need to be surrounded by others?
A: I am happy either way, I am almost always in a positive frame of mind. When not I prefer to be alone so any negativity I feel will not influence others.