You Can Put Your Robes On

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to talk to a good friend and in the space of two hours one of our discussion points was “put your robes on”. One crosses a threshold and one is in another space. One is “in time”. One does that in the space of meditation, one does that in the space of a spiritual or religious service, one does it putting on a uniform for work (if indeed one has one) or work clothes. However, the Jedi wore robes as a uniform. Because the Jedi did not value accumulation of possessions, robes and a lightsaber were sometimes all they had. Like monks, priests, and nuns, they were always in the space. They were taught that they represented the Order wherever they went. In The Jedi Path, in an essay titled “Attire and Comportment”, Morrit Ch’Gally says “All ranks of Jedi wear special attire that makes them as members of the Order”. How did they get into the habit of representing the Order outside of the walls of the Temple? They practiced doing so inside of it. “When you finally step outside of these walls to walk the galaxy, the same clothes you consider ordinary will be a symbol. People will approach you looking for wisdom. Others will beg you to fight their enemies. And others will attack you” 

Take a look at the commentary on the page:

Darth Sideous says “Now half the galaxy hate the Jedi and the other half can be persuaded to ignore them”

And 

Luke says “Much as I wish this weren’t true, It’s been a struggle to make my Order a welcome presence in the New Republic”

Meditate on that.

Here are some examples of how to “put your robes on”:

 Some of us do wear “robes” as an outward sign of an inward commitment. I have a very good friend in another Order who does this using a black cloak and a saber hilt. I wear a necklace I have made that represents the doctrine and the Order to which I belong. 

How do you do it?

Outside the Order:

Jewish Priests wear a set of robes , Eastern and Western Monks do the same. Latter Day Saints wear undergarments And some people will simply wear clothing meeting certain requirements. I know in my home church it was expected that women wear skirts and not braid their hair.

None of these are more “right” than another. And it doesn’t really matter how you do it, just that you do it in the right spirit. What do you want your robes to represent to you? For me, I want my robes to represent not only I am a Jedi...but, I am a Jedi, an instrument of peace… you can fill in the rest as to what that means by looking at the Creed.

 How often do you "put your Robes on"? As often as you need the mental and emotional reminder to be in the space "Jedi". One might not always feel like being a Jedi, but one is always an expression of the Force.

What sort of expression do you want to be?

In this space, we have chosen to be Jedi.

You can put your robes on