How do I become a Jedi?
Questions
Terminology
Ranks
Classes
Planets
How do I become a Jedi?

The journey to becoming a Jedi Master is much like the journey to enlightenment in Eastern spiritual traditions. And we have to be careful in this journey because this is an area where East collides with West. The first thing is to be honest with yourself about what it is you are seeking. Is it a title? Is it power? Is it a fame or following? Is it knowledge? Is it service? Is it simply the desire to belong to something greater than yourself? Do you want to lead or follow? Do you want to lay the bricks on the foundation of the organization or help determine the destiny of a group? Or do you want to help others do it? Do you want to be the hero of your journey? Or just a passenger? If you don’t know what you’re looking for you’re likely to find a thing that doesn’t know what it is. One of many dangers in walking the Jedi path is bringing corruption (personal or group) into it. Therefore, a Jedi must beware that potential teachers and masters may have a flavor or brand of Jediism that is more themselves and what they bring into Jediism rather than what they’ve taken out. This allows ideas to creep in which may not be universal or compatible. It isn’t up to the Jedi Community to police the teachings of different teachers. It is up to the students to recognize the standard and judge wisely for themselves who they allow as their guides and teachers.

Because the Jedi Community social network is neutral ground, we are designing it as a means of establishing a standard as well as expectations for new members and visitors of the community. We will help you understand the ropes and navigate them. This may include different places to go, different people to talk to, etc. to the point that it becomes your own quest. There is a reason why this is necessary and better than choosing the first Jedi Order that pops up in a search engine. If you do that the same site will nearly always pop up. That doesn’t mean it’s a good fit. However, by going to different places and talking to different people, you will learn about each other and you can see which one is a good fit for you and you for them. Finding an Order is like finding a school but it’s also like dating. It should be compatible and be able to match your energy. What’s your learning style? Do you enjoy reading books or prefer watching movies? Are you a social butterfly or do you like to stay in the warmth of your cocoon? Neither is wrong. We just need to figure out where you can have the sense of belonging that you deserve.

Step 1: Join JC (jedi-community.org)
No requirements to join. Joining helps to give you visibility in the community. We would all feel very alone in the universe without the stars. No one wants to feel isolated and if a group is not a good fit, you may be faced with losing that home and all the connections you had there. It is therefore important to build connections that can exist regardless of artificial sectarian divisions. Joining JC allows you to simply BE a Jedi, simply based on your belief, and connect to others simply based on our mutual desire to connect.
Step 2: Know Thyself
This takes some self-consciousness and reflection. Fortunately, if you ended up here you’re likely already capable. You can’t know what’s best for you without knowing you. And I can’t tell you what’s best for you without knowing you either. Central to the Force Realist identity is the knowledge of self and to which path they belong.
Step 3: Learn the Basics
In order to be neutral ground JC (jedi-community.org) has to stay in its lane as much as possible and defer to the different Orders we represent. However, this has to be balanced with a need to facilitate structure and coherent teachings and philosophies that can bind us all together. Therefore, through this codex, we will provide the basics. It is up to the student to judge and hold everyone accountable to their own expectations of truth. The fact that every denomination doesn’t agree on everything is normal, but they are still one religion. Some may disagree even with the basics we provide. That’s okay. You have to be the judge.
Step 4: Find an IP (Initiate Program)
An IP program is an entry-level set of lessons to orient the mind into higher levels of thinking, questioning, and consciousness. You may come in already knowing or believing certain things and it is natural to look for synchronicities in thought or even a bandwagon to jump on. However, a good IP is about the ability to question, challenge, and ultimately empty your cup. The student must also beware that completing one IP program only guarantees you can seek knighthood at the Order providing the IP.
  • Temple of the Jedi Order
  • Force Academy
  • The Force Dojo (in development)
Step 5: Find a Guide
Some Orders may assign a volunteer to help new people get through the IP. Whether they do or not we recommend that you find someone to help. Typically, completing an IP requires essays to be written, showing your understanding of the material. Some programs are stricter than others in terms of what they’re looking for which then determines how quickly you can get to the next step.
Step 6: Find a House/Aspect
A house is an organizational unit within an Order that may consist either of a certain path or a certain teacher. Teachers rise through the ranks and earn the ability to create their own paths and teach new members coming behind them. It is important to know who you are because different paths may be more alluring. Such is life. Some paths are easier than others. Some teachers are easier than others. The value is always in the journey. The house you choose should be one that resonates and represents you, but simply who you are now but who you want and have the potential to become.
Step 7: Find a Teacher
Finding a teacher can differ greatly from Order to Order. For those seeking knighthood, the higher the demand on teachers the more they need to either duplicate themselves which can end up creating a factory-like environment for teachers creating teachers if the population is too large. When this happens the community is better served by students finding new and other orders with lower populations. This is easily done online and maybe necessary to counter-act “Search Engine Supremacy”. In lower populations, knights may not be expected to train other knights or at least not right away. In higher populations, the need for knights might “encourage” a faster pace. And as a consequence, that pace may extend beyond training. So we’re not trying to discourage any group but rather to be honest and say look
 an imbalance on one side is going to have negative consequences. We aren’t very good Jedi if we fail to see that. Therefore our recommendations are about protecting both students (from lengthy wait times) and teachers (from burnout). Redistribution is a gentle act of love.
Step 8: Follow the training
Follow the lesson plan of your teacher and fulfill their requirements in order to advance in rank in that Order. Keep in mind, ahead of time, that your rank may or may not be formally recognized by other orders if you would like to teach somewhere else. If you don’t want to teach, this is not an issue. However, if you want to pass on your knowledge you can do so at an Order with a high or low population. Each will have different requirements. We do have a Jedi Federation that has a set of requirements for training. It is important that you use this as a guide when choosing your path and teacher because standards exist for a reason. The more unorthodox the training the more dangerous it could be.
Step 9: Find & Study Additional Holocrons
In different corners of the web like corners of the galaxy you might find holocrons written by experienced Jedi or Sith. These are diaries or compendiums of knowledge left behind whether or not the author is still here or gone.
Step 10: Find a way to give back
Once you have achieved your desired rank we, at the JC, encourage you to join or create a smaller group, acting as a seed for a new tree in our forest of Force Realism. If you don’t want to do that, there are groups you can help out, volunteer with, or donate to. But everyone should try to do something to make the community stronger and give unto others as it has been given to you.
Questions, you have?

It is absolutely vital to have a firm understanding of what Jediism is trying to be so that you understand the humanity and imperfection of it all, along with idealism and reason. Please understand that no one is claiming to have all the answers in the universe, or to be able to predict when the next apocalyptic event will happen, or miraculously heal all sickness and disease. Sorry. Sometimes the answer is that there is no answer because what we’re looking for is something outside of our reality. But for all the questions we can answer, and maybe a few we shouldn’t, check below.

Is Jediism a real religion in the US?
Yes and No. This question depends on how certain words like 'religion' and 'worship' are defined. The word religion has, for example, suffered under an ancient paradigm, relegating it to the esteem of superstition and the worship of deities that allowed the divergence and alienation of science and rationalism. Religion proposed to answer the question of human origin while divorcing itself from emerging sciences that did not and could not agree. At some point, certain religions took hold of the definition of religion and so according to them, Buddhism, for example, existing as one of the world’s largest religions, originating over 2,500 years ago, has been downgraded from being a religion in this view. By the same token, Jediism can only be a religion if the mind of the individual is open enough to see that it is. And in this way, every religion is only as real as the intention behind it. What may be real to some may be false to others just as a world that is spherical to us may be flat to those who have yet to be convinced.
What do Jediism believe in?
Jediism is based on a belief in the Force. The nature of the universe exists as layers of reality built upon layers. The complexity of the laws by which natural forces interact is such a thing of beauty that human beings create gods to explain it. These gods and superstitions cannot exist without stories. Stories become myths and legends. Myths and legends inspire belief. Belief creates the motive for action. And thus humans act out the very aspects of God by creating thoughts and using those thoughts to create action. If humans believe the gods to be people, then certain rules apply because people can loved, hated, feared, and disappointed. Personifying the universe in this way helps to foster obedience and control but understanding is not a necessary component in a parent-child relationship. The Force, on the other hand, isn’t a person even though some may describe it as an entity or impart physical characteristics in an effort to relate. The Force is more like an equation. The equation. And because it is trying to balance itself, all life is programmed to contribute to either side of the equation. Therefore, instead of justifying blind obedience to a more powerful being who can reward or punish us, Jediism seeks to understand our own role in our own self-becoming evolution and the natural conflict of love and fear that is a part of who we all are.
Can you practice the Jedi religion?
Of course. Jediism is very open and accessible. Jedi are essentially humanists who do not believe in sexism, racism, homophobia, or any other form of discrimination. It is a journey through spirituality, philosophy, and consciousness; the awareness of one’s self and others. It starts with a basic belief and understanding of The Force and studying the nature of the Force through meditation and observation of everything that the Force is and touches. That which is seen is revealed by light but is often less than the whole; especially that which is obscured by shadow. Jedi study and seek to understand the balance of both. This is something that can be applied to all aspects of life to differing degrees of awareness and potential.
Where is Jediism practiced?
Jediism has “Gatherings”. These are regional events where Jedi journey to find and commune with one another as well as their natural surroundings. These personal connections, when nurtured by sun and rain, are essential to the social fabric of the community, which is one of the foundations of the religion and central pillars of Jedi Life; the pillar of Connection. Being connected to the Force is the same as being connected to the community. And all Jedi feel a sense of connection, once established, that defines a sense of purpose. There are also online gatherings and other events.
Do Jedi have magical powers?
The quest for magic is as old as time itself. This quest naturally attracts those seekers of power who wish to find ways of manipulating the Force as arrayed and individualized in the numerous forces of nature. Whether this is a legitimate form of Jediism depends on what different groups and individuals believe to be possible. Belief creates their motives. The fictional (canon) Jedi were “space wizards”, representing their mastery of the forces of nature. This goes back to the ancient human tradition of priests being the first form of scientists. As mythology and corruption entered deeper into consciousness there was a divide between science and religion wherein the religions became masters of myths and science became masters of nature. The problem is that the superstitious stories of magic fall on the side of religion while the real manipulation of nature becomes a scientific endeavor. So if you ask a Force Realist who believes in and studies the occult, the arcane, the stories and myths passed down from different religious traditions, they truly believe that magic exists and can be used. A Jedi who is more aligned with science, however; will say that magic is a science that isn’t understood and therefore we all have power over nature through scientific or technological means. Also, power can refer to one’s own abilities and if one pushes themselves beyond the level of 99% of human achievement, they can do things that will seem magical to those who can't.
Terminology

The Jedi Community - The Jedi Community is a social networking platform and gateway to facilitate the many complex relationships that exist within Jediism, Sithism, and the whole Force Realist community at large. You don’t have to share Jedi beliefs in order to join or learn from our numerous resources. JC is also a neutral ground between different orders and sects that allows cross-visibility, promotion, and cooperation.

Jediism - Jediism is a modern religion based upon a belief in “The Force”; the fundamental power and energy that exists above all, through all, and in all things. Because this power exists in a state of flux between positive and negative, it is the spiritual journey of the universe toward balance. Jedi are seekers, students, and stewards of balance in all things and draw inspiration from the struggle between light and dark as depicted by concepts in the Star Wars Universe.

Jedi religion - Jediism is the term used to describe the modern religion inspired by the fictional Jedi, as practiced by real-life people. As the fictional (canon) Jedi were inspired by Eastern & Western religious traditions transposed into one unified “Human” form that best represents our planet, Jediism borrows from that mindset and therefore the best aspects of all spiritual and religious cultures perceived to be universal and compatible.

 

Jedi realist
Jedi realist - As a microcosm of the Universe, a Jedi realist is a person who chooses to practice some form of Jediism (the Jedi religion) as a path or way of life. A Jedi realist is inspired by a modern mythical society of spiritual warrior monks and devotes themselves to personal training as set forth by the Jedi Code. Jedi can be light, dark, or grey and serve the macrocosm of the universe as inspired.
Master (Jedi)
Master - in the Jedi Community is strictly Webster's 1.c: a worker or artisan qualified to teach apprentices. This term can apply to knight rank or above depending on organizational standards of qualification and applies when a teacher takes charge of individual apprentices. The use of "master", in the apprentice relationship should not be confused with the rank of Jedi Master.
Myth
Myth - a symbolic narrative that can merge real and imaginary ideas with real or imaginary people, places, and events, in order to use cultural traditions as a vehicle for spreading a particular belief or understanding.
Religious symbology
Religious symbology - The study of religious symbols as visual, auditory, or kinetic key : value pairs to represent religious ideas and memories (events).
Religious iconography
Religious iconography - a system of association between visual ideas to mental constructs or perceptions that convey particular meaning and may trigger a mental response.
Chrono-locked
Chrono-locked: The tendency of fear that holds a religious culture in a mentally constructed stasis field that keeps them from making forward progress because they fear and connect progress (especially technological) to moral fallibility.
Sith realist
Sith realist - A Sith realist is a person who chooses to practice some form of Sithism (the Sith religion) as a path or way of life. A Sith realist is inspired by a modern mythical society of spiritual warrior monks and devotes themselves to personal training as set forth by the Sith Code. A Sith harnesses the power of the macrocosm to create the personal power necessary to succeed in their personal lives.
Lord (Sith)
Lord - in the Sith Community is strictly an analogue to the Jedi master as someone deemed qualified by an organization to teach apprentices or acolytes. This term can apply to knight rank or above depending on organizational standards of qualification and applies when a teacher takes charge of individual apprentices. The use of "lord", in the apprentice relationship should not be confused with the rank of Darth.
Cult
Cult - a system of religious veneration and devotion directed toward a particular figure or object.
Chrono-worship
Chrono-worship: The tendency for a period of human history to be mentally elevated in a way that its contents are more likely perceived as holy or sacred.
Ancestor-worship
Ancestor-worship: The tendency for humans to mentally elevate their own ancestors in a way that creates beliefs and superstitions and allows the idea of them to create contemporary guidance.
Ranks

The Jedi Community - The Jedi Community is arranged in a basic organizational structure based on rank heirarchy. As one could guess, this is inspired by the fictional Jedi.

 

Ranks do not exist for the purpose of judging superior status, but rather is a system that ensures a measure of quality control in the knowledge and experience level of Jedi who are called into service. Although an "each one teach one" philosophy is preferred, we also have Jedi who teach on a specific subject and may have a particular gift or passion they're strong in. This can also differ between Orders. In some Orders knights may be teachers. In others, only masters. In the end, one must know themselves and where they want to go and how they want to use whatever rank or title they seek.
Initiate
Force Realist Initiate - a real person who is taking an initiate program for introduction into an Order. At this point one can choose to call themselves a Jedi.
Youngling
Force Realist Youngling - a real person whose age may set them in a different category for more age-appropriate lessons.
Apprentice/Padawan
The apprentice is a real person below the rank of knight who is currently in training from a higher rank.
Knight
The Jedi Knight is the iconic title pursued by most Jedi. This rank means you have completed a full program by an established knight or Order and have completed enough training to teach someone else.
Master
A Jedi Master is someone who has gone through the training of another master or has been recognized by their Order to be at a master level. Masters often have their own Orders and/or Classes.
Grand Master
A Grand Master is someone who has been recognized at the highest level as someone who has not only achieved mastery in a field of knowledge but also someone who can be a major leader in Jediism and the Jedi Community.
Classes

Classes are still early in development but they are essentially specializations that a Jedi can opt into. In the case of Guardians, they may serve in a more organized way, as ushers or security for the community.

 

Jedi Consular
Jedi Guardian
Jedi Sentinel
Planets

Planets are unique to JC (jedi-community.org) as a way of organizing and compartmentalizing social content and discussions. The vibe of a Planet (a type of "Group"), depends heavily on its fictional role in STAR WARS.

You can think of Planets like different channels. Below you'll find our directory of Planets and what the vibe or purpose is for each one, and what the censorship level can be expected to be. It is the responsibility of parents to keep their younglings out of adult spaces.

 

Coruscant
Jedi Leadership discussions. Temple and Order recruitment. JC Offices, Business District. Discussions on Economics, politics, and religion. Rated PG-13 content
Tatooine
Tatooine is a "Wild Wild West" in terms of conversation. Any subject goes. Minimal content policing. Rated PG-13 content.
Dagobah
Mysticism and Occult discussions. Darkside recruitment. Rated R content
Korriban
Sith studies and recruitment. Darkside recruitment. Discussions on the Sith Code, The Force, Lightsabers, etc. Rated R content
Mandalore
Discussions on war, peace, violent sports, training, survivalism. Mando recruitment. Rated PG-13 content
Kamino
Discussions on science and technology, Sentinel training, Health training. Mando recruitment. Rated PG-13 content
Tython
Jedi studies and recruitment. Discussions on the Jedi Code, The Force, Lightsabers, etc. Rated PG content
Mustafar
Sith studies. Study of villains. Rated PG-13 content
Geonosis
Contested Debates on hot topics and current events. Rated R content
Hoth
Contested Debates on old global issues. Jedi vs Sith encouraged. Rated PG-13 content
Felucia
Discussions about Environmental and Climate issues. Gardening. Rated PG content
Dromund Kaas
Sith Leadership discussions. recruitment. Business District. Discussions on Economics, politics, and religion. Rated PG-13 content