The Jedi Path

The Jedi Path
The Jedi Census email
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“a suggestion for next weeks census.... question 18 deals with religion, if like me, you
believe in no one specific religion or just simply object to answering that particular
question, then please consider the following alternative..... we are trying to encourage
people to tick the ‘other’ box and then fill their religion in as “JEDI” - all Star Wars fans
will understand, but the point of the exercise is two-fold...
1. if 8000 people throughout New Zealand do this then JEDI will become an officially
recognized religion which would be a laugh, and
2. it’s a bit of an experiment in the power of email, as that has been our primary means
of communication, that’s not to say that you can’t tell others about in other ways.
but I would urge you to do the above and pass this message/idea on to as many of your
friends, relatives etc as you can so we can reach the magic number of 8000, be swift as
we don’t have a lot of time left! May the Force be with you”
•  THE 2001 JEDI CENSUS
•  20,000 CANADA
•  390,000 UK
•  53, 715 NEW ZEALAND
•  70,509 AUSTRALIA
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•  TOTAL: 534,224 (EXCLUDING USA)
•  HOW MANY WERE NOT JOKING? BEST GUESSES…
–  AUSTRALIAN STAR WARS APPRECIATION SOCIETY ESTIMATES 5000 OUT
OF 70,000 - 7.5%
–  MY RESEARCH RESULTS - 7.9% OF IN- PERSON RESPONSES; 11.4% OF
ONLINE RESPONSES (rising to 20% when Jedi-specific web respondents are added.
244 responses received.)
–  Okay - so how many Jedis are there? - If 7.9% is correct, 42,203 Jedis. If we
cut that number in half, 21,000 Jedis. If we take only 1% of the number, 5000
Jedis. If we take only .001%, still 500 Jedis. Conclusion: Star Wars has
inspired a real, lived religion for some fans.
–  And remember, this does NOT include American fans, who did not participate
in the census.
So where d I
get my info?
•  Star Wars weekends,
Disney World
•  Online Star Wars
forums, Jedi forums
•  Star Wars survey,
posted online
Impact of Star Wars on Spiritual
Lives of Fans
•  Categories of
Responses for my
online survey:
–  No Response/nonspiritual response
(33.5%)
–  Spiritual Influence, but
primary religious
affiliation to other
spiritual path (46.5%
–  Jedi Path (20%)
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Jedis as role models
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service to others
advocates of peace
Tolerance for diversity
For example: “I’m a Christian and find that living my life as a good Christian is essentially very similar
to living as a Jedi. The Force, to me, is simply a metaphorical name given to faith and personal
accomplishment. Spirituality, to me, means doing things the right way as much as possible, using my
God given gifts in the way he wants me to use them. I’ve found added benefit to doing things the right
way- emulating my heroes from the Trilogies is a very positive addition to my life.”
The Force as model of Godhood
–  Holy Spirit within everyone
–  Ultimate Reality (Brahman)
–  Goddess/God energy
For example: “As a Wiccan, I believe that there is a Divine Power but that that Divine Power resides in
everything. Unlike other religions in which the Divine Power resides in a God, I believe that it is present in all
things living and I call that the Force. To me, the Force is like the God and Goddess. It is the energy held
within each Deity. To me, then, the Force is within the God and Goddess and that which is upon the Earth, and
I combine it with my religious practices… When I meditate and draw on the Force, I do so to find answers to
my struggles, solutions to problems, energy to face tasks, and calmness and serenity. By doing so, I bring
balance to my life. When I have missed meditation, I have noticed that things just do not go quite as well as
when I manage to meditate on a regular basis. I soundly feel that it is because I have become used to having
the Force to balance my life. Thus, to me, I see the Force as being a very large part of my religion.”
The Jedi Path
•  Jedi Realism
–  Jedi path as way of life
–  Not a religion - a spiritual path
•  For example: “I do follow the Jedi ways as my way of Life. But I do so as for
example a Samurai would have followed Bushido. It is how one lives. It is not what
one prays to. The Force for me, while true and real and existing, is simply energy.
It is what we do with it that matters. “
–  The Force as impersonal energy, not personal deity
–  Rejection of midichlorians
The Jedi
Path
•  Jediism as a religion
–  For example: “As a Jedi, I see the Force as a Divine Power that is present
in everything much like another sees God as a Deity and that which is on
the Earth as His creation. I practice meditation on a daily basis. I have a
Code, much like the Ten Commandments, that I follow as well as
Maxims and such. And I put these into practice every day. I gauge my
actions against these Jedi beliefs much like a Christian would gauge their
actions against their religion. Since I practice ‘Jediism‘ in my daily life
and see the Force as a Divine Power, I definitely do feel that Jediism is a
religion.” • 
The golden thread of universal truth that runs through every
major religion… •  Emphasis on inner and world peace
•  The Force as personal deity - prayer, etc.
•  Midichlorians = mitochondria? Chloroplasts?
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The Jedi Creed
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Jedi Sanctuary
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Tenets of Faith
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Jedi are the guardians of peace and justice
in the galaxy.
Jedi use their powers to defend and
protect, never to attack others.
Jedi respect all life, in any form.
Jedi serve others rather than rule over
them, for the good of the galaxy.
Jedi seek to improve themselves through
knowledge and training.
1. We believe that the Force is an all
pervading Universal Energy that creates,
binds together, and maintains everything
in existence.
2. We believe that the Natural Order of the
Universe comes from the Force.
3. We believe that the Force is, and
probably always will be, a mystery.
The Jedi Code
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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.
•  Midichlorians as introduced in The Phantom Menace
QUI-GON : Make an analysis of this blood
sample I'm sending you… I need a midichlorian count.
OBI-WAN : All right. I've got it.
QUI-GON : What are your readings?
OBI-WAN : Something must be wrong
with the transmission… the reading's off
the chart...over twenty thousand.
QUI-GON : (almost to himself) That's it
then.
OBI-WAN : Even Master Yoda doesn't
have a midi-chlorian count that high!
QUI-GON : No Jedi has.
Midichlorians and the Force
ANAKIN : Master, sir...I’ve been wondering...what are
midichlorians? QUI-GON : Midichlorians are microcopic lifeforms that
reside within all living cells and communicate with
the Force… Without the midichlorians, life could not
exist, and we would have no knowledge of the Force.
They continually speak to you, telling you the will of
the Force. ANAKIN : They do?? QUI-GON : When you learn to quiet your mind, you will
hear them speaking to you. ANAKIN : I don’t understand. QUI-GON : With time and training, Annie...you will.
Fan Responses to midichlorians
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The Fan betrayed
22.8% of fans identify midichlorians as George
Lucas s biggest mistake.
Second only to the 29.8% of fans who identify
everything after 1980 (ie, entire prequel trilogy)
as his biggest mistake.
68% of respondents to my online questionnaire
responded negatively to midichlorians
Oh my God, he destroyed it. The Force we
knew is dead. Midichlorians are BULLSHIT! They
completely undermine the spiritual nature of the
Force. Midichlorians raped the youth of most fans. Midichlorians - materialism?
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For my ally is the Force. And a
powerful ally it is. Life creates it,
makes it grow. Its energy
surrounds us and binds us.
Luminous beings are we, not this
crude matter… . Those are
beautiful words describing a
powerful idea. This midichlorian
claptrap undermines the entire
concept and reduces it to the
spiritual equivalent of catching the
flu. Midichlorians = racism?
•  Midichlorians are a
racist notion… Jedi
are Jedi because of
something in their
blood that enables
them to tap into this
great power.
They re the goddamned master race.
Ouch! Beyond Lucas and Canon •  Many practicing Jedi believe that Star Wars tapped into
something authentic and timeless, and packaged it in a story
that works for the modern era. •  That Lucas may or may not have had his brain eaten by
aliens is a point of debate - but his work is considered to
stand on its own - he doesn t get to undermine what Jedi s
take to be real spiritual insights, even if he does own the
franchise.