A Saber of Light

A Jedi Training Manual (Novice Level)

Jedi School Foundation
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents......................................... iii
Foreword ....................................................... iv
Jedi Training Novice Level ............................ 9
Chapter 1: What Jedi Believe .......................... 1
Chapter 2: A Brief History of Jediism ......... 29
Chapter 3: Empowerment ............................ 39
Chapter 4: Introduction to Practice ............. 53
Chapter 5: Cultivating the Force .................. 65
Appendices ................................................... 97
Foreword
Welcome to Jedi training! Please read this packet all the
way through before attempting any of the medita-
tion exercises.
As you are new to Jedi School, you are being asked
to show your dedication to this particular course of
training by following the instructions in this book.
Practice should take 45 minutes per day (perhaps up
to 2 hours, if you have time and are being either ex-
tra-diligent or extra-slow in practice). This training is
intended to get you started as fast as possible. The
pace is fairly intense, but it gets easier in later levels.
At this level, you may not skip a day of practice dur-
ing the entire training session, or you will be required
to repeat the entire thing from the beginning. This
makes it very difficult for some people, especially
those who do not prioritize Jedi training. This level
of training does not include any physical training
component. It is suitable for initial training to lack
this component, but later versions will require the
student to engage in martial arts practice of some
kind in order to learn the self-discipline which is re-
quired for personal development. The dedication to
the training will guarantee the result.
Dedication will tend to yield desirable results.
How Does One Become a
Jedi?
Anyone can be a Jedi. There is no requirement for
training. Anyone who aspires to live by a set of be-
liefs and personal standards may be considered a
Jedi, with or without initiation. However, without a
teacher to explain some of the founding beliefs, it is
difficult to become anything other than a warrior-
monk.
There are many warrior-monks in existence, from
the Shaolin to the First Earth Battalion. But none of
these are the Jedi. The Jedi aren’t better or worse
than these, but instead are merely different.
A Shaolin isn’t a Mystic Knight, though both share a
monastic dedication to martial self-regimentation
and personal mastery as goals. Likewise, there are
similarities between all of these and the Jedi, and
what differs is the “flavor” of the Jedi when com-
pared to others.
One does not compare iced mint tea to filet of cod
because they are simply different and one cannot be
said to be better or worse than the other. They do, in
fact, complete one another in a very appealing way:
thus, the Jedi do not seek to do away with the Shao-
lin Monk, the First Earth Warrior, the Mystic
Knight, or anyone else. Rather, a Jedi seeks to be all
that he can be, and leaves the rest to the personal
choice of the seeker.

A Saber of Light v
Graduate Requirements
In order to graduation with a Novice Jedi Certifica-
tion, students must complete the following require-
ments:
• Reading and understanding this packet
• Be able to recite the Jedi Code by memory
• Explain how to use a mala
• Be able to recite the first mantra by memory
• Explain how to meditate, and what tran-
scendence and enlightenment are
• Explain the different kinds of ESP, and un-
derstand the nature of the diaphane
Graduation will authorize the student to study the
Force Sensitive level, and to operate as a Novice Jedi.

The Idea of Failure

There is no failure at the Jedi School. There is only
completion, or lack of completion. For this level,
daily practice is required for the training to be com-
pleted in a way which is suitable for advancement to
the next stage of training. The student will not only
need to be able to recite a few ideas from memory,
but will also need to garner insights which can only
come from actually doing the work—there is no web
site with the “right” answer, because there are no
truly “right” answers to begin with. There are an-
swers which are incorrect because they lack the es-
sential insight which comes from practice; but even
vi Novice Training
these answers are incorrect only because they are
nowhere near what occurs when someone practices.
We may not know when you practice; but we can
certainly tell when you haven’t been practicing. This
isn’t failure; it’s merely lack of practice. You are the
only one who can decide to complete the training or
not. And this is not a failure, it’s merely incomplete
training. When we are serious about training, we will
complete it then. Otherwise, we will learn less.
Likewise, instructors don’t fail to teach; they have
given the lesson, and if there is any lack of under-
standing then the student may discover clarification
anywhere they want to. Students who decide that
they simply don’t want to try are also not failures:
they have succeeded in discovering something about
themselves, and how can learning or discovery be a
failure? There are no failures in this training, period.

Money
Training is free. However, donations to the Jedi
School as a religious organization are appreciated.
These donations allow us to publish materials like
the one you are now reading, as well as to expand
research and knowledge into new areas. This all
helps the training reach more people who need it,
and continues to keep the training free of charge. It
is also a Jedi belief that what we give out eventually
comes back to us in a moment of need: when we do
bad things, then bad things come back to us in a
moment of need; when we do good things, then
A Saber of Light vii
good things come back to us in a moment of need.
This is simple causality.
Our intent is not to make anyone feel guilty if they
need to prioritize things like food, utility bills, house
payments, etc., above spirituality; but instead to let
people know that their ability to contribute may im-
pact the ability of everyone in the organization(s)
that they contribute to in the Jedi world.

A Note About Pronoun Use

A friend pointed out that all of my neutral pronouns
in this work are masculine (except where the person
being discussed is actually female). This is not in-
tended to promote masculinity over femininity, nor
to exclude anyone who identifies as a female.
Quite the contrary: it was done because women must
be respected and revered for whom they are. To use
the female pronoun in a neutral sense is to diminish
the beauty of all which is feminine—surely, the role
of feminine energies is to create life, beauty, softness
and sensuality: thus, its use is vulgar and not at all
feminine; the masculine, being utilitarian, is neither
diminished nor increased by its use as neutral.
The use of the male pronoun as neutral should
therefore offend no one, as it protects the beauty
and mystery of the feminine from diminution, while
giving the male energy that which it seeks most: to
be of use.

viii Novice Training

Jedi Training
Novice Level
Chapter 1: What Jedi
Believe
While a real Jedi is not the same as one found in the
films any more than a real Shaolin monk can walk
through walls, the ideas and philosophies created by
George Lucas in his Star Wars films form the basis
of the Jedi religion.
We owe homage to Dr. Joseph Campbell, whose in-
fluence is seen and felt everywhere we turn, and
whose assistance in creating the Jedi of the films is
certainly evident. We are not the Jedi of the films,
but we can think of no better word which summates
our beliefs—not to discern or to distinguish or to
separate, but to unite us in spirituality.
The Jedi beliefs are found in the films; but there are
other beliefs which are also the product of practical
reality: they are the timeless wisdoms which come
from the past, with the current wisdoms which arise
from progress, and the future wisdoms which are to
come from whatever source they need to come. For
the present, here are the known tenets of the Jedi
faith, a faith which we term Jediism for the sake of
simplicity and understanding of the philosophy
which we have adopted for ourselves.
The real-world Jedi believe in the prevalence of wis-
dom through reason and knowledge.
We believe in directly shaping the experiences of the
individual Jedi to strengthen us all as a whole: the
whole is often greater than the sum of its parts—
this is called synergy. As Jedi move together, we create
the capacity for combined strength which exceeds
the sum of the individual parts.
This interconnectedness which is a core tenet of
Jedi belief is also a basic truth of success, and plays
into interdependence. Interdependence means that sym-
biosis is occurring: two systems are benefitting from
one another’s presence.
If only one is benefitting, or benefits more than the
other, then the result is called parasitic. Codepen-
dence is where two systems both depend on the
same thing, and both benefit from this same thing.
Where there is a lack of dependence, the relationship
fails—the shared dependence on drugs or alcohol,
for example, is a common codependent bond.
Where the alcohol or drugs are in short supply, there
is less of a sharing, and so the relationship based on
the addiction to these substances withers.
A Jedi seeks this symbiosis, and work toward symbi-
otic relationships which have synergy. These interde-
pendent relationships benefit everything around
them. Thus, a Jedi is in favor of things like environ-
mental responsibility and sustainable resources, and
opposed to the parasitic idea of siphoning the re-
sources from one area in order to feed another.

2 Novice Training
However, the opposition in such cases is high be-
cause the large supply of these alternative resources
makes people money. Ultimately, such power will fail,
and so rather than engage in actively fighting these
parasitic powerhouses, a Jedi merely promotes the
alternatives so that they become practical and suffer-
ing is kept to a minimum.

The Expression of Belief

The following beliefs are expressed in no particular
order (as each of us has our own priorities):
Jedi Are Committed to the Force
The Force is an energy which is ever-present, flow-
ing through us and around us, connecting all things
in the universe. A Jedi learns to commune with the
living Force, and to develop a bond which allows a
Jedi to be sensitive to changes. This kind of relation-
ship is beyond external analysis, and so a Jedi who is
truly in-line with the force is beyond devotion or
extremism, and can commune directly with this
energy instead of relying on the interpretations of
others to guide them.
Correct principles can be taught, truths can be
learned, and ideas can be transmitted; but to com-
mune directly with the living Force allows a Jedi to
act in a capacity which is above reproach, even if it is
unusual or seems harmful in the moment to some-
one who is not thus enlightened, in order to accom-
plish the greatest amount of good.
A Saber of Light 3
 “A Jedi must have the deepest commitment—the most
serious mind.”

—Master Yoda
Ep. V: “The Empire Strikes Back”

Jedi Are Committed to the Jedi Cause

The Jedi cause is the promotion of life, positive in-
fluences, joy, and serenity. It is living as a Jedi, but it
is also adhering to the ideals of the Jedi regardless of
one’s professed religion.
This commitment is lifelong, and the devotion is to
the Jedi cause itself, rather than to any individual or
group. In committing to an ideal, we each pursue it
in our own ways—nobody may dictate whether or
not our way is better or worse.
The Jedi Code

Emotion, yet peace.

Ignorance, yet knowledge.
Passion, yet serenity.
Chaos, yet harmony. 1
Death, yet the Force.

This seemingly conflicting code is elegance, because

the seeming contradiction is exactly the way that the
Force works. All conflicts are merely boundaries

1 This line does not appear in the original Jedi Code.

4 Novice Training
which others have violated, quite often without
knowing that any boundary has been crossed.
We seek inner peace and the beauty of all things—
compassion for all life; and yet we feel the emotions
which are a normal part of existence.
We seek knowledge, yet we acknowledge that it is
impossible to know all things at once—we are thus
ignorant of something and even if we know it, we
can go astray and become ignorant.
We acknowledge the passions of others, and that we
often have passionate ideas about things we care
about, yet we seek serenity. In serenity, we learn to
temper and control our passions, so that they don’t
rule us.
We seek harmony, which we feel in spite of the
chaos which is around us. It is even possible to find
harmony amid chaos.
Finally, there is Death of the body, yet in the Force
our knowledge and experience live on.
So what about the other Jedi Code—the one which
quite a few other people choose to use? That one is:

There is no emotion, there is only peace.

There is no ignorance, there is only knowledge.
There is no passion, there is only serenity.
There is no chaos, there is only harmony.
There is no death, there is only the Force.

A Saber of Light 5
This seems diametrically opposed to the first one, as
well as being contrary to what most people know: we
have emotions, and it’s well-known that ignoring
them is harmful. We are ignorant until we have
knowledge—it’s impossible to know everything! And
so on.
This is a repression of truth, not a mere reinterpreta-
tion of it. It serves to lull us into complacency about
wording, but the wording itself is very important,
because it is the initial (and not the deeper) interpre-
tation which our mind tends to grasp more easily. It
is therefore important to discern between these two,
if only to help guarantee that we are not teaching a
path of denial of truth.
The reality is that there is emotion, ignorance, pas-
sion, chaos and death. These things are definitions,
and so to deny them is to deny the things which de-
fine our ability to perceive.
This expanded version is essentially the same thing
in definition as the first version; but a true Jedi seeks
simplicity over complex teachings, and so the first
version is the only required learning. The second
version was composed later as an aid for understand-
ing, but the end result is an added level of complexi-
ty which is entirely unnecessary. A Jedi strives to
keep everything simple, and reduced to only its basic
elements.
Students typically approach both, and are usually
required to interpret both. At the Jedi School, we
only require an interpretation of the original.

6 Novice Training
Jedi Are “Warriors of Peace”
The phrase “warriors of peace” seems like an oxy-
moron at first, until one understands what is in-
tended—and the intent is surely oxymoronic in na-
ture. In a perfectly peaceful society, there is no need
for weapons of war or destruction, and everyone
lives in harmony. However, so long as any element
of society does not permit peaceful resolution, vi-
olence remains necessary, even if regrettable.
People who say that violence never solved anything
tend to forget the lessons of history, where violence
was the only resolution for those who would simply
not permit peaceful resolution. Saddam Hussein,
Adolf Hitler (and his cohort, Heinrich Himmler),
slavery in the United States, Buddhist oppression of
the population in Tibet (oppression which is directly
counter to many Buddhist teachings)—all of these
were ended by violent means.
Violence can and does solve issues, but it has a spe-
cific time and place for use. It is when peaceful reso-
lution cannot be attained that violence is appropriate.
Even then, it is only the minimum amount of vi-
olence necessary to end the conflict which can be
thought to be acceptable.
If peaceful resolution has not been attempted, then
violent resolution should be opposed. Such violence
is always regrettable when it becomes necessary. It
causes as much harm to the winner of the conflict as
to the loser—more in some ways and less in others.

A Saber of Light 7
A Jedi doesn’t seek to win or lose, but to end the
conflict as quickly as possible. Therefore, a Jedi at-
tains physical fitness just as he learns critical reason-
ing skills in order to become a tool for the aims of
peace, helping to negotiate equitable compromise
wherever possible and yet able to deal with violence
if it finds him.
There is no shame in compromise; and yet many
people seek violence before they consider a com-
promise which would maintain peace. Such aggres-
sion is the cause of wars, conflict, and unreason.
A Jedi sees this, and remains ready to deal with un-
reason, either by peaceful negotiation (bringing rea-
son) or violence (removing peace). Often, the mere
threat of violence is enough to avert the necessity of
violence. Because of this, a Jedi is a capable war-
rior—a tool of violence—in the hopes that peace
may be maintained.
The Dalai Lama told a story of two priests who
watched a man get ready to kill himself. One stood
by passively, knowing that he couldn’t change the
man’s choice. The other knocked the man out. And
yet it was the priest who stood idle who was guilty of
violent inaction. Violence furthers suffering.

“If men would contend with you, seek not their deaths;
but choose your own life.”

—Master Kahn
Kung Fu, “The Assassin”

8 Novice Training
Jedi Have Serene Minds, Strong
Intuitions, and Patience
The Jedi’s mind is at peace: still, open, and passive. It
is therefore able to be aware of things at a level
which some might think of as supernatural (it’s not
really supernatural, or it wouldn’t be attainable).
This is not to say that a Jedi is free from emotion;
quite the contrary! A Jedi feels things both positive
and negative, but maintains composure—control
over the baser instincts that the emotions are ruled
by. For a Jedi who can be controlled through his
emotions is no Jedi.
Rather, a Jedi learns that emotions must be identified
and checked, especially strong emotions such as
greed and hate. These are not merely chemical reac-
tions in the body (though as chemical reactions go,
they have a powerful effect): they are energies which
can shape the world. Negative emotions can espe-
cially unravel the serenity of the mind—and without
serenity in which to retreat, how can we find reason
or peace?
This is why a Jedi cultivates composure. Negative
and positive are both necessary for understanding;
but focusing on negative aspects inhibits the ability
to maintain serenity. The role of intent is something
of which a Jedi is keenly aware, that too many focus
on the negative to the exclusion of the positive.
A Jedi’s power dwells in the abilities of logic and
analysis, and also in learning to briefly suspend the
analytical side—both sides must be learned and re-
A Saber of Light 9
fined. A strong intuition which is guided by good
principles and sound logic is a powerful tool, and
one which is too often overlooked by both religion
and science—religion focuses on belief, while
science focuses on skepticism. Both are poor substi-
tutes for reason and intuition, even if functionally
similar.
Both positive and negative emotions exist; their exis-
tence shows that they are necessary for balance. But
dwelling on emotions can adversely impact one’s
intuitive side. A Jedi actively works to purge the
overabundance of emotions in order to achieve the
serenity which is required for this strong intuition to
work—it’s all one package, and it’s not difficult to
become distracted away from serenity by stresses and
negativity which exists as a part of normal, everyday
life for many people.
To achieve and maintain (once achieved) the stillness
of the mind, a Jedi meditates on at least a daily ba-
sis—initial guidance in this meditation helps a Jedi to
guide themselves at later times to achieve this still-
ness and serenity. Always, the Master guides and in-
structs—never forces, except to teach about force.
One evidence of this serenity is patience. The pa-
tience of a Jedi is sometimes described as “saintly”
and is sometimes viewed as a flaw (due to inaction).
A Jedi acts in ways and at times which do not always
make sense to those who are not Jedi. But so long as
the serenity of the mind is maintained and the action
is correct and needful, a Jedi’s actions in the moment
of need are typically above reproach.
10 Novice Training
We learn such discipline to live more fully, to under-
stand our feelings more completely, and to observe
the impact of what we feel on what we think. In pa-
tience, serenity, and intuitive insight, we can learn to
truly see ourselves from a more objective viewpoint.
And in doing so, we understand ourselves and our
personal connections to the Force, in addition to
learning the power of our own minds.

“You will know [if the Force flowing through you is

from the Light Side] when you are calm. At peace.
Passive.”

—Master Yoda
Ep. V: “The Empire Strikes Back”

Jedi Are Strongly Rooted in the

Present
The present is rooted in the past; the future is rooted
in the present. To ignore the past is to rob the
present; but to dwell on it is to rob the future. To
ignore the future is to rob the past of its lessons
which are often hard-won; but to dwell on the future
is to rob the present moment of action. There are
times to plan, and times to deviate from planning.
None of these is dwelling on the future.
To ignore the present is to lose touch—and in losing
touch with one another, do we not lose touch with
ourselves? Always, we must dwell in the moment,
without robbing the past or future of their value or
importance.
A Saber of Light 11
A Jedi lives in the moment, and yet is mindful of
both past and future. Living in the present means
that we live with a heightened awareness of our situ-
ation, always alert to what is needful in the moment.
The tendency toward hyperawareness is a state which
can only be attained by learning to exist in the mo-
ment. In this way, a Jedi lives a low-stress existence in
which extended awareness of one’s surroundings is
the normal state.
It is a duty for all Jedi to live for the moment by
gauging past trends and planning future activities,
and in doing these glide effortlessly through the time
and place where desirable living exists. It is therefore
important to focus on what is important now.

Qui-Gon Jinn: “Keep your concentration here and

now, where it belongs.”
Obi-Wan Kenobi: “But Master Yoda says I should
be mindful of the future.”
Qui-Gon Jinn: “But not at the expense of the
moment.”

—Qui-Gon Jinn and Obi-Wan Kenobi

Ep. I: “The Phantom Menace”

Jedi Work to Alleviate Suffering

A Jedi works to empower people so that they are not
led into the path of the Dark Side. People who are
unable to think for themselves are easily led astray;
and strong emotions are a primary method for being
12 Novice Training
led astray by those who are ruled by their emotions.
Those with weak minds as such will always be prey
for the strong-minded: this is a natural order. Thus,
there must be balance with people who have strong
wills. Without balance, suffering is guaranteed.
A Jedi will not willingly take part in anything which
promotes unnecessary suffering; but by the same
token a certain amount of suffering is normal and
healthy, so long as it prevents more suffering later.
Allowing a child to burn his hand on the stove once
so that he understands the concept that high levels
of heat can harm him is a lesson most must learn;
placing the child’s hand on the stove and intentional-
ly burning it removes the element of choice, and
teaches that a person who burned them shouldn’t be
trusted. In the latter case, the injury is not only the
hand which was burned, but the broken trust in the
person who has victimized them.
But allowing choices creates the opportunity to
learn. Allowing even incorrect choices gives people
the opportunity to develop, and a little suffering and
struggle mean that development is eventually as-
sured. Everyone must progress at their own pace.
Some suffering is inevitable and healthy, however
regrettable it may seem in the moment.
A Jedi sees this, and works to help people to come to
terms with their emotions, both positive and nega-
tive. But fear itself is particularly powerful as a moti-
vator, and unless the fear is justified it is merely a
tool for the powerful to use over those with less

A Saber of Light 13
power. Suffering needlessly is unjust, and a Jedi must
act in the interests of justice.
We learn about the people who have sought to alle-
viate the suffering of others; and we learn about
those who have sought to inflict suffering on some
to alleviate the suffering of others; and we learn
about those who simply wished to inflict suffering.
We learn about suffering, as there is suffering as a
condition of existence and the alleviation of it as a
balance. In suffering ourselves, we seek to end the
suffering we experience, and that of others.
As such, a Jedi aims to be the embodiment of hope
for positive changes, and to strengthen the minds of
others against control through fear, anger, hatred,
and other negative emotions, for these are all the
path to suffering—thus, the path to the Dark Side.

“Fear is the path to the Dark Side: fear leads to anger;

anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering.”

—Master Yoda
Ep. I: “The Phantom Menace”

Jedi Are Non-Materialistic

A Jedi has only one possession: thought. Materialism
is an obsession over possessions, and one which is
not the most healthy state of mind. A Jedi seeks to
eliminate attachment to objects, and to learn to let
go when attachment is perceived.
Though a Jedi’s saber is a deeply personal posses-
sion—one in which a Jedi invests a significant
14 Novice Training
amount of personal finance and time—it is merely a
thing, and can be replaced. The regret of its loss is
not over the object itself, nor even the mourning
over the loss of attachment; it is the regret of having
to once again locate materials to build a new one—
time is the one thing which is always against us. If
sacrificing one’s saber can preserve life, then that’s
what is done. The loss of the saber for the gain of
life is acceptable, in spite of the significant personal
investment in the metal.
Attachment to mere objects can lead to fear of its
loss. This fear can lead to the Dark Side, and so the
Jedi avoid attachments to objects wherever we are
able. It is for this reason (among others) that we
create a valuable and empowered sword as a part of
the training.
In addition to this, it is worthy of note that there are
people who don’t even realize that they are attached:
money, cell phones, laptop computers, and even ec-
clesiastical clothing are all things which people be-
lieve that they cannot live without. Their dependence
on these objects is not really life-or-death in most
cases: it is merely that they have a fear of loss where
such things might be concerned. And attachment is
normal: people like to be comfortable, and they like
to have comforts of modern technology and familiar
traditions. But attachment itself is a hindrance to
those who want to walk a spiritual path. It is only in
freeing ourselves of such attachments that we truly
understand that these things are merely comforts,
not the substance of life.
A Saber of Light 15
 “Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.”

—Master Yoda
Ep. III: “Revenge of the Sith”

Jedi Believe in Contentiousless Honor

To contend about who is or is not honorable in their
activities does a terrible injustice; the overall acts of a
person allow the discerning mind to know whether
or not someone can be worthy of the trust which
others invest in them.
If people are easily fooled, how can they be trusted?
And if they fool themselves, how can they trust any-
one? And if they cannot trust or be trusted, how
might they be honored?
Oaths may be broken with no loss of honor, if the
oath’s intent was not honorable. Even if the intent
was honorable, someone who attempts to use honor
as a bargaining chip to ensure another’s cooperation
in any matter is acting dishonorably: a Jedi owes this
person nothing. But even so, an oath is not lightly
given, nor lightly broken. To a Jedi, the word-bond
of an oath is a sacred and beautiful thing, and bick-
ering over what is or is not honorable merely chea-
pens the gift of honor—and for a Jedi, honor is its
own reward.
A Jedi does not need to prove honor; rather, a Jedi
seeks to live honorably. A Jedi does not seek to
create the image of honor, but instead seeks to live
in a way which leaves a legacy of peace and reason.
16 Novice Training
Though it is inevitable that people will have different
ideas about how to proceed, there is no need for
hostile or negative feelings to preside. In helping
others to come to a peaceful compromise, a Jedi lives
honorably.
Honor guides and protects a Jedi, because what is
honor but the bonding of dignity, honesty, integrity
and reliability with the memory of past good deeds?
A Jedi doesn’t seek to embody these, but rather to
find them in others. Because these principles are va-
lued, the natural tendency is to cultivate them in the
self. In seeking, a Jedi will find them in others. In
finding these things in others, a Jedi will naturally
tend toward embodiment. This is the best way to
uphold honor without contention.
Passion; yet serenity. The sense of honor which a
Jedi feels is not a means of controlling him, or of
creating the opportunity to dishonor. Rather, the
dishonor of a Jedi is in the failure to believe in the
importance of life, or to accept defeat without cause.

“A man may die from hunger of the body; but whole

nations have fallen from hunger of the spirit.”

—Master Kahn
Kung Fu, “The Empty Pages of a Dead Book”

Jedi Serve Others

It is a Jedi belief that in serving others, we ultimately
serve ourselves. The served are either worthy of
such service, or have inherited it. To enrich one’s life
A Saber of Light 17
through the service of others without understanding
the meaning of serving others is to make a virtue of
iniquity. No special status can be attained through
being served; but rather, in service to others a Jedi
distinguishes himself.
In servitude, a Jedi is served; in being served, a Jedi is
of service. Are these not merely two sides of the
same coin? One can bend in service to another and
still be self-serving. Lacking the ability to complain
because of a feeling of powerlessness does not deny
that something is wrong.
In learning to use a sword, we sometimes use the
phrase: “my sword to your service.” This is literally a
request to serve another individual who is in need of
assistance. Because not all battlefields use weapons
of metal, is it not appropriate to learn to serve oth-
ers without a sword as well? The aim of a Jedi is to
die while in the service of another. It is not the death
which bestows the honor, but the life which came
before it. We honor memory of life, and life itself;
death should not be sought too hastily.
All living beings are worthy of respect, support, and
compassion, simply for the virtue of having survived
for as long as they have. We serve others as a re-
minder that their survival can be linked to our own.
It really is best to go about one’s business in a way
which is largely self-reliant; but to deny that one
needs others, even in service, is to be arrogant and
greedy. We all know the pleasure of giving and re-
ceiving; is it right that we should deny the joy that
others might feel in doing the same?
18 Novice Training
 “The Master has no possessions.
The more he does for others, the happier he is.
The more he gives to others, the wealthier he is.”

—Lao Tzu
Tao te Ching

Jedi Focus on Being Positive

A Jedi seeks to be positive, because when we are tru-
ly positive (and not merely positive for the sake of
positivity), then we discover that we become unstop-
pable. Failure stops entering the equation—we simp-
ly don’t consider failure in our goals, because if our
actions are correct then failure is not possible. But
before we can attain this state of higher motivation,
we must be able to deal with the negative feelings
which are surely just a part of living.
Negative emotions are necessary for balance, but
they should not be used for focus. They should be
accepted as the guidance that they are, acknowledged
for the emotions that they are, and not ever actually
expelled, purged, repressed, or suppressed. To never
experience negative emotions is to deny balance, and
what result can this have other than insanity?

“Your focus determines your reality.”

—Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ep. I, “Phantom Menace”

A Saber of Light 19
Jedi Protect & Defend the Helpless,
and Empower the Powerless
When a Jedi sees power being used in a way which is
unjustified, he tends to feel compelled to step in and
stop such power from being wielded. This includes
legal powers as well as illegal: for laws are tools of
order and justice, and where they do not serve these
purposes, they must be opposed by all means possi-
ble, even where they have an obvious benefit. The
opposition is less suffering than the acceptance.
Those who are victimized by the law cannot benefit
from lawful activity. Those who respect the law ben-
efit from the spirit of justice. It simply doesn’t work
another way. Such benefit should never be one-sided,
whether victim or victor, perpetrator or prey. Under
the law, a balance must exist, or the helpless will be
forever held at the mercy of the powerful, and create
the conditions through which social order is under-
mined. This creates unnecessary suffering, and the
conditions for rebellion. Such is intolerable to any-
one who has a love of peace.
Therefore, victims should be empowered, and perpe-
trators of injustice should be prevented. The word-
ing of the law should be imperfect; by creating only
broad and vague ideas, people are better able to dis-
cern the law’s spirit.
Likewise, a Jedi upholds the law where it serves the
interests of order and justice, and is mindful of
where the law is lacking in this regard. A Jedi will act
to create the conditions for peace, and one of these
20 Novice Training
conditions is a just and orderly legal system which is
free from corrupting influences 2. A Jedi seeks to
ensure that the process is fair, that it maintains inte-
grity, and that inequities are brought to light: chaos,
yet harmony. A Jedi also seeks to refine a connection
to others: compassion is central to the needs of the
Jedi, who use this compassion to understand the im-
pact which feeling helpless or powerless has upon
others; empathy and sympathy are the means by
which a Jedi learns intolerance of justice, and to ap-
preciate the beauty which is in the universe around
them.
This alone is justification to prevent the abuse of
others. But to defend another from violence, espe-
cially someone who is unable to defend them-
selves—to defend life and justice, and to ensure the
freedom to choose living over death—these are
where the Jedi’s prowess in combat are useful. In any
other capacity, a Jedi’s combat skills are merely the
tool of the powerful, and so this must be avoided. A
Jedi is a powerful weapon and must not fall into the
wrong hands.
Therefore, a Jedi acts outside of the bounds of secu-
lar politics, and does what is right and true. A Jedi
does not get embroiled in a war unless the fabric of
justice itself is at risk—or unless the Jedi themselves
are targets. A Jedi acts not because of orders or di-
rectives passed down from others; a Jedi acts because

2 Note that we don’t write “corrupt politicians” here. It is impor-

tant to understand that there is an enormous difference.
A Saber of Light 21
such action preserves life and reduces suffering at
the same time. To fail to act, or to increase suffering,
or to diminish life—all are things which rob people
of the ability to be empowered.

“I cannot fight a war for you, Your Highness; only protect

you.”

—Qui Gon Jin

Ep. I: “The Phantom Menace”

Jedi Believe in Free Will, Destiny, and

Fate
A Jedi works to create the opportunity for freedom
of choice. But at the same time, a Jedi believes in
predetermined destiny which is controlled by the will
of the Force, yet still allowing choice. Where any
other-than-reactive choice is made, it can change
destiny into fate.
Destiny is the best you can hope to be, of the prede-
fined variables in the universe which dominate your
decisions; fate is the ultimate outcome of the inte-
raction between free will and destiny. All things, liv-
ing and inanimate, have a free will—from the low-
liest single-celled organism through the largest
known organism on the planet 3, and from subatomic

3 The largest organism on the Earth is an aspen colony which

covers the Uintah Basin in Colorado, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming
in the United States. By mass, this aspen colony is 600 times that
of a blue whale. Though there are other colonies of aspen, this
22 Novice Training
particles to the universe itself. Sometimes the idea of
destiny seems counter to the idea of free will.
But both are working at the same time, in different
ways and on different aspects of reality. In under-
standing how these things interact, a Jedi learns to
shape the world around them, often seeming to be
able to change the world at will (and from a certain
perspective, this can be viewed as true). This isn’t
mere luck; it’s the result of an altered perception of
reality which allows a Jedi to take advantage of con-
ditions which may not be apparent to others.

“In my experience, there's no such thing as luck.”

—Obi Wan Kenobi

Ep. IV: “A New Hope”

Jedi Believe in the Overall Positive

Effect of Religious Adherence
Throughout history, religions have been used for
controlling populations: they produce hatred, into-
lerance, oppression, discrimination, killing (including
mass killings and suicides), and all manner of other
causes of suffering against one another. But also in
history, religion’s effect has overall been positive,
when the truths of love, tolerance, freedom, dis-
cernment, and life are adhered to.

one is the largest and perhaps one of the oldest which survives
today.
A Saber of Light 23
A proper education in secular society is desirable, but
no education can be considered well-rounded with-
out understanding the different ethics of the world
throughout history, as well as the modern ethical
systems whether secular or religious. A mind cannot
be free unless one realizes the cost of freedom.
Religion itself is not evil, nor is the organization of
any religion into a church; but rather, evil lies in the
power struggles and religious politics, where evil will
always occur due to the desire for power—this is the
Dark Side as well. We therefore don’t seek to con-
tend with other religions, nor to even include their
beliefs in a universalist concept, but to discern the
true and worthy qualities of each belief system
which lead us to the crossroads of all truths, each in
their own way.
Thus, a Jedi Master achieves status as a Master, and
may be clergy, but is considered no more important
than any other. While admiration of the achieve-
ments the Master has earned is acceptable, using
such a title as a means of controlling others can only
lead to our collective downfall.

“We are one, yet we are not the same: ten million
different things have as many different worlds. Do not see
yourself as the center of a universe: wise, and good, and
beautiful; seek rather wisdom, goodness and beauty, that
you may honor them everywhere.”

—Master Kahn
Kung Fu, “Chains”
24 Novice Training
Jedi Believe in the Dignity of All in
Both Life and Death
To a Jedi, all life is sacred. Even with this sacredness,
we believe that all life must end at some point. Death
is the natural end to life, and must occur, and it
should be a process which is dignified. Death does
not bring honor; action does.
But this doesn’t mean that the death process should
be cheapened or undermined. Death should be ac-
complished with dignity. Just not prematurely. We
therefore don’t feel the need to advocate vegetarian-
ism or other lifestyle choices which are best left up
to the individual, even if we see it as beneficial.
It is on this basis that we do not advocate discrimi-
nation based on gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation,
gender preference, national origin, or other status
which may be cause for discrimination—we take
exception at Master Yoda’s decree that both Anakin
and Luke Skywalker were “too old,” as it was clear
that they were not, once they were trained.
We oppose the inflicting of suffering on anyone for
any reason. Such infliction is surely not only undesir-
able, it leads to the Dark Side—taking joy in the suf-
fering of others. To a Jedi, this is simply intolerable.
We oppose torture and degradation used as forms of
interrogation. These result not in the truth, but in
telling someone the fastest lie to end the discomfort.
This is simple historical fact.
Removing dignity is intolerable, even toward a pris-
oner. The lowest scum is still living, and deserving
A Saber of Light 25
of respect. That they harm others without thought is
merely a product of education which they have or
have not received.
We oppose capital punishment, as it removes the
dignity of the individual for the entertainment or
revenge of others—and no punishment should be
used as entertainment, particularly in criminal cases;
nor should revenge be a substitute for the just re-
compense of any criminal. Criminals should be
permitted to be productive members of society; in
this, they work toward the goal of societal integra-
tion. Integration into society means an end to anti-
social behavior, rather than a furtherance of it.
We oppose the use of cruel punishments, and un-
usual means of punishment—such are degrading to
the individual, and do not serve to create an orderly
society. We separate the two terms separately because
the term “cruel and unusual” has been thought to be
a singular. A Jedi is opposed to both parts, whether
together or separate.
The Jedi believe in criminal rehabilitation, and are
opposed to warehousing criminals on that basis. Ex-
tending this belief even further, we oppose the use
of death as a penalty for any crime, no matter how
egregious or distasteful.
A Jedi does not seek to separate sentient beings by
class, “race,” status, or anything else. Neither do we
accept that these things are pointless. A Jedi cannot
tolerate these things, because they detract from good
order and respectful interaction. They inhibit condi-
tions for inner peace. And they create conditions
26 Novice Training
which make such order more difficult to enforce.
The lessons they teach are not the lessons of order
and peace; they are the lessons of aversion and vi-
olence. These detract from the order of society, ra-
ther than upholding it.

“[Qui-Gon] has learned the path to immortality. One

who has returned from the netherworld of the Force…
How to commune with him, I will teach you.”

—Master Yoda
Ep. III: “The Rise of the Sith”

14 Points
It is a Jedi belief that we don’t always know truth
until we hear it. It takes understanding that there is
truth, and that there is untruth, before we appreciate
that there is a difference.
Here is a summary of the 14 points of Jediism:
• Jedi are committed to the Force
• Jedi are committed to the Jedi Cause
• Jedi are “Warriors of Peace”
• Jedi have serene minds, strong intuitions,
and patience
• Jedi are strongly rooted in the present
• Jedi work to alleviate suffering
• Jedi are non-materialistic
• Jedi believe in honor without contention
• Jedi serve others
A Saber of Light 27
 • Jedi focus on being positive
• Jedi protect and defend the helpless, and
empower the powerless.
• Jedi believe in free will, destiny, and fate
• Jedi believe in the overall positive effect of
religious adherence
• Jedi believe in the dignity of all in both life
and death
This was not created by Jedi School, but instead ap-
pears to be a consensus among the Jedi groups.

28 Novice Training
Chapter 2: A Brief History
of Jediism
The word Jedi is actually found in Hebrew, and is a
male name that means “beloved by God”. The word
was used in an Americanized fashion for the film in
the 1970s, so that George Lucas could keep it access-
ible to the public.
There are claims that the word comes from the Japa-
nese jieitai, and from the Chinese jo dai, but these
ideas seem to lack fundamental links to George Lu-
cas or his creative process. Mr. Lucas is fairly tight-
lipped about the actual origin.

The Force and George Lucas

George Lucas saw an abstract film produced in 1963
called 21-87, which was a de-
bate between Warren S. Figure 1: George Lucas
McCulloch (an artificial intelli-
gence pioneer) and Roman
Kroiter (later developer of
IMAX).
As McCulloch argues that hu-
man beings are nothing more
than highly complex machines,
Kroiter responded with:

“Many people feel that in the contemplation of nature

and in communication with other living things, they
become aware of some kind of force, or something,
behind this apparent mask which we see in front of us,
and they call it God.”

This was confirmed by George Lucas in a 2005

Wired magazine interview that his use of “the Force”
was an echo of that phrase, but that the idea behind
it was more universal. Said Lucas:

“Similar phrases have been used extensively by many

different people for the last 13,000 years to describe the
‘life force’.”

The idea of the Force is something that has existed

without time for much of human history. We do
believe that the idea behind the fiction, which is
based in human history, is sound.

Dr. Joseph Campbell

Joseph Campbell’s influence on George Lucas was
nothing short of profound. As a friend, mentor,
teacher, and co-creator of the Jedi Order for the
films (with Mr. Lucas), Dr. Campbell was highly in-
fluential in assuring that a link to the history of hu-
man folklore was kept very much alive. When asked,
Dr. Campbell said that the Jedi in Star Wars were
30 Novice Training
 based on every hero
throughout the bulk of
human expression—
every great hero under-
went the trials that Luke
Skywalker went through,
and each of us in turn
can live heroically.
Campbell also said that
religion was a defense
Figure 2: Dr. Joseph Campbell mechanism for having a
spiritual experience.
People are discomforted by spirituality because it
denies control over it, and so people create religions
so that people can return to feeling secure about the
idea that their experience was shared by others.
Shortly before his death in 1986, Joseph had spent
something on the order of 60 years studying the
world’s religions, and was an authority on religion.
One of the many things we are left with is the fol-
lowing quote by Dr. Campbell:

“Every act has both good and evil results… the best we
can do is to ‘lean’ toward the light.”

As Jedi, our aim is to do exactly this, and no more or

less. We embrace the light not as those who would
keep it to ourselves, but at those who would defend
it from those who seek to prevent its revelation to
the world.
A Saber of Light 31
Campbell’s lessons are some of what we learn and
teach, but they are ultimately echoes of someone’s
interpretations unless we learn and study these things
ourselves. That is Campbell’s legacy.

Why is Jediism a Religion?

In an interview with Bill Moyer, George Lucas said
that he hesitated to call the Force “God,” because
there were a lot of other things in the universe which
might have been much more worthy. In addition,
Lucas stated that though
his original intent wasn’t
religious, he did want to
awaken a deep spirituali-
ty in people—especially
in the teen and twenty-
something crowd.
With his creation of the
Star Wars franchise, Lu-
cas essentially mentored Figure 3: The Jedi School Logo
a new kind of spirituality
which was true outside of any established religious
context. Though we honor this, Lucas is not consi-
dered the founder of the Jedi religion, if there could
be a central, founding organization. But in founding
Jediism as a religious idea, it ultimately created the
need to create a religion around the concepts.
Essentially, the only reasons to classify Jediism as a
religion are that people do in fact practice the phi-
losophies religiously; and that it helps us to stay on a
32 Novice Training
level playing field with those who believe that any-
thing which is not specifically offered religious pro-
tections under the law is worthy of disdain. It also
offers some level of security for those who are just
starting out in the religion, so that they don’t feel so
fearful of declaring that they are Jedi that they never
practice, even if they believe in the Jedi ways. The
teachings we offer through the Jedi School are fun-
damentally spiritual in nature, though with a practi-
cality that many other religions simply cannot offer.
However, rather than tell people that they have to
give up the comfort of their own beliefs, we hold
that the Jedi belief is actually an expression of the
same truths held in Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism,
and even Hinduism.
We believe that by expressing truths held by all of
the world’s religions, we are able to uphold that the
truth of the soul is the Truth. We cannot reject reli-
gion wholesale because it contains wisdom; yet we
can reject the foundations of religious organization
because it seeks to pervert this wisdom into a means
of controlling others. This state of affairs has been
repeating since time immemorial, and we cannot
guarantee that the Jedi path will not become similar
to these others if we organize as a church.
Therefore, in organizing as a school, we hope to be
able to forward and record others’ ideas which are
then considered in a way which is inclusive into the
Truth of the universe, and in this Truth we can then
discover the wonder, diversity, and beauty which
makes up this universe.
A Saber of Light 33
In order to witness such discovery, we must accept
that we cannot and will never know everything; and
in our humility we accept the novice’s ideas as valid.
It is in these new ideas that the old and established
ideas are challenged. The older the idea, the more
difficult it is to challenge.
In a church, we cannot change these ideas because
churches tend to try to become the authority on the
subject of spirituality; the Jedi School is an authority
on nothing other than certification of people who
have been taught what is needed for the next level of
certification at the time such certification is given (as
is the case with any school).
We are a religious organization because religion is so
very important to the fabric of society; and we are a
school because we both teach and learn. This makes
us either a monastery or an ecclesiastical learning
institution. As such, our means of conveying what
we learn of the truth changes over time, rather than
becoming something which stagnates in stodgy
books and dogmas which lose meaning over time.
Thus, we are defined as a seminary organization, and
our graduates are fully-trained members of a reli-
gious order—in other words, free-thinking clergy.
Authority does not convey truth; truth conveys au-
thority. It is important to prevent ourselves from
mistaking the source of authority as the source of
truth—they are not one or the same. 4

4 This is covered in more detail during Padawan training.

34 Novice Training
The Jedi Path Begins
In May of 1977, the Star Wars films opened in thea-
ters across the United States, and their popularity
was nearly instantaneous. Lucas had also set up a
new concept in merchandising for the films, some-
thing that hadn’t really been tried on a large scale
before. The success of the films places the original
film (which is now Episode IV: A New Hope, as it fits
within the Star Wars timeline) in the top 10 largest-
grossing films of all time.
People began to take notice and asked why these
films were so popular. As early as 1986, the films had
generated a following of people from every religion
in the world, who held up the Star Wars films as an
example of the best principles of their own views.
But people were already looking for something new:
record numbers of books on witchcraft, voodoo,
Buddhism and other new religious belief systems
were at record highs, and continued to grow.
The Jedi path began, but it was not official.

The 2001 Jedi Census

Debacle
While there is no specific founding of any single
organization which can be called a founding organi-
zation, the numbers of people in the world contin-
ued to steadily grow throughout the 1990’s. In 2001,
the census brought Jediism into the limelight.
A Saber of Light 35
In late 1999, a chain email circulated which endorsed
the idea of making the choice of “Jedi” a religious
one. By early 2001, there were at least two other ver-
sions of this email. In all of them, they extolled the
benefits of using the census system to make the reli-
gion count, and erroneously claimed that it would
cause the government to have to recognize “Jedi” as
a religious choice. There is no rule or law about this.
The end result was that the UK’s census response
rate was the best it had been in a century, and those
of the US, Australia, and New Zealand all showed a
significant level of interest in the Jedi religion. The
problem was that the government could not assess
the validity of these claims—were there really almost
half a million Jedi in the world? In reality there were
likely to be no more than about 20,000 (with some
less conservative estimates ranging up to 80,000) in
the world who actually practiced the Jedi philosophy
in a religious way, according to web traffic statistics
and IP address correlation—both ways to measure.
In 2010, the censuses of the USA, UK, Canada and
Australia have all removed questions about religion,
so that governmental recognition based on census
responses is not misconstrued again.

Online Training
Beginning as early as 1991, there were several people
who began training in BBS forums, which gave way
to online forums and chat rooms, and has continued
through 2010 as the primary means of training.
36 Novice Training
Physical Training
Other than the Jedi School regimen, it is unknown if
there are any groups engaging in physical fitness
training of any kind.
Physical training begins at the Force Sensitive level.
It is recommended that the serious student find a
partner to study with, as much of the training focus-
es on martial arts and the simultaneous building of
strength and agility for martial capacity.
Also, now would be a good time to consult a physi-
cian about starting an exercise regimen, especially if
you have any known health conditions or potential
for health issues from rigorous exercise. It’s best to
know what limitations you may have.
That Jedi “Lean”
Lots of groups in the online world try to make
people feel more like Jedi and really don’t have com-
prehensive training available to students who are
ready to really develop spiritually. There are a num-
ber of ideas that are adopted by these groups, but
their application isn’t truly unique, and it would be
difficult to adopt this as religious.

The Future of Jediism

If we are to listen to ideas about the theory of reli-
gion (one of which was forwarded by Rodney Stark
and supported by William Sims Bainbridge), then
Jediism is fated to die out because of its general ten-
A Saber of Light 37
dency to rely on the Force as some kind of magic or
magic-like ritualistic concept which doesn’t work
consistently—after all, most people believe that the
Force is simply something invented for a set of
science fiction films. But the truth of the matter is
that Jediism itself is growing, and there is scientific
support (although limited in nature, and begrudging
at that) for the existence of the Force. This means
that if—and only if—the Force can be cultivated,
Jediism will live.
The only thing we can be certain of is that the future
is almost never certain. Free will can alter the path-
ways of the future just as surely as destiny can hold
them.

38 Novice Training
Chapter 3: Empowerment
At Jedi School, we have adopted the use of a mala (a
string of beads used in Buddhism and Hinduism) to
teach the technique of empowering items. In this
technique, we learn to focus the energies of a mantra
(a kind of repetitive chant) to the beads of the mala.
This is good practice for the later construction of
the lightsaber, which is not the electronic toy sold for
hundreds of dollars and used for play-dueling other
Jedi. A real lightsaber is, in fact, an empowered item
that the student learns to construct at a later level.
The use of a mala is not absolutely required, but it
does make the training more efficient, and will teach
you how to empower anything so that it functions
above a certain level.
The mala we suggest has 108 or 109 beads, and is
made from either plant seeds, wood or bone
(though there are some very beautiful malas made of
stone, these are not recommended at this stage, but
there is no actual restriction in this regard). There are
also malas with 21 beads on them which may be
worn around the wrist. Both are useful, but we still
assume the 108-bead mala with one extra bead
(called the “guru bead”) and a tassel.
 Figure 4: 108-Bead Mala

Using the mala to count recitations will also help to

create an empowered item which aids in clearing the
mind each time you put it on.
The lack of a mala during recitation of mantras still
works just fine for empowering the use of the man-
tra, but you will want the item to hold a metaphysical
charge so that you can learn how empowered items
are used.
This also helps the process of memorizing the man-
tras for advancement in ranks, and helps to reinforce
the ideas that these mantras entail.
40 Novice Training
How to Use
a Mala
The mala is held be-
tween the thumb and
any finger other than
the index finger (the
index finger decharges Figure 5: Holding the Mala for
the mala, and most Counting
people use the middle finger) during the recitation
of a mantra. As each mantra is recited, you advance
the bead so that you can count. Your mala doesn’t
increase your personal power, though it can act as a
“battery” for later use.
Each time around the mala (108 beads) is called one
japa, and the process of recitation is called charging
the mala. Initial charging of a mantra requires one of
4 formulas:
• 9 charges of 108 mantras for 12 days (45
minutes per day)
• 1 charge of 108 mantras for 41 days (5 mi-
nutes per day)
• 108 charges of 108 mantras all at once
(about 36 hours)
• 1 charge of 108 mantras for 108 days (5 mi-
nutes per day)
Each formula has a specific use: the 9x12 formula is
for general purpose use where a mantra is needed for
use on other people, such as elemental and healing
A Saber of Light 41
mantras. The 1x41 formula is used for mantras and
prayers which are useful only on the self, such as
learning to flow the Force. The massive all-at-once
formula is useful if there is a need to charge two
items at once (a mala and a lightsaber, for example).
The final formula is useful if there are a large num-
ber of mantras being charged at once, and allows for
multiple charging schemes as well.
In charging an item, you connect yourself to the
conscious energy it represents. It brings us closer to
the Force. The more intensely you practice, the more
you’ll charge the energies into your soul. At the no-
vice level, if you miss one day you must start over
from scratch. You will learn how to retain energies
for longer periods so that you can get more done.
For practice to count, you must charge your mala
once per 24-hour rotation of the Earth. It is prefer-
able to do this just before sunrise each day. One day,
there was an extra-long day while caring for 3 tod-
dlers and balancing this with the care of a premature
child at a hospital and a cancer patient at her home.
On this day, the time was 1:00am before walking
through the door. The daily recitations were done
standing up. But it was completed.
As you recite the mantra using your mala, pay atten-
tion to the philosophical concept that the mantra
represents.
There may be a temptation to rock your body gently
while you recite a mala; this is natural and acceptable.
Do what comes naturally, if it’s not harmful.

42 Novice Training
Storing a Mala
Malas should be stored in an area which is sacred to
the user. For those who don’t have sacred space, it
should be kept someplace private.
Other people handling your mala (especially those
who don’t know what they’re doing) can decharge
the mala. It’s really not a big deal: you just have to
charge it again is all. Recharging is accomplished
with 1 of each mantra which was fully charged be-
fore the mala decharged.

Novice Mantra
Because the Novice Level is intended to be very
short, we offer only one mantra to the Novice Jedi:
the Mantra of Peace. The Mantra of Peace can still the
mind and quiet the nervous system. This mantra is:

Anæ sŒvi, sŒvi, sŒvi.

Anæ sövi, sövi, sövi.
AH-neh sœ-VY sœ-VY sœ-VY
Divine Peace, Peace, Peace.
The word sövi somewhat rhymes with Jedi.
As you recite this mantra, visualize everything begin-
ning as a sky blue and fading softly into nothing at
all, not even visualization. If thoughts drift into your
mind, simply let them pass. There is even a possibili-
ty that images will come into your mind which didn’t
originate there. If this happens, allow them to pass
too. We’ll learn what those are about and what
they’re for later.
A Saber of Light 43
Once you connect to the conscious energy of this
mantra, recite this mantra and allow your mind to
relax and clear. If your mind is ever feeling over-
whelmed with thoughts or feelings, reciting this
mantra for five minutes while allowing your mind to
relax can help you calm and relax yourself.
It’s recommended that you do one mala of the Man-
tra of Peace before each of your other training prac-
tices, except for the techniques where you will fall
asleep.

Jedi Names
Many people want a new Jedi Name. These are
created using a system which you will learn at the
Sensitive level. Until that time, a Jedi Master needs to
speak to you in person (or over the phone, or over
voice chat, etc.) in order to discern a correct name
for you.
Names tend not to conform to the Coruscant Va-
riant (which is popular online and with many other
Jedi groups as well), and ours tend to have a very
deep meaning which the student is encouraged to
meditate upon. Such Jedi names are a construct of
the Jedi School, and are considered a reflection of
the soul.
People cannot control you by knowing this name,
and there’s no secrecy involved; but most people
consider it personal and so they don’t tend to tell
everyone.

44 Novice Training
The reason for having a new name is to understand
your Self better (more on this in Meditation, below).
It’s not a matter of doing away with the old identi-
ty—you are always you, no matter what you’re called,
and you are always changing whether your name
changes or not.
It’s a matter of understanding your innermost na-
ture, and cultivating that nature as a means of con-
necting to the Force. When you pay attention to a
new name, sometimes the connection comes easier.
But some people see adopting a new name as a way
to run away from one’s past. In cases where this may
actually be true, it’s better to keep the name one is
given as a reminder that the past is necessary for the
future to grow. One does not have the leaves of a
tree grow where no root is there to nourish them.
Jedi names are therefore handled on an individual
(case-by-case) basis. Even so, there are three kinds of
name which a Jedi is given, though one of these re-
quires a student to be in the presence of a Jedi Mas-
ter so that the true name can be discerned by the
Master and related back to the student.
Starform Name
The starform name is a name which the Jedi devel-
ops, after a significant amount of work on the star-
form (which is taught in a later level of training).
The starform name is one which can be changed,
but it is an expression of the Jedi’s true nature, and
who they are in their own minds.

A Saber of Light 45
Soul Name
A Jedi’s soul name is nothing more than a descriptor
for the Jedi’s soul. It can be as complex or simple as
needed. However, it’s best if this soul name is ex-
pressed in a language other than one which is used
for everyday speech.
Saber Name
A Jedi’s saber name is a name which is given to a Jedi
by the Jedi master responsible for teaching that par-
ticular Jedi. The saber name does not change once
assigned, and is used for internal identification of
individual Jedi in the Jedi’s records.
The saber name is the only one of the three which is
recorded by the Jedi School in its written records,
along with their legal name.

Jedi Robes
Jedi robes are used in a ceremonial capacity, and are
typically similar to the movie robes. However, at the
Jedi School, we also have a more modern uniform
which is used in more of an official capacity. The
reason for this adaptation is because the clothing in
the films matches non-Jedi clothing.
Ceremonial Robes
Jedi ceremonial robes are similar to those from the
films. They are used only for internal ceremonies,
and are not considered proper attire for training or
secular use.
46 Novice Training
Secular Uniform Dress
The intent of secular dress is to fit into society in a
way which is unobtrusive. In cultivating a uniform
look, the idea of organization and identity are pro-
moted. This also allows the Jedi to recognize one
another more readily, as we won’t know each other
on sight.
• Business Formal Style: This is a three-
piece black suit, over a black button-up (Ox-
ford-style) shirt and a solid black tie. Shoes
are dressy black leather shoes with black cot-
ton socks. This is considered the style of
choice for all initial interactions. Consider
sunglasses a necessity in such cases.
• Business Casual Style: This is a black tur-
tleneck over black slacks. Shoes are black
leather dress shoes with black socks.
• Cruisin’ Style: This is a black pair of cargo
pants (trousers with cargo pockets on the
outside of the leg, fatigue style) with a sty-
lish black shirt over a white or grey tee shirt,
and black sneakers with black socks.
• Mixed Styles: That’s right: mixing and
matching is perfectly acceptable!
All members of a group should adopt the same style
while in operation together for the purpose of ap-
pearing unified and organized. However, if the situa-
tion demands more covertness, adopting the style of
dress of those in the area may be more advisable
than secular uniform dress.
A Saber of Light 47
A Jedi should always blend where possible; and
where blending is inappropriate, the adoption of a
uniform style of secular dress should be maintained:
it’s better to blend. But blending isn’t always possible.

Spiritual Masters
In at least one part of the training, students will have
access to one or more spiritual masters. Unlike the
films, students are free to select teachings from any-
one they wish. Spiritual masters are often the small
part of the puzzle of unlocking the true nature of
the self which are missing.
But there are many kinds of spiritual masters. An
effective spiritual master has years (if not decades)
of training to draw from. There are many people
who accept someone as a spiritual master who has
less than a year of practice, and who lacks true life
experience to draw from.
How does one find a spiritual master who truly
knows what he (or she, as the case may be) is talking
about, where there are so many people calling them-
selves spiritual masters who have never truly studied
what they profess to teach.
Such charlatans are typically con artists, though there
have been a few who managed to bring a good deal
of truth together—enough that people could feel
the nature of that truth coursing through the spiri-
tual masters.
Such masters might include people such as Jesus
Christ, Sakyamuni Buddha, Lord Krishna, Melchize-
48 Novice Training
dek, and others. These people all had a firm under-
standing of the universe from their own perspec-
tives, and performed great things in their own ways.
Modern spiritual masters might not be recognized as
being to the same level as any of these people, but
are still able to expound on the truth as readily.

The Master Jedi

A Jedi Master isn’t someone who controls the Jedi
Order. The term master in this case is more than just
a title. It is a realization of mastery over the self, and
mastery of the spirit.
The term Jedi Master is something which many organ-
izations seem to hand out to anyone they feel like
handing it out to; and in some organizations, there
are no titles, because they feel that adding a title is
somehow satisfying an ego.
In the latter case, they are quite correct. There is a
feeling of ego and satisfaction with a title. But titles
are useful when dealing with other organizations,
such as government or businesses, or other organiza-
tions which focus on ego and separation.
Thus, “Master” isn’t so much a level of accomplish-
ment as it is a job title. As such, it implies responsi-
bility and accomplishment at the same time. Those
who want to be Jedi Masters are generally not really
sure of what it is that they’re asking.
By the time you are a Jedi Master, you will under-
stand what being a Master means, and why it’s neces-
sary to climb slowly to the position.
A Saber of Light 49
So Really, How Do I Become a Jedi
Master?
A Jedi Master isn’t someone who sits around and
debates endlessly about the decisions that need to be
made—a Jedi acts! In the films, we see Master Yoda
on Tashyyyk with the Wookies, and Master Windu
stepping in to arrest Palpatine.
Becoming a Jedi Master requires practice, patience—
and above all, time to learn. It’s not something that
happens in a few days, weeks, or months; the few
years it takes for someone to become a Jedi Master is
essential to the functionality of the role.
A Jedi Master is someone who has followed the Jedi
path to a point at which they have mastered the en-
tire path of spiritual development possible. Learning
to be a Jedi Master is difficult and time-consuming.
Most Jedi Masters have been in practice as Jedi for a
minimum of 5 years, and yet not all have received
adequate training. Some Jedi masters have received
only a minimal level of philosophical training, and
have not yet mastered their identities—and how can
we be masters of Jediism without mastering the fun-
damentals of the universe?
To become a Jedi Master, the following must be
learned at a fundamentally personal level:
• How to be an example to others.
• How to be calm and collected when there is
a crisis, even when lives are at stake.

50 Novice Training
 • How to be fully aware of the world around
them, whether that world is someone else’s
reality or their own (and what that means).
• How to be patient, and to demonstrate that
patience in every waking moment.
• How to be spiritual in every waking mo-
ment—whether eating breakfast, walking
down the street, or making love to someone.
• How to create the willingness in others to
self-motivate.
• How to get people excited about learning
the truths of the universe.
• How to give comfort to those who need it.
• How to live a life of servitude to others—a
Jedi Master’s greatness is in his or her capac-
ity to serve.
• How to sacrifice one’s own desires for the
good of all living things.
A Jedi Master does all of those things, and more.
And it just so happens that these are things Jedi
School teaches—you’re in luck! But it doesn’t really
equate to much of anything unless you actually do
the one thing that lots of people have trouble doing:
putting the thought into action.
We will learn more about how a Master operates in
the next level (Force Sensitive) of A Saber of Light.
Master Levels
Once you’re a master, you don’t stop progressing.
There are actually a number of levels of master, but
A Saber of Light 51
the titles stop changing because to those who are
outside of Jediism, there really isn’t much of a dif-
ference between a high-level master and a new mas-
ter—the titles are there for reasons of dealing with
non-Jedi, or there would be no need or purpose for
them to begin with. Titles encourage the ego.
But once you understand how to suspend the ego
for a time, the effect a title has on a person is very
minimal. Still, one has to admit that being a “master”
of something is an attractive idea. The real question
is this: what is mastered?

52 Novice Training
Chapter 4: Introduction
to Practice
There are several layers of practice, which all func-
tion together to create the entire practice of Jediism.
Like all religious ideals, the aim of Jediism is to allow
a person to function in a normal life while at the
same time living a spiritual existence. Few religions
can say that their aims are otherwise; and yet they
seem to lack teachings in these regards which would
reduce the burden of a secular life.
In learning to practice the Jedi path, there are several
things that the Jedi student will need to know. First
and foremost, a Jedi needs to understand how events
link together in the universal flow of the Force, and
how to prevent the suffering of others (and by
proxy, the Jedi himself). Without such understanding,
a Jedi cannot cultivate a relationship with the Force.
In practice, there are also the acts of prayer, medita-
tion, and ESP which are all necessary to learn the
fundamental operation of the universe so that a Jedi
can operate effectively. These skills, balanced with
critical thinking and a healthy understanding of basic
psychology, make the Jedi a force to be reckoned
with… if a reckoning is required.
But a Jedi doesn’t really want to have to be reckoned
with. And in this, the Jedi’s education should include
concepts of time management, finance, and politics.
Though we don’t teach these at the novice level,
there is nonetheless a fundamental need for these
before a Jedi really becomes a Jedi, and so they are
taught at the Apprentice level.

The Law of Karma

When we act, there is a reaction in the universe. Un-
like Newton’s Third Law implies, the reaction is not
always equal or opposite, but there is indeed a reac-
tion which results from something else. If we take
into account that everything in the known universe is
acting and reacting, then some of the reactions
which come back to us can indeed seem amplified by
virtue of redirection and focus.
If we throw a match onto a pile of wood which is
soaked in gasoline, for example, then the reaction of
the gasoline to the match certainly seems like more
than the effort it takes to strike the match in the first
place. If the law of causality is truly universal, and if
causality truly exists, and Einstein’s idea about matter
and energy being interchangeable (𝐸 = 𝑚𝑐 2 ) is true,
then something must have caused this reaction to
occur.
Or perhaps we simply have choice, and causality is
nothing more than a perception of cause-and-effect
where such is only the case for physical matter (vi-
olating Einstein’s principle as well as a few laws of
54 Novice Training
conservation of energy—chief among them the idea
that energy can be neither created nor destroyed,
merely changed). Could this be the case?
If we look at it a little less scientifically, there must
have been something that demanded that we use
gasoline to destroy the woodpile.
Karma demands that the act be met with a neutral
point of view, so that we can see the effects of our
own actions:
• Did we start the fire out of anger for some-
thing that the pile of wood will kindle into a
consuming blaze?
• Did we start it out of a healthy respect for
life and a need for heat?
• Did we start it because we wanted comfort?
• Did we begin the destruction out of the joy
of watching the beauty of the fire?
In any case, the match is a linking event and carries
the conversion of matter to energy (which is an
enormous release of energy, in actuality), and causes
a chain reaction of the stored energy in the gasoline
to kinetic energy and heat (ionized gas is our friend).
There are a variety of reasons for why we started
this blaze, and the cause of the karma is the intent
behind the fire, and the reactions of others to that
intent is also a cause for karma. Good intent brings
good karma; evil intent brings evil karma.
There is a story in the Bhagavad-Gita that there was
a man who was hurling insults at Lord Krishna, and
Lord Krishna’s lips began moving after a few mo-
A Saber of Light 55
ments. The man inquired as to what Lord Krishna
was doing, and the reply was: “Counting!” The man
dismissed it and continued to hurl insults at Lord
Krishna who, at a certain point, leapt out of his chair
and severed the man’s head from his body, as he
laughed: “You just insulted a god more than one
hundred times! I can kill you with no karma!”
Why is this so? Because if you can insult a god more
than one hundred times, you can influence those
around you to stop believing in him—he loses pow-
er. If Lord Krishna was indeed a living god, then he
did in fact gain no karma (whether positive or nega-
tive) for his action.
Karma is important to understand as a law of cau-
sality (cause-and-effect) because when we create an
effect with ESP we ultimately enact the law of karma
at a very fundamental level: if we do good things
with our abilities, then we reap good karma; if we do
bad things with them, then we reap bad karma.
The main thing that makes the results good or bad is
ultimately whether or not we cause suffering to oth-
ers. We either create more suffering or we ease suf-
fering—there isn’t much of a between, but there is
the possibility of both at once, by creating a small
amount of suffering to avoid a larger amount (and in
general, this brings good karma).
Where ESP is concerned, we must be able to interp-
ret what it is that we’re actually referring to, and so in
the Jedi belief, we can speak of Karma, but we also
speak about the Force. But before we can speak
about the Force, we need to learn how to quiet the
56 Novice Training
mind enough to allow the Force to manifest within
so that its effects can manifest without.
Keep it sane & simple: Simplicity is one of the keys
to sanity.

What is Meditation?
Meditation has a dictionary definition similar to:

Meditation is a holistic discipline by which the

practitioner attempts to get beyond the reflexive,
"thinking" mind into a deeper state of relaxation or
awareness.

Many teachers in New Age philosophy try to teach

meditation with “blanking your mind” to get medita-
tion going—thus, getting your brain to stop working
the way it was designed to. The ultimate disservice in
this is that your mind doesn’t “go blank,” and so
those who are looking for some kind of validity in
their spirituality will go where another technique
works for them. Your mind just doesn’t work that
way: the mind is made to think, so don’t begin by
trying to stop your mind from working.
Sakyamuni Buddha said that we should not simply sit
quietly and try to keep our minds blank; rather, it is
truly wise to allow the mind to work in the way it
was intended to. Don’t try to stop yourself from
thinking about anything, because in this you will
never succeed.

A Saber of Light 57
How to Meditate
The technique historically used in Buddhist, Hindu,
and other ancient practices which involve meditation
is not to make your mind blank, but to relax your
mind. Begin with relaxation, and relax the thought
of the sound around you. Allow it to fade into back-
ground noise. Then allow your thoughts to fade into
background noise in the same way. A thought will
pop up here and there. Be thankful that your mind is
working, and then simply let it go. This probably
won’t happen your first time, or even the tenth, but
you will eventually get to a point where you can ex-
perience the “blank mind” effect for yourself. It is
the result—the effect—and thus, neither the goal
nor the cause of meditation.
In beginning to learn to meditate, it helps if you find
a quiet place to sit. Sit down comfortably, breathe a
few times, and relax your mind. If you need to, recite
the Mantra of Peace for a few minutes to help your
mind’s state of calmness improve.
Pay attention to any sounds around you, if there are
any. Be aware of the fact that you are paying atten-
tion. Be aware of the fact that you’re aware of pay-
ing attention. This state is called self awareness in Jedi
meditations.
Once you get proficient at self awareness, allow the
sounds around you to drift into background noise, if
there are any. Allow your thoughts to drift away in
the same way, just becoming background noise. Your
mind will naturally relax and then only occasional
thoughts will surface.
58 Novice Training
These are actually nothing more than evidence that
your mind is working, so accept that this will happen
and just try to relax your mind even more. Don’t
push the thoughts away; allow them to drift. Let
them become nothing more than a datastream of
consciousness, which you are outside.
You are a soul, paying attention to a body’s percep-
tions. Feel your soul: pay attention to your con-
sciousness—your spirit. This part of meditation is
not explainable in words—just do it! Try to be what
you are, without effort. Pay attention only to what
you feel you are.
If your mind starts being too noisy or chatty, go
back to chanting the Mantra of Peace, silently to
yourself a few times, then go back to being the Inner
Self that you have discovered. This is your connec-
tion to the Force. Practice this meditation of the Self
every day for a few minutes.
Don’t make it complicated: just do it and be sim-
ple about it. Things that can obscure it include won-
dering if we’re doing it correctly (the process is natu-
ral, so it’s hard to mess up), or we wonder what we’re
supposed to be feeling (you feel what you do, and it’s
just what it is).
When you start thinking along these lines, also think
to yourself: My life is so simple; I am so happy. It is a
gentle cue to preserve simplicity, while confirming
that simplicity is a key to happiness.
Next, sit and relax, and defocus. You are yourself,
whatever that is. You have no definition. Think only
of being—not what you are, who you are, or how
A Saber of Light 59
you are. Just sit and exist—just be. If you lose your-
self in the moment, and don’t know who or what
you are, then you’re doing exactly what this medita-
tion is intended to accomplish.
As you come back from meditation to normal
awareness, you can think to yourself: My life is so sim-
ple; I am so happy. You can also use something more
like the following (to reinforce your training): My
consciousness expands; my mind is pure. Both of these are
positive affirmations which can help you maintain a
good mental attitude and which can help choose the
thoughts you have.
Transcendence
Occasionally, you might black out or seem to doze
off during meditation. This is a natural thing to do.
If your body loses tension and you fall over, this
means you’ve fallen asleep. If you stay sitting upright
and just lose consciousness of your surroundings for
a few moments, you have transcended.
Transcendence is explained in Eastern philosophies
as the soul taking over and understanding what the
body cannot. It happens with meditation, and there
are other situations where it can occur. If you feel
yourself drifting into this state, you are encouraged
to let go and drift into this state of complete vacuity.
Transcendence can also occur while remaining con-
scious. This means that all but one of your senses
shuts down, and you are in a state of altered percep-
tion (you may hear things as if you are listening fra-
nother perspective). This is natural and normal. Just
60 Novice Training
remember: if you fall over, it means you’re probably
asleep, and not transcending. It’s possible to snore
while transcending, but not likely.
When you meditate for a few years, transcendence
will occur naturally. Usually (after 200 or 300 times
transcending—typically years of practice) a time will
come when you transcend and will remain conscious
of what is happening, and in an expanded state of
consciousness. When you return to your normal
state of consciousness, you may retain some memo-
ry of what occurred during your experience.
When we return from transcending, we can feel a
number of things: refreshed, dizzy, disoriented, re-
laxed, aware, etc., but the key is to keep things posi-
tive for as long as possible afterward (so that we
energize our soul with Light Side energy and keep
our Dark Side temptations to a minimum). The goal
is to transcend until you no longer need to, and then
to stop. transcendence isn’t undesirable, but con-
sciousness is more desirable
Enlightenment
Some people believe that meditation leads to enligh-
tenment (such is the belief in Soto Zen Buddhism).
While this can be true, it’s not the most efficient
means of getting there. Enlightenment is desirable,
but is not an end to the journey: rather, it’s the point
at which someone achieves an understanding and
level of elevated perception of the universe.
Enlightenment is usually achieved as a result of ex-
periences which bring realization, but the truth is
A Saber of Light 61
that there aren’t many uses for enlightenment. De-
velopment of the self is without purpose if there is
no value. And the fact is, the only place that enligh-
tenment serves us well is in the realm of teaching
enlightenment. Or so say the skeptics. So where else
might it be useful? Enlightenment is in fact very use-
ful to have, because of the fact that you see and un-
derstand things at a level which most people simply
don’t comprehend. Enlightened people aren’t smar-
ter or better than unenlightened; but perceptions of
people who achieve some level of enlightenment
tend to be far outside the norm and the impact of
actions is seen at a much greater level. This is be-
cause of the understanding of the causal nature of
the universe.
Enlightened people understand and accept karma as
the rule of cause-and-effect. People decide that
something is good or bad, and so it is. Such judg-
ments can cause suffering. But enlightenment is just
the beginning of spiritual development, and is not
the ultimate goal of the Jedi. A Jedi seeks knowledge
at a level of complete autonomy, rather than stop-
ping at an enlightened state. But enlightenment also
has a range of degrees, which we will learn later. The
enlightened don’t act with the interests of a govern-
ment, or themselves, or their religious ideals; they act
with the benefit of humanity as their focus. They act
in a way which alleviates suffering and which allows a
causal ripple that helps life flourish.
Enlightenment is therefore a step along the path,
and the beginning of being a Jedi. It is achieved by
62 Novice Training
every Jedi at the level of apprentice (or Padawan,
since that word means the same thing). It is required
before mastery is achieved. Most of all, enlighten-
ment is the means by which all things are perceived
as potentially possible. Whether that’s through Chris-
tian prayer or a pagan spell, the idea of anything be-
ing possible is enlightenment.
While it’s okay to use meditation aids (HoloSync®,
isochronic tones, or other technologies which aim to
provoke meditative states), their use should be
avoided during the long weekly meditation in order
to train the mind to operate without them. Students
who rely on these technologies do not really reap the
benefit of meditating beyond having some of the
physical effects of deep meditation. The real benefit
of learning to achieve the effects on your own is that
you learn to slip into the state naturally. The tech-
nological tools can help if you’re having difficulty,
but many people get into such a rush to achieve that
they forget that the reason for meditation is to
achieve nothing.
And when you achieve nothing and are okay with
that, then you can begin to relax and become aware
at the same time. It is this state of relaxed awareness
that enlightenment tends to begin manifesting.
It’s worth taking the time to develop; if you rely on
technological means without developing the skill
behind the activity, the rush of achievement negates
the positive benefits of the act, and so you tend not
to reap the rewards of effort.

A Saber of Light 63
Duration of Meditations
In meditating, start slowly. You should practice me-
ditation at least 5 minutes per day, before or after any
other kind of spiritual training, in addition to one
session per week which is 20 minutes or longer. Be-
cause spirituality is the aim (and meditation is noth-
ing more than a tool for this spirituality), the connec-
tion of soul and body demands that more than just
the mechanics of meditation be practiced.
Above all, don’t feel that there is a time limitation or
a demand. Meditate for as short or as long as you
feel you should, so long as you do it regularly.

Choosing Your Thoughts

Because of the way that meditation works, you will
learn to influence and choose the direction of your
thoughts after a while. This is actually something that
we’d like the student to work on, as being able to
choose one’s own direction helps increase the effi-
ciency of the training.
In addition, there is a point at which you begin to
manifest things, and if you have negative thoughts
then you begin to manifest negative things. In learn-
ing to practice directing one’s own thought
processes, you will become able to choose the things
which will manifest.
• My consciousness expands; my mind is pure.
• My life is so simple; I am so happy.
Aren’t these worth learning to manifest?
64 Novice Training
Chapter 5: Cultivating the
Force
What is the Force? This is the question which seems to
plague lots of groups, as they try out different ideas
and concepts in order to figure out something that
works. The issue is one of demonstrating that their
version is the correct one, or even the most correct
one. With so many definitions, the Force is really
difficult to nail down with any degree of reliability or
even believability—it’s come down to being some-
thing that people believe in, without a real definition.
In this, it’s not unlike the Tao.
About 40 years after the discovery of certain quan-
tum fields, Lynn McTaggart—a journalist with an
interest in discovering the secret force of the un-
iverse—began to interview scientists about their
scientific understanding of this interconnecting trait,
and in her book The Field, she goes through a long
list of scientists, attempting to bring their ideas into
lay terms that the average person could understand.
At the end of it all, her book brings up several inter-
esting questions and ideas, which culminate in the
subtitle of her book: The Quest for the Secret Force of the
Universe.
But then we have an issue with displaying the Force:
can we learn to lift rocks and space fighters off the
ground with a simple act of will? Science gives us
some ideas which may indeed be the Force in action.
While it’s not lifting rocks off the ground or space-
ships out of a swamp (at least, not yet), the Force is
very much present in all living things—but quantum
science isn’t comfortable with the idea of living
things having energy, and so for more than 500 years
the idea of life energy was excluded from science.
As quantum theory developed, living things were
excluded from having quanta, because the numbers
simply didn’t make sense. This was largely due to a
lack of wanting to deal with transfinite mathematics
(math which involves multiple infinities) at a sub-
quantum level, and so a key idea was dropped.
So, Really: What Is the Force?
The Force is described rather eloquently by George
Lucas (writing as Obi-Wan Kenobi):

“The Force is what gives a Jedi his power. It’s an energy

field created by all living things. It surrounds us and
penetrates us. It binds the galaxy together.”

—Obi-Wan Kenobi
Ep. IV: “A New Hope”
Though vague, it gives us the foundations for under-
standing just what the Force really is, and what it
does. While we might not be able to do all the cool
tricks which Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi, or
66 Novice Training
even Darth Vader does, there are some things which
an understanding of the Force can bring us, and they
are rather remarkable things.
But as to exactly how it works, nobody really knows.
We can surmise, theorize, hypothesize, and even phi-
losophize: but the end result is nothing more than an
outright guess. But we believe, because many of us
are able to have direct experiences with the Force.
It is unseen, and it is an energy, and it is real (we can
experience it directly, even if we cannot direct it or
measure it with equipment). These things are not
debated seriously. Beyond that, we’re as hopelessly
mired in debate as the scientific community might be
about the mass of a quark—and that’s a debate
which has occurred for decades.
Gravity, EM, and Electricity
The Force is also seen as the affectation of matter in
the electromagnetic spectrum. As such, it has scien-
tific validity because it adopts scientifically-valid
principles. However, science doesn’t accept the Force
because not all things within the scope of the Force
are measurable.
Physics, it seems, does not completely explain the
nature of the material world when it ignores the idea
that matter and energy work together, are interchan-
geable, and rely on acceptable interchangeability.
All energies may change form. It is thus useful to
think of matter as a form of energy, and energy as
an elevated form of matter.

A Saber of Light 67
Psychokinesis
There is little doubt that psychokinesis (the ability to
move objects with the mind) is a reality, for those
who have committed to any real study on the sub-
ject. However, the effect is quite small and tends to
be only able to move objects which are a kilogram
(about 2 lbs.) at most.
The most famous talent in psychokinesis was Nina
Kulagina, a Russian housewife who was under study
during the Cold War within the Soviet Union (in
what is now Russia). Even with all her talent, all she
could manage were small household objects.
There are many people who are able to use these
talents in small ways, but as of yet there is no truly
effective training program which seems to have
broadly repeatable results. It’s simply something
which can’t be explained. Some people do it; others
don’t. Because of its intermittent nature, most skep-
tics claim it’s all a hoax. After all, if one person can
do it, why can’t everyone?
However, having first-hand experience with it (and a
background in stage magic), a number of magicians
are still unable to determine the mechanism for
creating the hoax. Those who are able say they are
able to do this, of course, deny that they are tricking
or defrauding anyone. However, several times there
have been people who have been found to be doing
just this—skeptics point to this as evidence that all
claims are fraudulent (a logical fallacy in itself… we’ll
cover logic and fallacies at the Sensitive Level).

68 Novice Training
But the most convincing evidence which supports
psychokinesis comes from an unlikely source: ghost
hunting. Psychokinesis is one of the only ideas
which seems to explain poltergeists (ghosts which
move objects). The effect has been documented in
more than two instances by skeptical scientists,
though neither proved nor disproved to be anything.
Skeptics rest on their scientific laurels, but it’s only a
matter of time before enough evidence mounts to
make the ability a scientific fact. And then, perhaps,
we’ll start seeing people who can use their minds to
lift a jet fighter. The real use of psychokinesis can be
found in healing work.
Faith Healing
Many practitioners of Reiki and evangelism claim the
ability to heal others with a touch (and some don’t
even need to touch). The fact of the matter is, thou-
sands of people over the past few decades have been
healed in a way which medicine cannot explain. In
Jediism, the Force is used in many ways to heal oth-
ers and to bring about a balancing effect to the body.
This utilizes the power of the sick person’s mind to
bring about healing as much as it utilizes the healer’s
body to conduct the flow of energy.
Within the realm of healing, the Force is literally all
of the kinds of healing energies which are in exis-
tence. The first healing mantra in the Empowerment
section is a soothing mantra for psychological and
emotional pain, as well as for things which directly
impact the nervous system.
A Saber of Light 69
Overcoming Pain and Suffering
The way of the Light Side of the Force is the way of
lightness of being. For some, this alone is unbeara-
ble, just as dwelling in the Dark Side of the Force is
unbearable for others. Both sides must exist: Light
and Dark: Ashla and Bogan.
The end to pain and suffering is to find balance
within yourself, and to allow yourself to continually
choose good over evil. To always choose the Light is
not always good, just as to choose the Dark is not
always evil. Yin and Yang are both required for bal-
ance. Light and Dark are ever-present in the world.
Order and Chaos will both reign supreme, as one
cannot prevail over the other without losing its
meaning for existence. Balance and imbalance are
both required for life.
Pain is the expression of resistance to balance. It is
living with imbalance which makes us strong; it is
living with balance which makes us resilient. To
choose strength or resilience is to defy the purpose
of either one. To choose pain or joy is to risk losing
what you desire.
And yet a choice must always be made. It is neces-
sary to choose, to be chosen, or to have the choice
made for you. Living outside of choice, in complete
surrender, only hastens death. To choose death is to
hasten the suffering of others. Therefore, it is only in
choice that suffering may be avoided at all.
Accept that pain is inevitable so long as you are alive.
Accept that one’s capacity for joy is only matched by
70 Novice Training
one’s capacity for pain. Where there is extreme pain,
know that you are showing yourself your own capac-
ity for joy. Accept it, thank yourself for showing
your capacity, and move on. Do not focus on pain,
and pain will not last. Focus on joy, and it will be
everlasting. Your focus determines your reality.
Conflict never ends; and so long as there is thought,
conflict is the expression of free-thinking individual-
ity. Where conflict exists, reason may prevail. Where
no conflict exists there can be no prevalence because
reason and unreason live in harmonious balance with
one another. So long as you seek the prevalence of
good over evil, evil contends with suppression.
Therefore, the Jedi way is to allow all ideas to flow
freely, contending only with truth and reason, and
never with violence—yet always ready to defend
one’s right to free expression, and the right to con-
tend, with the balance of Light and Dark within,
seeking no contention.
In this way, the Light will always win, for where there
is no violence within, peace must reign in the world.
Even where violence in the world exists, there is no
contention within and so a Jedi may remain in bal-
ance. Where Darkness has no resistance, it cannot
contend; where evil has no resistance, it must with-
draw; where chaos has meaning, it cannot prevail;
and where death cannot occur, life must continue.
Therefore, to seek balance by denial is to commit to
a life of imbalance; to seek life by denial is to com-
mit to one’s own death; to seek serenity by denial is
to commit to conflict; and to seek redemption
A Saber of Light 71
through silence is to commit to a life of unbearable
secrecy. Where there can be no sin, redemption has
no place. Where there can be no serenity, conflict
cannot find purchase or resistance. Where there can
be no life, death has no place. Where there can be no
balance, imbalance has no measure.
To live in the moment, to accept that the past makes
us who we are without burdening ourselves, to not
dream away the present on plans for the future with-
out committing to action to make it so, means to
invite good and evil. Ideas which are necessarily
good will forever invite evil.
By giving evil no purchase, we learn that evil cannot
take hold. We cannot eliminate evil in the world; we
can only resist it within ourselves. We cannot rid the
world of Darkness; we can only seek to cultivate the
Light. We cannot enforce Order in others; we can
only seek to rid ourselves of inner Chaos.
We must accept that we are dual in nature, that all of
these things exist within us, and make the choices
which achieve the highest aims of ourselves. In this
way, we create a world which is balanced between
Light and Dark, Chaos and Order, good and evil, joy
and pain, right and wrong, life and death, and every-
thing else which exists with balance. One side cannot
exist without the other. The Jedi could not continue
to exist if there was nothing to oppose it. Thus, of
what purpose would any opposition be?
This is the true end to suffering and pain: to accept
that balance must exist in a natural state, and to seek
the natural order of things over the unnatural, to
72 Novice Training
minimize the benefit of humanity to itself and seek
the benefit instead to all living things including hu-
manity. We must seek balance in all things, and im-
balance. To find both in the same act is to discover
the true nature of the Force.
In such, we must serve the Light Side of the Force,
for all things seek the careless and seductive path of
destruction by the law of entropy. A Jedi’s duty is to
be the light which darkness cannot repel. One’s in-
tent and actions determine where one stands; the
spirit of one’s actions and the act of having intent
itself are not enough to determine the spirit of one’s
actions. This is entropy in action. Entropy is the law
of nature which demands that natural processes of
destruction lead to a greater spreading of the matter
in the universe, and thus a much greater interconnec-
tion between us.
Anomalous Cognition
Like psychokinesis, there is scientific doubt about
anomalous cognition, but the issue isn’t one of simple
existence—again: there is ample scientific evidence
to support that it does exist. But there are three
kinds of anomalous cognition. These three are:
• Telepathy
• Precognition
• Clairvoyance
Telepathy was first measured at a scientific level in
monkeys which were found to have sympathetic
process occurring in the brain which resulted from
simple eye contact. This is the best evidence of tele-
A Saber of Light 73
pathy, and shows that there could be a similar capaci-
ty in humans. At the very least, there isn’t sufficient
evidence to disprove telepathy, other than scientific
disbelief. There is also not enough evidence to sup-
port that telepathy is a solid fact.
Precognition doesn’t work the way that it does in Hol-
lywood—that much is certain. What is uncertain is
whether or not it exists at all. But what we do know
is that it’s closely related to clairvoyance. The future
is always in motion, and so even if we perceive a
possible future perfectly, it is possible that other fu-
tures will be chosen in the current trajectory.
Clairvoyance is something of a misnomer, as is the
name of the related skill remote viewing. In most in-
stances of these talents, the impressions which
people have is emotional, or possibly just an idea. It’s
not an actual image—the idea of a fully-formed im-
age jumping into someone’s head has certainly been
documented in the (very distant) past, but in general
when this happens, it’s wrong. Clairvoyance is simply
a set of hunches, around which an idea is built. So
where do these hunches come from?
Back to McTaggart
An orthodox physicist named Harold Puthoff won-
dered why some key ideas were dropped from quan-
tum theory, and so—in 1970—began exploratory
experimentation into the reasoning behind this.
Eventually adopting the phrase “zero point field” to
explain the phenomenon he was studying, Puthoff
uncovered an underlying interconnection between all
74 Novice Training
living things, and went on to help in the discovery of
a concept called remote viewing, which was the term
one of his test participants used to refer to the phe-
nomenon—essentially, a teachable clairvoyant skill.
One of the first people who recognized this trait of
being interconnected, Puthoff came under fire be-
cause his data showed clear evidence of psi. Skeptic-
al scientists accused him of removing portions of
the data to inflate the claim (this is a confirmation bias
in scientific parlance)—but all data was present and
accounted for. They accused him of lacking scientific
rigor (scientific terminology for “lazy about stan-
dards”)—he was at least as rigorous as any scientist
of the day, though perhaps not up to modern stan-
dards. They accused him of faking the data—fakery
which would have been proved through confirma-
tion studies, not mere accusations.
Scientists who criticized seemed to be lacking in
scientific rebuttal, instead hiding behind their skep-
ticism which substituted for reason. These other
scientists tend to be discomforted by transfinite fast-
er-than-light mathematics at a quantum level—it im-
plies that the nature of causality is fluid and change-
able, which violates the basic idea of fixed causality
or destiny (in theory).
Orthodox quantum mechanics rejects the idea of
changes to the timeline, in spite of the fact that there
is a recognized theory that such an idea would neces-
sarily cause a new timeline to be created, and would
not necessarily change the timeline that we find our-
selves in.
A Saber of Light 75
It is therefore possible (however unlikely) to go back
in time and kill one’s own parents, and exist in a
timeline after such an event without the need for
paradox. These and other ideas are wholesale re-
jected for the simple fact of perceived causal viola-
tions, as well as the idea of quanta existing within
living things. And in this, Puthoff joined with anoth-
er scientist, Dr. Russell Targ, and discovered what
they termed “a perceptual channel” which seemed to
allow information to be transmitted over kilometer
distances. And oddly, distance had no bearing on the
accuracy of the results.
Ducking criticisms or his work, Puthoff spent 25
years (1970-1995) furthering the research which was
initially funded by the Department of Defense, the
CIA, and other organizations before being dropped
in 1995 for reasons of political controversy 5.

5 The issue here is that the report which resulted in the termina-
tion of the project claimed that there was a “lack of utility” and
used a carefully-selected set of data (called “cherry-picking” by
statisticians) which attempted to show that there wasn’t an ef-
fect. However, the report clearly shows that the effect is both
present and remarkable, in spite of the fact that they chose the
least-remarkable 2% of the data which was available. In light of
this, the only really reasonable conclusion is that it made people
uncomfortable to think about a skill which there is no known
means of defense against. Therefore, it was politics, and not
practicality, which shut down the program. Even the skeptics
assigned to the review admitted statistical significance during a
quantitative analysis, though most of the data is still classified.
The news media was tipped off by “an anonymous source within
the CIA” as to the presence of a “psychic spying program.” With
all of the news attention, a secret like that is bound to be some-
76 Novice Training
The drop did not happen before developing some
early methods of remote viewing, which further de-
monstrates the interconnected nature of all things,
living and inanimate. Puthoff ’s early terminology for
this was to call it a perceptive channel. The qualitative
result showed positive effects. Other scientists, too,
are studying the phenomenon even now, but the
problem is one of simple economics: funding for
research in this area is scarce.
Dr. Jessica Utts, a professor of statistics, showed that
not only were the 25,000 results completely on the
level (and inclusive of even the negative results), they
showed that there were odds of 20 trillion to 1
against the effect being anything but psychic. Thus,
the quantitative result was also positive. In other
words, chances were good that science had conclu-
sively proved the existence of ESP as early as 1972.
So why hasn’t science heard about it? The simple
answer: because the implications make some well-established
scientists uncomfortable (an ultimately political reason
which has little or nothing to do with science). They
don’t want to exist in the same universe as the wrath
of God; and they don’t like the idea of someone
doing Hollywood-style effects like mental control
over someone else, or some criminal acting like Neo
in The Matrix and stopping bullets as they flew at
him. They want a simplified world, one which is

thing of a difficulty to keep. It is apparent that someone at the CIA

didn’t want the program and stacked the deck against it.
A Saber of Light 77
mostly regular in its predictability, and one that mod-
ern science can explain to the letter.
Because reality just isn’t predictable, that concept is a
significant thorn in their sides—but they insist that it
is this way because they’re established scientists with
a career riding on science being able to do what God
can’t: omniscience. Science can’t know everything;
but science certainly isn’t invalid, either.
But the materialist skepticism which exists in science
has held back progress in many areas for well over a
century—not because there is nothing to see, but
because virtually everyone who has seen something
with the onerous label “paranormal” or “supernatur-
al” is considered to be misinterpreting events, men-
tally ill, in need of scientific skill, lacking in skeptic-
ism, or a combination of these. There can be no
knowledge without rationality; and skepticism is
simply a belief that something doesn’t exist. It is not a
suspension of judgment, which is what is required
for true rationality and discovery of the truth of a
matter. Simply wishing that something is or isn’t so is
not rationality.
Paranormal vs. Normal
Like the Jedi Code, which has a seemingly opposite
statement which is really the same, the term paranor-
mal is one which is applied to anything skeptics deem
better-suited to the realm of religious experience.
Ghosts, UFO’s, aliens, cryptids (such as bigfoot,
chupacabras, the Jersey Devil, etc.), psi (psychic
powers of all kinds, all lumped together regardless
78 Novice Training
of demonstrability or findings), or any number of
other items which are considered to be outside of
current explanation or experience—either condition
is sufficient to warrant the “paranormal” label.
It should be noted by the student that this vague
definition could be applied to anything which science
doesn’t want to investigate and which the average
person believes is outside of what these particular
scientists consider the normal range of experiences.
But science also neatly ignores the definition of
“normal” when it suits the purposes of science.
Science has also undertaken to “debunk” many of
the so-called “powers” that charlatans often use to
get people to believe. But this has ultimately back-
fired, since irrational explanations abound and are
sometimes forced on people, rather than allowing
any portion of the question to remain open.
Calling a large, delta-shaped mass in the sky a “cloud
of swamp gas” cannot be considered rational, since
clouds are not generally clearly-defined, and when
they are they tend not to be delta-shaped (triangular).
And besides, swamp gas doesn’t move at over 2000
miles per hour (3200 kph), appear on radar, and get
correlated by more than a dozen ground-based eye-
witnesses 6. In addition, swamp gas at night glows a
faint greenish-yellow color, and sometimes orange or
even blue, but it is not described as a pulsating red

6 This particular event is the most compelling evidence that there

are craft, and occurred in January 2008 near Stephenville, Texas;

special thanks to MUFON for this data.
A Saber of Light 79
light which is “like an arc weld” in brilliance and
which flashes at regular intervals as if on a timed
circuit.
We can’t accept that there are craft in our skies, but
we can accept “swamp gas” which moves across the
wind at speeds faster than a “drug sniffer” plane
from Mexico—or, at least, that’s what the official
explanation from the US Department of the Air
Force’s top experts would have us believe.
• If we accept that there are craft in our skies
of unknown origin, we don’t automatically
accept that space aliens are here—the origin
is unknown.
• Those who accept remote viewing as a form
of trainable anomalous cognition don’t always
believe in telepathy, precognition, or even
natural clairvoyance (but it helps).
• Accepting that there are ghosts walking
around doesn’t mean that we necessarily ac-
cept that these are the spirits of our dead.
• Accepting the possibility of yeti in Bhutan
doesn’t mean that we also believe in Bigfoot
in the US.
To accept one part of a thing does not mean that
other parts must also be accepted. But the end result
is that many things which are considered “paranor-
mal” or “supernatural” are actually quite normal and
natural; they are merely beyond the scientific expe-
rience because of the tendency to ignore the entire
nonphysical world because of a lack of “objective”
80 Novice Training
provability. To say that the subjective experience
cannot be real is to deny that consciousness exists.
In such a universe, material reality is a narrow view
of only one band of the spectrum. We don’t accept
that visible light is the only reality; so why should we
believe that objective materialism is the only reality?
The Planes of Reality
In the Jedi path, we accept that there are a number
of concepts to explain the way that reality interacts,
but there is one concept which seems to cover all of
the bases: planes of reality.
A plane in this context is merely a level of vibration.
It is something that occurs simultaneously in the
same time and space, but which is merely at a differ-
ent level of perception than that which occurs
around it. For example, the plane of thought occurs
at the same time as the plane of physical reality,
though the plane of thought isn’t necessarily tangible
at the immediate moment.
These planes exist in reality, and people have access
to them at a fairly innate level. The following dia-
gram should make the idea of how to break these
planes down, but keep in mind that they operate in a
continuous way, rather than being separate levels.
Things simply are what they are: in a rainbow, there
is a continuous change from color to color, rather
than a solid point at which things change; yet green
is still definitely green, and blue is still definitely blue,
according to our perceptions. It’s just that. There is
no judgment of positive or negative.
A Saber of Light 81
While these planes are certainly not obvious to eve-
ryone, they are useful to conceive of energy work,
since energy work’s results appear to conform to the
model as shown in Figure 8.

Figure 6: The Planes of Reality

Each category of levels is broken down as shown,
and while there are levels of Hell, there is also a
complete lack of need to know at the novice level
how many levels there are or in what way the levels
of Hell function. We can learn this later, when it be-
comes important for us to know. For now, suffice it
to say that there is an overall feel to each category,
and each level. And each has a mode of operation, as
shown in Table 1 below.
82 Novice Training
 Table 1: Explanation of the Planes of Reality
Level Concept of Operation
10 God/Divinity Creator of life
9 Creation Life which is created
8 Interaction Separation of soul from soul
7 Consciousness Realization of polarity
6 Causality Understanding of action; the
Force
5 Experience Collection of action
4 Intellect Thought
3 Emotion Feeling
2 Vitality Chi; energetic action of
physical
1 Physical Physical existence, separation
of personal reality

If we stop to consider that something doesn’t come

from nothing, and we understand that matter and
energy are interchangeable, then we can understand
that all matter came from the densification of ener-
gy. God is therefore the source of everything: we are
ultimately pieces of God. And as pieces of God, we
are all one with the creative power of the universe,
whatever we happen to call it.
The Cult of “I Don’t Know”
What we can accept in all cases is that we simply
don’t know for sure that these things exist, just as we
are unsure that they don’t exist. There is not enough
evidence either way. But is it really the case that the
evidence is unpublished, or is it closer to the truth to

A Saber of Light 83
say that it doesn’t exist? Skeptics paint a picture of
the latter, but what of the former?

File Drawers
In science, an idea called the file drawer problem exists,
in which many journals don’t want to publish results
which fail to meet a statistical criterion (the criterion
might be a 20-to-1 chance against there being a
chance fluctuation—what is called a “fluke” for us
normal folks). This becomes a problem when the 1
chance is published and the 20 others that didn’t
meet it aren’t—this shows evidence for a
phenomenon where it should actually
show none.
In paranormal studies, there is the oppo-
site taking place, which we’ll call
the inverse file drawer problem.
This means that negative re-
sults are published to discon-
firm, but the positive results
(ones which show that at least
some effect is occurring) are not
published. This is largely due to discomfort about
paranormal topics, and the continuing attitude that
“there’s no such thing” as whatever positive results
might occur, and so the result is considered flawed
(regardless of whatever the data actually shows).
Publication of data which has a lack of rigid scientif-
ic adherence to standards which every scientist must
follow also tends to lead to a state of infinite regress,
84 Novice Training
which means that the proof has to be proved—one
example of this is a statement (published in a para-
psychology journal and written by a PhD-level scien-
tist who was arguing against the existence of para-
normality): “How do we know that living beings are
actually conscious if there’s no objective basis for
such a claim?”
Such ridicule is the real issue where science is con-
cerned—it’s no fun being the new kid. But the real
issue is that people continue to allow this combina-
tion, which is lethal to any legitimate findings which
might occur. This problem faces areas such as re-
mote viewing, psychokinesis, ghost hunting, and
even UFO research.
There are significant findings which are scientifically
valid, but nobody wants to be the first one to take it
seriously. Thus, science cannot accept the real chance
that we don’t actually know anything until we have
something on the order of “undeniable proof.”
But there aren’t really shortcuts. Science is a process,
and though it’s guarded with something approaching
religious zeal by those who are skeptical, there are
ways to build a mountain of evidence which ulti-
mately leads to acceptance. It merely takes time, and
then science will either accept it or disprove it—and
the evidence is strongly of anyone disproving the
existence of an energetic universe.
Zero Points, Slow Science
The idea of the “zero-point field” forwarded by the
quantum physicist, Dr. Harold Puthoff, is already
A Saber of Light 85
 something which science
begrudgingly accepts,
and it seems to conform
to the idea of the Force
quite well. On the other
hand, application of the
idea to anything meets
with something resem-
bling hostility by the
scientific community—
living things just aren’t
allowed to exist in a
quantum world.
Figure 7: Dr. Harold Puthoff Over the past 10 years
this has slightly changed, because there are others
who are beginning to realize that there really are ap-
plications which the idea might be able to help
with—problems which the existence of a zero-point
field might solve. Science is therefore just a little
slow with regard to facing reality.
Scientists are taught not to be hasty, and so the idea
of jumping to conclusions takes on the appearance
of a social taboo in scientific circles. By the time
someone is ready to run their own actually-scientific
experiments, they are so afraid of jumping to any
conclusion (thus having their research invalidated)
that they fear challenging the status quo. And so they
take the position of whatever the consensus is, and
ignore any results outside of that consensus.
The only thing required is to repeat a given result—
whether true or not. Even in repetition, the contro-
86 Novice Training
versy surrounding anything which earned the unfor-
tunate (and inaccurate) label “paranormal” means
that if you even deign to test something which could
possibly prove that something exists, and it happens
to have that “paranormal” label on it, you are forever
labeled as One-Who-Jumps-To-Conclusions, wheth-
er it’s a fact or not.
With a label such as this, the general concept is that
one has lost scientific validity somehow, though logi-
cally it’s not clear.
Science doesn’t accept the Force, because too much
of it smacks of being “paranormal” in nature. But
we have comfort in the fact that with enough time,
science will come around.

Force Powers
There are people who are advocating the use of
skills like remote viewing in order to cultivate a rela-
tionship with the Force. But in reality, such exercises
(while good at demonstrating a connection) do little
to cultivate the connection.
The connection is within us already: we are the best
teachers we have. But it requires learning what
works, and then building on that. Obtaining feed-
back is ultimately the way that we find the Force—
and this is yet another role which the true Master of
the Jedi must perform with any student.
Without feedback, we cannot know if what we have
done is correct or not. And even when we do know,
the lack of feedback acts as a dampener, inhibiting
A Saber of Light 87
any existing connection which we may have been
able to build by creating fear, uncertainty and doubt
(called by the abbreviation FUD in many online cir-
cles, and pronounced very much the way it’s spelled:
/fŭd/). The role of feedback with regard to anything
having to do with the Force is considered vital. The
way that this works is actually very well-documented
in psychology, and is based on three principles:
• The human brain cannot issue its own feed-
back and remain in a state of good health.
• The mind adopts the ideas and attitudes of
those it is around by means of feedback.
• In human psychology, lack of feedback is a
sign that something is not real (even if it
functions), and so it should be countered
and eliminated from consideration.
These are natural human tendencies which really are
ingrained at a deep level. We need social order as a
species, and anyone who says otherwise is merely
dissatisfied with the order which now exists. They
are revolutionaries, and group together with others
who are dissatisfied. They receive negative feedback,
and so they believe that they are opposed by their
enemies because theirs is not the predominant ideal.
When people learn to work together instead of
working apart, real change will be possible. And in
working together, positive feedback is necessary to
reinforce positive actions.
Therefore, feedback is crucial to development of the
Force, and any other ability which might occur.
88 Novice Training
Simply encouraging something which one doesn’t
believe in is likewise going to be detrimental: we all
require something personal in order to reinforce
what we believe. Therefore, it is crucial for the stu-
dent to maintain active contact with a Jedi Master
who can offer this feedback. For this reason, we ask
that all students sign up for an online video calling
system such as Skype.
Brain vs. Mind
Learning the difference between the brain and the
mind is important to learning to do the exercises in
this book. The brain is merely the organ inside of
your head; the mind includes the memory storage
systems throughout the body: your entire nervous
system and even a little beyond. When we discuss the
layers of the soul in later lessons, this will become
more clear, but for now we should accept that the
mind is what experiences the universe, while the
brain is what interprets that experience in the con-
text of the current human existence. The mind
perceives; the brain interprets.
Often, the mind can know things which cannot be
put into words. The brain must interpret and under-
stand these in order to express them So that we can
accept things without the need for this interpreta-
tion, understanding is merely seeing what something
is, just as it is, without the need to bias one’s self
with interpretation if it doesn’t help us along. When
we know something that’s obvious that we can’t ex-
plain, then we generally accept that the obvious, in
that case, isn’t necessarily logical.
A Saber of Light 89
What is obvious isn’t always logical. The reverse is
also often true as well. It means that we must accept
that logic is fallible and that what is obvious tends to
be what is real.
The Diaphane
The diaphane is what we normally call our mind’s eye,
but it’s a specific part of our mind’s eye which is
immersive. We can be full within the diaphane,
watching as events unfold around us in our imagina-
tions. But it’s more than just imagination: it’s visuali-
zation. It’s like being in the middle of a movie, where
you can choose to watch, or to interact with. Think
of it like a 3D movie screen (there are more dimen-
sions than these three, but we’ll go into them at a
later stage).
Learning to awaken this within us results in the awa-
kening of our Force powers: visions, clairvoyance,
telepathy, and even some parts of psychokinesis be-
gin in the diaphane. We train to use this organ of
the mind, and the Force allows us to use it to benefit
the world. It is when we are fully aware of the dia-
phane that we begin to have visions, and to know
things it’s impossible to know. We begin by creating
the concepts needed for basic functionality. We must
learn to accept that thoughts and impressions
through the diaphane are valid, to a point. Too often,
we dismiss it by saying: “It was just my imagination,”
or “it was only a dream.”
We ignore it when we should pay attention, and pay
attention when we should ignore it. It is by accepting
90 Novice Training
everything in the diaphane as valid that we begin to
understand which are valid or invalid—practice, and
not rejection of our own thoughts.
Let’s begin by utilizing a simple symbol, one which
we use to signify Ashla (see page 70 for more) at the
Jedi School in Figure 9:

Figure 8: A Simple Sunburst, Signifying Ashla

You may emit the symbol in any color you wish,
sending this in a light manner. We relax into it, and
allow the Force to be our conveyance—this would
be impossible for us as individuals. In sending this
thought out into the universe, it’s as though we’re
“making a call” to the universe itself.
The symbol in your mind doesn’t need to be perfect,
it just needs to be there with the intent of radiating
out from every part of your mind. You must want to
do it, but you must also relax the body completely.
This is why we teach meditation: it helps to put the
mind into the perfect state to do this.
After 2 minutes or so of emitting, shut your mind
(“hang up”). Listen and look inside. Feel the imagery.
Forget about everything and just pay attention to the
diaphane—ignore the five senses completely.
A Saber of Light 91
Allow your thoughts to come as they will, but don’t
hang on to them, just as you did during the medita-
tions earlier in this chapter. If you try not to think,
you are telling your physical brain to stop working.
Since it can’t do this and maintain your body at the
same time, this kind of internal conflict will prevent
graduation to the next level. You might have tons of
thoughts come out like crazy at first—this is normal.
Just relax and allow whatever happens to happen—
even if it’s nothing. With time (or maybe a little prac-
tice, or even some luck), you may begin to perceive
information, knowledge, and wisdom. Someone or
something might even answer, because it is the na-
ture of Spirit to answer willingly. If this happens,
just accept whatever seems right—go with the flow!
At first, you’ll want to spend 2 minutes or so emit-
ting and receiving. As you progress, shorten the time
that you emit. When you are adept at this skill, you
will be doing both at the same time. But after 10-30
minutes of practice, meditate the way you usually do
(as taught above). If you have no results after 5 mi-
nutes or a day of practice, you’re pretty normal.
Continue to practice until you get results of some
kind. Some people begin to get clear results in as
little as a week, but this is more the exception than
the rule. Most people take 3-6 weeks to get this far.
Even if you get no results, it’s still okay to move on
to the next exercise. The entire training of the Jedi
path can take years to accomplish.
The more difficult it is, the more of a difference it
makes to learn it.
92 Novice Training
Your First Force Flow: Cycling the
Heart
To flow the Force your first time, you need to be
able to feel the difference between intentional flow
and the natural flow. To do this, you should place
your dominant hand over your heart. But instead of
a flat palm over your heart, cup your hand.
You might feel a gentle warming sensation from the
combination of the heat of your hand and your
chest. Keep it there for a few moments. About 90%
of everyone should feel something at this point, before
anything has actually been done intentionally. Leave
it there for a few moments, just so you can feel the
gentle heat. The trick of it is to now visualize energy
flowing from your heart area, down your arm, and
back into your heart again—don’t just imagine it,
really see it in your mind’s eye, and direct it down
your arm. There is a nerve bundle over your heart
which we call a vortex and which has one of the
many kinds of connections to the Force. There are
other vortices throughout your body, but the heart
vortex is a good place to begin.
As you continue this, you may notice that your hand
is growing very much warmer (as well as your body
temperature), and very quickly. This is a simple cycl-
ing of life energy—what they call chi in the martial
arts—and as such it is very much the Force interact-
ing with the body. Within 5-10 minutes, you should
be breaking a sweat, under typical indoor conditions.
Now use the same cupping technique, cup your left
A Saber of Light 93
and right hands together. Get the same feeling of
heat, and keep it there just long enough to ensure
that you understand the difference between the natu-
ral body heat pocket which occurs and your intent to
cycle the energy, if there is a difference (hint: this is
something we want you to comment to an instructor
about).
When you are comfortable that your hands aren’t
going to get much warmer on their own, then visual-
ize the energy going down your right arm, through
your hands, up your left arm, and back into the heart
area. Where is the heat now, if there is any?
For the final elementary exercise, try this again, but
use another person to flow between your hands. Be
sure to ask permission first, or it won’t work! Also,
people who are actively skeptical of what you’re
doing will also block you from doing it. It’s not
known why active skepticism blocks it, but that’s just
the way it is. If we overcome the skepticism with a
measurable display (body temperature, participant
begins breaking a sweat, etc.), it begins working.
This chi flow is merely a natural part of having a
living body, and is a weak demonstration of the
Force. If you are cold, you now know how to warm
yourself and other people for survival (but do re-
member that this can increase the stresses on your
body). The flow of the Force at its strongest can
help with healing, create seemingly miraculous ef-
fects, and help with focusing one’s attention to laser
sharpness.

94 Novice Training
Finishing Up
In any case, congratulations on completing the re-
quired reading! Please begin practice after contacting
an instructor about any questions or issues you
might have. And do the homework which is found in
Appendix A.

A Saber of Light 95
Appendices
Appendix A: Homework
Week 1
1) Read the entire packet. Understand the con-
cepts. Write a brief essay (100-500 words,
generally ½ page to 2 pages in your favorite
word processor) explaining your ideas and
reflections on the information provided.
2) Obtain a mala.
3) Meditate as directed in Chapter 4 for at least
5 minutes nightly.
Week 2
1) Explain why it’s important to know what the
definition of a cult is.
2) Recite 9 malas per day for 12 days of the
Mantra of Peace beginning this week. Use
the mala to count.
3) Meditate for at least 10 minutes per day.
Week 3
1) Write a brief essay (100-500 words) outlin-
ing how the Force relates to ESP.
2) Begin meditating for at least 20 minutes per
day.
3) Explain if there was any difference in the
level of heat between when you intended to
flow and when you simply held your hands
in position without intent, with regard to the
exercise about flowing the Force.

98 Novice Training
Week 4
1) Continue meditating for at least 20 minutes
per day. Write a short essay (50-200 words)
detailing how meditation affects the mind.
2) Write an essay (500-5000 words) which ex-
plains the meanings of the Jedi Code in its
original form, as well as reasoning out the
differences in wording. Include any negative
connotations which might result from either.
3) Write an essay of any length which describes
your experience so far, and explains your
decision about whether or not you believe
you can continue.
Optional Homework
1) Construct or purchase a Jedi ceremonial
robe and secular attire.
2) Forward an idea about how an empowered
weapon might actually be considered a
lightsaber without having the same physical
attributes as the laser swords of the films.
3) Explain why this section of training is more
intense than later versions of the training.

A Saber of Light 99
Appendix B: Graduation
Review
Graduation review will be done via telephone or
email with a Jedi Master. It will consist of a review
of all homework and a task which is intended to
gauge the student’s ability to quiet the mind and fo-
cus clearly. Though the training is difficult, the re-
view shouldn’t be very hard at all for the student
who has completed training with daily diligence for 4
weeks.
If it takes longer than 4 weeks, it’s not a sign that
anything is wrong; rather, it’s a sign that someone is
pacing themselves and working to get things right,
rather than rushing through to do something for the
sake of doing it.

100 Novice Training

Appendix C: How to Identify
a Cult
Generally speaking, a cult is a group of religious zea-
lots. In order to ascertain whether or not the Jedi
structure you are involved with (including us) is a
cult, or even acting cult-like. In essence, the checklist
below should be combined with one’s own research
and matched with common sense.
Checklist of Cult-Like Activity
If more than two or three of these are in practice,
you may be dealing with a cult; many religious groups
have one or two of these and are not cults.
Category Cults
Censorship A great number of cults actively
censor their members, whether by
directly forbidding the discussion of
certain topics (and monitoring
communications), or by disallowing
contact altogether.
Disempowerment Many cults seek to make individuals
powerless against the organization
in some way to weed out dissenters.
Dogmatism Many cults teach that theirs is the
only way, and that rigid thinking is a
path to spirituality.
Dropout Control Many cults enact programs that seek
to bring back those who drop away
from the organization.

A Saber of Light 101

Category Cults
Emphasis Many cults place a special emphasis
on money, property, recruitment,
political influence, weaponry, and
even access to information. Spiri-
tuality is not the top priority.
Hypocrisy Many cults excuse actions which are
against the principles of the group
if these actions are done for their
benefit (e.g., for political, social,
economic, or other gain).
Infallibility Many cult leaders try to show how
correct they are. Cult members are
often hostile toward those who are
critical, and may seek to hamper
validation /verification efforts.
Isolation Many cults seek to isolate members
and actively work to prevent deal-
ings with the “outside world”.
Sexuality Many cults attempt to use sexual
activities as a means of manipula-
tion or favoritism. Sexual orienta-
tion, choices of partners, and even
behavior are often restricted or un-
der the direct influence of leaders.
Wealth Many cults seek to accumulate
wealth and even go to extremes to
guarantee that the organization ben-
efits by charging exorbitant fees for
spiritual lessons, or demanding all
personal assets to be transferred to
the organization.
—SOURCE: Isaac Bonewits
102 Novice Training
This is not to say that there are no other common
markers, or that any religion that fits on this list is a
cult; rather, it is to educate the reader so that cult-like
activity is kept to a minimum.

A Saber of Light 103

Appendix D: Other Jedi
Organizations
The following organizations are other organizations
which may assist the student if they discover that the
Jedi School’s curriculum is not to their liking:
• Force College (affiliated with Jedi School)
http://forcecollege.com/
• Temple of the Jedi Order
http://templeofthejediorder.org/
• Jedi Enclave at Coalescere
http://thejediway.com/
• The Jedi Church
http://www.jedi-church.org/
• The Church of Jediism
http://www.churchofjediism.org/
• Temple of the Jedi Force
http://templeofthejediforce.org/
There are other organizations in the world as well,
and they are all worthy of exploration by any student
who seeks answers.

104 Novice Training

Appendix E: Study Material
Sources
While Jedi School does have study materials and is
grateful for every donation, the following organiza-
tions may be of use to the student.
North America
Samadhi Cushions
30 Church Street
Barnet, VT 05821
http://www.samadhicushions.com/

Amazon.com
http://amazon.com/
http://amazon.ca/
We are open to suggestions!
If you own or know about another place to get ma-
terials needed, please feel free to send it to us!
info@jedischool.org still works.

A Saber of Light 105

Appendix F: Statement of
Core Jedi Values
The following statement is based on the beliefs in
Chapter 1, but is also based on the expressed values
of the Jedi in forums, emails, and on web sites.
• Prevent Suffering: The Jedi believe that
suffering should be prevented where possi-
ble, but generally agree that some suffering
is necessary to alleviate the potential for
greater suffering.
• Be Honest: The Jedi want nothing more
than to discover the truths of the universe.
As such, the Jedi recognize that speaking
falsehoods can impede this search for oth-
ers; and so a Jedi will strive to be honest in
this regard.
• Serve Others: The Jedi believe that service
to others is important, because there isn’t
anyone who can do service the way we can.

106 Novice Training

Appendix G: Frequently
Asked Questions
Question: I Want to Be a Jedi, But I
Still Believe in Another Religion—Can
I Still Join?
Of course! To a Jedi, religious views add to the varie-
ty of life which keeps everything fun. Jedi tend to
take a positive delight in differences. Rather than
trying to homogenize everyone to the same belief, a
Jedi sees that everyone has some parts of the truth
and so exploration of spirituality is core to the Jedi
philosophy.
It is in fact considered a core part of education to
experience other religions firsthand, with a focus on
the following religious views:
• Atheism (not a religion, but a religious view
nonetheless, and worthy of study alongside
other religious viewpoints for the sake of
the ability to think clearly about the direc-
tion of religion)
• Bushido (limited study based on historical
documents, within a religious context… ac-
tual bushido as it was practiced may have
been lost)
• Buddhism (extra focus on Chán, Zen, Ma-
hayana and MahaJrya Buddhism)

A Saber of Light 107

 • Christianity (Focus on evangelism, Catholic-
ism, Mormonism, and general ideas on
Protestantism and Evangelism)
• Confucianism
• Humanism
• Islam (Non-sectarian study—neither Shia,
Sunni, Kalam, Kharijite, nor other sects)
• Judaism (especially Cabbala and certain oth-
er esoteric teachings)
• Native American Traditional Study (with a
focus on some Sioux, Navajo, Hopi, Sho-
shone and Ojibwa living traditions)
• Nordic Spirituality (called both Asatru and
Forn Seð, depending on location)
• Shamanism (multiple traditions, including
some from those already mentioned)
• Shinto
• Sufism (Tariqah and Universal Sufism, in
general; but not limiting others)
• Taoism (both folk and formal traditions)
• Wicca
• Zen Buddhism

This is a lot of ground to cover, and for some it

takes decades to complete, but a basic understanding
of the beliefs of each is required for most Jedi paths.
We focus on the things which are similar or the same
across all religions, and how belief arrived at these
108 Novice Training
conclusions. Generally, we hold these similarities as
truths.
Jedi are charged with their own education in this
right, and may have a difficult time advancing at the
Jedi School if their understanding of the above listed
religions are not understood at least in passing.
Question: Who Controls the Jedi
Order?
There is no individual or group who controls all of
Jediism. There is a confederacy of organizations
which have formed a loose association, but not even
these people control all of Jediism. Why?
The answer is, simply put, that the Jedi religion is not
centrally-controlled, but rather operates on a system
of principles instead of on strict rules. To lay down
strict rules defeats the purpose of learning spirituali-
ty. This is perhaps the greatest criticism of Jediism,
after the idea that truth can be derived from a fic-
tional work.
Question: Do Jedi Grieve When
Someone Dies?
We certainly grieve, but we do not focus on grief.
Instead, we accept that it was time for death to occur
(this per Master Yoda in Return of the Jedi):

“Soon will I rest, yes, forever sleep. Earned it I have.

Twilight is upon me, soon night must fall.”

A Saber of Light 109

Yes, without reservation, all Jedi grieve. We will miss
those whose time comes before our own—we some-
times miss friends who live only two doors away, so
how can we do anything but miss those whose influ-
ence is limited after the deaths of their bodies? Mas-
ter Yoda said, in Revenge of the Sith:

“Death is a natural part of life. Rejoice for those around

you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not.
Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealously. The
shadow of greed, that is.”

Missing someone implies attachment, but without

attachment at some level, how can we retain our
compassion—one of the primary qualities which
makes us Jedi? This was perhaps Yoda’s one and only
flaw—the one thing that made Yoda really effective
is also the one thing that made Yoda’s position weak.
He welcomes death, even one which is too soon—
yet he himself doesn’t take his own life or unneces-
sarily take the lives of others. Why?
The answer is that Yoda was trying to console some-
one. He was trying to lessen the pain of someone
whose pain he knew all too well. He was being com-
passionate. But in his compassion, he led Obi-Wan
to believe something which ultimately sabotaged
Obi-Wan’s ability to teach. He built doubt about
compassion.
We must retain our emotions, our attachments to
people (and never to things), and our relationships—

110 Novice Training

this is what makes a Jedi truly a force for good, ra-
ther than a tool of the Jedi Council.
Passion, yet serenity.
The Jedi Council of today is wise, certainly, and ab-
solutely necessary in order to maintain the Order’s
vision. But to prepare for the possibility that some-
day a person with their own agenda entered, the Jedi
Council must not assume that its wishes are those of
the Order, and that its ideals are always the best for
all involved. Rather, it must be willing to relinquish
power and allow the truth to be the authority. We
must assure that our compassion does not lead to
greed or impropriety—these are certainly the trap-
pings of the Dark Side. But we must also assure that
we do not lose compassion for others completely, or
of what purpose is service but to be killed?
In this, all of the Jedi who would be later killed by
Darth Vader were in service to the Order, as this is
the only service they could have offered in an over-
balanced Force.
Likewise, a Jedi’s death is not a noble thing. Nor is it
pointless. It merely happens as a function of destiny.
Life is fatal in all known cases. Some lives end earlier
than others. Death is as inevitable to life as the beat-
ing of a heart, the breathing of air, or the capacity
for love. It is a Jedi belief that death is not a loss, and
that the spirit and soul of a person lives on. We
grieve the temporary parting, but we don’t mourn
death as a loss. It’s merely a delay before we will be
allowed contact with those we love again.

A Saber of Light 111

Death, yet the Force.
Surely, the spirit lives on after the physical body fails.
Death is not an end; merely a change. Death is a nat-
ural condition where life exists, and is the natural end
to life. It is simply something which occurs at a given
point in time to those who are living, and under a
wide variety of conditions.
We feel the place where someone is missing from
our activities, and so grief is inevitable—as surely as
if someone we know and care about suddenly has to
move to a foreign country. But grief should not be a
constant state—it should be allowed to pass as natu-
rally as it comes, rather than dwelled upon. It inhibits
the serenity of the mind, and contaminates the feel-
ing of connection. Focusing on grief in the moment
is healthy, insomuch as one is dealing with the grief.
Grief should be passing, because surely: the connec-
tions we have with one another do not end with
death. The living need our connections just as much
as they ever have, even in death.
Death does no one honor. Life brings honor, and it
is one’s life which we honor at one’s death—
especially a good life, filled with good deeds and
good friends, and a life filled with beauty and wis-
dom. Sacrificing one’s life for the good of others is a
noble deed, even when the sacrifice does not result
in death—living through such an ordeal is surely
better. But if the result would be suffering for the
remainder of life, perhaps consider that death is
surely more desirable than prolonged suffering. We
must not fear what will happen when we are absent;
112 Novice Training
if we have left our wishes in the hands of those we
trust to carry those wishes out, what more can be
asked? There is no greater act of love and nobility
than carrying out the legacy of another.
Extending life beyond its natural intent is likewise
undesirable. Old age is the decline of the body, and
we accept that far more readily than we accept
death—but why? It is there so that we don’t forget
the urgency of acting when action is necessary.
When things are left undone, it is often because we
hurried at the end of life to do them—or that we
were interrupted by death unexpectedly. This is natu-
ral and even desirable. It reminds the rest of us that
now is the time we must act.
Many authors have been interrupted from their next
big project’s completion by death. Many great think-
ers have died without completing their life’s work.
We must accept that death is inevitable, and that we
do not know what fate, destiny, or choice are beyond
the grave—thus, why grieve the unknown? We must
instead live in the moment, and make life all that it
can be in the here-and-now. To do any less we would
cease being the Jedi, and would start being some-
thing else.
All we can offer to those who feel the loss of a con-
nection is our companionship, an explanation of our
beliefs (if warranted), and compassion. The feeling
of loss is a self-imposed delusion, unless we honestly
believe that death is an end and a complete cessation.
This does not make life any less certain to end in
death.
A Saber of Light 113
We don’t need to preach; we must simply accept that
another is grieving, and do what we can do in order
to ease suffering while they go through their own
process. Simply offering support and companionship
is sometimes enough. Even if someone would rather
be alone, the offer is usually appreciated—it shows
that other connections remain, even if one feels lost.
Lives which end without offspring are the most trag-
ic of all. There will be no one to carry the genetics
which led someone to be great or bad.

“It is said that the leaf honors the tree; yet when the leaf
falls, the tree trembles.”

—Master Po, “Kung Fu,” Episode: “Dark Angel”

Question: Do Jedi Believe in

Reincarnation?
We simply cannot know what occurs after death until
after we die. A Jedi recognizes this fact, and remains
open to the possibilities. Reincarnation is one of
these possibilities, and is certainly something that
there is limited evidence to support. Most Jedi do
believe in some form of reincarnation. However, it is
not a primary tenet of Jedi belief, and is not required
for the practice of Jediism.

114 Novice Training

Question: Do Jedi Believe in Life After
Death?
Again, we simply can’t know what happens after we
die. A Jedi doesn’t discount the possibility (there is
ample evidence to suggest that the spirit lives on),
but doesn’t blindly accept the idea either. This is one
of those beliefs which is not primary to the belief of
Jediism, although it is strongly believed by most Jedi.
Skepticism and belief can both be held to blindly;
neither is rational without solid evidence. Therefore,
a Jedi’s mind remains open to what might be, rather
than solidly embracing what might not be. But hope
is always held that one or the other remains so.
Question: Do Jedi Suppress Their
Negative Emotions?
Quite the contrary: a Jedi tends to feel some things
often more intensely than others. However, part of
the Jedi training regiment allows a Jedi to acknowl-
edge their emotions and to move on.
Emotion; yet peace.
Emotions are necessary for good mental and physi-
cal health. Often, emotions are the guide for correct
action, and so by extending one’s awareness of what
one feels (called “emotional intelligence”) a Jedi can
perceive things about people and situations which
may not be apparent to other people.
Even so, a Jedi works not to suppress emotions, but
to create a means by which to act in spite of them,
rather than because of them. In the films, Anakin
A Saber of Light 115
Skywalker became enamored with Padme Amidala,
and through his overwhelming love for her, he was
corrupted by Darth Sidious (Senator, and later Em-
peror, Palpatine), so that he could save her life. But
soon after he gave himself over to the Dark Side, his
lust for power overtook his love, because Padme
didn’t want ochlocracy or despotism—she wanted a
democracy, and was in fact acting in an egalitarian
capacity to try to bring Anakin back from the Dark
Side.
Anakin’s selfish desire to save Padme was not based
on Padme’s well-being, but in his own fear of being
without her. And because of his choices, Padme’s
death was assured.
Emotional controls are unacceptable for someone
who is trained as a weapon. A Jedi’s aim is to be able
to act, think, and believe freely—as well as to freely
refrain from action, thought, or belief.
Question: Why do Jedi Study Martial
Arts?
Put simply: it’s a dangerous world out there. If we
are to protect and defend the innocent and promote
the idea of peace, we must cultivate the warrior part
of our souls. If someone threatens us, the know-
ledge that we can defeat them is enough for us to
want to seek other ways—experience teaches us that
violent action simply isn’t the way to do things, and
gives us alternatives. When we don’t know, we are
tempted to prove our abilities to ourselves. By know-
ing and understanding violence, we wish for peace.
116 Novice Training
And in wishing for peace while being prepared for
combat, we seek peaceful resolution.

“In a heart that is one with nature, though the body

contends, there is no violence. And in the heart that is not
one with nature, though the body be at rest, there is
always violence. Be, therefore, like the bow of a boat: it
cleaves the water, yet it leaves in its wake water
unbroken.”

—Master Po “Kung Fu” Episode: “Dark Angel”

Question: When Does Life Begin?

It is difficult to say when life begins. There is a por-
tion of Jedi society which believes that the moment
of conception is when life begins; another portion
doesn’t believe that life begins until the fetus is capa-
ble of surviving outside of the body—about 30
weeks into a pregnancy. A few even say that in order
to be alive, the baby must be born. There is no con-
sensus among the Jedi, except that we all believe that
a newborn infant is alive and worthy at that point of
protection under the law.
A child whose incurable condition is suffering
should be permitted to die. This is a painful decision
for any parent, but an end to suffering is not some-
thing to mourn. Conversely, a child whose condition
is curable should not be simply permitted to die if
medical or technological cures can alleviate the suf-
fering which they endure. If and when these fail,
death’s embrace should come to end suffering. There
A Saber of Light 117
is no greater loss for any parent than their own child,
and no greater comfort for this loss than the know-
ledge that the death was the end to suffering. Even
so, such comfort is small when compared to the loss
of a life which came from your own.
Truly, life begins when we start living it for ourselves.
Those robbed of the opportunity to fully live die a
death which can only be described as tragic. And
who among us knows how to fully live, until we real-
ize that life may be taken from us? It is less impor-
tant to define when life begins than it is to end suf-
fering.

“The thorn defends the rose: it harms only those who

would steal the blossom from the plant.”

—Master Kahn “Kung Fu” Episode: “An Eye for an Eye”

Question: Why do Jedi People Say

“May the Force Be With You”?
The Force is always with us. It is a Jedi belief that
the Force cannot abandon us. And yet, when we feel
at our most disconnected, we might find an amount
of internal noise which makes us deaf to it. This
phrase is a wish for success in one’s goals, and for
inner peace during any time of outer turmoil.

“May the Force be with you.”

This sentiment is also occasionally expressed as:

118 Novice Training
 “The Force will be with you—always.”

We use these phrases to identify one another, as well

as to pay homage to the films, as well as wishing one
another well. Online, these are often abbreviated as
MTFBWY and TFWBWYA, respectively.
Question: What is dogma? Why do
Jedi say it’s bad?
Dogma is an unbreakable rule which is based on an
underlying principle. Generally, dogmas are created
by people, and so aren’t really the underlying prin-
ciple. To understand principles, we must directly ex-
perience them in action. Within Jediism, there is a
dogma of “no dogmas allowed,” and so people are
constantly fighting against them, even when they are
useful to alleviate the suffering of others.
Question: What Kind of “Education”
Leads to Rehabilitation?
In all cases of successful rehabilitation, the unvar-
nished truth—ugly or beautiful as it may be—yields
positive results, and can actually allow for social
change. Take the issue of homosexuality: in the
1950’s in the United States, if two men were found
to be having sex, one or both might be imprisoned
for sodomy. In the 1950’s, “rehabilitation” of some-
one who was criminally homosexual could not have

A Saber of Light 119

occurred 7. Had there been Jedi in that time, they
would have been able to recognize this fact.
Laws which govern what consenting adults do are
difficult to enforce behind closed doors, but just im-
agine what would happen if the government was
allowed to watch heterosexual people having sex, to
determine that only proscribed positions were used
and that it was only done for the purpose of procrea-
tion. Likewise, those who are homosexual are not
truly causing harm to anyone by the fact of their
homosexuality, and willing partners are not consent-
ing to being harmed. Instead, such laws serve to sow
distrust in the government by the population—
rather than protection of good acts, the promotion
of unnatural deviation is created. Thus, the intent of
the law in such cases may be noble, but the law itself
is counterproductive and therefore evil.
In 2004, the US Supreme Court determined that
laws which proscribe sexuality, and those which re-

7 It’s fairly clear that most homosexuals have no choice but to be

homosexual, so “rehabilitation” of someone who is homosexual
isn’t really possible. Those who have a choice are possibly bisex-
ual, or merely trying to be trendy or gain attention because of
their perceived condition. In any case, a change in the perception
of homosexuality has occurred and is still occurring in the US. In
Sweden, the change is far more progressed than most places,
because of the willingness to accept that certain things have a
natural order. Swedish culture tends to be far more accepting of
things which simply exist as a natural byproduct—however per-
sonally distasteful it might be to the individual—and move ahead
with life as normal. By giving it nothing to resist, homosexuality
is far less prevalent in Sweden than in the United States.
120 Novice Training
quire that only certain kinds of sexual intercourse
were accepted practice between consenting adults,
were an invasion of privacy and unenforceable. The
fact that people are opposed to homosexuality is not
a concern which the law should take a position on
unless significant harm is readily apparent; society
itself should govern the way that society behaves;
the law is merely an intermediary to lay down the
expectations in which such behavior can be unders-
tood. It is a social contract. Criminal acts are not
those which seek to carry out one’s nature; but which
instead seek to harm all of society. As a prime ex-
ample, homosexuality in the United States has be-
come a protected act, because there are enough
people in the practice of it. It does no one harm but
those who are not truly homosexual who might be
forced or coerced into the act of sexuality without
real consent; and such is already illegal by the virtue
of the act not being consensual. Adding a new law is
simple; removing a law, once added, is very nearly
impossible.
Some criminals simply are not able to be rehabili-
tated; others are able to be, and merely need a good
foundation in logic to see their misdeeds. However,
if logic shows that they are justified in their actions,
a Jedi can call this a success, because there was no
need to begin with. This is the reason that propa-
gandizing the educational process is to be avoided at
all costs: it prevents a peaceful and orderly society. It
creates the opportunity to assign blame.

A Saber of Light 121

Assigning blame serves only to make one seem less
than another; rather, a Jedi seeks to accept rightful
responsibility for what is theirs, and to hold blame-
less the actions of others—often, they know no bet-
ter, or would not act the way they do. We must each
learn to withhold judgment, and instead to render
assistance where we see it is needed. We must also
learn to accept what is offered when we need it, in
the spirit in which it was offered—for the joy we feel
in helping others is one we don’t want withhold!

“Failure is an opportunity: if you blame someone else,

there is no end to the blame.”

—Lao Tzu, “Tao te Ching”

Question: Can Jedi See the Future?

Not as such. A fully-trained Jedi can see many of the
possibilities of the future, and can even predict many
of those possibilities. They aren’t all set in stone—
though there are a few which do seem to be un-
avoidable. The problem is, we don’t have the means
to tell them apart. One future event looks like anoth-
er, and it’s merely a matter of calculating possibilities
at that point (and such calculations can be wrong). In
addition, it doesn’t work the way that Hollywood
tends to make it seem.
Ignorance, yet knowledge: A Jedi doesn’t “see” the
future. A Jedi knows, and can have impressions
about, and can even describe some things at a dis-
tance; but actual visions of the future… it’s just not
122 Novice Training
really the way that it works. Fully-formed visions are
almost always considered wrong when they occur.

“Difficult to see: always in motion is the future.”

—Master Yoda, Ep. V “The Empire Strikes Back”

Question: Do Jedi Believe in

Democracy?
All Jedi believe in freedom—the freedom of the
mind, the freedom of individuals to make both good
and bad choices, and the freedom to reap the conse-
quences of those actions. Democracy (at the present
time) seems to be the best way to protect those free-
doms, but a true democracy educates its people
about things like personal responsibility and initia-
tive.
Laws are kept simple, direct, and few in number,
where freedom is the rule. Where freedom is not the
rule—where selfish and evil designs against the free-
dom of others to enjoy their lives has taken root—
the laws gradually increase until they are so many in
number and so indirect and complex that one person
can no longer understand them, or they are cor-
rupted to the interests of a specific group above
others, serving the interests of money and power
over those of the protection and well-being of the
citizens under its rule. People would want this be-
cause those in power are able to

A Saber of Light 123

But those who have power do not easily relinquish it.
Rules and laws become oppressive as control and
order are imposed on others. And as these laws are
passed, power passes from the hands of the people
into the hands of those in more direct control of the
government. The duty of government is to serve the
best interests of the people. But where the words
“best interests” are not well-defined, are unclear, or
are in dispute, government should seek to under-
stand why citizens believe that things are not well-
served by the enactment of a proposed law.
And where the facts are misconstrued or are incor-
rect, or even where the decision is a difficult one,
government officials often feels pressure to pass laws
that they later regret. In such cases, it is better to
prevent new laws rather than to take power and re-
sponsibility from the population. But populations
must also be educated as to why such a decision is
needed. But where a government seeks to propagan-
dize by skewing the facts or outright lying to their
citizens, that government loses the trust of the
people. Where officials seek to justify their cam-
paigns through funding which all but guarantees that
oversight is lacking, the people lose faith that the
system works. And where money determines wheth-
er or not actions are justified, justice cannot prevail.
Such a system breeds rebellion in its wake, and lays
the foundation for its own downfall—civil war. Re-
bellion can be crushed for only so long before it suc-
ceeds, and if such a rebellion is to succeed, the only
thing that is required is that it obtains solid financial
124 Novice Training
backing, good strategic intelligence and training, and
a moral high ground. And when it does finally suc-
ceed, the rebellion is serving to preserve the free-
doms of the people, not merely to topple order.
But in creating a new governing body, the Jedi tend
to be democratic in nature, even if not completely
egalitarian. There is no religious requirement for
democracy, but it does offer the greatest capacity for
both personal freedom and law. The main drawback
to democracy is that decisive action is often difficult
or even impossible to accomplish without an agree-
ment to grant powers to a central authority—and
this begins the downfall to democratic rule. But as
governments go, this is the best form that is current-
ly known, and its benefits do tend to outweigh its
drawbacks.

“My allegiance is to the Republic! For democracy!”

—Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ep. III “Revenge of the Sith”

Question: Are Those Who Follow the

Jedi Way Actually in a Cult?
The world cult as defined by Dictionary.com is com-
plex. But let’s focus on the ones which are important
to the definitions in which people usually intend the
word:

1. A religion or religious sect generally

considered to be extremist or false, with
its followers often living in an
A Saber of Light 125
 unconventional manner under the
guidance of an authoritarian,
charismatic leader.

2. The followers of such a religion or

sect.

3. Obsessive, especially faddish, devotion

to or veneration for a person, principle,
or thing.

4. The object of such devotion

Origin: 1610–20; < L cultus habitation, tilling,

refinement, worship, equivalent to cul-, var. s. of
colere to inhabit, till, worship + -tus suffix of v.
action

The word itself is from worship which was heretical

in nature in the early European Renaissance, near the
end of the Burning Crusade. A cult is generally held
to be definition #1 (above), but any minority reli-
gious group can be considered a cult. In 300 AD,
Christianity was a cult. In modern days, Mormonism,
Scientology, and even the Quakers are considered
cults by one group or another, to the point that the
term really loses all scope of meaning. But what
people mean to ask is: is it dangerous, or full of people
with beliefs that cause harm to others?

126 Novice Training

People have always considered ideas and attitudes
different than their own dangerous and even harm-
ful. The ideas of the Jedi belief are not inconsistent
with Buddhism, Christianity, Zoroastrianism, Tao-
ism, Judaism, or even mainstream Islam. In fact, the
Jedi belief is that if one practices as a Jedi, this
doesn’t negate all religious need, and other religious
preferences may be practiced along with the Jedi phi-
losophies. But where other religions are stricter, Jedi
beliefs are fairly unrestrictive, focusing on the natural
consequences over spiritual consequences (though
not failing to take such spiritual consequences into
account, where they can be demonstrated or expe-
rienced).
But those who practice the Jedi beliefs do so because
it makes sense to them to do so. Most people who
become Jedi discover that they have always been Jedi,
as they hold the values of the Jedi Order in a way
which is deeply personal: honor, respect, integrity,
and reliability come as second-nature to these people
(not all of them all the time, but as a generalized
rule). We don’t demand money, we aren’t extremists,
we don’t generally talk a lot about weapons, and as
leadership goes there isn’t really a specific centralized
authority—the authority is the Force, and thus truth.
The people in authority over the religious groups are
actually in service to them, and may not demand
more than people are willing to give.
In addition, we don’t have any particular requirement
for diet (other than those which are required for
good health), no particular medical handling re-
A Saber of Light 127
quirements (other than as medicine itself demands),
and no particular activity restrictions (other than
what is required for good health benefits). There is
no requirement for asceticism. 8 What we do restrict is
a small list:
1. Attachment to any person is discouraged.
2. Disrespect of other people is strongly dis-
couraged.
3. Attachment to status is forbidden (the titles
themselves are conferred without choice at
times).
4. Attachment to material possessions is for-
bidden (ownership is not forbidden, but ad-
dictions are).
5. Reverence for all life and its connection to
us is required.
6. Detachment from any concept of absolutes
is required.

We do have some days of reverence which should be

considered days off from work, and which vary from
tradition to tradition—the anniversaries are in dis-
pute.

8 This means restraining mind, body, and speech in a way which

is in line with spiritual goals. Most Jedi accept that these are
dogmatic, created by people instead of divinity, and thus such
refrain is meaningless to someone who isn’t spiritual and a natu-
ral habit to those who attain enlightenment at a certain level.
128 Novice Training
And really, we don’t believe in Jedi having mental
powers like the movies any more than the Shaolin
monks believe in people running across the out-
stretched limbs of bamboo leaves without really dis-
turbing them. We don’t build lightsabers and we
don’t generally smile on people who make us look
like complete morons. But what we do believe in is
an invisible energy field which we call the Force,
which is in every living thing, and which is both the
cause and effect of life.
This book also attempts to dissuade those who be-
lieve the Jedi way to be a cult, though the reader is
free to infer whatever is desired. Everyone’s entitled
to their opinions: we may yet be a cult on someone’s
list, or we might actually be a real religion. It’s a sub-
jective answer, really, and it all depends upon one’s
point of view.
Question: How do I Tell if Someone is
a Sith?
There is a tradition of the Sith which is created as a
response to the Jedi. The issue is that Jedi and Sith
don’t actually war the way they do in the motion pic-
tures; rather, they do battle with philosophy. These
people actually are generally anti-religionists—
atheists who want to try to dismantle anything re-
sembling an organized religion. Some cite the por-
tions of history in which religious truths were
twisted into something other than what they were
intended to be, where people acted in the name of a
metaphysical entity which the clergy was said to un-
A Saber of Light 129
derstand, and which the average person was not al-
lowed access to.
The Sith themselves embrace the antithesis of the
Jedi beliefs, within the same framework. They are
necessary to keep the Jedi in balance and honest. To
eliminate one side or the other would be to unbal-
ance the Force, and in the films this was embodied
by Darth Vader, who facilitated the betrayal and
murder of the Jedi because they were out of balance.
The lesson was that even with the best intentions,
power is not easily relinquished.
While the Sith have every right to believe as they will,
and their beliefs have every bit as much validity for
them as ours do for us, they are not the same as Jedi
(despite what many Jedi claim). Many choose the title
“Sith Lord” for its shock value; some use it simply to
thumb their noses at authority (including any self-
styled Jedi religious authorities); and others still use it
because they truly believe that the Sith side of the
Force should advance.
The Sith path is seductive, because it is an easy path
to take: selfish, greedy, and opportunistic, without
high regard for other people (with a “what have they
ever done for you?” attitude). Not all Dark Side ac-
tivity is evil, nor are all evil activities on the Dark
Side. This is a difficult concept to explain, and very
difficult to understand even with an adequate expla-
nation.
We Jedi don’t accept that things are absolute, because
what is considered selfish and evil under one set of
circumstances might well be selfless under another.
130 Novice Training
No one can know the true intent but the person act-
ing—and even then, they don’t always realize it. We
don’t consider the Sith evil: we mutually believe one
another to be misguided. There are no massive bat-
tles or swordfights or even real animosity; both are
required for balance. Even if we considered the Sith
evil, our place is in resisting such within ourselves,
not in changing everyone else’s minds.

A Saber of Light 131

About the Authors
The authors prefer anonymity, since it would only
serve to glorify themselves and this would not serve
the community well.
The Jedi School was founded in late 2009 by a group
of dedicated individuals who sought to free the Jedi
community from the dogmatic approach of templar
Jediism. The founding concept was to create a place
of study in which all religious ideals could be ex-
plored and developed in the same way that other
ideas are developed: by creating a religious venue
that offers no leverage of power over those who
practice (except during necessary parts of initial edu-
cation), the Jedi School seeks to change the former
concept of the authoritarian religious model and
create a living, growing, and flourishing awareness of
the universe as it truly is—which is nothing short of
startling for most.

132 Novice Training

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134 Novice Training

Acknowledgments &
Disclaimers
All trademarks and registered trademarks are the
property of their respective rights holders. Their use
does not imply affiliation, endorsement, validation,
approval or support of any individual or organiza-
tion; furthermore, any representation made which
implies such is erroneous and unintentional.
We gratefully acknowledge the valuable input of the
Acharyas of Mahajrya Buddhism for their assistance
in the compilation of this work. We further recog-
nize the contributions of Quantum Buddhism to the
Jedi path.
We respectfully acknowledge the Catholic Diocese
of the cities of Salt Lake City, Phoenix, El Paso and
Los Angeles, for their time and dedication to answer-
ing our questions about Catholicism.
We warmly acknowledge all Jedi organizations men-
tioned and listed in this volume.

A Saber of Light 135