MEGA ISSUE!!!

Jedi Gazette Volume 1, Issue 4 & 5

* * * * H E A D L I N E S * * * *

No April Issue

By Jareth

Yes, there was no April Issue of the Jedi Gazette posted so I have combined both April and May’s Issues together for you.

It has been an incredibly busy month for me as some of you may have known. I was in Seattle for almost two weeks visiting family and friends and once I got back to Milwaukee, my life definitely did not slow down any. It is still going full force (all puns intended.) I will be in Philadelphia for a week interviewing for a position there. If that pans out, then I will be working hard on moving yet another few hundred miles East again. If I keep going at this rate, I will be in the middle of the Atlantic in 2010.

Keep me and you fellow Jedi in your meditations for the next few months. We will all need it! Peace and Light to you all!

Newest Promotions

Jedi High Council

Help us in congratulating the following people on their promotions:

Spark Vallen Jedi High Councilor

Lothlorien Jedi Scholar

Eldor Kaan Jedi Scholar

RyanForce Jedi Knight

Kiyoshi Jedi Knight Commander

As you may have noticed, we get people from all walks of lives and all kinds of experiences here at the Jedi Religion site. Some of these people have experiences advanced enough that they are “fast-tracked” to a new position instead of going through the ranks of the beginning students. Those who have been fast-tracked have shown exemplary skills in communication and diplomacy.

A special congratulations goes out to Spark Vallen. In the few short months that she has been on our site, she has shown that she has a keen mind, is in touch with the Force and has a great sense of humor. Just the right combination for the High Council. Welcome aboard Spark!

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Movie? What Movie?

If you haven’t heard that the next Star Wars installment Episode II: Attack of the Clones is coming out in the U.S. on May 19th, then you probably have been living on Dagobah without any TV. We expect that there will be a large number of people joining our site in the next few months and with this, we will need everyone’s help in maintaining our professional demeanor.

Remember to be patient because there will be many visitors who have no idea as to what Jediism is all about. If you do end up having difficulty, let one of the moderators or someone on the High Council know and it will be handled.

For all, if you do decide to stand in line early for the movie, remember to dress appropriately and make sure that you aren’t skipping school to do so. And most importantly don’t give away the movie to those of us who didn’t get to see it on opening night. I, for one, am too old to be standing in line for hours to see it on opening night. LOL!

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* * * * P O E T R Y C O N T E S T* * * *

Since we didn’t have the April edition, a few poems for the poetry contest didn’t get published. Then in my search for them, I cannot find the ones sent to me by Jedi Mark and a few other people. Please send them to me again at jedijareth@netzero.com or jaretht@juno.com. Thanks!

Light

by Oryon

....

Alone I wander the vast expanses of my soul.

Nobody hears my cry.

Caught amidst the struggle of it all,

Only in dreams hope still survives.

And when that is all but lost,

A spark of light appears.

A guide, a friend, what you need most.

Hope is not shed…only your fears.

Replaced have hatred , sadness, been,

With faith, courage, love.

Look what was born out of a dream.

It does not matter where it started, In anything, light can be seen.

- copyright 2002 -

Maxim: Light can be found even in the darkest corners. But only if you are willing to find it.

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* * * * R E V I E W S* * * *

Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones Soundtrack John Williams

I am a self-proclaimed soundtrack Junkie. I love soundtracks from all different kinds of movies, television shows and other events. Therefore, it was natural of me to pick up the soundtrack from the latest Star Wars Episode.

All of the other soundtracks produced from Mr. Williams have been incredible! There are certain pieces that I love from Episodes I, IV, V and VI. I even greatly enjoy the soundtrack to the book “Shadows of the Empire,” so I looked forward to the one from Episode II.

Well, I can’t say that I am ecstatic over it. As far as Star Wars soundtracks go, it is rather unremarkable. It lacks the punch of Episode I’s “Duel of the Fates” and doesn’t have any of the memorable themes that IV, V and VI had either. There is no “Darth Vader’s” theme that reaches out and commands your attention and the love theme can’t compare to the one from “The Empire Strikes Back.” There are a few very interesting things Williams has done though. He has used more intriguing percussion and has even thrown in an electric guitar lick or two.

Hopefully the soundtrack doesn’t foreshadow the movie. I’m just hoping that it is one of those soundtracks that enhances and doesn’t detract from the movie it belongs to. I can only wait and see, and hear, for myself.

Essays on the Maxims

Parts 4 & 5

Maxim 3: Loyalty

By Oryon

Loyalty.

To quote a cool game, nothing is more important than allies (friends). Allies are more important than food, shelter or weapons, they can help you more than any one of those things.

But what are friends if they are not loyal? Absolutely nothing. A friend that has no loyalty, is not a friend. Friends will help you both in good times and in times of need. But those that are not true friends and think only of themselves will stick around through the good times and leave you.

As you expect others to be loyal to you, you should be loyal to them, as loyalty means selflessness, commitment and sacrifice. When a friend is having trouble, you cannot stand aside, because to be loyal applies both in times of joy, but also in times of hardship. And what loyalty you show, will be repaid to you ten times more.

Aside all , a Jedi must be loyal to all other Jedi, support and care for them, but , first, a Jedi must be loyal to himself. A Jedi must not give up on things (like training) if they are not successful. To start something, but not have the patience, and especially loyalty , to one's self, to finish that something, is to fool yourself.

A Jedi has the obligation to serve , and be loyal to the Light. The way to inner peace and a greater good is paved with hardship and temptation of much easier paths to follow.

The good way is usually the hardest way, and to follow that path, you must have unwavering loyalty and exceptional will of character.

At first , not all people may seem to have these qualities, but in reality , all do, and you will find your strength to help you through meditation and advice.

Another thing that loyalty represents is fearlessness. Loyalty means helping your friends, even in particularly difficult situations, in which case, you must overcome your fears.

Loyalty and courage are to things that go together, and cannot be separated one from the other.

-Be loyal to friends, family and especially yourself.

-Be not afraid to go the hard way, it usually the good one.

-Do not stand aside. Be loyal to your friends in times of need and provide help and support.

-Be loyal to the Light and do all that you can for good.

-Be loyal to others as they are loyal to you.

This is the code maxim about loyalty. May you follow it well:

III. Loyalty

Be known for unwavering commitment to the people and ideals you choose to live by. There are many places where compromise is expected; loyalty is not amongst them. Jedi can exist in this universe because the Force exists. But the Jedi Order needs more: it requires loyalty. It goes without saying that Jedi should be loyal to one another. They should not squabble or fight. More importantly, though, each Jedi should be aware that he must act in accordance with the wishes of his Master, who must in turn act in accordance with the wishes of the Jedi Council. This is not a question of seniority, but rather of understanding the will of the Force, and in this regard, the members of the Jedi Council are wise council indeed.

May the force be with you, Oryon.

Maxim 4: Defense

By Ed-wan Seri

Defense

“His [a knight’s] sword defends the helpless”. (Dragon’s Heart)

This sentence is taken from a movie, which speaks about knights and their vows. I find this sentence quite appropriate in reference to the Jedi Way.

There are a number of forms of defense self defense, defense of your loved ones, defense of your nation, defense of those who need and deserve it, and defense of your beliefs, which is believe is the most important form of defense.

Self defense:

A Jedi should know self defense, for one day he might need it. A Jedi uses the Force to help him defend himself, but he should know this by himself.

A Jedi never attacks, only defends, a Jedi uses his power only as a last resort, and keeps it for that time.

Defense of your loved ones:

Every person has the people he loves, be it his wife, his family, or his friends.

A Jedi defends these people when they require defense, but a Jedi never involves emotion in his actions. Defend your loved ones with a clear mind and the Force will be with you; always listen to your Inner Jedi, never stop listening to it, and your actions will be pure.

Defense of your nation:

“Conflict is a fact of life in the galaxy for far too many beings, and no Jedi can hope to remain apart from it”.

There comes a time when a Jedi has to defend his nation from invasion by other nations, there is nothing that can be done about this, at the moment. People like Osama Bin-Laden, Sadam Hussein, Adolf Hitler, are people that only show us the truth of this. It is the human nature to want more and more, but it is not the nature of Jedi. A Jedi will defend his nation in time of need, because he needs to stop people like those mentioned above from creating anarchy in the world. Balance is required, and only when all nations have equal territories, will there be balance and wars will stop, until then, a Jedi must defend his nation.

Defense of those who need and deserve it:

There are too many innocent people being attacked and murdered every day, for no reason, except for greed and craziness. A Jedi should help these innocent people, if he can. This is a pure action, that comes directly from the will of the Force. A Jedi is not trained for nothing, he is trained to bring peace and balance. If a trained Jedi can help an innocent person, and does not do it, it is tantamount to attacking this person himself, an action of the Dark Side, then his training was for nothing.

Defense of one’s beliefs and ideals:

“I may not agree with your choice, but I will defend your right to choose with my very life”.

Every person has his own beliefs and ideals, a Jedi should defend them.

Not letting a person express his ideas, feelings and thoughts, is an action of the Dark Side, an action that is forbidden. Every being should have the right to express his feelings, ideas, beliefs and thoughts, without being silenced or forbidden to do so.

HIGH COUNCIL UPDATE:

From the Desk of Jedi Light

Hello Everybody,

The High Council has been very busy the last few months. We wanted to let you know a little bit about what has been going on behind the scenes, what takes place during our HC meetings every Sunday and give newer members some background info regarding this forum.

Early Background

David Dorey (GSV/Yoda) founded this forum and was assisted by Seph (a current High Councilor). It was started in April 2001. Dave is planning on writing up a history regarding The Jedi Religion. In January of this year, due to personal reasons, he turned over the operation of the forum to Seph and he has been at the helm ever since. He takes good care of the forum, but due to his current workload hasn't been able to be as active as he used to be. Hopefully that will be changing soon.

Towards the end of last year, the forum began to take on a more serious tone as "Jedi" was recognized as a religion on the UK census. The HC began taking steps to give more structure to the forum. A Mission Statement and the Jedi Code were written up (both by Chris Chanada), the ranking system was changed and has been modified since, and regular HC meetings began to take place on MSN.

Non-Profit Organization Status

We are currently in the process of filing papers to become a Non-Profit Organization in the U.S. under the name of "Jediism Organization" d.b.a. Jediism: The Jedi Religion. This required a lengthy process of figuring out what we wanted to include and writing up Articles and Bylaws. We also had to submit a budget - all required by the I.R.S. Thanks heavens we had nominated Jareth to the High Council. He took care of putting all the paper work together - three cheers for Jareth! \o/ \o/ \o/

Current High Council Members

Seph (UK), Christopher Chanada, JediLight, Jareth, (all USA) Senya (Germany), and our newest member, Spark Vallen (USA). In regards to the Non-Profit Organization, the officers of the organization are presently: Christopher Chanada - President, Senya - Vice President, Jareth - Master at Arms, and JediLight - Secretary/Treasurer.

What Goes on in HC Meetings

The High Council performs most of the administrative duties and is responsible for policy making and decisions, ranking promotions, reviewing Jedi Apprentice tests, taking care of problems, administering the forum, discussing suggestions from Members, and we are all instructors on the training forum.

Jedi Apprentice Test and the Promotion Process

Members are "Guests" until they decide to test to become a Jedi Apprentice. We ask that a guest carefully read over the Mission Statement, Jedi Code and other postings to decide if they really want to follow the path of Jediism before requesting to take the test.

The test consists of five essay questions. It is not a test of skill, but rather a test to determine the seriousness of the applicant and get to know a little of their background. Each week the HC reviews all the applicants and each applicant's test is rated by each HC member on a scale of 1-10. An overall average of 5 or more is required in order to pass the test. Members that don't pass initially are welcomed to reapply after a certain time period. When answers to the test are too short to make a determination, the applicant is requested to send us an additional short essay.

The other way a guest can become a Jedi Apprentice is through being nominated and approved by the High Council. Currently, Jedi Knight Officers & above may make nominations to that level. These types of promotions are determined by the postings of the members.

To request the Jedi Apprentice test, go to: contactus.html

Regarding other promotions, all nominations must be approved by the HC. Before rewarding a promotion, we first email the member to ascertain their willingness to accept the promotion.

The High Council is currently following a policy of "fast tracking" members in regards to promotions. We recognize that all members come to the forum with varying degrees of knowledge and attainment. Through their postings, the High Council makes the determination of who to "fast track".

More Recent History

In February, we purchased the domain name "jediism.org" and started up our website. Chris did the beautiful job of putting it all together. www.jediism.org

In March, we finally finished our official Jediism symbol. The initial outline of the symbol was Chris' vision and JediLight did the artwork. Chris also wrote the explanation of what it symbolizes. http://www.millsonthe.net/jedireligion/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1039

At the end of March, we set up a temporary training forum on EZboards. Chris put that together. In April, Lost Prophet told us he wanted to donate his former forum and server space to set up the permanent training forum. He also purchased the www.jediism.com domain. Many, many thanks again to LP!! He set up the initial outline and Chris again got everything set up and ready to go. (He's getting pretty good at this!) The training forum's study courses are available for ranking members only, with new courses being added weekly.

Behind the Scenes

We answer many inquiries regarding Jediism. All new members are sent out a welcoming letter. (Jedi Mark has been doing a great job with this!) Deletion letters are also sent out after a member hasn't visited the forum for over 3 months. The letter invites them to re-visit the site to check out all the changes. Jedi Apprentice test applications are processed and posted to the High Council forum for review prior to the HC meeting. Disciplinary letters are sent out as needed. HC members try to check the forum as often as possible in order to moderate if needed or perform functions that the forum moderators can't do - such as deleting postings or locking/deleting members.

We are getting a number of requests for interviews. We anticipate that will increase with the release of Episode II. The HC decided that we needed to put together our own press release so that our words couldn't be twisted or discover that we have been lumped together with Star Wars fan sites or whatever. We will be writing one up shortly.

Membership Growing

At the end of last year, we were averaging 3 new members per day. We have almost tripled that in recent days. The number of Jedi Applicants has risen dramatically in recent weeks. This week we had a total of 14 new applicants.

Jediism Pendant Now Available

Thanks to Keelyth, a silver pendant is now available with the Jediism symbol.

http://www.millsonthe.net/jedireligion/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1102

Further Updates

We hope to continue to post a High Council Update on a monthly basis in the Jedi Gazette.

Lots of Light -

JediLight

"Your vision will become clear only when you look into your heart...Who looks outside, dreams. Who looks inside, awakens."