RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

Hello,

If you are a new member to Indy Jedi, you’re probably wondering how you can go about learning everything there is to know about the Jedi Path. What may surprise you is that we have a rich (albeit short) history of scholarship and self-publication.

WEBSITES

Probably the first thing to do is to explore extant websites that have communities of currently practicing Jedi. Here are some examples that cover different areas:

The Institute for Jedi Realist Studies – http://instituteforjedirealiststudies.org

  • This is the home of the Jedi Realist movement. The Jedi Realists are a group of Jedi who take what works from the Star Wars Lore and apply it to their lives. This involves a focus on philosophy and life action (service involvement). It also has a scholarship focus.
  • There is a full training program here.

The Temple of the Jedi Order – https://www.templeofthejediorder.org/

  • This is the home of the religious Jedi, Jediists. Some people would call them atheistic religionists. They don’t have a deity and they don’t worship the Force. The religion aspect is more because of their ritualistic approach to faith and community.
  • There is a full training program here.

Jedi Living – http://jediliving.com/

  • This is the most non-esoteric Jedi site out there. Run by famous Jedi community member, Opie MacLeod, this site is the home of the most famous Jedi literature, which we’ll get to later. The community is very small, but those who work get a lot out of their training.
  • There is a full training program here.

There are other sites. The Force Academy. Temple of the Jedi Force. Real Jedi Knights. But, these do not have very active communities OR they have philosophies we, as Indy Jedi, do not know enough about to advertise. Feel free to explore these on your own.

FACEBOOK

There are Facebook groups that can help give you information on the Jedi Path as well. Check these major groups out:

Jedi Church – https://www.facebook.com/groups/28586881121/

  • Less a “church” and more a gathering place, this is the entrypoint to the Jedi online. It has almost 10,000 members, and is very, very active. Not much serious discussion or training takes place here.

Jedi Federation – https://www.facebook.com/groups/jedifederation/

  • Self described: We are a number of Jedi groups that have banded together to form an offline organization of chapters and affiliates. In coming together, we are able to share our knowledge, talents, and experience making us stronger overall.
  • They are, at this time, working on Non-Profit status.

Jedi Gatherings Group – https://www.facebook.com/groups/1630809950498499/

  • Here we have a place where gatherings of Jedi get planned. There are normally a few regionals every year and one big National gathering!

Jedi Realist Radio – https://www.facebook.com/JediRealismRadio/?fref=ts

  • Run by Federation Knight Michael J Hannigan, this is a radio program that talks about topics related to the Jedi Path. Granted, it is one Jedi’s opinion, and those are worth about a dime a dozen. Even so, Hannigan has been a member of the Jedi Community a very long time, and his opinions are well-respected.

Knights of Awakening – https://www.facebook.com/groups/217708844955057/

  • Run by Justin Gates, this organization puts on radio shows that are tangentially related to the Jedi Path. They talk about knightly virtues. This should also be the place you look for other related paths (i.e. Sith Realism, Force Realism, etc.). There is a show about magick. There is a show about the dark side from the most well-respected Sith in the community. Venture here to your peril!

Jedi Living – https://www.youtube.com/user/365Jedi

  • Run by Opie MacLeod, this is a video channel that offers tips about being a Jedi in your everyday life! “Be a Jedi”!

 

LITERATURE

The Jedi Path isn’t ONLY written on websites. There have also been some self-publication in the community. Here are the major books accepted by the community:

The MUST haves:

The Jedi Compass – https://goo.gl/RDfNLl

  • The Document can be found here for free: http://goo.gl/wPwrTs
    • This does not contain the essays written by community members. But, all the information for the Compass can be found here.
  • This is a document and collection of essays written by the Jedi Community and compiled by Alethea Thompson (Setanaoko). It originated from the Wookieepedia page on the Jedi Code. She took the best pieces from it and put together a workable collection of tenets and directions one can follow to live life as a Jedi. If you have to buy ONE book, I recommend downloading this document, printing it out, and reading it alongside the Jedi Path.

The Jedi Path – https://goo.gl/vP125g

  • You probably already know about this book. It is the most powerful fictional account of the history of the Jedi. In fact, my friend Jacob created a whole course that shows how these histories and principles can be adopted to the Jedi Path. It is amazing! I would recommend it to everybody wanting to learn about how to live one’s life in accordance to the Orthodox principles of the Jedi of the Lore. In other words, this is the source material where all the Jedi factions will come from. You are lucky, this compilation didn’t always exist. It used to be that we had to put it together piece by piece from various fictional sources. (An advanced version of this would be to buy the Star Wars Roleplaying Game and the Jedi rulebook)

The Power of Myth – https://amzn.com/B004QZACH6

  • So, this is not a book written by the Community, but it might as well have invented it. It was because of Joseph Campbell that we have Star Wars and the timeless myths within. Read this to learn the origins and the stories we are emulating in our Hero’s Journey!

 

The Nice to haves:

From Nerd to Knight – https://goo.gl/0SAfVT

  • This is by one of the eldest members in the Community. He is no longer active in the main Community, but this work lives on one of the best memoirs of a Jedi going from a Star Wars nerd to being a respected Knight.

Jedi Foundation – https://goo.gl/vndN58

  • This is Opie’s Tier One training for becoming a Jedi. It has an excellent, easy to follow training progression. This is where you should start if you want to start living as a Jedi TODAY. It does come to an abrupt end, so you will want to pursue training at Jedi Living or at another program soon!

The Jedi Religion – https://goo.gl/eYqUeT

  • Written by Opie, this takes a scrutinous approach to being a Jediist (the religious form of being a Jedi). I have not read this book, so I don’t know how good or bad it is.

Exploring the Jedi Lifestyle – https://goo.gl/ZWVtrG

  • This is an expansion on Opie’s Jedi Foundation, looking at various aspects of Jedi Lifestyle. This is an nice complement to the Jedi Circle.

Setanaoko’s School of Jedi: The Uninitiated – https://amzn.com/B00QFK47QW

  • This is a book written by a respected member of the community on the beginnings of the Jedi Path. It is a good supplement to any of the Must Have books.

The Jedi Circle – https://goo.gl/uApbBH

  • This contains the blueprint for how to live one’s life as a non-fictional Jedi. It is the real life version of the Jedi Path. Some have criticized this book for not being specific enough to the Jedi Path.

 

The Extra Stuff:

The Ultimate Star Wars and Philosophy –  https://goo.gl/DSNyO3

  • This one is a little different. While it was not written by Jedi in the Community, it was written with the heart of bringing Jedi to the world. It is the smartest non-Community book I’ve read on the path. It deals directly with issues from the fiction. Is being a Sith a good thing? Does being a Jedi require faith? If you want to learn about the paths from the Fictional perspective, this and the Jedi Path are the best sources in my opinion.

Star Wars and Philosophy – https://amzn.com/B003S3RL2Q

  • This is the early edition of the book above. It addresses different questions in a similar way.

The Dharma of Star Wars – https://amzn.com/B008FOSFWI

  • I have not read this book, however I hear it has great advice on the Buddhist part of the origins of the Jedi

 

ORIGINAL AUTHOR OF THIS COMPILATION:  CONNOR LIDDELL