Master Thompson's Journal

Star Wars and the Jedi Philosophy galvanized my pursuit of spiritual and philosophical development.  Since the start of my existential journey I have learned so many things; yet for all the answers to the many questions I have had, one most poignant question has yet to be answered…until recently.

The other night (Friday the 19^th 2010) I participated in a round table discussion on the Knights of Awakening, Blog Talk Radio program about The Dark Side.  I can’t say I had an expectation of how the discussion would go, but I knew I would ask some of the most probing questions I have always had about the Dark path in the hope I could gain some clarity as to how and why it is practiced. 

The Jedi Philosophy moved me to explore and develop my personal philosophical and spiritual path, which of course is guided by the interpretations and understandings of the Light Side of Life Force Energy.  However, I believe the path of Light…while guided by the doctrine of Light, is in fact grounded by the notion of pragmatism and oriented by the relativity of the Universe.  The path of Light teaches us to let go of our notions of right and wrong, good and evil, chaos and order…creation and destruction and do what must be done without pride, passion or prejudice.   

Now…this is a slippery slope for intent and action can easily be misunderstood as Dark Side alignment if actions taken are done so with no short term betterment or productive value.  The fact that we are servants of the Light does not nullify or even pacify these incriminations; what is truly resides within does this.  However one must know that carrying the title “Ashla Knight” is not enough; we must embody the title by manifesting essence of Light in our mind, heart and soul.  If we are of the Light inside and out…always and forever then we will do well in avoiding “the path” of Darkness.  We can never avoid the Darkness for it is the unavoidable, opposite side of our philosophical and spiritual reality, but we can certainly avoid walking the path.

Now…getting back to the blog talk radio discussion; with Miles & Khaos representing the Dark Side and/or Sith ideology, I felt I could pose several basic questions about the Dark path get truly honest and insightful answers.  First I wanted to separate the layers of Dark Side personification as we know them.  For example, there are the sort who for a multitude of reasons seem to gravitate toward a more adverse…even malevolent philosophy and spirituality.  There are those who just think it is “cool” to stand out and be adversarial just to simple “BE”.  Then, there are those who have found a deep and meaningful understanding of the Dark Side.  They have arrived at this truth in the most profound way and it is these people have an interpretation of the Dark Side that can teach us a thing or two.  Yet these people are few and far unfortunately for most people on the net that claim to practice or follow a Dark Side path are philosophically imperceptive, spiritually immature and/or emotionally unbalanced. 

On this program I got the opportunity to separate these various incarnations of Dark Side interpretations and to my surprise, Miles invited me to the very core of his Dark Side interpretations which ironically was extremely similar to that of Ashla Knights interpretations of the path of Light.  Interestingly both of our ideologies involved several things such as:

(1)   The recognition that we understand and define our reality, specifically our individuality by the notions and constructs we created to help make sense of the world live on and the universe we exist in.  However these notions and constructs are completely incongruent to the reality of Existence.

(2)   In order to know and understand the nature of a thing such as Life Force Energy, you must escape the existing paradigms of interpretation and teachings and return to the very beginning, which are the happenings of the Universe. 

(3)   Accepting that Life Force Energy may not have innate aspects such as Light and Dark.  It may simply exist as an autonomous, omnipresent aspect indifferent well of cosmic life energy.  It is what our philosophical and/or spiritual orientation that affects and/or manipulates our connection to this great well that determines whether Life Force Energy is either Light or Dark.     

It seems that the Dark Side…personified in the real world is guided by the tenets of the Sith Code, but the interpretation of that code and the path itself is effectively and reasonably grounded by a “humanistic” philosophy and not the arch defined in the Star Wars movies.  It was fascinating discussion and while it is one interpretation of the Dark Side it is a most rational and effective interpretation. While this is all very interesting, it is far from the true fruit this discussion produced.  During this discussion, a most interesting revelation came about.  This is a revelation I believe provides the clearest identification of the definitive point of division between the Light and Dark and that revelation was this:

While both aspects acknowledge several profound truths, it is number (2) in the above list that evidences the schism between the aspects.  Ashla Knight’s believe that in order to serve Life Force Energy we must first understand the nature of Existence, which is illustrated number (3) and by applying number (1) every day, all day knowing we will never achieve the physical personification of (2) as we exist in this reality (the reality of the living). 
In other words; we strive every day to achieve something we know we cannot.

According to Miles, the Dark path also acknowledges this truth but they do not recognize the effort we put forth.  They accept that they cannot attain this personification of Life Force Energy and therefore they do not bother with it.  Instead, they embrace and revel in the physical reality of the living, thus embracing a more localized or humanistic perspective.

We strive to achieve the impossible, while they do not bother with it.  This coupled with our individual spiritual and philosophical facets, which (help) determine our Light or Dark orientation is the shatter point between the two aspects.  This I think is a most insightful discovery.

Recently I was checking the web site statistics (ashlaknights.net) and came across an option that allowed me to view web sites that have our name mentioned or content posted.  I will not mention the names of these sites but I was really shocked to read what many had to say about us.  In the early days of Ashla Knights we took a lot of guff from many older and more established web site communities because of our content and method.  Back then we were a Jedi Philosophy web site and community, our interpretation of the ideology was concerned heretical to many.  The irony was I created a community that was more Jedi-like then many of the communities on the net but with a significant difference…it was anchored in reality.

I loved the Jedi Philosophy so much and wanted to honor it by keeping true the tenets illustrated in the fiction, yet make it a “real world” application by examining the movies and much of the fiction as thoroughly as I could.  I then researched the sources Mr. Lucas drew from and used to create the Jedi.  Sources anchored in spirituality, philosophy, science, politics, history, civics and so on.  80% of Star Wars is actually real world constructs, notions, archa-types and situational satire.  From here, it was relatively easy to create an on line web site community that I felt accurately represented what the Jedi Philosophy might be if practiced in the real world.

I’ll be honest, I wanted to change the way things were done.  While there were (and sill are) a few sites that drew wisdom and knowledge from the real world assets and did a decent job merging them with the Jedi Way, a great many sites relied solely on the fiction for guidance.  However, this is nothing more then escapism for adults in a most child-like way.  One thing all the sites I visited had in common was their inability to provide a challenge for their members.  The internet gathers personalities manifesting so many levels of insight, wisdom and knowledge from all around the world.  When one is on line, one can be who ever he or she wants to be, he or she can do what they want to do and go where ever they want to go while maintaining a comfortable level of anonymity.  However, most importantly, one can be as smart and insightful as they want to be simply by thoroughly researching content on line and preparing a well written reply.  Being on line for all, is a way to escape the either the mundane or the difficulty of life.  But that changes when one decides to get involved with an on line community.

I can understand how intimidated community owners can get, I was there…the challenge of creating a site where others can join, discuss and share insights about all areas of life alone is daunting.  Creating a site where the content is based on your interpretation or understanding of construct can be overwhelming.  What you might think is clear, concise and accurately represented is one thing, but to others its another thing entirely.  When you open your doors for business, you quickly discover that you are no longer the sharpest took in the box.  Once you go live, your site and its content are fodder for discussion and critique.  Receiving unpleasant feedback from members and having that feedback echoed on other sites can sting in the worst way and because of this, many site owners do not even consider a training center or academy for it will bring more critique and even ridicule. 

I speak from experience.

I created Ashla Knights never having experienced an on line forum community in full.  I was straight from the real world where you dealt with people who had something unpleasant to say. You went to where they were, you called them up or something…but getting into a mix with someone on line was new and very uncomfortable for me.  In the real would you discuss or debate a situation out to resolution, or you just ignore a person and walk away from them.  On line…while you can ignore a person, whats written hangs there in the middle of the page for all to see and it doesn’t go away unless the writer or admin team decides to delete the topic.  What is said about you and your replies are for better or worse, immortalize in cyber space.  In the real world, if you wind up looking like a fool you can recover knowing that it was a moment in time that will soon be forgotten.  On line, when you look like a fool its out there and you can never forget it because its searchable.

I can understand why many people do not want to expose them selves to that kind of venerability.  By putting yourself out there you invite strangers directly into your orbit; this is not what you want, you came to cyber space to escape this kind of persecution.  While many may never know your real name or who you really are, your on line name and profile become known and compromised and it is as if you substituted one cruel reality for another.  I speak from my own experience.  When Ashla Knights first launched, I got my ass handed to me from every virtual thinker who had an opinion within the Jedi Communities.  People couldn’t understand why I deviated from the what everyone else was doing and why I would attempt an academy that required students to actually work.  Why I would scrape the master to apprentice relationship and default to non-Jedi sources of wisdom and knowledge.  Many could not understand why I did not solely use the Jedi fiction as my handbook for Jedi instruction.  They could they wrap their minds around a system that encouraged off line activity for training and self betterment and recognized the true contribution of having Sith active along Jedi on one site.  The best arguments were over the use and value of having news articles on site.

These people literally wanted nothing to do with the real world yet preached a doctrine that require them to confront it!  I realized many people were not going to push away from the computer and get some sun, so I thought I would bring the world into the community.  OH THE HORROR!  To discuss the world was like holy water to a vampire, many members wanted nothing to do with it.  I was repeatedly asked why and my reasons were:

(1) The real world is our world, you can not run nor hide from it.  At some point you have to log off and deal with it.  As Jedi, these are the things we must confront and deal with it if we are to truly realize the tenets and actualize the mission of the Jedi Way.

(2) Discussing real world issues allows you to use on line what you have learned philosophically and spiritually to debate and reason through your thoughts and arguments as well as others.  It is real time training in a way, for the challenge helps you fortify your training and your path.  (These are the same reasons for my allowing the Sith to participate at Ashla Knights). 

People just didn’t get it and were completely beside themselves.  I departed from what was S.O.P of that day because it was pitiful.  If someone wants to spend their day on line escaping reality then that is their choice to do so, but doing so under the guise of the Jedi Way is a complete contradiction of the philosophy.  The Jedi way is about engaging life directly.  Its about getting involved, asking the hard questions and following the truth where ever it takes you.  Its about empirical examination, philosophical exploration and spiritual reasoning.  Its about self betterment.  Its about being active and engaging, for it is a philosophy that mandates one to ask his or herself to do what it is they think they can not everyday for the rest of their lives.  The Jedi Way is about being organized and prepared.  Its about discipline and patience.  Its about aid and comfort to those who need it.  It is about teaching what you know to those coming up who will walk the path you walk now.  It is about trust and honor, faith and pragmatism, duty and commitment.  To think you can embody all of these while sitting in front of a computer is completely delusional.  These are Jedi that want to swing light sabers, wear robes and call someone that they have not vetted and found to be knowledgeable and trusthworthy…Master.  One should not want to be a Jedi because it is “cool” to be a Jedi; one should want to be a Jedi because of the journey one will take in training and in walking the path.

That is why for me,  things had to change. 

That is why I put myself out there and that is why I will continue to put myself out there.  In the beginning got heckled and it hurt.  It hurt more because I couldn’t confront negativity face to face, but what hurt more was to bite my tongue, step away from the keyboard and think about what I would say.  Now, it does not hurt at all.  Some are the same on line personalities or personality silhouettes, which is a good thing.  The on line Jedi communities are predicable and consistent if nothing else.  The wolves run with the pack and that is where they will remain.  It took me years to figure this out and so not I’m used to it.  While checking the Ashla Knights statistics, I read some of the things people have said about the new Ashla Knights.  Perhaps its because I have a thicker skin, a deeper understanding into the nature of the thing, or maybe I am more pleased at the fact that the typical think of a wild heading bunch really do not get us. 
Yes, in fact that is it. 

I am pleased that people are dazed and confused about Ashla Knights.  One person called us a cult.  Another person wanted to understanding into what we are doing and asked that the Axioms and Proverbs of Light not be referenced.  I was pleased to read this because it validated the truth of my actions by stepping away from the Jedi Way.  People have become so philosophically confused and disoriented that they do not realize they are the very thing they thing they fight so hard to not be, which are agents of Darkness.  Ashla Knights is about the Force…LIFE FORCE ENERGY and it is because of the truth of science and a philosophy understand do we arrive a spiritual conclusion of Life Force Energy (or the Force).  Its interesting, no one has taken issue with the science, but the Axioms and Proverbs of Light were the focus of critique.  This amused me!  Not only have people have become philosophically lost, they have become empirically ignorant.

I’m most pleased with this. 

It tells me that students who become Ashla Knights will be of the character we are looking for to represent the Order of Ashla Knights.  It also tells me that that we have already weeded out much Darkness and therefore we are saved a headache in moderation.  Over the years I have watched the Jedi Communities degrade into the very ideology they seek to poke fights with, which are the Sith.  

I wonder if the Sith laugh at this irony? 

I wonder if they log into Jedi sites and marvel at that fact that they have to do nothing but watch and the Light Siders go at each and everyone else with absolute abandoned for what it is they believe.  However, on some level I wonder if they are angry over this, for I suspect even Satan would not want two hells.  The on line Jedi have become hostages to notions of virtue and ideological terrorists of wielding riotousness as their weapon.  This has been going on for years, long before my time but lately, I cannot no longer tell the difference between Jedi and true Sith. 

I guess that is cosmic irony is realized for the Jedi and the Sith have truly become two sides of the same coin.

Simply put, I do not care about what the small minded, self deluded, philosophically confused, cyber isolationists think of me or Ashla Knights.  If ignorance is what keeps them from our door then let them revel in it.  If we are to be an island in a sea of crazy then so be it.  Ashla Knights has never allowed popularity or fear to influence our actions.  We have always done what was needed to transition to the next evolution and that is why we will continue to grow and evolve.  We are not afraid of truth or change, we welcome and warm embrace.  Others sadly have regressed to the point where they would not know truth and change if it was a burning bush on a mountain.

The on line Jedi Way have become a sad and twisted joke.  A pun used in forum threads and fodder for enlightened followers of the true path.  Their flame is going out and I wonder if I am witnessing either the death of the on line Jedi Way, or witnessing the path being laid for its return from oblivion.  The path is Dark and when it is at its Darkest, someone will will rise to light the way. Either way, I guess only time will tell.  Is there a part of me that wishes Ashla Knights to be an accepted part of the on line communities?  Sure I do.  I would like nothing better to work with our (true) Jedi brothers and sisters, but our philosophy and mission is not based on a popularity contest.  We can not placate ourselves by making others feel superior.

Without pride, passion or prejudice the Order of Ashla Knights will always do what it must, even if it means we stand alone once again.

The other day I was on the telephone with two separate friends.  Both are very close to me and I care very deeply for them, but recently I have begun to feel that I am no longer an adequate person to discuss their problems with them.  I have started to see the great divide between their lives and my life.  They are two of my dearest friends and I will always be there for them, but because my path provides a level of wisdom, knowledge and practice that in most cases helps me  to recognize, identify and effectively deal with many of life’s challenges, I feel the advice I give is often beyond their understanding.  The words are easy enough to understand but the essence the words together embody simply falls on minds and hearts that either can’t comprehend or do not care.

Its not their fault, its my fault.  I know I should simply listen and not speak unless asked to do so, but when I hear the issues  and problems they are faced with, solutions immediately present themselves in my mind and I want to share with them my insights with the hope of taking away the pain and struggle they’re going through.  I have long felt that philosophy is like a foreign language and to speak it, many do not understand.  The more fluent I become, the greater the communication divide grows.  I wonder if will come to a point where all I do is dispense enigmatic platitudes and philosophical scripture like some physician who knowingly and routinely dispenses  a prescription.  Sort of like, “just take two of these and call me Monday morning”.    

One can eventually develop to the point where they find themselves at a place of  completely and utter understanding of things, and advice given from this great knowledge and wisdom can often seem devoid of compassion or empathy.  Sometimes I feel myself on the periphery of this philosophical place.  It reminds me of a parent teaching a child the world no…”no, because I said so thats why”.  Or trying to save a child the time and energy of failure, “don’t do that, trust me … you’ll thank me later”.  Children need to find out things for themselves, they need to test the boundaries of their world and often there is very little grown ups can say or do to curb this behavior.  I guess that never goes away, but unlike a child testing his or her environment, grown ups test the boundaries of their reality with pain and suffering. 

Albert Einstein said the definition of insanity was the act of doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results.  Perhaps there is an innate measure of insanity that enables us to continue to crash into philosophical, idealogical, spiritual and empirical walls over and over again hoping that the result will be different.

Honestly…it’s not about, “why won’t they listen to me”?  Its about why won’t they learn and in doings so, my advice might resonate with them and actually help.  I was upset when I got off the phone the other day and I knew that by that feeling what I felt I had failed.  I didn’t fail my friends though, I failed myself for I had lost my objectivity.  I know people and I know these two particular people quite well and I should not have been easily effected by their close-mindedness.  I sat and contemplated my emotions and I arrived at why I was upset and angry and it is because I was being selfish.  I was putting my wants and desires before their needs.  I wanted them to stop crashing into the same walls and my desire for them to hear my words and immediately see reason cause me become impassioned. 

That was wrong.

My path puts life in perspective FOR ME, and I was trying to push my insights, interpretations and understandings upon others.  The truths I understand, accept and rely upon are not those others rely upon, but because I care for these individuals, my emotions clouded this truth and therefore pissed me hell off.

I have to be mindful and always consider the origin of my thoughts and advice when dealing with those who are not on my path.  I want the best for those I love and want them to not have to suffer or to experience pain, but some must learn on their own.  It just hurts me to see them to see them continually hurting themselves.

Do…or do not, there is no try. – Jedi Grand Master Yoda. 

This could arguably be the most profound quotes in George Lucas’ Star Wars saga.  In the movie Star Wars, Episode IV – A New Hope, Luke Skywalker who is the son of the most significant…and perhaps the most powerful Sith Lord in Sith history, Darth Vader, is sent on a quest by his mentor Jedi Master Obi-Wan Kenobi to seek out Jedi Grand Master Yoda to learn the ways of the Force.  In his effort to find the exiled Master, Luke Skywalker travels to, and lands hard on the swamp planet of Dagobah. 

After finding Master Yoda and embarking upon his training, Luke’s star fighter completely sinks into the swamp.  Upset, Luke says to his Master that he’ll never get it and his Master tells him to use the Force.  Luke says that it’s too big and Yoda tells him that it’s only big in his mind.  Luke tells says that he will give it a try and his Master immediately rebukes and corrects him by saying, “do…or do not, there is no try.”

This quote resonated with me so much, I immediately and completely embraced the Jedi philosophy to the point where I became a practicing Jedi.  This enigmatic quote in this wonderful movie inspired me to embrace philosophy, explore spirituality and religion and strive to better the quality of my being.  Today, I am no longer “a Jedi”, and that is simply because Star Wars and/or the Jedi Way served a purpose at a time when I need a purpose in my life.  It taught me how to explore and discover my own answers and embrace a larger philosophical and spiritual perspective.  While I no longer follow the Jedi philosophy, the tenets of the Jedi way parallel my own philosophy, which define how I live my life.    

“Do…or do not, there is no try”, still has deep and profound meaning for me but I have a more pragmatic perspective today.  In the movie, Luke Skywalker is born sensitive to the power of the Force and has it in his ability to manipulate even alter physical reality, but because he was raised influenced by the practical thinking of the real world, he could not conceive past what he has come to believe and trust.  Master Yoda’s words, “do…or do not, there is no try”, were exactly what they were, a statement to execute an action.  Having already arrived at the fact that Master Yoda’s mysterious proverbs and axioms where not so much meant to be profound and invoke contemplation, but were in fact based on what has been or could be done by one who commands the Force. 

Therefore, without further argument Luke attempted to “do” and succeeded in slightly altering the reality of the situation, however he failed to fulfill his objective.  Disappointed, stressed, tired and confused, he lashed out with doubt and sarcasm and it was then was Master Yoda who lead by example and executed the task of removing a submerged star fighter from the swamp. 

To those who are philosophy and spirituality sensitive it was a very poignant and inspiriting moment, however not a very pragmatic moment.  Yes, Master Yoda did not try, he “did” but at one time he had to try many times in order to arrive at a place in his life where he could simply “do”.  I can tell you that I fully and completely embraced and practiced the Jedi philosophy everyday for years and quite often, I was never able to “do” many things.  Even thought today I embrace a philosophy that believes that human consciousness can excite and manipulate matter if the will is strong enough, it is not as simple as just thinking “do” and things are “done”.  For the mind to be strong enough to just “do”, one’s will must be trained and this requires one to reverse and/or release much of the thinking one has come to trust and rely upon.  It requires one to work hard everyday to embody that, which he or she wants to personify, but in time…one will be successful and he or she will actually be “doing”. 

I think in “do…or do not, there is no try” is as profound as it is powerful, however “try…and try hard, eventually you will be doing” is pretty good for those of us living in the Milky Way Galaxy and not the Galaxy Far, Far Away.

From my mid-teens into my early to mid-twenties I didn’t mind working out.  Back then it wasn’t about keeping fit or being healthy as it was about “celebrating and reveling in my youth”, the healthy and fit part was a bonus!  Back then there was no rush or need to hit the gym or go jogging. 

I was always on the go and constantly active.  Between work, a social life and lots of sports, my exercises requirements were always met.   Now, I’m in my mid 30′s its a different story, today its a choir…a pain the ass to put it bluntly.  Today IT IS about my heath and keeping fit.  Everyday its something.  Weights, running, Tai-Chi…something, yet I found that if I keep my physical activities congruent with my spiritual and mental activities its not bad. 

I have a willing desire to expand and develop my mind and soul and by extending that same enthusiasm to the physical aspect of my being it goes by without the dread commonly associated with HAVING TO DO A THING.  The older we get the less we (want to) do the things we  need to do because we become adult-minded, hard and stubborn…comfortable and complacent with our thinking.  However,  a union of mind, body and soul can not come manifest with just mind and soul, mind and body or body and soul…all must be exercised, developed and challenged.

When you don’t want to do it…think Mind, Body & Soul and just get it done!

The Order of Ashla Knights came back on-line 26 – Jan – 2010 and while I anticipated what this moment would feel like after nearly a year and a half of being off-line…I was wrong.  I could not have imagined how incredibly wonderful it feels to be back and running.  To see the names and read the words from some of the very best and brightest of our core membership is overwhelming, quite honestly…it is nothing sort of humbling.  While the new Order has moved from its original ideological roots, the new philosophy and mission keep the Order of Ashla Knights parallel to the core elements of our original path.

It is an exciting time and there are many more new and bold aspects of Ashla Knights that will be coming soon.