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Syncretic Thought
Shall we discuss syncretism? Syncretism is an ancient term. It originally referred to a political organization around the kingdom of Crete which gives an early clue as to it’s meaning. If you take an inclusive view of diverse schools of thought, if you entertain the notion that otherwise discrete belief systems can be held together…
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Contemporary Syncretism
The history of syncretism is really vast planet wide. Shall we look at contemporary syncretism? With the brain initiative, as well as previous shifts in thinking in both spiritual groups as well as nominally secular schools of thought, we are beginning to test and examine traditional beliefs as they manifest in day to day down…
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The Force
I don’t intend to discuss Star Wars as allegory or anything. Like many great works of fiction, or those that had the potential to be great, there are solid ideas behind the Star Wars concepts that either closely parallel real world principles or even draw directly from them. The core concept necessary for understanding Jedi…
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Jedi Code: First and Second Precepts
The first principle being… There is no emotion, there is peace. Emotion confines us to our restricted personal sensitivities, our compulsive habits. If we embrace the notion of the Force, and what it might have to offer us in understanding the world, we would come to see that at any given time everything and everyone…
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Jedi Code: Third and Fourth Precepts
There is no passion, there is serenity. As we go through our lives we tend to become heavily invested in the various things we do, and because of that, we often are blinded to what our efforts, and what achieving our goals, would really mean, what it would all actually accomplish. Having feelings about what…
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Jedi Code: Fifth Precept
So shall we do the fifth and final precept? There is no death, there is the Force. Many of our leading contemporary scientists in neuropsychology, and as social science advocates of something they call terror management theory, basically all human behaviour as it is exhibited today, is driven by a fear of death. So we either…
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Jedi Disciplines
I will touch upon two Jedi disciplines, briefly, by way of explanation of the precepts. The first practice is control. This is ultimately mastering the Force as it is embodied within you. Understanding the Force that manifests as your own being. It’s what allows for experiences like being in the zone, but it can allow…
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Sith Code: Passion, Strength, Power
Last, we spoke of the Jedi code / Jedi spirituality. Each statement of the code : refers not to individuals, but to the force / life principle / anthropic principle itself. The most fundamental conclusion of the Jedi is that underlying everything is a peaceful spirit, that ultimately everything seeks to live in harmony and…
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Sith Code: Action Statement
Shall we move on to the next statement of the Sith code? Through power, I gain victory. We seek many things in life. We strive to solve our problems the best we can. Do any of our problems stay solved for very long, really? Nope. When I solve a problem, usually someone else comes along…
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Sith Code: Through Victory
The next Sith statement is … Through victory, my chains are broken. How much of a sense of agency do you have in your life? Do you really feel responsible or in charge of what goes on? Does it feel like the world itself is using you? I sometimes have to get angry to get…
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Sith Code: Path of Freedom
The last statement of the Sith code is … The force shall free me. Life moves to make better and stronger living things, promote adaption and evolution. All the suffering and confusion ultimately serves the greater good of life itself, and the choice to sink or swim is up to the individual. There is no…
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Sith and Jedi Paths
Would you say the Sith path is evil? I wouldn’t. Is the Jedi path genuinely, completely good? Not as you describe it, but they do tend to blow up planets. Yes, there is that potential. The Jedi get twisted as well. Arguably, Jedi also tend to let planets get blown up, leaving it up to…
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Nightsisters of Dathomir
Today, we are talking about the model of the Force and spiritual principles held by the Nightsisters of Dathomir. Like real world shamanism, they view the force as a web of life, everything in the physical world drawing strength, as well as essential nature, from the Force which the Nightsisters see as the spirit world.…
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Nightsisters Talent & Training
The Dathomiri witch clans originally received their training in the Force from a renegade Jedi named Allya, and the various witch clans do not all subscribe to the same tradition of magick/Force use. Originally, Allya taught them to use the force in a way that was the reason the Jedi removed her from their order,…
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Nightsisters View of the Force
So yes, the Nightsisters see no real difference between the healing influence of the Winged Goddess and the strengthening influence of the Fanged God. Together, they are seen as the essence of natures vigour, and not unlike the Mikyo monks of Japan, Nightsisters undergo periodic periods of isolation in the Dathomir wilderness as they do…
Category: Syncretism
Syncretism is a an ancient term originally referring to a political organization around the kingdom of Crete. If you take an inclusive view of diverse schools of thought, if you entertain the notion that otherwise discrete belief systems can be held together mutually, that they correspond to each other in any way, that is syncretic thought.
I argue that human beings are naturally syncretic thinkers, instinctively so. Insistence of exclusivity in doctrine and purity of practice seemed confined only to those cultures with some measure of xenophobia or cultural prejudice. The history of syncretism is vast planet wide.