1 00:00:27,195 --> 00:00:28,729 Could you ever be a Jedi, do you think? 2 00:00:28,762 --> 00:00:31,465 - I mean, I know what it is, Star Wars, the idea of it, 3 00:00:31,499 --> 00:00:32,800 but what is it practically? 4 00:00:32,833 --> 00:00:34,802 What do you actually do? 5 00:00:34,835 --> 00:00:37,738 - I feel that it is a good belief system, 6 00:00:37,771 --> 00:00:40,741 but I do not personally believe that it could be a religion. 7 00:00:40,774 --> 00:00:43,411 - Jedi is anti-Christ. 8 00:00:47,848 --> 00:00:50,318 - Like, it's not just a fandom, it's this unique, 9 00:00:50,351 --> 00:00:54,622 amazing pop culture thing that has been going since 1977. 10 00:00:56,657 --> 00:00:59,527 We're in the middle of Comic-Con with more people dressed up 11 00:00:59,560 --> 00:01:02,363 in Star Wars outfits than I've ever seen in my life. 12 00:01:02,396 --> 00:01:06,667 - Most of us have tried the Jedi mind trick at least once. 13 00:01:08,869 --> 00:01:11,772 - If Jediism became a lot like Catholicism, Christianity, 14 00:01:11,805 --> 00:01:13,774 or anything else, I think I'd be a little worried. 15 00:01:13,807 --> 00:01:15,109 - I think the whole idea of a Jedi as religion 16 00:01:15,143 --> 00:01:16,310 is rather weird. 17 00:01:16,344 --> 00:01:19,113 - Jedi as a religion, I think is great. 18 00:01:19,147 --> 00:01:22,550 If people wanna believe in that, go ahead. 19 00:01:24,418 --> 00:01:26,154 - I can see where people get into it 20 00:01:26,187 --> 00:01:28,722 as a much deeper sense of being. 21 00:01:29,923 --> 00:01:31,859 Are you following a Jedi master? 22 00:01:31,892 --> 00:01:33,794 How do you become a Jedi master? 23 00:01:33,827 --> 00:01:36,197 Is there a Yoda level person? 24 00:01:36,230 --> 00:01:39,833 - There ain't no Darth Vader in the Bible. 25 00:01:42,236 --> 00:01:44,138 - I think people turn away from organized religion 26 00:01:44,172 --> 00:01:46,840 because it's too structured. 27 00:01:46,874 --> 00:01:48,909 - With Star Wars, you have people that have 28 00:01:48,942 --> 00:01:52,180 watched the movie 50, 60 times. 29 00:01:52,213 --> 00:01:54,815 They haven't read the Bible twice and yet they'll tell me 30 00:01:54,848 --> 00:01:58,152 I'm fanatical because I believe my Bible. 31 00:01:58,186 --> 00:02:01,155 I say they're the real fanatics. 32 00:02:05,359 --> 00:02:06,894 - I think that Jediism as a world 33 00:02:06,927 --> 00:02:09,397 religion would be awesome. 34 00:02:09,430 --> 00:02:12,900 - It could happen, I can see people becoming Jedis. 35 00:02:12,933 --> 00:02:14,602 I mean, look at Harry Potter, and 36 00:02:14,635 --> 00:02:18,172 people play Quidditch all the time like it's a real sport. 37 00:02:18,206 --> 00:02:21,875 - Hey, it's for them, good cause to pursue. 38 00:02:24,712 --> 00:02:25,913 - Questions, I have so many questions. 39 00:02:25,946 --> 00:02:27,615 Maybe I might be a follower. 40 00:02:27,648 --> 00:02:30,184 - I don't think any reasonable human being could be a Jedi. 41 00:02:30,218 --> 00:02:32,453 - I would love to be a Jedi. 42 00:02:50,671 --> 00:02:53,907 A 2001 census recognized Jediism 43 00:02:53,941 --> 00:02:55,909 as an official religion. 44 00:02:55,943 --> 00:02:58,512 620 Serbs identify as Jedi. 45 00:02:59,613 --> 00:03:02,250 15,000 people from the Czech Republic, 46 00:03:02,283 --> 00:03:05,253 21,000 Canadians, 70,000 Australians. 47 00:03:06,587 --> 00:03:10,224 In the United Kingdom over 400,000 people 48 00:03:10,258 --> 00:03:12,360 declare themselves Jedi, 49 00:03:12,393 --> 00:03:15,396 making it the fourth largest religion in the country. 50 00:03:15,429 --> 00:03:17,965 No such census has been taken in America, 51 00:03:17,998 --> 00:03:20,968 but Jediism continues to grow. 52 00:03:21,001 --> 00:03:22,970 - When people come to the Jedi community, 53 00:03:23,003 --> 00:03:25,973 it's not about who they are when they join us. 54 00:03:26,006 --> 00:03:27,841 It's about who they aspire to be. 55 00:03:27,875 --> 00:03:29,843 - And we're gonna ask some very deep, 56 00:03:29,877 --> 00:03:32,880 probing, internal questions. 57 00:03:32,913 --> 00:03:34,915 And we wanna see what's their reaction. 58 00:03:34,948 --> 00:03:39,219 - What do you have to give and what do you have to give up? 59 00:03:40,053 --> 00:03:42,490 This is the story of three Jedi 60 00:03:42,523 --> 00:03:44,958 on their path to knighthood. 61 00:03:54,502 --> 00:03:57,438 - I'm Opie Macleod and I'm a Jedi. 62 00:03:58,872 --> 00:04:00,674 The dishes are still in the sink, huh? 63 00:04:00,708 --> 00:04:02,776 Big surprise, good job. 64 00:04:02,810 --> 00:04:05,746 Way to stay on top of it, Jedi. 65 00:04:05,779 --> 00:04:09,483 That's a pretty good impression of my mom, too, 66 00:04:09,517 --> 00:04:10,851 just so you know. 67 00:04:10,884 --> 00:04:12,953 Opie is my son. 68 00:04:12,986 --> 00:04:15,856 His real name is Kevin, I call him Kev, 69 00:04:15,889 --> 00:04:18,959 but to everybody else he's Opie, always has been. 70 00:04:18,992 --> 00:04:20,394 As a matter of fact, he used to ask me 71 00:04:20,428 --> 00:04:23,697 to go pay to change his name to Kevin Macleod. 72 00:04:23,731 --> 00:04:26,600 At church, he asked the minister, when he got up there, 73 00:04:26,634 --> 00:04:28,068 "Don't call me by my name." 74 00:04:28,101 --> 00:04:31,539 So when Larry read off his name, Kevin Trout, he's... 75 00:04:31,572 --> 00:04:33,674 "I told you not to call me that!" 76 00:04:33,707 --> 00:04:35,876 But he got teased so much about the Trout 77 00:04:35,909 --> 00:04:39,079 that he wanted to change his name to Macleod, 78 00:04:39,112 --> 00:04:40,581 because he liked the Highlander. 79 00:04:40,614 --> 00:04:43,551 But now he's just Opie Macleod. 80 00:04:43,584 --> 00:04:45,486 - You know, a Jedi eats with dishes, 81 00:04:45,519 --> 00:04:47,855 they gotta clean the dishes. 82 00:04:47,888 --> 00:04:49,323 Yeah, Luke Skywalker, I guess, 83 00:04:49,357 --> 00:04:51,792 had C-3PO to handle his dishes. 84 00:04:51,825 --> 00:04:53,561 I don't have C-3PO. 85 00:04:53,594 --> 00:04:54,828 Han Solo was always cool 86 00:04:54,862 --> 00:04:57,931 but I just wanted to be in that swamp with Yoda. 87 00:04:57,965 --> 00:05:00,334 That was awesome. 88 00:05:00,368 --> 00:05:01,001 I love the teaching. 89 00:05:01,034 --> 00:05:02,603 I love... 90 00:05:02,636 --> 00:05:05,373 I loved how Yoda's introduced as a crazy old hermit, 91 00:05:05,406 --> 00:05:06,807 and I love the idea of that 92 00:05:06,840 --> 00:05:09,910 someone can be so confident in themselves, 93 00:05:09,943 --> 00:05:12,580 so assured of their abilities and their knowledge 94 00:05:12,613 --> 00:05:16,884 that they can act the complete fool and not care. 95 00:05:18,419 --> 00:05:20,354 That grabbed me when I was a kid and it's always stuck. 96 00:05:20,388 --> 00:05:22,122 He used to get in trouble quite often 97 00:05:22,155 --> 00:05:24,892 because he would always go and help other kids, 98 00:05:24,925 --> 00:05:27,661 even if a kid was on the bad side. 99 00:05:27,695 --> 00:05:29,129 He thought by befriending him, 100 00:05:29,162 --> 00:05:32,866 he could turn his life into the good side. 101 00:05:32,900 --> 00:05:34,902 Except for a time when he was trying to 102 00:05:34,935 --> 00:05:38,606 change the wrong people and those people changed him. 103 00:05:42,510 --> 00:05:43,944 - I was thinking about getting a tattoo 104 00:05:43,977 --> 00:05:47,581 to signify the first stages, because it... 105 00:05:47,615 --> 00:05:51,385 One, it was signifying kinda how all Jedi start out, 106 00:05:51,419 --> 00:05:54,154 with that fictional idea, that fictional inspiration, 107 00:05:54,187 --> 00:05:56,123 the idea that you wanna be wielding the lightsaber 108 00:05:56,156 --> 00:05:58,025 and you wanna be moving things with your mind, 109 00:05:58,058 --> 00:06:00,127 you wanna be battling the dark forces of the galaxy 110 00:06:00,160 --> 00:06:02,162 and saving the day. 111 00:06:03,130 --> 00:06:04,164 What's that say, Jedi? 112 00:06:04,197 --> 00:06:05,165 - Jedi Knight. 113 00:06:06,934 --> 00:06:08,168 Yes, Knight. 114 00:06:08,201 --> 00:06:10,671 It goes all the way around. 115 00:06:11,772 --> 00:06:13,140 What do you think of the tattoo? 116 00:06:13,173 --> 00:06:14,808 - I'm not much on tattoos. 117 00:06:18,712 --> 00:06:20,514 Firstly, I hate needles. 118 00:06:20,548 --> 00:06:22,450 He basically dropped out of church, 119 00:06:22,483 --> 00:06:24,151 'cause he used to go to church every Sunday. 120 00:06:24,184 --> 00:06:28,055 - It did become kind of that negative view of God. 121 00:06:28,088 --> 00:06:29,557 God, I believe in God. 122 00:06:29,590 --> 00:06:31,091 I don't like him. 123 00:06:31,124 --> 00:06:33,727 What's your main reason for hating God? 124 00:06:33,761 --> 00:06:37,898 - Seeing friends get hurt, seeing innocent people get hurt, 125 00:06:37,931 --> 00:06:40,601 innocent animals, for no reason, like, 126 00:06:40,634 --> 00:06:42,970 it didn't make sense to me why a good person 127 00:06:43,003 --> 00:06:46,206 or someone who's doing good in their lives 128 00:06:46,239 --> 00:06:49,577 would all of a sudden come across someone that was like me 129 00:06:49,610 --> 00:06:52,212 and my friends at the time, who were doing bad things. 130 00:06:52,245 --> 00:06:55,549 Why would a deity place someone in that path? 131 00:06:55,583 --> 00:06:59,853 - They saw somebody and they went over and beat the kid up. 132 00:07:01,188 --> 00:07:02,456 Apparently, he was supposed to beat him up too, you know, 133 00:07:02,490 --> 00:07:03,991 to be part of the gang. 134 00:07:04,024 --> 00:07:06,494 So I got arrested and the judge sentenced me 135 00:07:06,527 --> 00:07:09,863 to serve one year in Camp Louis Roth, 136 00:07:09,897 --> 00:07:13,000 which is a correctional fire camp. 137 00:07:13,033 --> 00:07:15,135 I had no idea what I was getting into. 138 00:07:15,168 --> 00:07:17,137 - He didn't really wanna be there and he kept trying to say 139 00:07:17,170 --> 00:07:19,239 get me out, get me out, I'd say I can't, you know, 140 00:07:19,272 --> 00:07:20,207 you've really messed this time, 141 00:07:20,240 --> 00:07:23,511 I can't do anything about this. 142 00:07:23,544 --> 00:07:26,947 So, you're gonna have to change, it's you this time. 143 00:07:26,980 --> 00:07:31,451 - We start off with confusion, mistakes, negative karma. 144 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:36,156 But all of that, there's not one single mistake 145 00:07:37,925 --> 00:07:43,531 or delusion that cannot be removed through wisdom. 146 00:07:43,564 --> 00:07:47,601 - Before I went in, I'd seen the re-release of the trilogies 147 00:07:47,635 --> 00:07:50,170 in the theaters, and that was kind of sitting on me 148 00:07:50,203 --> 00:07:52,105 that entire time. 149 00:07:52,139 --> 00:07:54,575 And I kinda of felt like part of training, 150 00:07:54,608 --> 00:07:56,176 you have a brick in your backpack 151 00:07:56,209 --> 00:07:57,878 and you have to climb up this mountain, 152 00:07:57,911 --> 00:08:00,247 and you have to do it in a certain amount of time. 153 00:08:00,280 --> 00:08:02,583 And I just kept thinking like, it's Yoda on my back, 154 00:08:02,616 --> 00:08:05,553 I'm in Dagobah, feel the Force, you know, 155 00:08:05,586 --> 00:08:08,989 I was just using that to kind of push through. 156 00:08:09,022 --> 00:08:10,558 You know what, if that worked for me, 157 00:08:10,591 --> 00:08:12,059 there's gotta be a real Jedi out there. 158 00:08:12,092 --> 00:08:15,028 There's gotta be a Jedi Master out there. 159 00:08:15,062 --> 00:08:16,964 So I went online, I ran across this site 160 00:08:16,997 --> 00:08:22,002 that presented it in a way that made it seem viable. 161 00:08:22,035 --> 00:08:23,236 Here's stuff in the fiction, 162 00:08:23,270 --> 00:08:26,006 but they're presenting it as if they're saying go live it. 163 00:08:26,039 --> 00:08:28,909 And that's when it kinda first... 164 00:08:30,878 --> 00:08:32,613 Why can't I be a Jedi? 165 00:08:32,646 --> 00:08:36,550 - Jedi is a code, it's a system of honor, 166 00:08:36,584 --> 00:08:38,819 it's protocols of behavior. 167 00:08:38,852 --> 00:08:40,954 It's a way of viewing the self, and 168 00:08:40,988 --> 00:08:43,090 the universe, and others. 169 00:08:43,123 --> 00:08:47,027 In what, to me, looks like very beneficial ways. 170 00:08:47,060 --> 00:08:51,531 This is it, I found what I'm looking for. 171 00:08:52,666 --> 00:08:55,603 - There is a moment when it occurs to Luke 172 00:08:55,636 --> 00:08:57,571 that he might become a Jedi, 173 00:08:57,605 --> 00:09:00,240 he might seek that role in life, 174 00:09:00,273 --> 00:09:03,076 he might go into the training and it's very arduous 175 00:09:03,110 --> 00:09:06,113 and would ask a lot, but he begins to see that 176 00:09:06,146 --> 00:09:08,849 as a possible option for himself 177 00:09:08,882 --> 00:09:12,620 and to have at least enough initial faith in himself 178 00:09:12,653 --> 00:09:17,658 that he can see it could happen, and this is an aha moment, 179 00:09:17,691 --> 00:09:19,727 this is a real turning point. 180 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:24,031 - Film can expose the values that we have as a culture. 181 00:09:26,266 --> 00:09:30,303 And how we, as individuals, also carry forth 182 00:09:30,337 --> 00:09:32,305 our world view all the time. 183 00:09:40,681 --> 00:09:43,050 - Joseph Campbell worked with symbolism. 184 00:09:43,083 --> 00:09:45,619 He was looking at the mythic imagination, 185 00:09:45,653 --> 00:09:47,721 how a picture is worth 1,000 words 186 00:09:47,755 --> 00:09:49,657 and movies are all pictures. 187 00:09:49,690 --> 00:09:53,093 And so, we bring our interest, our attention, 188 00:09:53,126 --> 00:09:55,829 and we meditate on a series of images 189 00:09:55,863 --> 00:09:59,399 and walk away feeling like more has been communicated 190 00:09:59,432 --> 00:10:03,236 than just the storyline of the film, and it has. 191 00:10:03,270 --> 00:10:08,408 And so, the imagination is rich in this particular art form 192 00:10:08,441 --> 00:10:11,411 and that is part of why Jediism is more powerful 193 00:10:11,444 --> 00:10:14,682 and more compelling and ultimately perhaps 194 00:10:14,715 --> 00:10:18,385 more rewarding than some other recent religious movements. 195 00:10:18,418 --> 00:10:21,088 - I think that when people do... 196 00:10:21,121 --> 00:10:24,958 When they create these, you know, stories, movies, 197 00:10:24,992 --> 00:10:27,961 whether it's a novel or a film, 198 00:10:27,995 --> 00:10:31,164 that it's not meant to be taken externally. 199 00:10:31,198 --> 00:10:36,036 It's meant to be a story for our own hearts. 200 00:10:36,069 --> 00:10:38,706 - Most folks who go to movies really love it 201 00:10:38,739 --> 00:10:44,745 when I talk about... Star Wars, Star Wars, 202 00:10:44,778 --> 00:10:47,848 because they've had that experience of sitting there. 203 00:10:47,881 --> 00:10:51,451 And, really... 204 00:10:51,484 --> 00:10:53,821 Were moved when they saw the movie 205 00:10:53,854 --> 00:10:55,723 and now they're sitting in church, 206 00:10:55,756 --> 00:10:58,425 and they get a chance to connect that experience 207 00:10:58,458 --> 00:11:00,961 in the movies with their faith. 208 00:11:00,994 --> 00:11:03,430 And they say, "Ah, oh, wow." 209 00:11:04,832 --> 00:11:06,734 - One of my best friends in martial arts class, 210 00:11:06,767 --> 00:11:07,634 he came up to me, he says, 211 00:11:07,667 --> 00:11:09,369 "Did you know Jedi is a real religion?" 212 00:11:09,402 --> 00:11:11,004 And I told him, no, you're lying, man. 213 00:11:11,038 --> 00:11:14,041 So I looked it up and sure enough, it was an actual thing, 214 00:11:14,074 --> 00:11:15,743 people were doing it. 215 00:11:15,776 --> 00:11:17,778 - All the stormtroopers were lined up in one area 216 00:11:17,811 --> 00:11:20,113 and they had to do their buckets off shot. 217 00:11:20,147 --> 00:11:21,815 So they took their helmets off 218 00:11:21,849 --> 00:11:23,984 and there was this one woman there, 219 00:11:24,017 --> 00:11:26,820 her blond hair just cascaded down and I was like, 220 00:11:26,854 --> 00:11:27,788 oh, my God. 221 00:11:28,455 --> 00:11:29,857 I have to do that. 222 00:11:29,890 --> 00:11:31,825 - Along the path of enlightenment, 223 00:11:31,859 --> 00:11:34,194 along the path of knighthood, 224 00:11:34,227 --> 00:11:36,730 gender doesn't really make a difference. 225 00:11:36,764 --> 00:11:39,399 - My name is Perris Cartwright and I'm a Jedi. 226 00:11:39,432 --> 00:11:41,902 I met Perris in the online Jedi community, 227 00:11:41,935 --> 00:11:43,937 where she goes by the name War Beauty. 228 00:11:43,971 --> 00:11:46,406 We've been friends for about three years now. 229 00:11:46,439 --> 00:11:50,043 Perris is amazing, I've been mentoring her for the past year. 230 00:11:50,077 --> 00:11:52,112 I nominated her to test for knighthood 231 00:11:52,145 --> 00:11:53,446 at this year's Jedi gathering. 232 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:55,248 So, now Perris and I will be going 233 00:11:55,282 --> 00:11:56,449 through the trials together. 234 00:11:56,483 --> 00:12:00,754 - Being nominated by Opie is, in my opinion, a big deal, 235 00:12:00,788 --> 00:12:05,893 because he's, arguably, the longest active standing member 236 00:12:05,926 --> 00:12:08,962 of the entire community since the '90s. 237 00:12:08,996 --> 00:12:12,232 He helped mold and shape most of Jediism 238 00:12:12,265 --> 00:12:14,001 into to what it is today. 239 00:12:14,034 --> 00:12:15,368 To have him look at you and be like, 240 00:12:15,402 --> 00:12:17,270 "You're worthy to be knighted, 241 00:12:17,304 --> 00:12:21,775 "I endorse you with my own name," that's pretty awesome. 242 00:12:22,475 --> 00:12:24,444 - At some point early on, you meet a mentor. 243 00:12:24,477 --> 00:12:27,347 There is a guide who is willing to show you the ropes, 244 00:12:27,380 --> 00:12:29,216 and they're around, sometimes it takes 245 00:12:29,249 --> 00:12:31,852 some work to find them, but in mysterious ways, 246 00:12:31,885 --> 00:12:34,521 sometimes the mentor and apprentice find each other 247 00:12:34,554 --> 00:12:38,325 just because it's the right time. 248 00:12:38,358 --> 00:12:40,994 Perris has known of me for a long time. 249 00:12:41,028 --> 00:12:42,462 Believe it or not, 250 00:12:42,495 --> 00:12:44,564 this is the first time that we're meeting in person. 251 00:12:44,597 --> 00:12:47,167 I think it's always interesting. 252 00:12:47,200 --> 00:12:48,168 Do you shake hands? 253 00:12:48,201 --> 00:12:49,169 Do you wave? 254 00:12:49,202 --> 00:12:50,137 Do you give a hug? 255 00:12:50,170 --> 00:12:51,805 I don't... 256 00:12:51,839 --> 00:12:52,840 I never know. 257 00:12:54,474 --> 00:12:56,844 Parking lot of a Chili's. 258 00:12:56,877 --> 00:12:59,880 The grand adventure continues. 259 00:12:59,913 --> 00:13:01,414 There she is. 260 00:13:01,448 --> 00:13:03,550 - My fucking sandals are melting to the asphalt, 261 00:13:03,583 --> 00:13:05,185 it's so hot today. 262 00:13:08,621 --> 00:13:09,556 - Nothing. 263 00:13:09,589 --> 00:13:10,490 Playing World of Warcraft. 264 00:13:10,523 --> 00:13:11,825 - Sounds exciting. 265 00:13:12,325 --> 00:13:13,426 Yeah. 266 00:13:14,494 --> 00:13:15,662 - As long as you can knock out the academic stuff. 267 00:13:15,695 --> 00:13:16,763 - I've been writing everything on flashcards beforehand, 268 00:13:16,796 --> 00:13:19,566 post-it notes, tattooing it on my wrists like Mulan. 269 00:13:19,599 --> 00:13:21,534 - And there's a lot in it for the mentor. 270 00:13:21,568 --> 00:13:23,570 The mentor went through all this before 271 00:13:23,603 --> 00:13:24,437 and values it greatly, 272 00:13:24,471 --> 00:13:26,506 and has a big investment in the newbies, 273 00:13:26,539 --> 00:13:28,475 the next wave coming forward. 274 00:13:28,508 --> 00:13:29,877 And, of course, there's an enormous 275 00:13:29,910 --> 00:13:32,045 amount in it for the initiate. 276 00:13:32,079 --> 00:13:34,514 - This is gonna be heavy hitter. 277 00:13:34,547 --> 00:13:37,384 This is the all-star team that they're questioning. 278 00:13:37,417 --> 00:13:39,552 These are gonna be the big league questions. 279 00:13:39,586 --> 00:13:41,488 These are gonna be the questions that 280 00:13:41,521 --> 00:13:42,355 you people would get for Masters, 281 00:13:42,389 --> 00:13:45,092 and they're gonna grill us so hard. 282 00:13:45,125 --> 00:13:47,294 - I mean, you go in there, you be a Jedi. 283 00:13:47,327 --> 00:13:48,862 That's all it is, that's all it is. 284 00:13:48,896 --> 00:13:49,863 - It might be hard. 285 00:13:49,897 --> 00:13:51,364 I don't know. - I don't know. 286 00:13:51,398 --> 00:13:53,901 - Yeah, you just act like you're doing everyday life. 287 00:13:53,934 --> 00:13:56,003 - So, companions along the way are crucial. 288 00:13:56,036 --> 00:13:58,438 We have company, it is not that lonely, 289 00:13:58,471 --> 00:14:01,641 in fact, we need to be able to work well in a team. 290 00:14:01,674 --> 00:14:05,278 - She's a veteran of one of our recent wars. 291 00:14:05,312 --> 00:14:09,249 She married a military man and he doesn't get the Jedi path, 292 00:14:09,282 --> 00:14:11,952 he doesn't respect it, so he has comments. 293 00:14:11,985 --> 00:14:16,589 - Yes, my husband is the biggest troll of Jediism ever. 294 00:14:16,623 --> 00:14:18,591 Anytime I talk to any of my friends on Skype 295 00:14:18,625 --> 00:14:22,395 or I'm telling him about Jediism, he'll just be like, 296 00:14:22,429 --> 00:14:25,966 "Oh, where is Obi-Wan and your lightsaber, ha." 297 00:14:25,999 --> 00:14:28,601 Probably most people in society would think that it's weird. 298 00:14:28,635 --> 00:14:33,340 Ya' know it's got the, either geek or dork or nerd... 299 00:14:33,373 --> 00:14:37,344 Whichever Darth Sidious or frikkin' Mr.Force Powers, or whatever. 300 00:14:37,377 --> 00:14:40,147 Ya' know, one's bad and one's just annoying. 301 00:14:40,180 --> 00:14:42,916 - She's out of the Marines now and what she does now, 302 00:14:42,950 --> 00:14:44,217 is she's a makeup artist. 303 00:14:44,251 --> 00:14:45,618 She goes around on different photo shoots 304 00:14:45,652 --> 00:14:47,687 as well as walking the Jedi path. 305 00:14:47,720 --> 00:14:50,457 I've basically stated by putting her name forward 306 00:14:50,490 --> 00:14:53,994 that I view her as a Jedi Knight. 307 00:14:54,027 --> 00:14:58,298 So if she doesn't pass, that reflects negatively on me 308 00:15:00,000 --> 00:15:02,369 and my standards and my judgment 309 00:15:02,402 --> 00:15:04,637 on what makes a Jedi Knight. 310 00:15:04,671 --> 00:15:07,107 - I'm a veteran, I served honorably for four years, 311 00:15:07,140 --> 00:15:08,541 but it just wasn't for me. 312 00:15:08,575 --> 00:15:11,544 And the transition from Marine Corps to makeup artist 313 00:15:11,578 --> 00:15:13,013 was a really fascinating one. 314 00:15:13,046 --> 00:15:14,414 I felt like the Marine Corps 315 00:15:14,447 --> 00:15:18,318 was such a masculine environment, that I couldn't... 316 00:15:18,351 --> 00:15:21,321 That femininity was really discouraged, 317 00:15:21,354 --> 00:15:22,722 even by the women there. 318 00:15:22,755 --> 00:15:24,091 And there was a point where 319 00:15:24,124 --> 00:15:25,692 the Commandant wanted to get rid 320 00:15:25,725 --> 00:15:27,694 of skirts and like, pantyhose. 321 00:15:27,727 --> 00:15:30,630 And I hate pantyhose, but that was just such a... 322 00:15:30,663 --> 00:15:33,333 It felt like such a violation of being feminine 323 00:15:33,366 --> 00:15:36,703 that I wanted to kind of help 324 00:15:36,736 --> 00:15:38,738 restore some of that to the world. 325 00:15:38,771 --> 00:15:40,407 And that's why I'm a makeup artist now. 326 00:15:40,440 --> 00:15:42,709 It's because I like making things beautiful, 327 00:15:42,742 --> 00:15:44,311 I like making people feel beautiful, 328 00:15:44,344 --> 00:15:46,713 I like making women feel beautiful. 329 00:15:46,746 --> 00:15:51,018 To an extent I feel that there's a lot of weight to pass. 330 00:15:52,519 --> 00:15:54,287 - Perris, what practice do you have 331 00:15:54,321 --> 00:15:58,191 that enhances your spiritual well 332 00:15:58,225 --> 00:15:59,659 - Currently, the practice that enhances 333 00:15:59,692 --> 00:16:02,429 my spiritual well-being is Shamanism. 334 00:16:02,462 --> 00:16:04,998 - You left the Jedi path and haven't been a part of it. 335 00:16:05,032 --> 00:16:08,268 You had to go through a tough ordeal, right? 336 00:16:08,301 --> 00:16:11,004 What was that ordeal specifically? 337 00:16:11,038 --> 00:16:12,672 How did it make you feel? 338 00:16:12,705 --> 00:16:16,143 - I kind of had a breakup with the Jedi organization 339 00:16:16,176 --> 00:16:19,012 I had been a part of for seven years, 340 00:16:19,046 --> 00:16:20,313 and it was really tough. 341 00:16:20,347 --> 00:16:23,783 I came out of it depressed. 342 00:16:23,816 --> 00:16:27,587 And I kinda fell out for a year from the whole community. 343 00:16:27,620 --> 00:16:31,491 - Do you feel that the Jedi path is a sexual path? 344 00:16:31,524 --> 00:16:34,227 - I'm not gonna say that sexuality isn't a part of it, 345 00:16:34,261 --> 00:16:37,330 but I don't feel like that it is that. 346 00:16:37,364 --> 00:16:41,368 - How do you reconcile your sexuality with the Jedi path? 347 00:16:41,401 --> 00:16:45,038 Your overt sexuality with the Jedi path? 348 00:16:45,838 --> 00:16:47,707 - I don't need to reconcile it. 349 00:16:47,740 --> 00:16:51,478 It just is what it is, you know, it's free love to me. 350 00:16:51,511 --> 00:16:53,713 It's like a universal love concept, 351 00:16:53,746 --> 00:16:55,515 I don't believe in the tie-down. 352 00:16:55,548 --> 00:16:57,084 - Does that work with your practices 353 00:16:57,117 --> 00:17:00,153 or is it a conflicting thing within the practice 354 00:17:00,187 --> 00:17:01,654 and lifestyle of the Jedi path? 355 00:17:01,688 --> 00:17:03,290 - For me, it works. 356 00:17:03,323 --> 00:17:06,593 - What a lot of us liked about Princess Leia was 357 00:17:06,626 --> 00:17:09,296 she didn't take anything from anybody. 358 00:17:09,329 --> 00:17:10,697 I mean, she even stood up to, 359 00:17:10,730 --> 00:17:13,066 and talked back to Darth Vader, 360 00:17:13,100 --> 00:17:15,802 who had everybody else just shaking and quaking. 361 00:17:15,835 --> 00:17:19,072 But here was a very, very strong woman. 362 00:17:19,106 --> 00:17:21,074 Being a Jedi, and a Marine, 363 00:17:21,108 --> 00:17:22,742 it's a huge conflict of interest. 364 00:17:22,775 --> 00:17:24,244 The reality is really gruesome. 365 00:17:24,277 --> 00:17:26,679 It's like putting all of your best fighting dogs 366 00:17:26,713 --> 00:17:29,282 into one cage at nighttime, and then whoever makes it out 367 00:17:29,316 --> 00:17:32,752 gets put back into that cage again the next night. 368 00:17:32,785 --> 00:17:35,488 And that's what the Marine Corps is, essentially. 369 00:17:35,522 --> 00:17:37,524 It's a great organization and they do great things, 370 00:17:37,557 --> 00:17:41,261 but it's not peaceful, there's a lot of things that happen 371 00:17:41,294 --> 00:17:44,797 that are completely contradictory. 372 00:17:55,508 --> 00:17:56,876 I don't know, I'm not afraid to tell my story. 373 00:17:56,909 --> 00:18:00,580 And besides, I mean, people, they look at me... 374 00:18:00,613 --> 00:18:02,149 Three rapes, that's pretty hefty 375 00:18:02,182 --> 00:18:03,816 and it screwed me up for a lot of years. 376 00:18:03,850 --> 00:18:05,885 Recently, literally, in this past year, have just kind of 377 00:18:05,918 --> 00:18:12,592 come out of that victim mentality, kind of thing. 378 00:18:15,595 --> 00:18:18,165 They happened when I was 18 and 19. 379 00:18:18,198 --> 00:18:20,867 I'm 24, I'm almost 25, that was a lot of years ago. 380 00:18:20,900 --> 00:18:23,903 And so, people, they look at me like... 381 00:18:23,936 --> 00:18:25,405 They're either like, "I don't believe you 382 00:18:25,438 --> 00:18:26,673 "'cause you're so cavalier about it." 383 00:18:26,706 --> 00:18:28,775 Or like, "How can you talk so about it?" 384 00:18:28,808 --> 00:18:30,443 And like, "You're not very sensitive," and I'm like, 385 00:18:30,477 --> 00:18:33,880 no, I am sensitive, that's why I'm telling you, 386 00:18:33,913 --> 00:18:36,816 is because other people have been through this, 387 00:18:36,849 --> 00:18:40,187 it's a serious ordeal, it's like a piece of your soul, 388 00:18:40,220 --> 00:18:44,291 that gets ripped out and you may never get it back. 389 00:18:44,491 --> 00:18:46,259 But you need to know that. 390 00:18:46,293 --> 00:18:50,197 You wanted to know me, well, then, here you go, 391 00:18:51,231 --> 00:18:52,131 a piece of my soul was ripped out 392 00:18:52,165 --> 00:18:53,733 and I probably will never see it again. 393 00:18:53,766 --> 00:18:54,901 I had to, like, duct tape my heart back together 394 00:18:54,934 --> 00:18:55,768 several times, because it just went... 395 00:18:55,802 --> 00:18:59,172 And shattered into a million pieces. 396 00:18:59,206 --> 00:19:01,741 That's the ugly reality of life. 397 00:19:01,774 --> 00:19:04,311 And no, Jediism wasn't like a magic wand. 398 00:19:04,344 --> 00:19:06,946 Jediism wasn't some ultra, super 399 00:19:06,979 --> 00:19:09,582 secret way to fix everything. 400 00:19:09,616 --> 00:19:10,883 It was a learning process 401 00:19:10,917 --> 00:19:12,419 and it was like scraping my face 402 00:19:12,452 --> 00:19:14,787 against cement for a lot of years. 403 00:19:14,821 --> 00:19:17,524 - When a female has been disempowered by a male's 404 00:19:17,557 --> 00:19:19,326 misuse of power, particularly 405 00:19:19,359 --> 00:19:22,395 in a warrior situation, for her 406 00:19:22,429 --> 00:19:25,832 to be able to step out of that categorization 407 00:19:25,865 --> 00:19:29,202 and to rise above and become a warrior 408 00:19:29,236 --> 00:19:34,774 as the Jedi Knighting process helps do, 409 00:19:34,807 --> 00:19:38,878 then she becomes more than she was, she becomes more than 410 00:19:39,979 --> 00:19:41,781 what other people were trying to make her be, 411 00:19:41,814 --> 00:19:48,187 and she becomes an example to other people, women and men. 412 00:19:50,022 --> 00:19:51,958 After spending a week with Perris, 413 00:19:51,991 --> 00:19:55,395 it was hard to walk away. 414 00:19:55,428 --> 00:19:57,930 And now I can't help thinking about another girl 415 00:19:57,964 --> 00:20:01,268 who I trained to become a Jedi. 416 00:20:01,301 --> 00:20:03,570 We were married on the bridge of the Enterprise. 417 00:20:03,603 --> 00:20:06,239 The Starship Enterprise from Star Trek. 418 00:20:06,273 --> 00:20:09,709 At the time, the Hilton had Star Trek: The Experience. 419 00:20:09,742 --> 00:20:11,944 What you could do is shell out a little 420 00:20:11,978 --> 00:20:16,749 money and you can be married on the bridge. 421 00:20:16,783 --> 00:20:20,520 So, she was in a Star Trek-like wedding dress. 422 00:20:20,553 --> 00:20:24,257 I was in a suit and tie but my hair was done all funky. 423 00:20:24,291 --> 00:20:27,527 And we both loved Star Trek too, so, why not? 424 00:20:27,560 --> 00:20:30,797 We had created the Jedi Academy Online website together 425 00:20:30,830 --> 00:20:33,800 through this, and through our whole marriage, I mean, 426 00:20:33,833 --> 00:20:36,002 we both worked on it and we both ran it 427 00:20:36,035 --> 00:20:39,272 and we both, you know, put our time and effort into it. 428 00:20:39,306 --> 00:20:44,243 And through that, I met a Sith. 429 00:20:45,812 --> 00:20:48,014 - Being a Sith isn't something that you learn. 430 00:20:48,047 --> 00:20:51,851 I don't even know whether it's something that you choose. 431 00:20:51,884 --> 00:20:54,454 It's something that kind of happens to you. 432 00:20:54,487 --> 00:20:55,888 It's... 433 00:20:55,922 --> 00:20:58,625 You find yourself in a position, 434 00:20:58,658 --> 00:21:02,595 where the system failed you. 435 00:21:02,629 --> 00:21:04,297 - Interesting that Lucas came up 436 00:21:04,331 --> 00:21:08,335 with such Old Testament demonic imagery for the Sith. 437 00:21:08,368 --> 00:21:10,337 Here is the worst fear. 438 00:21:14,607 --> 00:21:16,643 - Your feeble skills are no match for 439 00:21:16,676 --> 00:21:19,712 the power of the Dark Side. 440 00:21:19,746 --> 00:21:23,082 - I think that the struggle that we go through 441 00:21:23,115 --> 00:21:27,887 in terms of choosing the good or the bad, 442 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:32,325 the good or the evil within us, is not to be underestimated. 443 00:21:33,526 --> 00:21:34,994 And how do you wanna be known? 444 00:21:35,027 --> 00:21:38,665 How do you want your name, your title, or your name? 445 00:21:38,698 --> 00:21:39,766 - Oh, God, just... 446 00:21:39,799 --> 00:21:41,000 Just, Sith? 447 00:21:41,033 --> 00:21:42,969 - Yeah, that's it, that's good enough. 448 00:21:43,002 --> 00:21:45,037 My name is Miles and I'm a Sith. 449 00:21:47,106 --> 00:21:48,708 Depends on who you ask. 450 00:21:48,741 --> 00:21:50,777 I wrote a book about it 451 00:21:50,810 --> 00:21:52,745 looking at all the different definitions 452 00:21:52,779 --> 00:21:56,549 and I still haven't found the perfect answer for that. 453 00:21:56,583 --> 00:21:58,485 - What do you say to mom and dad 454 00:21:58,518 --> 00:22:01,521 when they come and say their son is a Sith? 455 00:22:01,554 --> 00:22:03,122 Find out if it's a fantasy 456 00:22:03,155 --> 00:22:06,426 or if they're doing something else. 457 00:22:06,459 --> 00:22:08,461 'Cause if they're, you know, 458 00:22:08,495 --> 00:22:11,097 hurting cats in the backyard, then okay, 459 00:22:11,130 --> 00:22:12,632 have a look into it. 460 00:22:12,665 --> 00:22:16,936 Being a Sith is kind of a full time, 100% thing. 461 00:22:17,904 --> 00:22:22,409 Daily practices, nothing quite so formal. 462 00:22:22,442 --> 00:22:25,745 It's just every moment of every day 463 00:22:25,778 --> 00:22:29,649 you try to actively be connected to what you're doing. 464 00:22:29,682 --> 00:22:32,118 And actively be connected to what's around you. 465 00:22:32,151 --> 00:22:33,420 Would you say that the Jedis 466 00:22:33,453 --> 00:22:35,622 are more group oriented than the Sith? 467 00:22:35,655 --> 00:22:37,123 - I would say that the Jedi are 468 00:22:37,156 --> 00:22:39,892 far more group oriented than the Sith. 469 00:22:39,926 --> 00:22:44,397 For them, being a Jedi is being a member of the Jedi Order. 470 00:22:46,132 --> 00:22:49,436 Being a Sith is just, you're a Sith. 471 00:22:49,469 --> 00:22:52,004 In the Return of the Jedi, I was a fan of The Emperor. 472 00:22:52,038 --> 00:22:57,544 His presence, his mastery of his position, 473 00:22:57,577 --> 00:22:59,111 and his comfort in his position. 474 00:22:59,145 --> 00:23:01,914 - Your hate has made you powerful. 475 00:23:01,948 --> 00:23:07,119 Now fulfill your destiny 476 00:23:07,153 --> 00:23:10,523 and take your father's place at my side. 477 00:23:11,458 --> 00:23:12,892 - Sith is as Sith does. 478 00:23:12,925 --> 00:23:17,163 Makes his own choices and takes responsibility for 'em. 479 00:23:18,230 --> 00:23:20,433 My idea of good and evil has more 480 00:23:20,467 --> 00:23:22,435 to do with what do you create 481 00:23:22,469 --> 00:23:24,804 and what'll you allow entropy to take, 482 00:23:24,837 --> 00:23:27,607 that's where my standing on good and evil stands. 483 00:23:27,640 --> 00:23:34,046 And on that score, Sith are often quite good, 484 00:23:34,481 --> 00:23:36,516 because they're the ones that are done 485 00:23:36,549 --> 00:23:39,118 living with the status quo, they want change, 486 00:23:39,151 --> 00:23:40,887 they want something new. 487 00:23:40,920 --> 00:23:42,655 - Why are you filming Miles and all this? 488 00:23:42,689 --> 00:23:45,458 Because he wasn't involved in all this. 489 00:23:45,492 --> 00:23:47,694 - He's been involved with the Jedi community for a little bit, but... 490 00:23:51,764 --> 00:23:52,965 - Before I knew him. 491 00:23:52,999 --> 00:23:57,003 - The first time I met Opie, I was teaching my sword class. 492 00:23:58,505 --> 00:24:01,240 I was teaching for the Academy of European Fighting Arts. 493 00:24:01,273 --> 00:24:04,677 - I didn't think he was involved all this time that you and Michelle were... 494 00:24:07,213 --> 00:24:08,180 - The sword thing... 495 00:24:08,214 --> 00:24:10,817 When he was doing it out in the park in Burbank. 496 00:24:12,218 --> 00:24:15,988 - That's where we met. That's not why we met. 497 00:24:16,956 --> 00:24:18,257 I met him at the park 'cause he was 498 00:24:18,290 --> 00:24:19,792 doing stuff at the park, 499 00:24:19,826 --> 00:24:21,193 but then we went over to like islands, 500 00:24:21,227 --> 00:24:23,062 or we'd get something to eat, you know. 501 00:24:23,095 --> 00:24:24,597 Sit down, and we would talk. 502 00:24:24,631 --> 00:24:26,633 So yeah, we met online, but then... 503 00:24:26,666 --> 00:24:29,502 Yeah, met face to face, you know, at the park. 504 00:24:29,536 --> 00:24:31,003 All three of us got together... 505 00:24:31,037 --> 00:24:34,073 - And we had a wonderful conversation. 506 00:24:34,106 --> 00:24:36,509 Ate up a whole lot of time. 507 00:24:36,543 --> 00:24:38,144 Just seemed to fly. 508 00:24:38,177 --> 00:24:39,245 He's a passionate guy. 509 00:24:39,278 --> 00:24:40,513 I love it, because I... 510 00:24:40,547 --> 00:24:42,181 Talk about a passionate guy. 511 00:24:42,214 --> 00:24:43,082 I just... 512 00:24:43,115 --> 00:24:45,685 I even told him, at the time, I said, 513 00:24:45,718 --> 00:24:47,654 you are one of the most respected 514 00:24:47,687 --> 00:24:51,958 Jedi among the Sith, because you'd make a great Sith. 515 00:24:52,291 --> 00:24:53,259 He didn't like that. 516 00:24:53,292 --> 00:24:54,426 - And... 517 00:24:54,460 --> 00:24:58,565 But at the same time, the marriage was not going well. 518 00:24:58,798 --> 00:25:01,033 One night I was hanging out with my friend, 519 00:25:01,067 --> 00:25:03,202 and she was like, "Well, I wanna go hang out with Miles." 520 00:25:03,235 --> 00:25:06,272 And they have, like a Renaissance thing going on. 521 00:25:06,305 --> 00:25:07,273 Renaissance group. 522 00:25:07,306 --> 00:25:08,641 And I was like, oh yeah, cool. 523 00:25:08,675 --> 00:25:09,842 You know, that sounds cool, have fun. 524 00:25:13,580 --> 00:25:15,314 I have an understanding of myself that 525 00:25:15,347 --> 00:25:18,851 involves things that culture rejects. 526 00:25:18,885 --> 00:25:20,887 - She was into BDSM. 527 00:25:20,920 --> 00:25:22,254 Not my bag. 528 00:25:22,288 --> 00:25:24,223 So I pick her up from Miles' house, 529 00:25:24,256 --> 00:25:25,324 not thinking anything of it. 530 00:25:25,357 --> 00:25:28,661 Her back's turned to me, and it's... 531 00:25:31,598 --> 00:25:33,199 bruised. 532 00:25:33,666 --> 00:25:35,067 Looked like... 533 00:25:35,267 --> 00:25:38,204 If you took a baseball bat, and just... 534 00:25:38,237 --> 00:25:41,307 I mean, it looked, you know, bad. 535 00:25:41,340 --> 00:25:44,243 And that was her thing that I didn't deliver. 536 00:25:44,276 --> 00:25:46,579 Then I doubt she could've put together 537 00:25:46,613 --> 00:25:48,314 a bigger sense of betrayal. 538 00:25:54,186 --> 00:25:56,589 - Had a wonderful time. 539 00:25:56,623 --> 00:25:58,357 We had a falling out over personal issues. 540 00:25:58,390 --> 00:26:04,797 - My student, who I had said was a Jedi Knight, 541 00:26:05,865 --> 00:26:09,869 not only tossed the Jedi path away, 542 00:26:09,902 --> 00:26:14,941 to follow, and explore the Sith path, 543 00:26:14,974 --> 00:26:17,944 but also slept with a Sith. 544 00:26:17,977 --> 00:26:21,848 A Sith is gonna look to take what he wants. 545 00:26:21,881 --> 00:26:23,683 - The Jedi have that great phrase, 546 00:26:23,716 --> 00:26:26,118 "May the Force be with you. 547 00:26:26,152 --> 00:26:27,887 "May it be with you." 548 00:26:27,920 --> 00:26:30,923 Well, if it's in the trees, and the air, 549 00:26:30,957 --> 00:26:32,391 and between us, and everywhere, 550 00:26:32,424 --> 00:26:34,193 then it's always with you. 551 00:26:34,226 --> 00:26:35,662 Well that's fine. 552 00:26:35,695 --> 00:26:38,631 And Sith go with a slightly different twist. 553 00:26:38,665 --> 00:26:41,033 "May the Force serve you well." 554 00:26:41,067 --> 00:26:43,202 - He doesn't have morality, he doesn't care what he... 555 00:26:43,235 --> 00:26:44,737 He doesn't care about stepping on you, 556 00:26:44,771 --> 00:26:46,005 to get what he wants. 557 00:26:46,038 --> 00:26:47,640 He's not gonna care that you're crushed, 558 00:26:47,674 --> 00:26:50,209 and your whole life has been destroyed. 559 00:26:57,717 --> 00:27:00,319 In my darkest moments, 560 00:27:00,352 --> 00:27:03,055 I made a great Sith because I had 561 00:27:03,089 --> 00:27:05,958 nothing but hatred, man I hated him. 562 00:27:05,992 --> 00:27:09,028 I hated her, I hated him, I hated the Sith path. 563 00:27:09,061 --> 00:27:10,096 F the Sith, man. 564 00:27:10,129 --> 00:27:11,263 I had complete venom. 565 00:27:11,297 --> 00:27:15,367 - He disappeared for awhile, off of my radar at least. 566 00:27:15,401 --> 00:27:18,170 - All I did was basically play video games, 567 00:27:18,204 --> 00:27:21,007 computer games, and drink. 568 00:27:21,040 --> 00:27:22,408 That was it. 569 00:27:23,843 --> 00:27:26,178 - And he went through a bit of a rough patch. 570 00:27:26,212 --> 00:27:29,716 - It hit me hard, and I let all the practices go. 571 00:27:29,749 --> 00:27:31,250 I didn't do anything with the Jedi path. 572 00:27:31,283 --> 00:27:32,451 I didn't even try. 573 00:27:32,484 --> 00:27:33,686 You know, it's not like I tried 574 00:27:33,720 --> 00:27:35,722 to deal with any of it like a Jedi. 575 00:27:35,755 --> 00:27:37,389 I just tossed it out the window, F it. 576 00:27:37,423 --> 00:27:39,191 - All of us, at some point, or another, 577 00:27:39,225 --> 00:27:44,731 if we are to grow, must descend into the darkness. 578 00:27:44,764 --> 00:27:47,166 Sometimes it's brought about by another person. 579 00:27:47,199 --> 00:27:50,937 - It may not be until a moment of great tragedy, 580 00:27:50,970 --> 00:27:52,404 that they are actually motivated 581 00:27:52,438 --> 00:27:55,341 to go take the journey. 582 00:27:55,374 --> 00:27:57,343 And this devastating loss is either 583 00:27:57,376 --> 00:28:00,747 going to kill you, or kill your old self, 584 00:28:00,780 --> 00:28:03,015 so a better self can emerge. 585 00:28:03,049 --> 00:28:04,951 Well, for Luke Skywalker, it is the murder 586 00:28:04,984 --> 00:28:06,753 of his aunt, and uncle. 587 00:28:06,786 --> 00:28:10,156 And so it seems we are out there alone. 588 00:28:10,189 --> 00:28:12,759 - Emotional wounds, and suffering, 589 00:28:12,792 --> 00:28:19,098 are a very good thing for the spiritual warrior. 590 00:28:19,131 --> 00:28:22,234 They are what gets the path started. 591 00:28:24,336 --> 00:28:26,005 - I've been active in the Jedi community 592 00:28:26,038 --> 00:28:29,008 for 15 years now, and I've never really 593 00:28:29,041 --> 00:28:31,811 had that recognition on this kind of level. 594 00:28:31,844 --> 00:28:33,813 This is more than one group, you know, 595 00:28:33,846 --> 00:28:35,481 this is a community recognition. 596 00:28:35,514 --> 00:28:37,449 So, I'm bringing two bags. 597 00:28:37,483 --> 00:28:41,954 One of 'em is gonna be for the ceremonial clothes. 598 00:28:41,988 --> 00:28:45,424 It's when a lot of Jedi wear their Jedi robes. 599 00:28:45,457 --> 00:28:48,027 And things that they feel represent them as Jedi. 600 00:28:48,060 --> 00:28:49,461 In Star Wars, the idea of Jedi robes 601 00:28:49,495 --> 00:28:52,298 was they were meant to fit in. 602 00:28:53,099 --> 00:28:55,101 To be a product of their time. 603 00:28:55,134 --> 00:28:56,402 And that's more what I go with. 604 00:28:56,435 --> 00:28:58,204 I try to go with more... 605 00:28:58,237 --> 00:28:59,939 Be good to catch up with Perris. 606 00:28:59,972 --> 00:29:02,441 It'll be nice to see how she's been doing. 607 00:29:02,474 --> 00:29:03,976 Hannigan. 608 00:29:04,010 --> 00:29:07,146 Hannigan, Hannigan, is going to be there. 609 00:29:07,179 --> 00:29:09,015 I don't know how that's going to go. 610 00:29:09,048 --> 00:29:10,349 I suppose there's some tension 611 00:29:10,382 --> 00:29:12,184 between me, and Hannigan. 612 00:29:12,218 --> 00:29:13,920 He held onto an identity, basically 613 00:29:13,953 --> 00:29:15,788 a troll of the Jedi. 614 00:29:15,822 --> 00:29:17,156 He likes to run his mouth, which 615 00:29:17,189 --> 00:29:18,524 tends not to go over with a group 616 00:29:18,557 --> 00:29:20,492 of people who consider themselves 617 00:29:20,526 --> 00:29:23,796 protectors, and upholders of justice. 618 00:29:23,830 --> 00:29:24,964 Nothing really beats sitting down, 619 00:29:24,997 --> 00:29:26,465 and being able to talk with people 620 00:29:26,498 --> 00:29:30,569 that you've been arguing with, and debating with, 621 00:29:30,602 --> 00:29:33,840 and discussing with, and laughing with online. 622 00:29:33,873 --> 00:29:36,042 To be able to do that offline just 623 00:29:36,075 --> 00:29:38,777 adds to the sense of community. 624 00:29:46,285 --> 00:29:47,519 I'm in Chicago now. 625 00:29:47,553 --> 00:29:49,121 I'm going to see Angelis. 626 00:29:49,155 --> 00:29:51,090 I call him Gabe, and he's the one 627 00:29:51,123 --> 00:29:54,493 sponsoring me, this year, at the Jedi trials. 628 00:29:54,526 --> 00:29:57,529 - Opie is one of the oldest members in the community. 629 00:29:57,563 --> 00:29:59,966 He was there before I was, and so that 630 00:29:59,999 --> 00:30:02,101 already says a lot, in itself, because 631 00:30:02,134 --> 00:30:04,971 I've been in the community for a little over a decade. 632 00:30:05,004 --> 00:30:06,505 And so, the fact that now he's come 633 00:30:06,538 --> 00:30:08,207 back and joined the rest of the group, 634 00:30:08,240 --> 00:30:10,476 I think is exciting, because he is one 635 00:30:10,509 --> 00:30:12,111 of those people that I've always looked 636 00:30:12,144 --> 00:30:13,612 forward, and looked towards, and saw 637 00:30:13,645 --> 00:30:15,481 as a guiding Force. 638 00:30:15,514 --> 00:30:17,549 So here I have my altar. 639 00:30:17,583 --> 00:30:19,451 I am also a Shaman. 640 00:30:19,485 --> 00:30:21,153 Shamanism, for those who don't know, 641 00:30:21,187 --> 00:30:24,256 is very nature focused, and sees 642 00:30:24,290 --> 00:30:27,159 the Great Spirit, or what people would 643 00:30:27,193 --> 00:30:29,595 call the Force, or God, and that Great Spirit 644 00:30:29,628 --> 00:30:32,899 is in everything, and basically, 645 00:30:32,932 --> 00:30:34,400 you can connect to it, whenever you want, 646 00:30:34,433 --> 00:30:35,634 however you want. 647 00:30:35,667 --> 00:30:37,036 - The difference between spirituality, 648 00:30:37,069 --> 00:30:41,173 and religion, is that religion has a form. 649 00:30:41,207 --> 00:30:43,876 It has set practices. 650 00:30:43,910 --> 00:30:45,144 It often has rules. 651 00:30:45,177 --> 00:30:46,879 It has protocols. 652 00:30:46,913 --> 00:30:48,915 And sometimes these can be very 653 00:30:48,948 --> 00:30:51,617 constricting, and conflicting. 654 00:30:51,650 --> 00:30:52,985 But often, they can be excellent 655 00:30:53,019 --> 00:30:56,055 guidelines to help us better live 656 00:30:56,088 --> 00:30:59,158 the spiritual principles that we want to embody. 657 00:30:59,191 --> 00:31:01,193 - The way we do our Padawan training, 658 00:31:01,227 --> 00:31:04,897 is we feel that it usually takes about three years. 659 00:31:04,931 --> 00:31:07,599 'Cause it takes about that long to just 660 00:31:07,633 --> 00:31:09,936 incorporate all the knowledge. 661 00:31:09,969 --> 00:31:12,238 We take this very seriously. 662 00:31:12,271 --> 00:31:13,906 We wanna make sure that a person 663 00:31:13,940 --> 00:31:16,342 is committed to becoming a Jedi. 664 00:31:16,375 --> 00:31:19,178 To serving as a role model. 665 00:31:19,211 --> 00:31:22,982 Being a representative of who we are, and what we do. 666 00:31:23,015 --> 00:31:25,151 And so that's why we say it's gonna... 667 00:31:25,184 --> 00:31:27,920 It's not a short process. 668 00:31:27,954 --> 00:31:29,355 In a way, we sort of consider ourselves, 669 00:31:29,388 --> 00:31:33,392 sort of like the Ivy League of all the chapters, 670 00:31:33,425 --> 00:31:35,394 so that if you are a knight here, 671 00:31:35,427 --> 00:31:37,496 you are basically a knight everywhere. 672 00:31:37,529 --> 00:31:38,965 Thank you for coming, and welcome 673 00:31:38,998 --> 00:31:41,900 to another meeting for Chicago Jedi. 674 00:31:43,669 --> 00:31:44,770 I think the most challenging aspect 675 00:31:44,803 --> 00:31:49,341 is that we do encourage people to do self-reflection. 676 00:31:50,109 --> 00:31:51,610 Actually look inside yourself, 677 00:31:51,643 --> 00:31:54,146 and recognize what your strengths, and your weaknesses are. 678 00:31:54,180 --> 00:31:55,681 There is no emotion. 679 00:31:55,714 --> 00:31:58,117 - There is peace. There is peace. 680 00:31:58,150 --> 00:31:59,118 There is no ignorance. 681 00:31:59,151 --> 00:32:00,586 There is knowledge. 682 00:32:01,553 --> 00:32:02,989 - There is no passion. 683 00:32:03,022 --> 00:32:04,623 There is serenity. 684 00:32:05,391 --> 00:32:06,625 There is no chaos. 685 00:32:06,658 --> 00:32:08,594 There is harmony. 686 00:32:09,428 --> 00:32:10,729 There is no death. 687 00:32:10,762 --> 00:32:13,132 There is the Force. 688 00:32:13,165 --> 00:32:14,666 The Force is with us. 689 00:32:14,700 --> 00:32:16,435 Always. 690 00:32:16,468 --> 00:32:19,305 When you deal with binaries, it seems, at first, 691 00:32:19,338 --> 00:32:21,140 that the task is to overcome the 692 00:32:21,173 --> 00:32:23,742 problematic one, and go to the solution. 693 00:32:23,775 --> 00:32:26,278 It gets more complicated than that. 694 00:32:26,312 --> 00:32:28,680 We need both emotion, and mastery. 695 00:32:28,714 --> 00:32:30,716 We need inner peace, of course, 696 00:32:30,749 --> 00:32:32,218 we also need our passions. 697 00:32:32,251 --> 00:32:34,987 In the end we'll need both sides of these things. 698 00:32:35,021 --> 00:32:37,223 - Looking at the Jedi code, 699 00:32:37,256 --> 00:32:40,092 I noticed that it is just making 700 00:32:40,126 --> 00:32:43,029 a few statements about how things are. 701 00:32:43,062 --> 00:32:46,698 And not telling us what we must do. 702 00:32:46,732 --> 00:32:49,735 - There are a lot of things about 703 00:32:49,768 --> 00:32:56,308 the Christian religion, that are problematic. 704 00:32:56,342 --> 00:32:59,445 And one of them happens to be the 705 00:32:59,478 --> 00:33:04,316 way that many churches regard homosexuality. 706 00:33:04,350 --> 00:33:06,152 And, I can see someone going from 707 00:33:06,185 --> 00:33:11,523 Protestant, or Catholic, Christianity, 708 00:33:11,557 --> 00:33:15,161 into Jediism, simply because of the acceptance, 709 00:33:15,194 --> 00:33:17,196 that they may feel in Jediism that they don't 710 00:33:17,229 --> 00:33:19,065 feel in the Christian world. 711 00:33:19,098 --> 00:33:20,799 - There is a huge contrast between 712 00:33:20,832 --> 00:33:22,234 being gay in the Catholic world, 713 00:33:22,268 --> 00:33:25,304 and being gay in the Jedi community, 714 00:33:25,337 --> 00:33:27,573 and once I realized my own sexuality 715 00:33:27,606 --> 00:33:30,542 was gonna be an issue, at first I had 716 00:33:30,576 --> 00:33:32,344 reconciled to that fact, that okay, 717 00:33:32,378 --> 00:33:34,813 I'm gonna be gay, but then, because 718 00:33:34,846 --> 00:33:37,283 I'm Catholic, and I respect that faith, 719 00:33:37,316 --> 00:33:39,685 then, yes, I recognize that I'm 720 00:33:39,718 --> 00:33:42,454 never gonna be with somebody. 721 00:33:42,488 --> 00:33:45,424 I'm gonna just be celibate the entire time. 722 00:33:45,457 --> 00:33:48,727 Spiritually is a huge part of who I am, 723 00:33:48,760 --> 00:33:51,130 and the Jedi I saw as the amalgamation 724 00:33:51,163 --> 00:33:52,831 of all things spiritual. 725 00:33:52,864 --> 00:33:54,433 They accept all of me. 726 00:33:54,466 --> 00:33:57,069 I don't have to hide who I am. 727 00:34:00,406 --> 00:34:01,573 - I think it's tragic for the church 728 00:34:01,607 --> 00:34:04,410 to lose people because of that, 729 00:34:04,443 --> 00:34:06,778 but I embrace it, that's why I embrace 730 00:34:06,812 --> 00:34:09,748 something like Jediism, because it 731 00:34:09,781 --> 00:34:13,552 has potential of showing us, as Christians, 732 00:34:13,585 --> 00:34:19,158 why we're wrong on the homosexuality issue. 733 00:34:19,191 --> 00:34:20,792 Especially my denomination, which is United Methodist. 734 00:34:20,826 --> 00:34:23,395 - Jediism, for all of its, sort of, 735 00:34:23,429 --> 00:34:27,133 strange origins, is accepting of people. 736 00:34:27,166 --> 00:34:29,268 It has an openness to it. 737 00:34:29,301 --> 00:34:31,770 Possibly because of its newness, and for 738 00:34:31,803 --> 00:34:34,806 some people that's just the right fit. 739 00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:35,707 - My name's Michael Hannigan. 740 00:34:35,741 --> 00:34:39,211 I've been a Jedi for over 20-ish years. 741 00:34:39,245 --> 00:34:41,480 - So Michael Hannigan will be coming 742 00:34:41,513 --> 00:34:44,116 to hang out with the Chicago Jedi, 743 00:34:44,150 --> 00:34:46,852 before going to the Jedi gathering. 744 00:34:46,885 --> 00:34:48,787 Hannigan is also testing this year. 745 00:34:48,820 --> 00:34:50,856 - I have probably been one of the most 746 00:34:50,889 --> 00:34:52,791 controversial people within the community. 747 00:34:52,824 --> 00:34:56,195 If you talk to people you either have a, 748 00:34:56,228 --> 00:34:58,764 I love Hannigan, I hate Hannigan. 749 00:34:58,797 --> 00:35:00,532 There's some in between people, 750 00:35:00,566 --> 00:35:02,368 but most people hit extremes. 751 00:35:02,401 --> 00:35:04,870 And if you take Mace Windu, from Star Wars movies, 752 00:35:04,903 --> 00:35:08,174 like how he was, multiply that by 10, 753 00:35:08,207 --> 00:35:09,875 that's pretty much where I was. 754 00:35:09,908 --> 00:35:11,443 - He's an aggressive personality. 755 00:35:11,477 --> 00:35:15,247 He's a unpredictable personality. 756 00:35:15,281 --> 00:35:17,583 He's about attention. 757 00:35:17,616 --> 00:35:22,921 He's about perpetuating his reputation, 758 00:35:22,954 --> 00:35:26,858 of this disruptive Force, in the community. 759 00:35:26,892 --> 00:35:29,661 He can, then, I don't know, take a swing at me, 760 00:35:29,695 --> 00:35:34,500 because, hey now I get to, you know, 761 00:35:34,533 --> 00:35:35,901 further that reputation. 762 00:35:35,934 --> 00:35:40,406 Oh, look at me, I'm the crazy guy who swung on Opie. 763 00:35:41,673 --> 00:35:43,175 - There he is! 764 00:35:43,209 --> 00:35:44,443 - One of the things you must do, 765 00:35:44,476 --> 00:35:46,212 if you are on the path, is you have 766 00:35:46,245 --> 00:35:48,514 to go down and wrestle with a dark. 767 00:35:48,547 --> 00:35:51,217 You have to go within and find the darkness. 768 00:35:51,250 --> 00:35:54,853 Now, if you have a person, or a situation, 769 00:35:54,886 --> 00:35:57,189 who has driven you to that, you're 770 00:35:57,223 --> 00:36:00,326 maybe even kind of lucky, because then 771 00:36:00,359 --> 00:36:03,562 you are drawn into it, you engage with it. 772 00:36:03,595 --> 00:36:06,532 And you learn, hopefully, how to deal 773 00:36:06,565 --> 00:36:10,769 with it, and how to lift that up, from yourself. 774 00:36:11,537 --> 00:36:12,638 - Opie, after many years. 775 00:36:12,671 --> 00:36:13,605 - Here we are with their big... 776 00:36:13,639 --> 00:36:16,242 - Here it is. - Give me a hug. 777 00:36:19,711 --> 00:36:20,679 How was the trip? 778 00:36:20,712 --> 00:36:21,847 - 18 hours, not bad. 779 00:36:21,880 --> 00:36:24,916 I got to see a drunk person spew at my first bus stop. 780 00:36:24,950 --> 00:36:25,851 Lovely. 781 00:36:25,884 --> 00:36:28,554 - Got to see some crazy ass couple fights. 782 00:36:28,587 --> 00:36:32,391 Nobody's ready to meet me in real life, in some ways. 783 00:36:32,424 --> 00:36:34,626 Like, they are not ready for the... 784 00:36:34,660 --> 00:36:36,695 You know, if you can see me on ones, and zeroes, 785 00:36:36,728 --> 00:36:38,264 on the computer, and you have a completely 786 00:36:38,297 --> 00:36:39,831 different impression, versus when you meet 787 00:36:39,865 --> 00:36:41,900 me in real life, and you see that I'm more 788 00:36:41,933 --> 00:36:45,404 full of energy, there's no negativity. 789 00:36:48,540 --> 00:36:49,975 I lost my dad. 790 00:36:50,008 --> 00:36:55,281 He died, and I felt more alone, and wanted to escape. 791 00:37:00,986 --> 00:37:02,053 And the one thing I liked about, you know, 792 00:37:02,087 --> 00:37:05,691 using drug use, was it wasn't actually being high. 793 00:37:05,724 --> 00:37:07,526 That part I couldn't tolerate. 794 00:37:07,559 --> 00:37:11,663 But it was the side affect of having absolutely no emotions. 795 00:37:11,697 --> 00:37:13,999 That way, you know, I didn't have to mourn. 796 00:37:14,032 --> 00:37:14,900 I didn't have to grieve, because, well, 797 00:37:14,933 --> 00:37:17,769 you didn't have the emotion to do so. 798 00:37:17,803 --> 00:37:19,305 In fact, I didn't have the emotions 799 00:37:19,338 --> 00:37:22,808 until six months after I stopped using drugs. 800 00:37:22,841 --> 00:37:26,478 So, I'll say I went 2.5 years being completely emotionless. 801 00:37:31,517 --> 00:37:33,752 - Many of us have suffered it, and yet 802 00:37:33,785 --> 00:37:37,956 hung on long enough to be recognized 803 00:37:37,989 --> 00:37:40,759 as being who we are. 804 00:37:41,059 --> 00:37:43,061 Sometimes it's just our calling. 805 00:37:43,094 --> 00:37:45,764 It's just our calling to go through that. 806 00:37:45,797 --> 00:37:48,300 It's a unique spiritual experience, 807 00:37:48,334 --> 00:37:49,601 that you are having. 808 00:37:49,635 --> 00:37:51,370 - I think that the negative energy 809 00:37:51,403 --> 00:37:55,807 is going to be the delusions that we have, 810 00:37:55,841 --> 00:37:58,744 and the basic delusion that we have 811 00:37:58,777 --> 00:38:03,815 is assuming that everything that we see is real. 812 00:38:04,049 --> 00:38:06,318 This is taking everything at face value. 813 00:38:06,352 --> 00:38:08,487 This is the main delusion. 814 00:38:08,520 --> 00:38:10,389 - Opie and I can have a reality TV show, 815 00:38:10,422 --> 00:38:12,358 where we live together, for like a year. 816 00:38:12,391 --> 00:38:13,559 You've already got my money on both of you. 817 00:38:13,592 --> 00:38:14,860 - And we have this sponsorship, because 818 00:38:14,893 --> 00:38:16,762 everybody would watch that. 819 00:38:16,795 --> 00:38:19,431 How about this, for six months out of the year, 820 00:38:19,465 --> 00:38:23,369 we'll go to different Asian countries for training, 821 00:38:23,402 --> 00:38:24,269 the other six months of the year, 822 00:38:24,302 --> 00:38:26,838 we'll travel across the United States, 823 00:38:26,872 --> 00:38:31,042 and we'll bum out on other Jedi's couches. 824 00:38:31,076 --> 00:38:33,679 Picture Opie and I going and doing 825 00:38:33,712 --> 00:38:36,482 human weapon fight quest, for like six months, right? 826 00:38:37,048 --> 00:38:38,684 And then going across the United States, 827 00:38:38,717 --> 00:38:40,352 and training him like different Jedi, 828 00:38:40,386 --> 00:38:41,387 and doing the concept. 829 00:38:41,420 --> 00:38:42,888 Like going to Ross' school. 830 00:38:42,921 --> 00:38:44,923 And, you know, sparring with Ross' people, 831 00:38:44,956 --> 00:38:46,392 and then fighting each other. 832 00:38:46,425 --> 00:38:47,359 - I'm still trying to get the mental 833 00:38:47,393 --> 00:38:48,727 image of you and him strangling each other 834 00:38:48,760 --> 00:38:50,629 out of my head, but keep going. 835 00:38:50,662 --> 00:38:52,464 - We'll see what happens. 836 00:38:53,932 --> 00:38:55,100 Opie's still trying to 837 00:38:55,133 --> 00:38:56,602 get the mental image of you's two 838 00:38:56,635 --> 00:38:58,370 trying to strangle each other out of his head too. 839 00:38:58,404 --> 00:38:59,638 - Anytime anybody asks me if I did this, or I did that, 840 00:38:59,671 --> 00:39:03,141 if I remember it, I fucking said that, I did. 841 00:39:03,174 --> 00:39:04,776 If I don't remember it, sorry. 842 00:39:04,810 --> 00:39:06,612 I really, truly, don't. 843 00:39:06,645 --> 00:39:09,415 - Everybody's accountable for what they say online. 844 00:39:09,448 --> 00:39:11,517 - Once I went off on Gabe, and Amy is the 845 00:39:11,550 --> 00:39:14,620 one that I directly went off on. 846 00:39:14,653 --> 00:39:16,087 Amy is in Moon Shadow? 847 00:39:16,121 --> 00:39:17,989 Yes. 848 00:39:18,023 --> 00:39:19,658 - Oh, you're a piece of garbage. 849 00:39:19,691 --> 00:39:20,792 I know. 850 00:39:22,494 --> 00:39:25,163 - You know, have I been a jerk, a jag off? 851 00:39:25,196 --> 00:39:27,032 I certainly have. 852 00:39:27,065 --> 00:39:29,835 But, all I can do is say, yeah, I've been there, done that. 853 00:39:29,868 --> 00:39:31,069 This is where I'm at now. 854 00:39:31,102 --> 00:39:32,804 This was me 10 years ago. 855 00:39:32,838 --> 00:39:34,105 This is me now. 856 00:39:34,139 --> 00:39:36,775 If the Jedi path is not about redemption 857 00:39:36,808 --> 00:39:38,677 and growth, then what the hell is it about? 858 00:39:38,710 --> 00:39:40,846 - We all need to be redeemed. 859 00:39:40,879 --> 00:39:42,914 The Buddha wasn't perfect in the beginning. 860 00:39:42,948 --> 00:39:46,518 He started off as a regular person, 861 00:39:46,552 --> 00:39:49,488 who didn't want to suffer anymore. 862 00:39:49,521 --> 00:39:53,459 And, if we all thought that we can't do this 863 00:39:53,492 --> 00:39:56,728 spiritual path because we're not good enough, 864 00:39:56,762 --> 00:39:59,130 you know, we've already made a big mess of our life, 865 00:39:59,164 --> 00:40:03,502 then nobody would ever be able to become a Buddha. 866 00:40:03,535 --> 00:40:05,671 - If you ever go to the Army, they can 867 00:40:05,704 --> 00:40:07,639 shave your head in less than 30 seconds. 868 00:40:07,673 --> 00:40:09,140 And it's bald, well... 869 00:40:09,174 --> 00:40:13,912 - Well these are old clippers, so I like to take it slow. 870 00:40:13,945 --> 00:40:16,114 - Way back in the day, when the knights 871 00:40:16,147 --> 00:40:17,783 would take their pledges, and take their oaths, 872 00:40:17,816 --> 00:40:19,685 and go to their things, they would shave 873 00:40:19,718 --> 00:40:21,219 their head, and they would pledge something. 874 00:40:21,252 --> 00:40:23,455 For example, for me, I'm gonna pledge 875 00:40:23,489 --> 00:40:25,090 that I'm gonna be a stronger leader 876 00:40:25,123 --> 00:40:27,158 within the community, by doing my radio show, 877 00:40:27,192 --> 00:40:28,860 by teaching my reiki classes, and by getting 878 00:40:28,894 --> 00:40:31,463 more active within the greater Jedi community. 879 00:40:31,497 --> 00:40:32,898 - It was interesting to see that Hannigan 880 00:40:32,931 --> 00:40:36,535 cut his hair for the trials and the gathering, 881 00:40:36,568 --> 00:40:39,137 and that the hairstyle he chose 882 00:40:39,170 --> 00:40:42,574 was not too far off from the one I'm sporting now. 883 00:40:42,608 --> 00:40:46,111 - He has me by 30 or 40 more gray hairs than I have. 884 00:40:46,144 --> 00:40:47,078 Which is incredible because I am 885 00:40:47,112 --> 00:40:50,081 about three, or four years older than him. 886 00:41:02,561 --> 00:41:05,531 - Well we're at the Skyline Camp, in Almont, Michigan. 887 00:41:05,564 --> 00:41:06,698 When Jedi get together we call it 888 00:41:06,732 --> 00:41:07,999 a Gathering of Jedi. 889 00:41:08,033 --> 00:41:10,702 - And so there are the ordeals, also trials, 890 00:41:10,736 --> 00:41:13,939 and tribulations, tests, and exams of all kinds. 891 00:41:13,972 --> 00:41:18,243 These challenges, we don't pick them, they pick us. 892 00:41:20,011 --> 00:41:21,246 - I'm a little excited to see everybody. 893 00:41:21,279 --> 00:41:23,181 I didn't go to the gathering last year, 894 00:41:23,214 --> 00:41:24,616 so it's been two years since I've 895 00:41:24,650 --> 00:41:26,952 physically seen other Jedi really. 896 00:41:26,985 --> 00:41:27,953 I didn't think this place 897 00:41:27,986 --> 00:41:29,120 was gonna be this nice. 898 00:41:29,154 --> 00:41:30,989 Oh, what did you think it was gonna be? 899 00:41:31,022 --> 00:41:33,191 - I thought it was gonna be a campground, not a resort. 900 00:41:34,225 --> 00:41:35,661 - I am Kitt Tells. 901 00:41:35,694 --> 00:41:38,296 I am the organizer of this year's gathering. 902 00:41:49,575 --> 00:41:51,309 We try to have a gathering once a year, 903 00:41:51,342 --> 00:41:53,244 where Jedi from across the nation, 904 00:41:53,278 --> 00:41:55,614 can get together and meet people, 905 00:41:55,647 --> 00:41:58,584 that probably they've interacted with online, 906 00:41:58,617 --> 00:42:00,218 since most Jedi are spread out, 907 00:42:00,251 --> 00:42:01,920 except this one time of year, when 908 00:42:01,953 --> 00:42:05,557 we can get together, and all meet each other, 909 00:42:05,591 --> 00:42:07,893 and get to know each other a little better, 910 00:42:07,926 --> 00:42:10,161 and do some activities that are good 911 00:42:10,195 --> 00:42:13,865 to do when you're actually with other Jedi. 912 00:42:14,933 --> 00:42:17,202 - Thank you so much for organizing this, Kitt. 913 00:42:17,235 --> 00:42:21,306 (overlapping cheering and applause) 914 00:42:22,040 --> 00:42:24,810 - In the fiction, there are particular Jedi 915 00:42:24,843 --> 00:42:26,845 trials that you must go through, and they're 916 00:42:26,878 --> 00:42:29,114 actual, you know, they sort of give an assignment. 917 00:42:29,147 --> 00:42:31,182 In real life, we use that sort of as a basis 918 00:42:31,216 --> 00:42:35,286 to plan out how we give people that, sort of, recognition. 919 00:42:36,387 --> 00:42:37,355 - We, the Council, are looking for candidates 920 00:42:37,388 --> 00:42:40,091 that showed growth. 921 00:42:40,125 --> 00:42:42,828 Growth as a person. 922 00:42:42,861 --> 00:42:45,263 Growth in building their path in life. 923 00:42:45,296 --> 00:42:51,102 - George Lucas made the Jedi based on the ancient Samurai. 924 00:42:51,136 --> 00:42:54,239 I get to teach self-defense to the people in the Jedi order. 925 00:42:59,310 --> 00:43:00,646 What's going on with those? 926 00:43:00,679 --> 00:43:02,213 - Sparring. 927 00:43:04,883 --> 00:43:06,718 - That's cool. 928 00:43:06,752 --> 00:43:07,686 Oh yeah. 929 00:43:13,158 --> 00:43:14,125 Same attack. 930 00:43:14,159 --> 00:43:16,695 - Is that your breathing getting kind of heavy? 931 00:43:16,728 --> 00:43:17,863 - Yep, I'm an old man. 932 00:43:17,896 --> 00:43:21,599 - I believe your powers are weak, old man. 933 00:43:23,769 --> 00:43:25,737 During the time that we have the Jedi 934 00:43:25,771 --> 00:43:28,339 gathering, I'm going to ask certain 935 00:43:28,373 --> 00:43:31,409 candidates to show me certain things. 936 00:43:31,442 --> 00:43:32,377 I need to see. 937 00:43:32,410 --> 00:43:33,411 I want to see. 938 00:43:33,444 --> 00:43:34,512 It could be something mental. 939 00:43:34,545 --> 00:43:37,015 It could be something physical. It could be verbal. 940 00:43:37,048 --> 00:43:39,017 - Nice. - It depends on the person. 941 00:43:39,050 --> 00:43:40,686 Uh-oh, this is about to hurt, isn't it? 942 00:43:40,719 --> 00:43:43,121 - What I want to see is Hannigan's ability to adapt, 943 00:43:43,154 --> 00:43:45,290 so I wanna show him some of the things that I do, 944 00:43:45,323 --> 00:43:47,726 and I wanna see him, to be able to absorb it, 945 00:43:47,759 --> 00:43:49,094 and show he could do it. 946 00:43:49,127 --> 00:43:50,696 Because at the level you become a knight, 947 00:43:50,729 --> 00:43:53,098 you're ready to become someone's teacher. 948 00:43:53,131 --> 00:43:55,300 To be able to teach, you have to be able to learn. 949 00:43:55,333 --> 00:43:56,301 - Yes. 950 00:43:56,334 --> 00:43:57,703 Yes. 951 00:43:57,736 --> 00:43:58,369 - This keeps going that way, like 952 00:43:58,403 --> 00:44:00,238 you're wringing out a towel. 953 00:44:00,271 --> 00:44:01,572 I wanna see more fire. 954 00:44:01,606 --> 00:44:04,743 I appreciate that that's settled, but I wanna see more fire. 955 00:44:04,776 --> 00:44:06,311 You know, when they do the form, when someone 956 00:44:06,344 --> 00:44:07,946 grabs your throat, they don't just do this. 957 00:44:07,979 --> 00:44:10,415 I want you, without killing me, 958 00:44:10,448 --> 00:44:12,984 but with fire, I want you to grab me by the throat. 959 00:44:13,018 --> 00:44:13,985 I'm prepared. 960 00:44:14,019 --> 00:44:15,687 No, no, grab me by the throat. 961 00:44:16,722 --> 00:44:18,189 I'm serious. 962 00:44:18,223 --> 00:44:20,025 Now you see how you just grabbed me, and I went... 963 00:44:20,058 --> 00:44:21,259 Like that? 964 00:44:21,292 --> 00:44:22,227 And when you're out there doing that, 965 00:44:22,260 --> 00:44:23,394 and you're going... 966 00:44:23,428 --> 00:44:24,395 Yeah, I wanna see... 967 00:44:24,429 --> 00:44:26,397 Like mean it. 968 00:44:26,431 --> 00:44:27,365 Mean it, man. 969 00:44:27,398 --> 00:44:28,734 You know when you go like this? 970 00:44:28,767 --> 00:44:30,001 And you do this? 971 00:44:30,035 --> 00:44:32,704 It looks like you're dancing. 972 00:44:32,738 --> 00:44:35,406 - If you're getting knighted, get up here. 973 00:44:35,440 --> 00:44:37,375 Let's go! 974 00:44:37,408 --> 00:44:39,745 - To an outsider, ritual looks strange, 975 00:44:39,778 --> 00:44:41,446 sometimes even silly. 976 00:44:41,479 --> 00:44:45,250 The meaning is deep within, it's an emotional meaning. 977 00:44:45,283 --> 00:44:47,485 Now, it may be easier to believe in something 978 00:44:47,518 --> 00:44:50,155 that's taking place in a grand cathedral, 979 00:44:50,188 --> 00:44:52,023 than in some patch of the woods. 980 00:44:52,057 --> 00:44:54,893 But we're not dealing with mythological creatures, 981 00:44:54,926 --> 00:44:56,862 or gods incarnate, we're dealing with 982 00:44:56,895 --> 00:44:58,429 people like us that are trying to help 983 00:44:58,463 --> 00:45:00,732 us by teaching a thing or two. 984 00:45:00,766 --> 00:45:02,500 - Lets go! 985 00:45:02,533 --> 00:45:03,434 - I'm nervous. 986 00:45:03,468 --> 00:45:06,304 Heart's, you know, starting to get there. 987 00:45:06,337 --> 00:45:07,873 And I'm sure the closer I get, the more it's 988 00:45:07,906 --> 00:45:11,743 gonna start going, but you know, whatever. 989 00:45:11,777 --> 00:45:14,512 What am I gonna do not show up? 990 00:45:14,545 --> 00:45:16,414 - Get them moving, make sure they've got their rocks. 991 00:45:16,447 --> 00:45:18,784 - Yeah, I got my rocks, I don't know 992 00:45:18,817 --> 00:45:20,451 what they're for, but I'm ready. 993 00:45:20,485 --> 00:45:22,020 - Okay, so last minute, we're finally 994 00:45:22,053 --> 00:45:24,155 getting ready for our trials, three years, 995 00:45:24,189 --> 00:45:25,423 it comes down two minutes. 996 00:45:25,456 --> 00:45:28,093 - The Jedi Council evaluation, trial ritual, 997 00:45:28,126 --> 00:45:30,361 whatever they've got planned, is happening 998 00:45:30,395 --> 00:45:31,863 right now, and we're going to meet Gabe, 999 00:45:31,897 --> 00:45:33,765 and them, down the road, right now. 1000 00:45:33,799 --> 00:45:35,066 - They'll probably torture us, with Hannigan 1001 00:45:35,100 --> 00:45:36,534 said this, and Opie said that documents 1002 00:45:36,567 --> 00:45:40,205 that are bigger than the Encyclopedia Britannica. 1003 00:45:40,238 --> 00:45:43,374 I don't know, what do you think? 1004 00:45:43,408 --> 00:45:45,777 - I think I'll get more shit over bringing a beer. 1005 00:45:45,811 --> 00:45:50,816 - Ritual magic is evoking certain emotional qualities 1006 00:45:50,849 --> 00:45:53,184 through certain practice behaviors that 1007 00:45:53,218 --> 00:45:55,153 have been found to work. 1008 00:45:55,186 --> 00:45:58,323 The labyrinth experience, sometimes acted 1009 00:45:58,356 --> 00:46:00,992 out in the woods someplace, is showing 1010 00:46:01,026 --> 00:46:03,161 that we are capable of getting lost, 1011 00:46:03,194 --> 00:46:06,064 and yet, by getting lost we are found. 1012 00:46:06,097 --> 00:46:08,199 - We're going to be running people through the labyrinth. 1013 00:46:08,233 --> 00:46:09,334 Try and get them to look inward, 1014 00:46:09,367 --> 00:46:11,169 find something about themselves they don't already know. 1015 00:46:11,202 --> 00:46:12,570 Or maybe they know, but they've been ignoring, 1016 00:46:12,603 --> 00:46:13,905 or that they're afraid of, or they 1017 00:46:13,939 --> 00:46:15,807 just haven't been able to deal with. 1018 00:46:15,841 --> 00:46:17,375 We're pushing them. 1019 00:46:17,408 --> 00:46:20,178 What the Jedi, in real life, are doing, 1020 00:46:20,211 --> 00:46:22,814 is a very mythic journey. 1021 00:46:22,848 --> 00:46:26,351 It's reflective of a lot of the initiatory systems, 1022 00:46:26,384 --> 00:46:29,921 where people go through a series of testing, 1023 00:46:29,955 --> 00:46:33,558 and training, and trials, in order to better themselves. 1024 00:46:33,591 --> 00:46:37,495 We see it archetypically embodied in the Jedi in the 1025 00:46:37,528 --> 00:46:39,597 films, and in the stories. 1026 00:46:39,630 --> 00:46:43,568 But we see it in actual action, with real 1027 00:46:43,601 --> 00:46:47,873 people doing that similar process of growth. 1028 00:46:48,940 --> 00:46:50,208 - So this labyrinth represents everything 1029 00:46:50,241 --> 00:46:52,443 you have done to get here. 1030 00:46:52,477 --> 00:46:55,113 Each stone, each rock, each tree, 1031 00:46:55,146 --> 00:46:58,884 all represents a point in your life that you have overcome. 1032 00:46:58,917 --> 00:47:02,587 Continue to mediate on who you have been, 1033 00:47:02,620 --> 00:47:07,192 who you are, and who you will become. 1034 00:47:08,626 --> 00:47:10,595 - Gabe's gonna bring them through, one at a time, 1035 00:47:10,628 --> 00:47:12,330 this is a kind of walking meditation, 1036 00:47:12,363 --> 00:47:14,599 help them confront their inner fears, their inner doubts. 1037 00:47:14,632 --> 00:47:18,536 The things that can corrupt, or destroy, a Jedi. 1038 00:47:19,570 --> 00:47:23,041 - And so now we continue through life. 1039 00:47:25,210 --> 00:47:26,978 Its many challenges. 1040 00:47:29,247 --> 00:47:31,249 Its pitfalls. 1041 00:47:31,616 --> 00:47:35,987 - At its best, religion is our human 1042 00:47:36,021 --> 00:47:39,590 attempt to reach out to God, and to embrace God, 1043 00:47:39,624 --> 00:47:41,659 and to be led by God, which is what 1044 00:47:41,692 --> 00:47:44,930 happens in Star Wars, for example. 1045 00:47:44,963 --> 00:47:47,632 The main character is nothing, if he's 1046 00:47:47,665 --> 00:47:50,535 not led by his spiritual guide. 1047 00:47:54,039 --> 00:47:57,208 And see that stone in your mind's eye. 1048 00:47:57,242 --> 00:47:59,577 Feel it, what is that fear? 1049 00:47:59,610 --> 00:48:00,979 - Pain. 1050 00:48:01,012 --> 00:48:02,647 Emotional pain. 1051 00:48:02,680 --> 00:48:04,215 - Failure itself. 1052 00:48:04,249 --> 00:48:05,616 - Being alone. 1053 00:48:05,650 --> 00:48:07,986 Why is that scary? 1054 00:48:09,320 --> 00:48:11,456 - Because I've been alone. 1055 00:48:11,489 --> 00:48:16,594 I know what it feels like, it's terrifying, it's... 1056 00:48:16,627 --> 00:48:19,597 It's a giant, black gaping, maw. 1057 00:48:20,331 --> 00:48:22,000 There's nothing. 1058 00:48:22,033 --> 00:48:23,568 There's no one. 1059 00:48:23,601 --> 00:48:26,037 Not even yourself. 1060 00:48:26,304 --> 00:48:27,672 What do you see? 1061 00:48:31,109 --> 00:48:32,610 I left Las Vegas. 1062 00:48:32,643 --> 00:48:34,445 What's different now? 1063 00:48:34,479 --> 00:48:36,614 - Instead of letting other things control me, 1064 00:48:36,647 --> 00:48:39,150 I control what I'm doing, 1065 00:48:39,184 --> 00:48:42,120 not substances. It's me. 1066 00:48:42,153 --> 00:48:43,588 It's something you have caused? 1067 00:48:43,621 --> 00:48:44,990 - Indirectly. 1068 00:48:45,356 --> 00:48:46,491 To myself. 1069 00:48:46,524 --> 00:48:47,625 How can you overcome it? 1070 00:48:47,658 --> 00:48:49,060 - Acceptance. 1071 00:48:49,694 --> 00:48:50,996 Recognition. 1072 00:48:52,263 --> 00:48:53,698 Acknowledgement. 1073 00:48:57,668 --> 00:48:59,337 And time. 1074 00:49:00,071 --> 00:49:01,706 Do you think you'll ever be alone again? 1075 00:49:01,739 --> 00:49:03,474 - I'd like to think not. 1076 00:49:03,508 --> 00:49:06,111 What can you do to ensure that you aren't? 1077 00:49:06,144 --> 00:49:08,679 - Not join the military again, that's for sure. 1078 00:49:08,713 --> 00:49:12,017 And now, take another stone. 1079 00:49:13,784 --> 00:49:15,553 And close your eyes. 1080 00:49:17,688 --> 00:49:19,757 And see that stone again. 1081 00:49:19,790 --> 00:49:23,694 It's taking shape, becoming a time, a belief 1082 00:49:23,728 --> 00:49:27,498 that you connect with the misuse of power. 1083 00:49:27,532 --> 00:49:28,733 Do you see it? 1084 00:49:28,766 --> 00:49:30,001 - Yes. 1085 00:49:31,269 --> 00:49:32,703 It's the Marine Corps. 1086 00:49:32,737 --> 00:49:33,738 Why? 1087 00:49:35,806 --> 00:49:37,742 - Because it is the... 1088 00:49:39,110 --> 00:49:42,980 Biggest abuse of power, 1089 00:49:45,050 --> 00:49:49,020 I have ever come to experience, personally. 1090 00:49:49,054 --> 00:49:50,755 - And what have you done to take control? 1091 00:49:50,788 --> 00:49:53,491 I stood up, and I said this is wrong. 1092 00:49:53,524 --> 00:49:55,460 Are you happy with yourself? 1093 00:49:55,493 --> 00:49:57,195 - I am. 1094 00:49:58,829 --> 00:50:00,398 It's their job to know themselves well 1095 00:50:00,431 --> 00:50:01,732 enough that they can't be broken. 1096 00:50:01,766 --> 00:50:03,501 It's their job to know themselves well 1097 00:50:03,534 --> 00:50:05,703 enough that they can answer what their weaknesses are. 1098 00:50:05,736 --> 00:50:08,506 Because if they can't do that, they're not a knight. 1099 00:50:08,539 --> 00:50:10,308 They're not a Jedi Knight at least. 1100 00:50:10,341 --> 00:50:12,677 I'm the person who has to test their mettle. 1101 00:50:12,710 --> 00:50:15,780 My job is to try to overwhelm them, 1102 00:50:15,813 --> 00:50:18,216 with intensity, and emotionally. 1103 00:50:18,249 --> 00:50:20,485 Michael Hannigan. 1104 00:50:20,518 --> 00:50:24,622 I'm starting to think I haven't met you, until this week. 1105 00:50:24,655 --> 00:50:27,158 Place your hand on the stone. 1106 00:50:28,859 --> 00:50:30,661 The other. 1107 00:50:30,695 --> 00:50:32,763 Close your eyes, take a deep breath. 1108 00:50:32,797 --> 00:50:35,533 Find the greatest of your fears. 1109 00:50:35,566 --> 00:50:38,103 When you remove your hand from that stone, 1110 00:50:38,136 --> 00:50:40,238 you will release that fear. 1111 00:50:45,110 --> 00:50:48,313 Say what that fear was, or say nothing. 1112 00:50:48,346 --> 00:50:49,547 - Inadequacy. 1113 00:50:50,781 --> 00:50:52,183 - False fear. 1114 00:50:53,584 --> 00:50:57,588 That the misunderstandings about me were true. 1115 00:50:57,622 --> 00:51:00,391 That I am truly a destructive... 1116 00:51:01,759 --> 00:51:03,494 ...force. 1117 00:51:11,336 --> 00:51:15,273 Do you wish to share? 1118 00:51:15,306 --> 00:51:17,675 - By the way, rituals are not believed 1119 00:51:17,708 --> 00:51:21,212 in by everybody participating in them equally. 1120 00:51:21,246 --> 00:51:24,182 Total belief is not required for it to work. 1121 00:51:24,215 --> 00:51:27,218 Uniform belief is not required for it to work. 1122 00:51:27,252 --> 00:51:31,522 It is the doing itself that will produce the outcome. 1123 00:51:32,623 --> 00:51:34,592 - It will make it harder from here. 1124 00:51:34,625 --> 00:51:38,129 In the past, you were asked to let go. 1125 00:51:38,163 --> 00:51:40,798 But now I'm asking you to engulf. 1126 00:51:40,831 --> 00:51:43,701 To embrace the chaos within yourself. 1127 00:51:43,734 --> 00:51:46,171 To embrace the pain. 1128 00:51:46,204 --> 00:51:48,506 To embrace all of the hatred, and all 1129 00:51:48,539 --> 00:51:50,841 of the suffering that has been caused to you. 1130 00:51:50,875 --> 00:51:53,544 And that you have caused to others. 1131 00:51:53,578 --> 00:51:57,248 Raise your hand to the sky with the rock. 1132 00:51:57,282 --> 00:51:58,649 Feel the Force. 1133 00:51:58,683 --> 00:52:01,319 I want you to focus, and visualize, 1134 00:52:01,352 --> 00:52:03,888 and feel the Force rising up from the 1135 00:52:03,921 --> 00:52:05,890 core of the Earth, through you. 1136 00:52:05,923 --> 00:52:08,193 From the very core of the Earth, filling you, 1137 00:52:08,226 --> 00:52:10,928 and pushing the pain. 1138 00:52:10,961 --> 00:52:12,663 I want you to push it into that rock. 1139 00:52:12,697 --> 00:52:14,832 Let the Force move it into that rock. 1140 00:52:14,865 --> 00:52:18,169 You may let go of this burden, once and for all. 1141 00:52:18,203 --> 00:52:19,570 When you feel that you have moved all 1142 00:52:19,604 --> 00:52:22,740 of that into that stone, you may stand. 1143 00:52:22,773 --> 00:52:25,176 - For me, the fact that there is an invisible 1144 00:52:25,210 --> 00:52:29,380 world, that is more powerful than we, 1145 00:52:29,414 --> 00:52:33,184 or that we really tap into, we really 1146 00:52:33,218 --> 00:52:39,424 tap into the spiritual world, and its Force, 1147 00:52:39,457 --> 00:52:42,727 that can strengthen us, help us to come 1148 00:52:42,760 --> 00:52:47,265 alive, in ways that we didn't know that we could be alive. 1149 00:52:47,298 --> 00:52:49,467 - This is now stone, what once was wood, 1150 00:52:49,500 --> 00:52:50,935 this is what the Force is. 1151 00:52:50,968 --> 00:52:54,672 It is sturdiness, it is steadiness. 1152 00:52:54,705 --> 00:52:56,607 I'm going to ask you questions next. 1153 00:52:56,641 --> 00:52:59,910 Do you swear to answer them truthfully, and completely? 1154 00:52:59,944 --> 00:53:00,911 - I do. 1155 00:53:00,945 --> 00:53:01,912 - I do. 1156 00:53:01,946 --> 00:53:02,847 - Absolutely. 1157 00:53:02,880 --> 00:53:06,884 - Who are you, and what is your true name? 1158 00:53:08,986 --> 00:53:10,355 - Michael Hannigan. 1159 00:53:10,388 --> 00:53:12,290 - Opie Macleod. 1160 00:53:12,323 --> 00:53:13,558 - Perris Cartwright. 1161 00:53:17,027 --> 00:53:18,996 - Notice, in the second part of the trials, 1162 00:53:19,029 --> 00:53:21,332 you have something, again, very typical 1163 00:53:21,366 --> 00:53:25,636 in initiation rituals, the confrontation with the ego. 1164 00:53:26,404 --> 00:53:27,972 Where someone who has more power in 1165 00:53:28,005 --> 00:53:30,741 this situation says, "Well, who are you, 1166 00:53:30,775 --> 00:53:34,011 "and why are you even thinking you can come into this?" 1167 00:53:34,044 --> 00:53:35,513 You know, "You have to prove yourself." 1168 00:53:35,546 --> 00:53:40,418 And that shattering of your elusions of yourself, 1169 00:53:40,451 --> 00:53:43,988 is essential to the growth into a higher level. 1170 00:53:44,021 --> 00:53:45,556 - Serve the Force. 1171 00:53:45,590 --> 00:53:47,792 - Ki, the universal light source. 1172 00:53:47,825 --> 00:53:49,294 - The world. 1173 00:53:51,829 --> 00:53:52,797 - Always. 1174 00:53:52,830 --> 00:53:53,898 - Absolutely. 1175 00:53:53,931 --> 00:53:54,965 - Very much so. 1176 00:53:58,636 --> 00:54:01,806 - It's a path of peace, of healing. 1177 00:54:05,075 --> 00:54:06,277 - To mend hearts. 1178 00:54:08,346 --> 00:54:09,447 - The Jedi path. 1179 00:54:12,950 --> 00:54:15,019 - To make the world better. 1180 00:54:15,052 --> 00:54:17,988 To be world betterment, through self betterment, 1181 00:54:18,022 --> 00:54:20,391 and to lead others to that realization. 1182 00:54:23,394 --> 00:54:25,563 - A reiki master. 1183 00:54:27,798 --> 00:54:29,400 - To help those that were not there 1184 00:54:29,434 --> 00:54:32,036 when I was there, and younger. 1185 00:54:34,739 --> 00:54:36,807 - Good, you didn't lie to me. 1186 00:54:36,841 --> 00:54:38,643 Where do you belong? 1187 00:54:39,444 --> 00:54:40,911 - Everywhere. 1188 00:54:40,945 --> 00:54:44,415 - Nowhere, but at the same time, everywhere. 1189 00:54:44,449 --> 00:54:47,452 - Within the Jedi community, where I can do good. 1190 00:54:47,485 --> 00:54:49,454 - What do you have to give, and 1191 00:54:49,487 --> 00:54:52,990 what do you have to give up? 1192 00:54:54,492 --> 00:54:55,993 - Everything. 1193 00:54:56,026 --> 00:54:57,628 And everything. 1194 00:54:57,662 --> 00:54:58,929 My life. 1195 00:54:58,963 --> 00:55:00,898 My skills, my service. 1196 00:55:01,966 --> 00:55:04,802 My breath, my heartbeat, my love. 1197 00:55:05,703 --> 00:55:08,305 - Myself, and my ego. 1198 00:55:08,539 --> 00:55:10,941 Very good. 1199 00:55:10,975 --> 00:55:12,477 - Everything that I am, everything 1200 00:55:12,510 --> 00:55:15,012 that I stand for, every piece of my body. 1201 00:55:15,045 --> 00:55:17,715 My physical body, and my soul, my heart. 1202 00:55:17,748 --> 00:55:18,949 Everything. 1203 00:55:28,092 --> 00:55:30,495 - Happiness for everyone. 1204 00:55:35,933 --> 00:55:37,868 - To be a master healer. 1205 00:55:47,445 --> 00:55:48,779 - To be a Jedi. 1206 00:55:49,880 --> 00:55:51,649 To be a Jedi Knight. 1207 00:55:52,182 --> 00:55:55,386 - Your trial of the spirit is complete. 1208 00:55:55,420 --> 00:55:56,787 - What is going on here, is a person 1209 00:55:56,821 --> 00:55:58,923 would like to be of use, they'd like 1210 00:55:58,956 --> 00:56:00,958 to be a teacher of some kind, they'd 1211 00:56:00,991 --> 00:56:03,060 like to incarnate some values that they 1212 00:56:03,093 --> 00:56:06,531 respect, and they're calling it being a Jedi Knight. 1213 00:56:06,564 --> 00:56:08,999 Okay, that's as good a name as any. 1214 00:56:09,033 --> 00:56:10,635 - So it could be that in Star Wars 1215 00:56:10,668 --> 00:56:12,837 that these things are meant to be 1216 00:56:12,870 --> 00:56:15,105 allegorical, and not literal. 1217 00:56:15,139 --> 00:56:17,174 Sometimes when the person standing there, 1218 00:56:17,207 --> 00:56:21,679 criticizing us, or insulting us, it feels like 1219 00:56:22,447 --> 00:56:25,149 Darth Vader is about to kill us. 1220 00:56:25,182 --> 00:56:28,185 But we just let it go, and then we're okay. 1221 00:56:28,218 --> 00:56:30,455 - When you get into the emotional aspect itself, 1222 00:56:30,488 --> 00:56:32,690 when you really start digging deep into 1223 00:56:32,723 --> 00:56:35,560 why do I feel the way I feel about certain things, 1224 00:56:35,593 --> 00:56:39,029 these feelings have meaning, and they have 1225 00:56:39,063 --> 00:56:40,765 purpose, and they came from somewhere. 1226 00:56:40,798 --> 00:56:43,100 And that somewhere comes from inside you. 1227 00:56:43,133 --> 00:56:44,669 And digging through to find out where 1228 00:56:44,702 --> 00:56:47,738 they come through, we set up infinite 1229 00:56:47,772 --> 00:56:51,208 roadblocks of self-denial, and delusion, 1230 00:56:51,241 --> 00:56:54,645 and outright lying to ourselves. 1231 00:56:54,679 --> 00:56:56,013 We need to work through that. 1232 00:56:56,046 --> 00:56:57,548 And going through that means you have 1233 00:56:57,582 --> 00:56:59,450 to face things that those lies, 1234 00:56:59,484 --> 00:57:03,153 delusions, and misconceptions are protecting you from. 1235 00:57:03,187 --> 00:57:04,188 They were established to protect 1236 00:57:04,221 --> 00:57:07,157 you from some form of pain. 1237 00:57:08,493 --> 00:57:09,560 Well now, if you really wanna come 1238 00:57:09,594 --> 00:57:13,230 out the other end, it's time to own up to that pain. 1239 00:57:32,850 --> 00:57:34,519 - That's cool. 1240 00:57:34,552 --> 00:57:35,720 - You want to see a weapon I can wield, it's this. 1241 00:57:35,753 --> 00:57:36,721 It's not that. 1242 00:57:36,754 --> 00:57:38,255 - Here's a weapon, there you go. 1243 00:57:38,288 --> 00:57:39,624 That's a weapon. 1244 00:57:39,657 --> 00:57:41,726 - I'll frikkin' shanks somebody. 1245 00:57:41,759 --> 00:57:43,060 That's my new toy. 1246 00:57:44,094 --> 00:57:45,863 - Yeah. 1247 00:57:45,896 --> 00:57:47,197 - This is cute, I like this. 1248 00:57:47,231 --> 00:57:48,766 - Yeah. 1249 00:58:01,879 --> 00:58:04,148 - Hey Ross, we're talking about Bruce Lee, 1250 00:58:04,181 --> 00:58:05,983 and his aspirin 1251 00:58:06,016 --> 00:58:07,652 - It wasn't heroin, you're an idiot. 1252 00:58:07,685 --> 00:58:08,886 - Everyone knows that Bruce Lee 1253 00:58:08,919 --> 00:58:10,588 died of a smack heroin overdose. 1254 00:58:10,621 --> 00:58:13,090 - The only one who you should be smacked is Mike. 1255 00:58:13,123 --> 00:58:15,192 - Here, I'll be like Ross. 1256 00:58:38,048 --> 00:58:40,217 - Well that's true of all sort of religious texts, 1257 00:58:40,250 --> 00:58:42,587 not that I'm gonna call Star Wars a religious text. 1258 00:58:42,620 --> 00:58:43,220 That makes me uncomfortable. 1259 00:58:43,253 --> 00:58:44,221 - It's an inspired text. 1260 00:58:44,254 --> 00:58:46,624 - Inspired text, see yes. 1261 00:58:50,628 --> 00:58:52,830 - I'm gonna go vape, and drunk journal. 1262 00:58:52,863 --> 00:58:54,699 Don't wait up for me. 1263 00:58:55,365 --> 00:58:56,967 'Sup? 1264 00:59:01,706 --> 00:59:02,873 - The final trial that they would go 1265 00:59:02,907 --> 00:59:04,775 through is to meet with those who 1266 00:59:04,809 --> 00:59:07,912 have previously been knighted, and discuss 1267 00:59:07,945 --> 00:59:10,280 with them what makes them think they should 1268 00:59:10,314 --> 00:59:11,816 have the title, Jedi. 1269 00:59:11,849 --> 00:59:13,317 - When people come to the Jedi community, 1270 00:59:13,350 --> 00:59:16,921 it's not about who they are when they join us, 1271 00:59:16,954 --> 00:59:18,689 it's about who they aspire to be. 1272 00:59:18,723 --> 00:59:20,357 - And we're gonna ask some very deep, 1273 00:59:20,390 --> 00:59:23,794 probing, internal questions. 1274 00:59:23,828 --> 00:59:25,863 And we wanna see what's their reaction. 1275 00:59:25,896 --> 00:59:28,999 I want everybody to get to speak their fair piece. 1276 00:59:29,033 --> 00:59:32,002 And let this person express themselves. 1277 00:59:32,036 --> 00:59:33,871 It's never such a clear cut thing. 1278 00:59:33,904 --> 00:59:35,706 It's not like anybody has midichlorians, 1279 00:59:35,740 --> 00:59:37,241 to make things raise off the table. 1280 00:59:37,274 --> 00:59:38,809 If somebody does that, I'm definitely promoting 'em. 1281 00:59:38,843 --> 00:59:40,244 We're not concerned whether they know 1282 00:59:40,277 --> 00:59:43,648 what color underpants Luke Skywalker wore in episode three. 1283 00:59:43,681 --> 00:59:45,282 We're not asking crazy questions like that. 1284 00:59:45,315 --> 00:59:47,317 We're asking them very personal questions 1285 00:59:47,351 --> 00:59:50,721 about themselves, what have they done in their lives. 1286 00:59:50,755 --> 00:59:51,822 What are the things that they've 1287 00:59:51,856 --> 00:59:53,057 done that they regret? 1288 00:59:53,090 --> 00:59:54,792 What are the things that they should've done? 1289 00:59:54,825 --> 00:59:57,261 How are they making up for something they did wrong? 1290 00:59:57,294 --> 00:59:58,729 Every person's different. 1291 00:59:58,763 --> 01:00:00,130 And it's actually tougher for this group, 1292 01:00:00,164 --> 01:00:01,198 because we know them. 1293 01:00:01,231 --> 01:00:04,068 It'd be one thing if I've never met this person. 1294 01:00:04,101 --> 01:00:07,304 But everybody who's going up is somebody I know. 1295 01:00:07,337 --> 01:00:10,708 - Hannigan certainly thrives on controversy. 1296 01:00:10,741 --> 01:00:12,810 He brings a lot of issues to the table, 1297 01:00:12,843 --> 01:00:14,378 that we'll have to deal with. 1298 01:00:14,411 --> 01:00:16,681 - When I first met this guy, I was gonna jack him up. 1299 01:00:16,714 --> 01:00:18,916 His mouth is pretty big, and he says 1300 01:00:18,949 --> 01:00:21,318 things that will get him in trouble. 1301 01:00:21,351 --> 01:00:23,688 Before we even said hey, I was gonna lay him out, 1302 01:00:23,721 --> 01:00:24,621 I was gonna deck him. 1303 01:00:24,655 --> 01:00:26,023 - The person who is sponsoring Michael, 1304 01:00:26,056 --> 01:00:27,692 I would like them to tell us why you 1305 01:00:27,725 --> 01:00:30,060 have nominated him for knighthood. 1306 01:00:30,094 --> 01:00:31,428 - I'm Andy Spaulding. 1307 01:00:31,461 --> 01:00:33,831 I've been a long term member of the community. 1308 01:00:33,864 --> 01:00:36,066 I nominated Hannigan, because he has 1309 01:00:36,100 --> 01:00:38,903 also been a long term member of the community. 1310 01:00:38,936 --> 01:00:41,405 In previous years, he came to a gathering, 1311 01:00:41,438 --> 01:00:45,242 and we had a previous history before that. 1312 01:00:46,376 --> 01:00:47,845 And that previous history was going 1313 01:00:47,878 --> 01:00:50,180 to lead to physical confrontation. 1314 01:00:50,214 --> 01:00:53,718 He swallowed his pride, and he apologized before. 1315 01:00:53,751 --> 01:00:56,687 And that started our terms. 1316 01:00:56,721 --> 01:00:57,988 Our terms. 1317 01:00:58,022 --> 01:00:59,156 - At this time I would like to allow Michael 1318 01:00:59,189 --> 01:01:01,258 to speak for himself, as to why he 1319 01:01:01,291 --> 01:01:02,993 wishes to become a Jedi Knight. 1320 01:01:03,027 --> 01:01:05,830 - Was I a hellion in the beginning, I certainly was. 1321 01:01:05,863 --> 01:01:08,432 Did I rattle cages, I certainly did. 1322 01:01:08,465 --> 01:01:11,769 Have I not cared about the community, no. 1323 01:01:11,802 --> 01:01:13,303 If I did not care about the community 1324 01:01:13,337 --> 01:01:16,373 I would've said, fuck the community years ago, 1325 01:01:16,406 --> 01:01:19,443 when I was Bannigan Hannigan, from every 1326 01:01:19,476 --> 01:01:21,746 damn website that we could imagine. 1327 01:01:21,779 --> 01:01:23,480 - You do have a long, checkered past. 1328 01:01:23,513 --> 01:01:24,481 Certainly do. 1329 01:01:26,450 --> 01:01:27,384 - To be honest, the questions they asked 1330 01:01:27,417 --> 01:01:30,220 me up there was what happened in the past, 1331 01:01:30,254 --> 01:01:32,189 what's going to go on in the future, 1332 01:01:32,222 --> 01:01:33,390 am I gonna raise some hell again. 1333 01:01:33,423 --> 01:01:35,392 Did I do some shit to rattle cages, yes. 1334 01:01:35,425 --> 01:01:37,227 What was the big thing I was known for? 1335 01:01:37,261 --> 01:01:38,863 Get off your ass and do something. 1336 01:01:38,896 --> 01:01:40,364 Don't just sit there on your keyboard, 1337 01:01:40,397 --> 01:01:42,733 looking at ones, and zeroes, do something about it. 1338 01:01:42,767 --> 01:01:44,869 Get into martial arts, get into fitness. 1339 01:01:44,902 --> 01:01:46,336 Do something. 1340 01:01:46,370 --> 01:01:51,108 - It's 11:45, we're waiting for the Jedi council 1341 01:01:51,141 --> 01:01:53,744 to call us in. 1342 01:01:53,778 --> 01:01:54,945 - I'm tired because I've been waiting 1343 01:01:54,979 --> 01:02:00,150 for like three hours. Are you kidding me? 1344 01:02:00,184 --> 01:02:01,351 What about Perris? 1345 01:02:01,385 --> 01:02:03,788 - Perris is somebody that I met, through the gathering, 1346 01:02:03,821 --> 01:02:06,924 she has a certain presence about her. 1347 01:02:06,957 --> 01:02:10,094 One would not say a princess, like Cinderella. 1348 01:02:10,127 --> 01:02:12,863 But more like the one from Shrek. 1349 01:02:12,897 --> 01:02:15,399 So she's like this princess who 1350 01:02:15,432 --> 01:02:17,501 likes to kick people's butts. 1351 01:02:19,069 --> 01:02:21,038 - I think for Perris, the interesting question 1352 01:02:21,071 --> 01:02:24,408 will be just, why the move over from 1353 01:02:24,441 --> 01:02:27,978 one Jedi order to another, essentially. 1354 01:02:28,012 --> 01:02:31,181 Explain that whole process, why did it happen? 1355 01:02:31,215 --> 01:02:33,183 - She is not online a lot, and not 1356 01:02:33,217 --> 01:02:35,385 dealing with us online a lot, and so 1357 01:02:35,419 --> 01:02:37,087 many of us don't know her that well. 1358 01:02:37,121 --> 01:02:38,789 - It'll be interesting to see 1359 01:02:38,823 --> 01:02:40,791 if she can take those experiences, 1360 01:02:40,825 --> 01:02:43,861 and be able to translate that into how 1361 01:02:43,894 --> 01:02:45,930 she's moving forward, and her vision. 1362 01:02:45,963 --> 01:02:48,198 10 years in the community, and still doing things. 1363 01:02:48,232 --> 01:02:50,000 Already has plans in the works for 1364 01:02:50,034 --> 01:02:51,869 some great organizational work, 1365 01:02:51,902 --> 01:02:54,504 work within the community for girls. 1366 01:02:54,538 --> 01:02:56,807 Just a lot of projects in hand. 1367 01:02:56,841 --> 01:02:59,076 Knocked out her Jedi academics, 1368 01:02:59,109 --> 01:03:01,511 Temple of the Jedi Order, rocked it. 1369 01:03:01,545 --> 01:03:03,480 Blah-blah-blibbity-bli. 1370 01:03:03,513 --> 01:03:06,150 - Without repeating what he said, per se, 1371 01:03:06,183 --> 01:03:08,552 we want you to give us as much supporting 1372 01:03:08,585 --> 01:03:11,088 information as to why you would like 1373 01:03:11,121 --> 01:03:14,558 to become a knight in our organization. 1374 01:03:14,591 --> 01:03:18,528 - It's a piece of my spiritual soul. 1375 01:03:18,562 --> 01:03:22,232 And, while I'm not in it for the titles, 1376 01:03:22,266 --> 01:03:25,435 or for the recognition, to me, 1377 01:03:25,469 --> 01:03:27,938 being a recognized knight, within the community, 1378 01:03:27,972 --> 01:03:30,374 being a knight, within the physical community, 1379 01:03:30,407 --> 01:03:32,276 it's a pretty big deal, and now 1380 01:03:32,309 --> 01:03:35,279 I can go out, and out into the world, 1381 01:03:35,312 --> 01:03:40,217 and say, Jedi Knight, it's gonna have a lot of substance. 1382 01:03:40,250 --> 01:03:43,587 You know, Jediism is a pretty heavily male-dominated, 1383 01:03:43,620 --> 01:03:46,857 and sometimes that soft feminine, 1384 01:03:46,891 --> 01:03:50,560 that motherly kindness, it gets swallowed up. 1385 01:03:50,594 --> 01:03:54,031 - Awhile back, I recall a radio interview with you. 1386 01:03:54,064 --> 01:03:56,566 In which you said if you were attacked, 1387 01:03:56,600 --> 01:03:59,569 by an attacker, you would not defend yourself. 1388 01:03:59,603 --> 01:04:01,638 - At the time, when it was asked, 1389 01:04:01,671 --> 01:04:04,141 I was still a United States Marine. 1390 01:04:04,174 --> 01:04:06,543 I was physically, sexually, emotionally, 1391 01:04:06,576 --> 01:04:08,645 and mentally abused, almost every single 1392 01:04:08,678 --> 01:04:10,580 day in the United States Marine Corps. 1393 01:04:10,614 --> 01:04:14,218 It was so bad, for four years, I literally 1394 01:04:14,251 --> 01:04:15,920 went to the Chaplin, and I was like 1395 01:04:15,953 --> 01:04:17,254 I don't know if I can do this anymore. 1396 01:04:17,287 --> 01:04:19,990 I think I need to be a conscientious objector. 1397 01:04:20,024 --> 01:04:22,559 Because I can't defend myself against this kind 1398 01:04:22,592 --> 01:04:24,328 of violence, and it crushed me. 1399 01:04:24,361 --> 01:04:27,564 I'm fighting guys who are three times my size, and strength. 1400 01:04:27,597 --> 01:04:30,534 - So you'd have difficulty in defending yourself, 1401 01:04:30,567 --> 01:04:33,003 you don't see that as any kind of weakness? 1402 01:04:33,037 --> 01:04:36,006 - To be completely honest, I would freeze. 1403 01:04:36,040 --> 01:04:37,441 How is that knight like? 1404 01:04:37,474 --> 01:04:38,675 - It's not. 1405 01:04:38,708 --> 01:04:40,610 There was a card that was pulled, during mine, 1406 01:04:40,644 --> 01:04:44,048 that was greatly unfair. 1407 01:04:44,081 --> 01:04:45,649 If a random mugger, a guy comes, yeah, 1408 01:04:45,682 --> 01:04:48,418 I'm gonna defend myself against a random mugger. 1409 01:04:48,452 --> 01:04:52,422 But, in my experience, it's never a random guy. 1410 01:04:52,456 --> 01:04:53,924 It's always somebody that you know, 1411 01:04:53,958 --> 01:04:56,226 and it's not only a physical attack, 1412 01:04:56,260 --> 01:04:59,096 it's a complete, and total, mental terrorism. 1413 01:04:59,129 --> 01:05:01,665 I was a little pissed though, man. 1414 01:05:01,698 --> 01:05:03,567 He pulled that shit out, I was like... 1415 01:05:05,202 --> 01:05:08,939 - Opie Macleod was a person who I heard about. 1416 01:05:08,973 --> 01:05:10,574 He was kind of like a legendary character. 1417 01:05:10,607 --> 01:05:12,409 - For you, I think the biggest thing 1418 01:05:12,442 --> 01:05:14,711 will be why the return. 1419 01:05:14,744 --> 01:05:16,613 Like, 'cause you have been away from the community, 1420 01:05:16,646 --> 01:05:18,348 in one regards, for awhile. 1421 01:05:18,382 --> 01:05:21,952 Haven't been to gatherings until pretty recently, and... 1422 01:05:21,986 --> 01:05:23,954 - Opie is sort of part of an old guard 1423 01:05:23,988 --> 01:05:25,956 that's been around for a long time, 1424 01:05:25,990 --> 01:05:27,391 those that were involved in the online 1425 01:05:27,424 --> 01:05:29,994 activities, long ago, know him well. 1426 01:05:30,027 --> 01:05:31,628 But he hasn't been as active recently, 1427 01:05:31,661 --> 01:05:33,630 and so I think those of us who are 1428 01:05:33,663 --> 01:05:36,433 newer to the online community won't know him as well. 1429 01:05:36,466 --> 01:05:38,735 And so I think his challenge will be proving 1430 01:05:38,768 --> 01:05:41,571 that he's a good representative for our groups. 1431 01:05:41,605 --> 01:05:43,373 - You kind of get this build up, 1432 01:05:43,407 --> 01:05:45,075 and it's all part of it, I suppose. 1433 01:05:45,109 --> 01:05:46,676 Walking in there, kind of tired. 1434 01:05:46,710 --> 01:05:49,179 Kind of frustrated, kind of like what's going on? 1435 01:05:49,213 --> 01:05:51,515 You know, that's a part of it. 1436 01:05:51,548 --> 01:05:53,017 It kind of gets you off your game. 1437 01:05:53,050 --> 01:05:54,484 - When you walk that journey, you have 1438 01:05:54,518 --> 01:05:56,253 no idea whether you're going to succeed or fail. 1439 01:05:56,286 --> 01:05:58,222 In fact, nobody knows. 1440 01:05:59,123 --> 01:06:00,524 You could fail. 1441 01:06:00,557 --> 01:06:02,292 It is a very real possibility. 1442 01:06:02,326 --> 01:06:05,162 - Well I present before you, Opie Macleod, 1443 01:06:05,195 --> 01:06:06,997 and the reason I believe he is a knight, 1444 01:06:07,031 --> 01:06:09,233 is he has done much in the community. 1445 01:06:09,266 --> 01:06:11,135 He has been a long standing member. 1446 01:06:11,168 --> 01:06:13,770 He has been around for well over a decade. 1447 01:06:13,803 --> 01:06:15,572 He has been at various academies, 1448 01:06:15,605 --> 01:06:18,242 and continues at the Jedi Academy online. 1449 01:06:18,275 --> 01:06:20,077 He has presented much curriculum, 1450 01:06:20,110 --> 01:06:23,047 and even a published author himself. 1451 01:06:23,080 --> 01:06:24,781 - Opie, I would like you to be able to make 1452 01:06:24,814 --> 01:06:26,783 a statement, as to why you would like 1453 01:06:26,816 --> 01:06:28,752 to become a knight in this order. 1454 01:06:28,785 --> 01:06:32,689 - Because it validates a lifetime of work. 1455 01:06:32,722 --> 01:06:40,097 Not online, not done through any sort of 1456 01:06:40,630 --> 01:06:42,732 misunderstandings, but because they 1457 01:06:42,766 --> 01:06:45,335 see something of quality, and where you're 1458 01:06:45,369 --> 01:06:47,704 going, and that you can handle the responsibility 1459 01:06:47,737 --> 01:06:51,608 of that title, and everything that it means. 1460 01:06:51,641 --> 01:06:52,776 - I know Hannigan quite well, I've dealt 1461 01:06:52,809 --> 01:06:54,811 with him for a long time, and in talking 1462 01:06:54,844 --> 01:06:57,781 with him, he said that your story was just like 1463 01:06:57,814 --> 01:07:00,050 his, and you were just like him. 1464 01:07:00,084 --> 01:07:01,385 Tell me in what ways that's true, 1465 01:07:01,418 --> 01:07:03,353 and in what ways that's not true. 1466 01:07:03,387 --> 01:07:05,355 That's the best question all night. 1467 01:07:05,389 --> 01:07:06,556 - Okay. 1468 01:07:06,590 --> 01:07:08,825 I am like Michael Hannigan in the sense 1469 01:07:08,858 --> 01:07:12,796 that there is a preceding reputation with the name. 1470 01:07:12,829 --> 01:07:18,235 We both were kids, at a time, who were hurt individuals. 1471 01:07:18,268 --> 01:07:20,737 We had very low self-esteem, and what we did 1472 01:07:20,770 --> 01:07:25,642 is we covered that up with this big bravado. 1473 01:07:25,675 --> 01:07:27,477 Of this... 1474 01:07:27,777 --> 01:07:29,813 Yeah, I'm a bad monkey. 1475 01:07:29,846 --> 01:07:31,315 I'm a bad man. 1476 01:07:31,348 --> 01:07:33,049 Watch out. 1477 01:07:34,218 --> 01:07:36,120 No one believed it, we didn't believe it, 1478 01:07:36,153 --> 01:07:38,688 but that's alright, we just kept going with it. 1479 01:07:38,722 --> 01:07:39,856 We're both skinny, white dudes. 1480 01:07:42,692 --> 01:07:44,761 - If you sat on the opposite part of the table, 1481 01:07:44,794 --> 01:07:49,266 if you were sitting there now, what would you ask yourself? 1482 01:07:50,434 --> 01:07:55,105 - There was a time of complete, utter loss, 1483 01:07:55,139 --> 01:07:59,075 and it was not too long ago. 1484 01:08:00,510 --> 01:08:01,811 I would ask... 1485 01:08:01,845 --> 01:08:04,814 And there was tags along with that. 1486 01:08:04,848 --> 01:08:09,819 There was a little bit too much of this in it. 1487 01:08:09,853 --> 01:08:13,757 Now at gatherings, my vacation, 1488 01:08:13,790 --> 01:08:16,693 you'll see one of these in my hand at most times. 1489 01:08:16,726 --> 01:08:19,163 So if I was sitting there, I would say, 1490 01:08:19,196 --> 01:08:25,169 dude you had a pretty dark moment, where that's all you did. 1491 01:08:25,435 --> 01:08:29,706 What are you still doing with that bottle in your hand? 1492 01:08:29,939 --> 01:08:32,776 The answer, of course, being... 1493 01:08:33,810 --> 01:08:37,881 I went through some demons, and had to face it, 1494 01:08:37,914 --> 01:08:41,551 and for me it wasn't an absence, it was stability. 1495 01:08:41,585 --> 01:08:43,920 It was control, it was learning to come to terms 1496 01:08:43,953 --> 01:08:46,856 with what had happened, my own issues, 1497 01:08:46,890 --> 01:08:50,126 and the things that I was using as a crutch. 1498 01:08:50,927 --> 01:08:52,562 And then to kick that crutch out, and now 1499 01:08:52,596 --> 01:08:53,930 I get to laugh at it. 1500 01:08:53,963 --> 01:08:56,866 To me, this is laughing at the dark side, 1501 01:08:56,900 --> 01:09:00,737 the weak side, the guy who was down in the bottle, me. 1502 01:09:01,938 --> 01:09:02,872 Thank you guys. 1503 01:09:02,906 --> 01:09:04,541 Thank you. 1504 01:09:14,984 --> 01:09:16,486 Jedi council didn't end until something 1505 01:09:16,520 --> 01:09:18,755 like five, 5:30 in the morning. 1506 01:09:18,788 --> 01:09:21,225 They decided to just wait for the knighting ceremony, 1507 01:09:21,258 --> 01:09:22,959 and kind of do it as one big group thing, 1508 01:09:22,992 --> 01:09:24,761 while everybody's standing up there. 1509 01:09:24,794 --> 01:09:26,496 It's iffy 'cause if you didn't pass, 1510 01:09:26,530 --> 01:09:28,298 do you really wanna be standing in front of everybody, 1511 01:09:28,332 --> 01:09:31,801 in your nice getup, all happy and excited, 1512 01:09:31,835 --> 01:09:33,570 and then they're like, "Yeah, and you didn't pass." 1513 01:09:33,603 --> 01:09:35,205 - Now we're on our way to find out who 1514 01:09:35,239 --> 01:09:38,208 actually passed, and who didn't. 1515 01:09:50,254 --> 01:09:51,921 - Upon completion of the trials of skill, flesh, 1516 01:09:51,955 --> 01:09:56,226 courage, mind and spirit, displaying adequate 1517 01:09:56,260 --> 01:09:58,995 knowledge of the code, a Padawan may then become a knight. 1518 01:09:59,028 --> 01:10:01,865 Michael Hannigan, 1519 01:10:02,299 --> 01:10:05,001 who has been around us for a very long time, 1520 01:10:05,034 --> 01:10:06,903 and was a different man, came from 1521 01:10:06,936 --> 01:10:08,872 a different side of the tracks, and now 1522 01:10:08,905 --> 01:10:11,975 has proved that he can become something better. 1523 01:10:12,008 --> 01:10:14,278 Next, we have Perris Cartwright, 1524 01:10:14,311 --> 01:10:18,382 who comes from a long time of training, as a Jedi, 1525 01:10:18,415 --> 01:10:20,884 and now wants to be with us. 1526 01:10:20,917 --> 01:10:25,255 Opie, also a long term member of the Jedi community, 1527 01:10:25,289 --> 01:10:27,624 and also has proved to us that he has 1528 01:10:27,657 --> 01:10:29,759 earned his right amongst us. 1529 01:10:29,793 --> 01:10:32,262 Today we are here to acknowledge what 1530 01:10:32,296 --> 01:10:33,697 the Force has proclaimed. 1531 01:10:33,730 --> 01:10:35,432 We are pleased to authorize the knighting 1532 01:10:35,465 --> 01:10:37,467 of Opie, into the Jedi Order. 1533 01:10:37,501 --> 01:10:39,469 We are pleased to authorize the knighting of 1534 01:10:39,503 --> 01:10:40,937 War Beauty, into the Jedi Order. 1535 01:10:40,970 --> 01:10:42,972 We are pleased to authorize the knighting 1536 01:10:43,006 --> 01:10:45,975 of Reven Hannigan, into the Jedi Order. 1537 01:10:46,009 --> 01:10:48,978 - I swear to act with courage, and integrity, 1538 01:10:49,012 --> 01:10:51,014 in deeds, and in words. 1539 01:10:51,047 --> 01:10:54,017 I will seek knowledge and understanding. 1540 01:10:54,050 --> 01:10:57,287 - I will serve the Jedi Order as best as I am able. 1541 01:10:57,321 --> 01:10:58,922 I swear to provide assistance... 1542 01:10:58,955 --> 01:11:00,457 To those who are in need. 1543 01:11:00,490 --> 01:11:02,626 - I will work for justice, to relieve 1544 01:11:02,659 --> 01:11:03,893 the distress of the world. 1545 01:11:03,927 --> 01:11:06,730 This oath I give, of my own free will. 1546 01:11:06,763 --> 01:11:07,964 - Bow. 1547 01:11:07,997 --> 01:11:10,767 I dub thee, Jedi Knight. 1548 01:11:10,800 --> 01:11:13,503 I dub thee, Jedi Knight. 1549 01:11:13,537 --> 01:11:17,807 I dub thee, Jedi Knight. 1550 01:11:19,042 --> 01:11:21,345 - We have given them nothing, because 1551 01:11:21,378 --> 01:11:24,781 Jedi Knight is not a title. 1552 01:11:24,814 --> 01:11:27,851 It is not a gift, it's something someone takes. 1553 01:11:27,884 --> 01:11:29,953 Something someone earns. 1554 01:11:29,986 --> 01:11:32,689 With hard work, and dedication. 1555 01:11:32,722 --> 01:11:34,858 But it is not a prize. 1556 01:11:34,891 --> 01:11:39,363 It is not a thing you strive for, for recognition. 1557 01:11:39,796 --> 01:11:41,998 It is a job description. 1558 01:11:42,031 --> 01:11:46,836 It is saying that you will stand up proud, 1559 01:11:46,870 --> 01:11:50,574 tall, capable, that you will help the world, 1560 01:11:50,607 --> 01:11:54,778 and that while you will fall, as we all fall, 1561 01:11:54,811 --> 01:11:58,081 you will always rise again, as a Jedi Knight. 1562 01:12:03,553 --> 01:12:05,889 - And then, there is the celebration, 1563 01:12:05,922 --> 01:12:09,359 because we have survived, we're grateful for that. 1564 01:12:09,393 --> 01:12:11,928 Because we have found connections with others, 1565 01:12:11,961 --> 01:12:15,064 a real sense of community, our loneliness is eased. 1566 01:12:15,098 --> 01:12:17,501 Because we are of service, our need for 1567 01:12:17,534 --> 01:12:19,436 a meaning of life is reinforced, so there 1568 01:12:19,469 --> 01:12:21,137 is a great deal to celebrate. 1569 01:12:21,170 --> 01:12:24,541 And it is important, at this point, to be grateful. 1570 01:12:24,574 --> 01:12:28,845 - Had some strong feelings about the process. 1571 01:12:29,145 --> 01:12:31,648 I had to defend the fact that I was raped. 1572 01:12:31,681 --> 01:12:34,684 For women who are going to identify as Jedi, 1573 01:12:34,718 --> 01:12:36,553 they're already strong women, whether 1574 01:12:36,586 --> 01:12:38,154 they see themselves that way or not. 1575 01:12:38,187 --> 01:12:40,056 That's not somebody people randomly attack. 1576 01:12:40,089 --> 01:12:42,726 And these guys, they're not intentionally sexist. 1577 01:12:42,759 --> 01:12:44,127 It's very subconscious. 1578 01:12:44,160 --> 01:12:45,429 They just don't know. 1579 01:12:45,462 --> 01:12:47,931 And so, it takes somebody who does know, 1580 01:12:47,964 --> 01:12:49,666 from experience, to educate them. 1581 01:12:49,699 --> 01:12:51,801 And that's, hopefully, I can guide trials 1582 01:12:51,835 --> 01:12:56,406 where those questions aren't asked of men or women. 1583 01:12:56,440 --> 01:12:58,808 - It was also very touching to have my own family 1584 01:12:58,842 --> 01:13:01,745 out there as well, my sister joined for her son. 1585 01:13:01,778 --> 01:13:03,947 And she saw we do good work. 1586 01:13:03,980 --> 01:13:06,115 Gabe is my son's uncle, and he's 1587 01:13:06,149 --> 01:13:09,953 the cool one, because he's into Star Wars. 1588 01:13:09,986 --> 01:13:11,521 He's always been kind of nerdy, 1589 01:13:11,555 --> 01:13:13,156 so I think, initially, it was just kind 1590 01:13:13,189 --> 01:13:16,125 of a hobby, but now I think they see 1591 01:13:16,159 --> 01:13:20,196 the seriousness, and how much it really means to him. 1592 01:13:20,229 --> 01:13:21,197 What do you think about 1593 01:13:21,230 --> 01:13:22,198 your son being a Jedi? 1594 01:13:22,231 --> 01:13:23,900 - Well it's something different, 1595 01:13:23,933 --> 01:13:27,537 and I feel proud of it, so... 1596 01:13:27,571 --> 01:13:31,475 I wish I could've been younger, so I can join him too. 1597 01:13:31,508 --> 01:13:34,010 - I think they share my same feelings in that they 1598 01:13:34,043 --> 01:13:35,945 are very proud that he's built something 1599 01:13:35,979 --> 01:13:38,482 that he's passionate about, and that other 1600 01:13:38,515 --> 01:13:40,216 people can be passionate about, and 1601 01:13:40,249 --> 01:13:42,919 share that passion, and be supportive of each other, 1602 01:13:42,952 --> 01:13:44,921 because if you're a true nerd, or just 1603 01:13:44,954 --> 01:13:48,558 a nerd in general, you feel lonely. 1604 01:13:48,992 --> 01:13:51,861 - It means a lot, that I can share this, 1605 01:13:51,895 --> 01:13:54,564 with my friends, and my family. 1606 01:13:55,665 --> 01:13:58,602 - It takes a lot of guts just to do it. 1607 01:13:58,635 --> 01:14:00,737 So you support your son? 1608 01:14:00,770 --> 01:14:01,871 - Yes, I do. 1609 01:14:06,543 --> 01:14:07,511 - I guess in the back of my mind, 1610 01:14:07,544 --> 01:14:12,048 I always wonder if I'm making my family proud. 1611 01:14:13,550 --> 01:14:14,718 And I see I am. 1612 01:14:31,267 --> 01:14:34,270 I wanna be able to leave behind a legacy. 1613 01:14:39,976 --> 01:14:43,513 I want something to continue after I'm done. 1614 01:14:43,547 --> 01:14:44,981 After I'm gone. 1615 01:14:55,959 --> 01:14:58,194 - What we don't talk about in our hero stories, 1616 01:14:58,227 --> 01:15:02,498 is after the end, after the hero moment is done, 1617 01:15:02,932 --> 01:15:04,801 and living with the consequences. 1618 01:15:04,834 --> 01:15:06,570 Then the mourning, then the grieving, 1619 01:15:06,603 --> 01:15:09,238 then the loss, then the pain, then the suffering. 1620 01:15:09,272 --> 01:15:13,276 Then all of the betrayal that comes in. 1621 01:15:21,785 --> 01:15:23,119 - The interesting part about coming up 1622 01:15:23,152 --> 01:15:24,921 against the Dark Side, is that 1623 01:15:24,954 --> 01:15:28,091 often we are lured, or trapped, into 1624 01:15:28,124 --> 01:15:32,862 engaging with it so deeply, and so strongly, 1625 01:15:32,896 --> 01:15:36,165 that we then are there. 1626 01:15:36,199 --> 01:15:38,167 At times it seems like those who practice 1627 01:15:38,201 --> 01:15:40,804 the dark arts win everything. 1628 01:15:40,837 --> 01:15:42,606 There are moments in the film series 1629 01:15:42,639 --> 01:15:46,009 when the Empire seems awesome, and unstoppable. 1630 01:15:46,042 --> 01:15:48,244 Sometimes the people that cheat at life, 1631 01:15:48,277 --> 01:15:50,647 get more money, or get the girl. 1632 01:15:50,680 --> 01:15:52,916 So there's not always immediate justice 1633 01:15:52,949 --> 01:15:56,352 in the long haul, serving your better values 1634 01:15:56,385 --> 01:16:00,156 is so good for you, you do turn out the winner. 1635 01:16:00,189 --> 01:16:01,925 - Jedi is my life. 1636 01:16:01,958 --> 01:16:03,326 And I've been rebuilding it. 1637 01:16:03,359 --> 01:16:04,794 And I feel I've been... 1638 01:16:04,828 --> 01:16:07,964 I've done it in a way, even better. 1639 01:16:07,997 --> 01:16:09,365 That I needed to... 1640 01:16:09,398 --> 01:16:10,299 I had to. 1641 01:16:10,333 --> 01:16:11,334 I had to go through the fire. 1642 01:16:16,940 --> 01:16:18,775 Where did I go wrong? 1643 01:16:18,808 --> 01:16:20,376 How come I didn't respond like a Jedi? 1644 01:16:20,409 --> 01:16:21,611 How come... 1645 01:16:21,645 --> 01:16:22,912 I put years of my life into it, 1646 01:16:22,946 --> 01:16:24,180 how come it all went down the train? 1647 01:16:24,213 --> 01:16:26,215 Well, love man. 1648 01:16:26,249 --> 01:16:28,284 Do crazy things, it'll mess up your head. 1649 01:16:32,756 --> 01:16:35,925 And then I was invited to a Jedi gathering. 1650 01:16:35,959 --> 01:16:38,662 And I was like, I don't wanna go. 1651 01:16:38,695 --> 01:16:41,698 And then I heard Miles was going. 1652 01:16:41,731 --> 01:16:43,099 Oh. 1653 01:16:43,867 --> 01:16:45,268 Okay. 1654 01:16:46,302 --> 01:16:48,071 I wanna go now. 1655 01:16:51,074 --> 01:16:52,776 Some people would be like, I'm going to punch 1656 01:16:52,809 --> 01:16:56,212 the dude who slept with my wife in his face. 1657 01:16:56,245 --> 01:16:58,314 That's a natural reaction. 1658 01:16:58,347 --> 01:17:01,951 I wanted to go, just to see my reaction. 1659 01:17:01,985 --> 01:17:03,386 - You know, you can't afford to not 1660 01:17:03,419 --> 01:17:05,989 know what you're doing as a Sith. 1661 01:17:06,022 --> 01:17:10,259 Because everyone expects you to be doing it intentionally. 1662 01:17:11,194 --> 01:17:12,395 Whether you are or not. 1663 01:17:12,428 --> 01:17:14,731 They expect you to know what you're doing. 1664 01:17:14,764 --> 01:17:17,400 They expect you to have a plan, within a plan. 1665 01:17:17,433 --> 01:17:19,302 So you might as well have a plan within a plan, 1666 01:17:19,335 --> 01:17:20,737 because you're expected to have one. 1667 01:17:20,770 --> 01:17:22,205 You're gonna get credit for having one anyway. 1668 01:17:22,238 --> 01:17:26,710 - If I was going to place blame on someone, 1669 01:17:27,010 --> 01:17:28,344 why not Miles? 1670 01:17:28,377 --> 01:17:30,179 And so I went. 1671 01:17:30,213 --> 01:17:32,248 Would I hit him when I see him? 1672 01:17:32,281 --> 01:17:34,884 Would I Jedi up? 1673 01:17:34,918 --> 01:17:37,687 And if I Jedi up, what does that even mean? 1674 01:17:37,721 --> 01:17:39,255 What does it look like? 1675 01:17:39,288 --> 01:17:41,357 - Part of the reason why I went to that event, 1676 01:17:41,390 --> 01:17:43,292 was to see what would happen. 1677 01:17:43,326 --> 01:17:44,160 You know, I had to own up to it. 1678 01:17:44,193 --> 01:17:47,063 I had to face off with, and decided 1679 01:17:47,096 --> 01:17:50,834 whether are we gonna be at each other's throats, 1680 01:17:50,867 --> 01:17:52,001 or are we gonna be friends. 1681 01:17:52,035 --> 01:17:53,136 What are we gonna be? 1682 01:17:53,169 --> 01:17:54,403 - He walked through the door. 1683 01:17:54,437 --> 01:17:56,372 - And I walked in, and I took a look, 1684 01:17:56,405 --> 01:17:58,274 and he was the only guy I recognized. 1685 01:17:58,307 --> 01:17:59,776 And I looked him right in the eye. 1686 01:17:59,809 --> 01:18:01,911 - I looked at him, he looked at me. 1687 01:18:01,945 --> 01:18:03,446 There was a pause. 1688 01:18:03,479 --> 01:18:06,215 - And I watched the cogs turn in his mind for a little bit. 1689 01:18:09,518 --> 01:18:11,254 He's like, "I would love one." 1690 01:18:11,287 --> 01:18:12,956 - We've been thick as thieves ever since. 1691 01:18:12,989 --> 01:18:16,760 - Redemption is a curious thing, people become different, 1692 01:18:16,793 --> 01:18:20,263 people that were very set in a certain idea, 1693 01:18:20,296 --> 01:18:22,866 or disliked a certain person, or had a certain 1694 01:18:22,899 --> 01:18:26,335 prejudice, can go through a transformative learning 1695 01:18:26,369 --> 01:18:30,339 experience that really melts some of that away. 1696 01:18:30,373 --> 01:18:32,441 It's seeing something so differently 1697 01:18:32,475 --> 01:18:34,377 that it takes no particular effort. 1698 01:18:34,410 --> 01:18:36,012 It's called change. 1699 01:18:36,045 --> 01:18:37,513 - I don't think that we're going to learn 1700 01:18:37,546 --> 01:18:39,949 that we can't trust anyone. 1701 01:18:39,983 --> 01:18:41,284 That's not what we're learning. 1702 01:18:41,317 --> 01:18:42,919 But we need to learn something about 1703 01:18:42,952 --> 01:18:45,321 our own expectations, what we thought 1704 01:18:45,354 --> 01:18:47,490 we were going to get out of it, 1705 01:18:47,523 --> 01:18:50,459 that we wanted things to be our way. 1706 01:18:50,493 --> 01:18:53,129 And we're gonna be happy if it goes my way, 1707 01:18:53,162 --> 01:18:54,898 and if it doesn't go my way, then we have 1708 01:18:54,931 --> 01:18:56,833 a right to be unhappy. 1709 01:18:56,866 --> 01:18:59,502 Now I hear something I didn't have. 1710 01:18:59,535 --> 01:19:01,504 Someone who understood that I could talk with. 1711 01:19:01,537 --> 01:19:03,807 I can sit down with Miles, and have 1712 01:19:03,840 --> 01:19:05,174 a cup of coffee with him, and we can 1713 01:19:05,208 --> 01:19:06,442 talk about all sorts of things, we do. 1714 01:19:06,475 --> 01:19:08,244 You have to have something healthy. 1715 01:19:08,277 --> 01:19:09,779 It's like the rules, or something. 1716 01:19:09,813 --> 01:19:12,181 - Do they still have the french onion soup here? 1717 01:19:12,215 --> 01:19:13,349 It's like back order. - Yes. 1718 01:19:13,382 --> 01:19:14,317 - Yes. 1719 01:19:14,350 --> 01:19:16,953 Through mutual discussions, Miles ended up 1720 01:19:16,986 --> 01:19:19,522 coming up with this idea to put a YouTube 1721 01:19:19,555 --> 01:19:21,925 series together, called Jedi versus Sith. 1722 01:19:21,958 --> 01:19:26,129 So he's coming over today so we can work on that. 1723 01:19:27,163 --> 01:19:28,798 - Okay, yeah, we're gonna need to move that. 1724 01:19:28,832 --> 01:19:30,299 Oh god, my face is huge. 1725 01:19:30,333 --> 01:19:33,002 And I don't have any hair on my face anymore. 1726 01:19:33,036 --> 01:19:36,572 We'll see how the Force community appreciates that. 1727 01:19:36,605 --> 01:19:37,540 - Okay. 1728 01:19:37,573 --> 01:19:39,809 We're buddies. 1729 01:19:39,843 --> 01:19:41,577 Yeah, this is a bit close. 1730 01:19:41,610 --> 01:19:43,847 - It's a very intimate setting. 1731 01:19:43,880 --> 01:19:45,348 - Gotta get the lean back. 1732 01:19:45,381 --> 01:19:46,582 - Where's the... 1733 01:19:46,615 --> 01:19:48,384 Guess then if I'm like... 1734 01:19:48,417 --> 01:19:50,519 - We all have many great questions, you know, 1735 01:19:50,553 --> 01:19:53,056 where we come from, where we're going. 1736 01:19:53,089 --> 01:19:58,361 How can we relate to one another, ultimately? 1737 01:19:58,394 --> 01:20:01,164 How can we do good, and not do evil? 1738 01:20:01,197 --> 01:20:03,132 If Jediism does that... 1739 01:20:05,334 --> 01:20:07,904 Then more power to it. 1740 01:20:07,937 --> 01:20:10,573 - In order for Jediism to become a major world 1741 01:20:10,606 --> 01:20:12,475 religion, I think there would have to 1742 01:20:12,508 --> 01:20:14,911 be people who are following that path, 1743 01:20:14,944 --> 01:20:18,047 that become amazing people, and then 1744 01:20:18,081 --> 01:20:21,217 it will catch the attention of the world. 1745 01:20:21,250 --> 01:20:24,320 They will say, "Oh, how did you get to be like that?" 1746 01:20:24,353 --> 01:20:25,989 And they would say, "I did that because 1747 01:20:26,022 --> 01:20:28,591 "I follow the code of the Jedi." 1748 01:20:28,624 --> 01:20:30,559 - Inspiring images are with us from 1749 01:20:30,593 --> 01:20:34,130 the very beginning of the first Star Wars film. 1750 01:20:34,163 --> 01:20:37,566 The idea of the numinous, the mysterium tremendum. 1751 01:20:37,600 --> 01:20:40,636 Something so big, so intense, so much 1752 01:20:40,669 --> 01:20:43,973 beyond our grasp, that, well we have a kind 1753 01:20:44,007 --> 01:20:46,609 of mystical experience, or at least an invitation 1754 01:20:46,642 --> 01:20:49,178 to one, if we're willing to take in 1755 01:20:49,212 --> 01:20:51,981 what's really happening in this story. 1756 01:20:52,015 --> 01:20:55,251 What we're up against is way beyond our means, 1757 01:20:55,284 --> 01:20:57,653 so if we're going to rise to the occasion, 1758 01:20:57,686 --> 01:21:00,957 it's going to take everything we know, and more. 1759 01:21:00,990 --> 01:21:04,127 There's where the transformation comes in. 1760 01:21:04,160 --> 01:21:07,096 So yes, the stories are profoundly mystical 1761 01:21:07,130 --> 01:21:09,966 in their implications, and all you have to 1762 01:21:09,999 --> 01:21:13,903 do to join in to the ritual participation 1763 01:21:13,937 --> 01:21:16,439 is buy a ticket to the theater. 1764 01:21:19,075 --> 01:21:20,576 - Yeah. 1765 01:21:22,211 --> 01:21:24,580 I don't have students, I have friends who, 1766 01:21:24,613 --> 01:21:26,649 by the time we're done with the process I love dearly. 1767 01:21:26,682 --> 01:21:31,354 In fact, it pains me when they finish. 1768 01:21:31,387 --> 01:21:32,555 I don't want... 1769 01:21:32,588 --> 01:21:33,589 Because then I have to let them go. 1770 01:21:33,622 --> 01:21:36,659 The last step is you have to walk on your own. 1771 01:21:36,692 --> 01:21:39,195 It's your life, you have to go on your own. 1772 01:21:39,228 --> 01:21:40,930 I don't... 1773 01:21:40,964 --> 01:21:43,466 This is my friend, this is my companion too. 1774 01:21:43,499 --> 01:21:46,970 I walked through with them. 1775 01:21:47,003 --> 01:21:49,973 I shared in that experience, we have a bond. 1776 01:21:50,006 --> 01:21:51,941 I don't wanna let 'em go. 1777 01:21:51,975 --> 01:21:53,609 It breaks my heart, every time. 1778 01:21:57,480 --> 01:21:59,082 - So it's all come full circle, and 1779 01:21:59,115 --> 01:22:01,350 the people who were once sitting in the hot seat, 1780 01:22:01,384 --> 01:22:04,687 are now sitting on the other side of the table, 1781 01:22:04,720 --> 01:22:08,224 to ask questions and determine if their 1782 01:22:08,257 --> 01:22:13,262 fellow Jedi are ready for the responsibility of knighthood. 1783 01:22:13,496 --> 01:22:15,164 - What are your views on motherhood? 1784 01:22:15,198 --> 01:22:17,733 - Being able to participate in the growth 1785 01:22:17,766 --> 01:22:22,972 of a human being, like blows my mind. 1786 01:23:08,451 --> 01:23:11,054 - It's unique to be the black sheep one year, 1787 01:23:11,087 --> 01:23:13,756 and then next year you're one of the respected knights. 1788 01:23:13,789 --> 01:23:16,459 Ms. Cartwright, how's it different for you? 1789 01:23:16,492 --> 01:23:18,361 - I traveled alone for the first time, 1790 01:23:18,394 --> 01:23:20,529 to a gathering, I normally bring someone. 1791 01:23:32,075 --> 01:23:34,077 - This is the hero's journey, we're all on it. 1792 01:23:34,110 --> 01:23:38,514 - I see this as our legacy. 1793 01:23:38,547 --> 01:23:40,583 - I'm here to surprise Opie, he doesn't 1794 01:23:40,616 --> 01:23:42,385 know I came here from California, 1795 01:23:42,418 --> 01:23:45,088 to see him for his first book signing. 1796 01:23:55,464 --> 01:23:58,467 - It's been a ride, and out of just those 1797 01:23:58,501 --> 01:24:00,669 little things of working on the path, 1798 01:24:00,703 --> 01:24:02,271 and living it daily, and kind of 1799 01:24:02,305 --> 01:24:04,273 the experiences you have with the... 1800 01:24:12,881 --> 01:24:15,084 - I've seen a big growth change, 1801 01:24:15,118 --> 01:24:17,753 we actually have conversations now, 1802 01:24:17,786 --> 01:24:20,856 because as a teenager, that never happened. 1803 01:24:20,889 --> 01:24:21,857 So would you say Jediism brought 1804 01:24:21,890 --> 01:24:23,792 your son back to you? 1805 01:24:23,826 --> 01:24:25,228 - I would say yes. 1806 01:24:34,203 --> 01:24:36,839 - I feel the Jedi path is growing continually, 1807 01:24:36,872 --> 01:24:40,443 and each year the gatherings have grown in number. 1808 01:24:40,476 --> 01:24:42,845 So next year I really feel that we might 1809 01:24:42,878 --> 01:24:45,114 have to go the way of a lot of groups, 1810 01:24:45,148 --> 01:24:46,782 and start booking a hotel, and using 1811 01:24:46,815 --> 01:24:49,818 the conference rooms within a hotel. 1812 01:24:49,852 --> 01:24:52,821 But it's gonna grow again. 1813 01:24:53,322 --> 01:24:57,326 And actually, the gathering might evolve. 1814 01:24:57,360 --> 01:25:00,296 The year after that, Jedi conventions, 1815 01:25:00,329 --> 01:25:02,865 instead of Jedi gatherings.