The first day I came to the Jedi online forums was December 26th, 2006.
Like so many others that have come to the Jedi forums, I had just gone through a few changes in my life and was searching for...something more. I had always used the Jedi and their view of the Force to explain my sense of spirituality since seeing Star Wars at age 14 in 1977.
I had begun to look for more information on the Jedi, and had read some of the newer Star Wars fiction looking for more on the Jedi philosophy or religion when I found that, online, there were people like me, people seriously interested in the Jedi.
I first joined a site called "The Temple Of The Jedi Order". I noticed a lot of other new people were joining there, it was a busy site, and seemed less seriously chatty than others. It was also less intimidating than some of the Jedi sites. Besides - the site had some nice graphics and good features.
The Temple Of The Jedi Order was going through a tremendous upheaval - and many of us newbies there were caught in what older members understood - but we did not. The site split after a month and became The Temple Of The Jedi Force. But problems continued and I found another quiet, mature site which is now inactive - with very kind and gentle Jedi who gave me my first training.
There I had two "Masters" and I was taught a lot in a very short time. Unfortunately - my training was cut abruptly and I was made "A Jedi Knight" before I really felt I had done enough work. It was then I began to look elsewhere for further training and to simply gain further knowledge about the Jedi.
In the meantime - with the upheaval of "the temples" - I had also begun training at the Jedi Academy. I could not believe I was receiving an education from people who wanted nothing of me but for me to move forward as a Jedi. I was going through the Jedi Code and writing what becoming a Jedi meant to me at the other site, and learning meditation and other skills at the Jedi Academy.
I had already begun to notice differences between Jedi. I found some were using "Jedi language" and bowing and others felt that building a light saber hilt and learning swordsmanship was an integral part of being a Jedi. There were others who were really more into Zen Buddhism - but also liked the martial arts of the Jedi, the swordsmanship. With them, I also read the Tao Te Ching and Alan Watts as I trained.
At Jedi Academy, I was introduced to "Jedi Realism". I came to understand that the Jedi and Jediism were two different things. As a Jedi, one can walk the Jedi Path without a religious feeling towards the Force. One can also be Jediist - which is a religious feeling towards the Force. Both were accepted and could thrive side by side very well.
The Jedi Realists tend to consider Jedi a part of daily life, and seem to train towards being able and skilled to assist others in daily life. They are like the lone monk who goes on their daily way - "being there" to help or learn. Jediists do this as well, but also have the religious feeling towards their lives as Jedi, and wish for Councils and structure, as religious people often do.
Those are generalizations, but they have stayed with me and seem fairly accurate. One thing that impressed me with the Jedi was their tolerance and respect towards other religions - including carrying one's other religion along with both the Jedi Path and Jediism. It's a very different concept in spiritual or religious communities.
At the Jedi Academy, I took a class called "Adept" where I had to learn the history of the online Jedi. I learned that the Online Jedi Community had been around, already, for a decade. I began to search some of the old, often archived and inactive, Jedi sites and found many old writings that actually said more to me than from the classes I was taking. They were more intensely and individually Jedi, and not as much RPG or Zen Buddhist, but had the message as the Jedi of Star Wars might have written.
I also joined Jedi Sanctuary very early in my time at the Jedi sites. It was my first introduction to the Sith - and the site also discussed many other aspects of the Jedi I didn't know. Light, grey, and dark Jedi were at Jedi Sanctuary as were Shadow Jedi and Jensaari. The discussions at Jedi Sanctuary at that time were of a personal, supportive, and spiritual nature. There were many younger Jedi as well - but I found myself very impressed with the younger teens in that they could voice their philosophy and spirituality - and that it was so well formed.
I began - then - to do a personal project on the History of the Online Jedi inspired by the Adept Class I took at the Jedi Academy. I joined JEDI.org (one of the older sites) and began asking questions. I spoke - and continue - to learn and speak of what created the online Jedi - and find it was younger teens to early twenty year olds of a few years back (who are now grown adults) who made up the majority of the Jedi writings that so impressed me.
I also began a site called Jeditown. I began it so that others would know all that the Jedi Community offers. It has no members but is more a bulletin board of links to other Jedi sites and posts of interest from each one.
As I did my Jedi Online History Project I found The Jedi Temple. It was an old site - and I began speaking with Chris Tien-Jinn who very kindly allowed me to do training at the Blue Group - an old training school. It was a very different training - very fast-paced and diverse. I was pretty much alone there but for some other of the longer-term Jedi who would stop-in and often helped to guide me. I yet train there - but it's very informal and slow. I like this training very much as someone who has a busy career and not a lot of time.
Training and teaching is the other aspect of the Jedi online I found wonderful. People simply taking time to help others. Students helping teachers, teachers (of course) helping students, and members helping other members to grow in learning and understanding.
Sadly - there are also those who post to show what they consider wisdom in a non-supportive way, or to stir trouble, but these people are known and often do not stay-around long or come and go... Or they are accepted, and tolerated, and even this I find positive.
As I gained in interest, I joined other sites such as Ashla Knights and JediismWay - and found my training was growing more self-propelled. I then found another group of Jedi - the more mystical Jedi. These Jedi train more in "Force Studies" (as I took this class also at the Jedi Academy - and a very good class!) I learned that our sixth senses which everyone uses whether they acknowledge it or not - can also be trained further. The mystical Jedi go further into other aspects of mysticism, magick, and other more esoteric studies.
As I roamed the sites to fill "Jeditown's" pages - I noticed the cultural differences between the Jedi sites and the Jedi themselves. The Jedi Community really is like a town with various neighborhoods, schools, churches, social centers, libraries...
Now, nearly a year and a half later, I have come to the point where I am past that initial rush of excitement and now feel part of the Jedi Community. I see the politics and behind-the-scenes issues of the Jedi Community and I'm not sure what it all means.
As one who is passing out of the newbie-phase of a Jedi, I find my attention turning more and more to offline and real life training and learning. I look at what I can do in my daily life as a Jedi. I consider what it means.
For others who are just beginning as Jedi, younger or older, my advice is to look around the Jedi Community Online, see what site best suits your training, look at the old sites and begin your own online journal through Blogger, LiveJournal, MySpace, or whatever you wish to use and copy the writings that most touch you as a Jedi. Add your own writings.
I wish I had done this... I think it would have helped me now as I am past being a Newbie - I suppose if there were rankings I would now consider myself "a new knight" in some ways. I can no longer learn from a Master as I once did - and in my case it was many, many mentors - and to all of them I am grateful.
Now is the time for my own path, charting my own way as a Jedi. But being a Newbie was wonderful, and exciting, and I could never go back to not being a Jedi whether I call myself one or not outside of the Jedi Community.
I came to the Jedi much later in life than most. I hope someone younger who has begun this journey also writes their experience. It is an amazing one...