I was spurred to write this post after reading about someone’s “Jedi Experiences” whilst taking psychedelic drugs. I don’t personally believe there is anything “Jedi” about deliberately consuming drugs unless there is a genuine medical need to do so, and I wanted to set down why that’s my opinion, but also to work things out in a post so I can examine my own views.

First up, the pro-drugs argument I hear most often in Jedi circles is “Drugs are part of the Force. Taking them is part of the Force”. You’re 100% correct! They are a feature of this amazing reality we find ourselves in – how strange, how beautiful that we can warp and twist our perceptions and thoughts in such a way! The Force is amazing.

Something being part of the Force is not in itself “good enough” for it to be Jedi. Stabbing your neighbour then shooting yourself in the head is something “of the Force”. It happens, it is. It’s pretty clear that something being “of the Force” is not equivalent with it being good, to be promoted or valuable for Jedi. Poison is of the Force – does that mean all Jedi should consume it? Or does it mean they should understand it, recognise the valid uses of it and make a judgement as to its efficacy for those pursuing the Jedi path? I think the answer is pretty clear… and drugs are a type of poison. They induce atypical states. They affect us, can kill us in sufficient doses.

We are all, always “under influence”. We are under the influence of our perspectives, our opinions. Our experiences, our hopes and dreams. All of these things influence how we see the world, how we interact with and understand it. For me, one of the responsibilities of a Jedi is to work to understand, know, own and to stand outside of those influences. Through self-study and self-knowledge, we can come into something closer to objectivity. Why is this important? Because Jedi are there for the whole – the universal, the Force. How can we consider our approach to this as authentic if we’re only ever in the thrall of our influences? How can I get closer to you, if neither of us work towards some sort of compromise, some common ground? That;s why Jedi seek truth, in my opinion – by seeking the truth, we seek to move away from what is purely and solely “us”, and into a realm which is more “ours”.

This is one reason Jedi meditate: to observe the mind, to be “outside” of “it”, of our habitual selves, for a time. To let the ripples die back and see with clarity what rests below. Indeed, to own the ripples; but to do so by first perceiving them clearly.

Drugs are exclusively used because they are an influence. They are a specific, intentional, deliberate method of alienating ourselves from that which is. What this means more clearly, is “that which is outside of ourselves”. They work because they play on the barrier of self-hood vs the truth of connection. They lock us into a self which is unable to access the objective, the “outside-of-ourselves”, however much people would believe the opposite. If you drop acid, and feel love for the entire cosmos, you are only really experiencing yourself. The cosmos is as it was before you dropped acid. The cosmos is the same as it was, bar the very small part of it you cordon off as “you” when you deliberately took a perception-altering drug, but you can’t see that.

You can observe it, though. A common quote in wide circulation amongst Jedi is:

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” — Will Durant

Take a look at what people dropping acid (for example) “do”, here:

Not much Jedi about that, is there? And yet his internal experience may feel significant, meaningful, beautiful. The point of this part of this post is… Jedi don’t just think, they do. Drug users don’t really “do”. Stoned on weed, we may think we have some insights which help unlock the keys to the universe. That’s a cheat, a trick of the light which avoids the truth of the work and knowledge-building required to gain true wisdom and realise true insight. How compatible with that which is Jedi is it to say “You too can understand the deep truth of reality! But before you do, but on these 3D glasses!”? The truth is behind the glass, behind the drug. If you want the truth, throw away the glasses, and learn to see with your own eyes!

The truth is outside of “us” and “other”, and therefore a mindful observance of self as a part of the universe entire is, for me, a truer reflection of the wide and eternal Force. For me, that means drugs are to be understood, assessed, but as a general rule, avoided wherever possible. By taking some mushroom and vanishing into yourself you are certainly experiencing some aspect of the Force, but you are consciously and actively disregarding the aspect of the Force which is most important to the Jedi: that which appears outside of ourselves. How is it in any way commensurate to the tenets of Jediism to be so self-centred? Is the business of Jediism not about… stopping playing the Ego game, stopping focusing on our own selves at the exclusion of others, and working to incorporate and recognise that which routinely seems “other” to ourselves? Sure, we need self-knowledge,but drugs are more like… self-entertainment. They are the trashy TV we put on when we tire of the documentary, the junk food we consume when we’re bored of leafy greens.

All that said, in my opinion (which is all that I offer here), there are some very valid reasons for taking drugs. If you are sick, drugs may offer you respite. Sure, the truth of your reality may be pain, but no compassionate being would have others suffer needlessly. If you take drugs to mitigate pain, or confusion, or other “atypical” states, more power to you. But for a Jedi, I think that decision needs to be made deliberately, consciously. You need to “own” that decision and to understand the truth which exists outside of how you’re choosing to handle it. Actually, it’s much easier to relate to other people if your experience of the world is akin to theirs, so on a fairly superficial level I would say it’s totally fine to “balance out” when you’re finding yourself in some atypical state.

But the obvious issue here is people think of a few beers or a joint or a line or a cigarette as something they take to “balance out”. Balancing out is required by addiction, and addiction is an atypical state. I speak from experience of it that it’s clear addiction warps our perception of what is “medicinal use”, what is “typical” and “atypical”. We need the mindfulness of self-knowledge, the clarity of calm and passive observation to ascertain what “normal” looks like in these situations, and the thing is… we don’t need to tie ourselves in these kinds of knots, by avoiding intoxicants in the first place. Why risk addiction, when we know it could warp our ability to see with clarity the perfect and eternal Force? Mindful of this risk, I believe Jedi seek to remove intoxicants, to remove all influences besides our devotion to the Jedi Path, and to the Force, from our lives.

If you want to take drugs and think it builds your understanding or the Force, more power to you. I am not here to dictate what anyone else can or can’t do, but this at least outlines my own opinions and where they come from. For me, a Jedi with a joint in their hand is still a Jedi – but they are not doing something which is in itself “a Jedi act”, in the same way a dieter eating a cheeseburger is not “doing dieting” in that moment. Jedi don’t rely on filters to make reality interesting, or to fake a sense of connection with the Force. For me, the truth is enough. When it is unpalatable in some way, well, at least it’s real. At least it is what is. How could I ever trust my perception if I were so dissatisfied with what is, and so unprepared to face it as it is, that I would deliberately sabotage my connection, perception and understanding of the Force?

Such disrespect for what is, warts and all, is for me, not Jedi. And thus I don’t feel taking drugs is compatible with being Jedi.

I aim for the heart of Being. I aim for the unaltered truth.

And that is what makes me a Jedi.