Until very recently, the only examples given to us of Jedi have been in times of civil unrest. Some examples were of an Order on the verge of collapse, and then others were the fledgling missteps of a new Order. Neither are very great examples of what a Jedi should strive to be in this day, in this world. We are not politically-funded warrior wizards with all the best in technology afforded to us. No, we are the first of the calling of Jedi of Earth.

These fictional characters were given access to technology beyond our ability, or comprehension: the lightsaber. These laser swords were the ultimate destructive tools in the galaxy, nearly-unstoppable, and a truly elite weapon. They were as much as symbol of superiority as they were a weapon of offense or defense. To wield one was to demonstrate that you were beyond those who could not. These fictional Jedi also seemed to fall prey to their hubris quite often. It is no surprise why.

The one benefit to these tools was that they could be carried nearly anywhere.

Some say that the closest thing we have in the modern age is the blade of a sword. While the technique is more akin to the sword, we do not live in any society where the wearing of a sword is the most legally sound choice. We are also not ones who can dedicate our entire waking hours to the training and mastery of the live blade. As such, choosing this symbol as the weapon of the Jedi, while romantic in it's appearance, is not the most sound decision. To be blunt, you will never take it with you anywhere.

Thus, we must chose a new weapon to train with, and hone ourselves into fluid, moving conduits of the Force. Training with a weapon does not mean that you have to train with it to a lethal extent. It does, however, mean that you have to respect the weapon, and if you are going to be using one, then learning to use it effectively if ever needed is a distinct benefit. That weapon, which we take to be our symbol of the Jedi Way, is the staff.

The staff is a weapon older than time, and one found in nearly every martial tradition around the world. One of the oldest fighting systems known, from Egypt, focuses on the use of the staff before any other weapon. There are systems from India that focus on training the staff as well. The Chinese martial arts are very known for their use of the staff. In the Okinawan and Japanese traditions, there are entire systems dedicated to the use of the staff. That is nothing to say about the Celtic tradition of Quarterstaff, and other staff weapons.

The list could go on forever, but those all have root in the past. The Jedi Path is distinctly tied to the here and now, even if some of its roots are much older. So, that begs the question of why is the staff the right weapon for the Jedi now?

From a practical standpoint, the staff can be found anywhere. This reason is why the Jedi Staff Form is particular in the use of a 5 foot staff, rather than the longer varieties more commonly available. You may not carry your training staff into the grocery store with you, but a mop handle moves about the same. Brooms, shovels, rakes… these all move in ways that means they can be employed with minor adjustment to staff techniques. These makeshift tools also rarely exist in the 6 foot variety, and Force forbid, should you ever have to use these skills to defend yourself, using 6 foot techniques with a 5 foot weapons could cause distance issues that could get you hurt.

However, this is not merely a combative practice, just as the Jedi Way is not just a philosophy to be laid atop some other path. No, there are several deeper reasons for the staff. First, the weapon is not-specifically-lethal. By that, I mean that it is most commonly defensive tool, having no blades or points by which to pierce an attacker. It has no edge by which to cut or slice, self or others. This makes it a far better symbol for peace than that of a sword.

The most important of these point, from a spiritual perspective, is the connection between the Jedi and the weapon. Jedi are Knights of the Force, and as we train in those Knightly skills, we develop connections with the circumstances of that training. It is why a life-long martial artist can perform their skills in any situation, but prefers their worn out old training uniform, as they are part of it. More on that in a bit, though. When it comes to the staff, it is the same, but to an even more personal extent.

One of the key reasons that I find a sword a bad symbol, outside of its practicality, is that there are so very few bladesmiths within the Jedi Community. The creation or customization of a weapon is very important in becoming more at one with it. There has to be that level of connection to learn to project the spirit into the weapon, and extend the Internal Force through it. However, anyone with time and a decent knife can either carve their own staff from raw materials, or customize it in a way that makes it uniquely their own. This puts part of the wielder into the weapon, making them more one. The staff, being made of wood, is also far less processed from its natural state, and thus often still hums with the Living Force, allowing for that intermingling of energies, and all that entails. The more processed something is, the less of its essence remains. That is why plastics and metallic alloys are often referred to as spiritually dead.

I find these points (physical, energetic, and spiritual) to be of the utmost importance to the progression of a Jedi in the modern world.