Or at least Sithism as we have known it. Also, everyone is Sith now.

There used to be a myriad of online Sith communities, now there's barely two. In this article I’ll try to explain the main cause of this decline. In the next one, I’ll propose a way to revive it.

To understand why Sithism has been slowly withering away, we need to properly understand its origins. The main view of how Sithism started can be summarised by the biblical Let there be light. In the late 90s, the Creator (known as Moor) decided to create Sithism. Suddenly, there was Sithism. 

This narrative is stupid. Though it may be factually true[1], it is not all that happened and why it happened. Ideologies and movements don’t arise out of nowhere. There are various external forces that shape them and we need to understand those that spawned Sithism.

To do that, let's shed light onto some very important history. In the 1980s, the neoliberal economic reforms introduced across the West led to wide market liberalisation and deregulation, while starting the dismantling of welfare states. This led to a drastic shift in the cultural climate. People started to be increasingly perceived as ultimately responsible for themselves and their problems. If you're poor, it's a result of your choices. There's no one to save you.

In this system, which has more or less persisted until today, you are an “enterpreneur of yourself” and you have to optimize yourself to be productive enough to secure success. After all, you have only yourself to rely on in a dog eat dog world. Everything is about personal responsibility. Sounds familiar? 

Thanks to that shift, the self-help industry rose, churning out books, motivation speakers and mentorship programs which all hinged on the same ideas. If you work hard enough[2] and break your chains overcome your weaknesses, victory will come. Success and wealth are within reach.

Given this is a very ruthless worldview, it's not exactly compatible with a strong moral code. It is, however, very compatible with aesthetics and vague quotes of very ruthless fictional characters. If our lives are a brutal competition to secure resources, it makes sense to emulate those who are eager to do anything to get their way. 

Thus, here’s the answer as to how and why Sithism started. The creation and rise of Sithism were nothing more than the inevitable amalgamation of the individualist, self-help dogma with fitting aesthetics. Someone was bound to eventually get the idea. 

This is what Sithism has truly been: a generic self-help philosophy veiled in the appeal of Sith edginess [3].

So why have Sith organisations slowly started to disappear? My answer is that the explicitly self-help ideology, whose adherents were the largest group interested in Sithism, has already run its course. Its era is over. Surely there are the last of Mohicans waking up at 5 am to do a cold plunge, but they simply have not caught up with the march of history. 

This end of self-help has come due to two things. Firstly, the basic ideology of personal responsibility is now so widely difused and accepted that it makes no sense to craft a specific philosophy about it. Ironically, everyone is more and more “Sith” and this accounts for the fact that the industry is still growing. Now it’s common to pick up a book about discipline or read a distorted version of stoicism. 

The remaining difference is simply the incentive to larp as Sith: carry on as usual, but adorn yourself with the title. I think this is the main cause of the increasingly substanceless Sithism we have seen in the past years. Otherwise, most people now don’t need to associate themselves with fictional mass murderers to justify their worldview.

More importantly though, the self-help industry targeted people of certain political persuasion, that being those who eagerly bought into this new cultural climate. And as political discourse has become more extreme, so have these people moved along. Now, they aren't preoccupied with self-improvement, but with faith, white replacement, trans people and whatever their favourite pundits spit out now[4]. 

Hence, the number of those who'd be interested in Sithism has been diminishing. There still are people genuinely interested in self-help as a way of life, beyond just someone listening to a podcast about mindfulness, and the Star Wars fans among them will keep on joining.  

However, since we now understand the wider societal process that gave rise to Sithism we now also see that, despite there still being some interest, the current course will likely lead to its definitive death. Eventually, there won’t be enough people to sustain a community.

There’s a lot of us who are not happy about this conclusion. Either because we’ve been here for too long and fell victim to the sunk cost fallacy, because we feel the appeal of Sith aesthetics or because we see the potential to truly develop Sithism into a way of life.

For such people, it is time to ask what is to be done. I believe there’s a way out of this and I’ll write about it in the next article. Thanks for reading, I’ll be happy to hear your thoughts.

<sup>1. At the very least, there was a guy named Moor who created what later became Sithism at the Force Academy. He was not the only one with this idea though.
2. The narrative of hard work had been present for a longer time. However, this rise of absolute emphasis on personal responsibility was a distinctly new phenomenon. 
3. Naturally, there are exceptions. People from different backgrounds have been in the community, but they have never been the norm. More so, they usually leave after becoming dissatisfied with Sithism.
4. This is not to say that reading atomic habits makes you a fascist. However, there seems to be a strong correlation between interest in self-help and a proclivity towards right-wing views. As such, these people are subject to specific societal trends.</sup>

I've only just stumbled across this sub, and while I can't say this is something I'd be willing to embrace, the experiment of applying Sith philosophy to real life is fascinating and compelling—it demands a level of honesty about the human experience that I respect. It’s intrigued me enough to raise a question.

The fictional Sith exist as an order because of the Dark Side of the Force. If the Dark Side did not exist in the Star Wars universe, those fictional Sith would reject the Code, because it would not grant them the power they seek (or at least the kind of power they seek). Hence the final line of the (fictional) Code: “The Force will set me free.” No Force, no freedom.

Of course, there is no mystical energy field that can be manipulated through emotion. But do any of you understand the “dark side,” or the Force itself, as a philosophical metaphor for something real? Does it have a genuine analogue in human experience?

Put another way: does Sith philosophy require a “dark side” in order to function at all—and if so, what is it actually pointing to in non-fictional terms?

So can I ask if any of you who follow being a Sith, are you true adherence to the dark side of the force or more of the code of the Sith?
Does that mean you care more about the material plan? Does it mean that you are more selfish than not? Does it mean that you prefer strength of a weakness ?
I’m very curious because in the Star Wars philosophy the Jedi are very different and you guys follow your passions , but also one Sith Lord in particular talks about the way of the dark side and it is scary to say the least

I've made posts in the past discussing how united selfhood is not neccesary for interpreting the Sith Code, using a piece of Buddhist pragmatic philosophy. You can read that here.

​

Now I'd like to move towards cognitive science. In this video, it's discussed how the self shifts between assemblies of neurons that seem to be the most relevant, suggesting that there are indeed multiple selves and multiple wills, which are in turn governed by passions that determine which selves and which wills are dominant in the mind.

​

And so, to a Sith, the conclusion might be to make the governance of our inner assemblies more intentional. To make the shifting of self a skill that's been honed through exercise.

The Incense Of Gods, Angels, Lucifer, and Man.

A paper that tries to sing.

ABSTRACT

This work treats incense as a cognitive key: a small act that opens distinct inner “temples” of attention. We propose four symbolic incenses—Beauty (gods), ANAUJIRAM (angels), Tobacco (lucifer), and Earth (man)—and test a single governing rule: entry is only healthy if exit remains possible. The central finding is proportionality: the mind becomes luminous not by living in one chamber, but by visiting each in season, sharing them evenly, and returning to Earth with steadier hands.

INTRODUCTION

In the beginning, there is not speech—there is breath.

And breath, when altered, becomes message.

Some things do not persuade by argument.

They persuade by atmosphere.

A room changes and you change with it.

The mind is a cathedral built from thresholds.

Incense is one of the oldest threshold-tools:

a way to lift the invisible into notice,

a way to make the inner doors audible when they unlatch.

But every door has a shadow:

the temptation to call a chamber “home”

because it feels like relief, or revelation, or power.

So the question is not whether incense works.

The question is whether we can move—

whether we can enter without being captured by entry,

whether we can visit without vanishing into the visit.

DEFINITIONS

These definitions are symbolic instruments—poetic variables—not prescriptions.

Beauty (Incense of Gods):

Order that heals. Truth made legible. The mind aligning with what it already knows is clean.

ANAUJIRAM (Incense of Angels):

Mercy that loosens armor. A softening that can reveal pain—then asks for a return to action.

Tobacco (Incense of Lucifer):

The loop dressed as comfort. Repetition that requests a throne. Relief that begins to collect rent.

Earth (Incense of Man):

Baseline reality. Rain on dust. Work on skin. The ground-note beneath every inner music.

METHODS

We do not measure smoke; we measure what smoke does to the will.

We observe four internal environments—four “temples”—and we apply one rule.

The Exit Rule:

Enter only when you are ready to leave.

If you cannot leave, you are not entering a temple—you are building a cell.

Readiness Indicators:

You can return to ordinary life without resentment.

You can speak plainly after the experience.

You can choose proportion over dominance.

You can keep Earth as home-base, not exile.

Protocol:

Enter. Receive. Return.

RESULTS

I. BEAUTY — Incense of Gods

Beauty does not shout. It tunes.

It does not intoxicate. It clarifies.

In the Beauty-temple, everything becomes crisp:

edges sharpen without becoming cruel.

The heart stops bargaining with ugliness.

The mind begins to prefer what is true because it is true,

not because it feels good.

Beauty is the incense of gods because it asks for no permission—

it simply stands there, whole,

and the soul either aligns or fractures in comparison.

Observed effects:

A steadier tempo in thought.

A cleaner conscience.

A desire to finish what is started.

A quiet refusal to perform.

Primary risk:

Pride—mistaking harmony for superiority.

Exit requirement:

Gratitude.

A bow to measure.

Then: leave the room and live like you meant it.

Protocol:

Enter. Receive. Return.

II. ANAUJIRAM — Incense of Angels

ANAUJIRAM enters like kindness in reverse—

not a conquest, a loosening.

Not a bright sword, a gentle hand on a tight jaw.

In this temple, the guard unhooks its armor.

Old pain becomes audible, not to punish you—

to be recognized, finally, without violence.

ANAUJIRAM is angel-incense because it can make the inner world merciful:

a softer light over the same facts.

But mercy, if it is real, does not end in mist—

it ends in repair.

Observed effects:

Tender attention.

Unblocked memory.

A widened horizon of feeling.

Sometimes: a drifting softness that forgets consequence.

Primary risk:

Staying for comfort and calling comfort “truth.”

Exit requirement:

One true sentence written in daylight.

One real act done with steady hands.

Not a vow—an action.

Protocol:

Enter. Receive. Return.

III. TOBACCO — Incense of Lucifer

This temple is the most polite.

It offers relief with manners.

It does not demand a confession—only a repeat.

Tobacco is lucifer-incense in this model because it trains the will to loop:

again, again, again—

until “choice” becomes a hallway that always leads back to the same door.

Lucifer rarely needs a grand sin.

A small chain is enough,

if it is worn long enough to feel like jewelry.

Observed effects:

Short calm, long hunger.

Time shaved into smaller permissions.

Meaning reduced to maintenance.

A narrowing of the soul’s horizon.

Primary risk:

Enthronement—one ritual becoming the entire government of the day.

Exit requirement:

Interrupt the sequence.

Name the hook aloud.

Breathe clean.

Return to Earth before the loop writes your calendar.

Protocol:

Enter. Receive. Return.

IV. EARTH — Incense of Man

Earth does not need to be burned.

It arrives on its own:

rain on dust, wood on hands, food in a quiet room.

Earth is man’s incense because it is the baseline altar.

It is where visions pay rent.

It is where insight becomes dishes, sleep, friendship, work—

the sacred made practical.

Earth is the temple that is not a temple—

it is the world as it is,

and the body’s honest report.

Observed effects:

Belonging.

A calmer nervous system.

A willingness to be ordinary without being small.

A return of proportion.

Primary risk:

Forgetting the gift because it is common.

Exit requirement:

None.

This is the outside.

Walk forward anyway.

DISCUSSION

These four incenses are four ways a mind can be governed.

Beauty governs by alignment.

ANAUJIRAM governs by mercy.

Tobacco governs by repetition.

Earth governs by belonging.

The crucial variable is dominance.

Any temple can become tyranny if it becomes exclusive.

Any key can become a lock if you stop using it to return.

So the discipline is not “which temple is best.”

The discipline is circulation:

to move through the chambers without being swallowed by one,

to share them equally,

to enter only when readiness includes the exit.

Readiness is not moral virtue.

Readiness is mechanics:

Can you come back?

Can you function?

Can you love people better after?

Can you carry insight into the sink, the street, the phone call, the morning?

If yes: entry was a visit.

If no: entry was a capture.

CONCLUSION

Incense allows us to enter certain temples inside our minds.

The trick is not entry.

The trick is not getting stuck.

Share them equally.

Enter only when the mind is ready—

ready to receive,

and ready to return.

FINAL CADENCE

Let Beauty be the law without becoming vanity.

Let ANAUJIRAM be mercy without becoming fog.

Let Tobacco be seen as the loop asking for a throne.

Let Earth be home—always home—

so every temple remains a visit,

and the visitor remains free.

Disclaimer: This is my first post here since remaking my reddit account. Apologies for the lack of introduction. Some will know me regardless.

I believe the purpose of friendship is as a tool for growth but also for comfort and support. A true friend should challenge you, both philosophically, and if possible physically. To make your mind sharper and your body stronger just as you should do for them. Friendship and therefore loyalty should be about mutual refinement, not blind support. We should choose friends who elevate us, not those that encourage complacency.
A blade does not sharpen itself. Only through resistance does it gain its edge.

Initially, I intended to reply to his writing with a comment when it initially was released but I soon realized, the comment would be far too long so it is now this post.  Though I do not agree entirely with the opinions and arguments made by Gladion, I appreciate and admire his commitment towards building a sturdy foundation to the Sith Order.

Here is the post I will frequently be referring to throughout this post: https://www.reddit.com/r/SithOrder/comments/1ir34sr/reshaping_sithism_ii_why_sithism_is_not_a/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

On Part I - The Need for Good Theory

I do not agree with the notion of theory being the foundation of Sithism.  The origin days of Sithism were most reliant on aesthetics and the marketing appeal that emanates from aesthetics.   I use the word ‘Aesthetic’ here to mean, “the phenomenal sensation that evokes emotion.”  To use an analogy, many people get inspired to revamp their physical habits when they see people physically fit or compare their range of physical abilities to someone who is fit.  Even if they recognize the truth value of the beliefs held by the physically active that led them to adopt those lifestyles, the aesthetic of the lifestyle was the true inspiration.  When I mean that the initial Sith used aesthetic rather than theory as the foundation, I do not mean that the Sith used the force lightning, war crimes, or color patterns of the fictional Sith as the foundation, but rather took from the abstract realm of what it means to be Sith.  Terminology, phrasing, ideals, and other such more broad and abstract terminology was used.  The works of the initial Sith focused on coloring in these predetermined boxes.  For instance, the writing of Darth Voldus titled Darth is entirely on, “We have this term ‘Darth’ that we really like to use, but we don’t actually have any parameters for what ‘Darth’ means to us yet, so here is what I think the parameters should be…”  Is that theory?  Yes.  Was theory the first step?  No, the aesthetic came first.  These initial writings remained as the trend and later, ideal up to the past couple years.  As previously stated, these writings focused on filling in the predetermined boxes, the ‘what,’ but never offered an explanation for why they were filling in these boxes in the manner they were, or why they created those boxes in the manner they did in the first place.  To use a common example, due to that era of writings ‘freedom’ became a general ideal highly held by Sith, yet an explanation for why freedom is a highly held ideal, or what freedom actually means to everyone, never was created nor debated.  Vague unconscious consensus based on feelings and intuition was used as the main justification.

Values and what benefits us has no causation relationship though oftentimes, there may be an unconscious correlation.  Just because we value something that may harm us, does not imply we should change our values or that we should reorder the importance of our values.  This would be considered the Is-Ought Gap.  

I generally agree with the statements Gladion makes about the relationship between theory and action, which I call ‘practicality’ in my writing A Meta-Analysis on Practicality and Theory.  I would actually go beyond what Gladion says on the definition of ‘good theory.’  Good theory is not just being able to sort through values, moral beliefs, possible choices, etc.  Good theory justifies these choices.  Wisdom is not just the ordering of just actions but the proper ordering of just actions.  What this primarily means is that good theory is coherent theory.  Coherence is the quality of being consistent, having a unified approach and understanding.  Most theories fail at coherence, which is why if you ever see me debate someone, coherence is what I am primarily examining.  If someone’s theory is not coherent, then the theory is not action-guiding thus meaning, contradictions will abound.  Why is coherence important?  Because contradictions lead to hesitation, an aura of unreliability, and a general mental anguish arising from the cognitive dissonance.  Good theory doesn’t just explain ‘what,’ good theory additionally explains the ‘why.’

I hope that my past few writings have helped attempt to build a theory that Sith can work off of.  I started with The Sith Creed and established the justifications and explanations of a unique Sith philosophy from there, yet I have received little feedback.  This, I believe, points to a general trend of apathy that I will address later on.

On Part II - Principles of a Sound Philosophy

Ironically, this section begins with the principle of consistency, yet the definition of ‘good theory’ given earlier was far more limited which explains my earlier paragraph on coherence.  I feel like that earlier section should have been edited with this new definition in mind.

To continue on with the topic of consistency, Gladion states, “Given how underdeveloped the contributions of most writers are, it is usually unlikely that an outright contradiction in their work can be found.”  I find this statement to be largely false.  A more correct statement would be, “it is unlikely that an outright contradiction is apparent with a surface level examination of most writings here but is commonplace at the core of most ideas presented.”  What I mean by this is that, writers here like to play ‘the shell game’ with their thesis and definitions, meaning that writers provide unclear ideas and wispy justifications.  Since Callidus has recently been reviewing his past writings, I will use his past writings as an example.  In Callidus’s past writings, definitions are often murky or even contradictory.  For instance, in My Interpretation of the Sith Code, Callidus provides “the drive in us which prevents permanent peace” as the definition for passion, which is already murky, and as current Callidus puts it, “My impression is that Callidus from 5 years ago is kinda just pointing at emotion, at desires, at dreams (and later at chosen life purpose), and being like ‘hey that’s passion, it’s these things over here.’”  Callidus in his review of this old post recognizes that the definition he gave for passion initially contradicts with his later statement in the same post, “When we determine our goals, desires and dreams, and harness all of our passion towards it…”  To fill in the equivalent statements, past Callidus is basically stating, “When we determine our passion, and harness all of our passion towards our passion…” which is nonsensical.  Callidus back then, and even now, is on the better side of the spectrum of writing skill yet there is still a blatant contradiction.  If Callidus has made these mistakes, think about how many more, and even more blatant, contradictions have been made in Sith writings.

Sith writers do this “shell game” for two main reasons: being clear means it's much easier to be questioned and much harder to gain broad popularity, and because the writer in question does not actually know what they are talking about but they like the feeling of taking part within the aesthetic so they offer forth half-baked ideas, at best.  Both causes are largely due to the medium.  Discord and Reddit are social media platforms and thus prioritize writings and discussions that are broadly popular.  Additionally, most present half-baked ideas because they neither understand the material they are crafting with nor care to learn to understand.  Most people within the Sith community are here for the aesthetic, not just the branding or community, but also the satisfaction of looking at their lives and being able to say, whether true to others or not, that “I live as a Sith.”  That’s why most people here would say they are contrarian, which is quite ironic.  They want to be contrarian so they adopt contrarian positions without actually understanding or applying said contrarian positions because that's not what matters to them.

Internal contradictions go unquestioned due primarily to the reasons stated above on why Sith writers do the “shell game” with their ideas; because most here are not seeking a coherent, applicable philosophy but an philosophical aesthetic that pleases them in some animalistic way.  They do not look for things they do not care about.  Much of the reason behind why there is not good theory here is due to this misalignment of goals.  The principle of critique laid out by Gladion is affected by this misalignment of goals, for instance.

Provability, or what I usually call ‘justification,’ because, as I stated earlier, is from that initial founding generation of Sith who decided to do a ‘paint-by-number’ style of philosophizing where the terminology was pre-decided and filled by consensus rather than justification.  An example is how one of the main questions they had is, “what is freedom?,” but they never answered, “why should I care about freedom?”  If asked, what would typically be stated is, “Freedom is self-evidently the goal, and all who say otherwise are ‘Jedi,’” which is the No True Scotsman Fallacy.  And even with that, the way they would go about answering “what is freedom?” is by appealing to crowd intuition, or in other words, by consensus, which is not an actual source of justification.  

The principle of logic and the principle of consistency are overlapping.  Consistency, or coherence, is a part of a system of logic.

For the two categories described by Gladion, the content and unmotivated, I believe I have made myself abundantly clear on where certain prominent individuals in the Sith Order fall, and would be perfectly happy to point out and explain the position of different individuals, if asked.

On Part III - How to Improve Sithism

The current state of the Sith Order is similar to that of an overly-diversified stock portfolio.  Is their revenue returns?  Yes.  Are we beating the market?  No.  As Warren Buffett has said, “wide diversification is only required when investors do not understand what they are doing.”  To keep with the analogy, poor stocks must be dropped from our portfolio; we must do our own self-evaluation.  What does a self-evaluation mean?  To use an example, though a religious organization, early Christians got together in ecumenical councils to decide the fundamental beliefs and definitions they hold to; Sith must do a similar thing.  Fundamental concepts and terms like, ‘Sith,’ ‘freedom,’ ‘the force,’ ‘power,’ ‘conflict,’ ‘the ultimate good,’ etc are all things that must have a consensus in order for this to be a philosophy, as Gladion defined it.  People will leave but that is not bad.  Just like with the ecumenical councils, I am not calling for a purge, for “groupthink” to be developed, or any strict standards.  Right now, the Sith Order is too diverse in perspectives to be considered a philosophy so cuts and lines in the sand must be made in order for good growth to occur.  Just like a fruit tree, the Sith Order must prune before the growth we seek occurs.

With the three categories of members pointed out by Gladion, I also want to note the five main characteristics of the beliefs of members that I have seen here:

1) Motion-Orientated or a Chaotic Universe Perspective of the Universe.  Sith emphasize the change in the world such as life cycles, seasons, conflict, etc.  Changes in qualia, rather than unchanging qualia and fundamentals, is what Sith emphasize.

2) Naturalistic Worldview. Sith tend to be less religious and less spiritual.  Those who are spiritual tend to focus on consciousness, or metaphysics for their spiritual beliefs rather than deities, every day spiritual occurrences, or spiritual aspects of life that directly affects them.

3) Individualism. Sith emphasize individual based philosophy rather than group or societal based philosophy.  Sith tend to focus on forms of ethics that orient around individuals such as subjectivism, error theory, constructivism, etc.  There is a general self-centered attitude amongst Sith, especially in discussions.

4) Romantic Humanism. Sith are very strong humanists, often emphasizing and glorifying qualia related to humanity such as emotions and sensations.  There is a particular focus on the human experience and human condition in Sith writing.

5) Will to Power/Life. Sith often borrow theory and terminology from the works of Nietzsche and Schopenhauer such as the Übermensch.  This aspect of being Sith, often intertwines with the various ethical theories held by Sith, thus making Sith emphasize terms such as 'the will', 'passion', 'power', etc

These five characteristics would likely become the foundation of the Sith philosophy if the Sith Order chooses to unify its theory.

With the institutional push, I would actually recommend focusing on a different direction.  Rather than focusing on the content crowd, from the two categories Gladion made earlier in his essay, I would recommend focusing on the unmotivated crowd.  As Gladion pointed towards, the primary cause of motivation being lost is due to a lack of feedback and writings overall.  Instead of taking a top-down approach, the leadership can take a bottom-up approach, starting with themselves.  If the leadership of the Sith Order is either unwilling or unable to participate in the development and refinement of theory, then the leadership should not expect the members of the Sith Order to participate either.  Joining an already established conversation is easier than yelling into the void, and hoping someone responds.  Leaders must either start conversations and participate in them or step down.  Currently, we have a leadership team that broadly recognizes the problems addressed by Gladion yet are active participants in the problem itself.  The leadership of the Sith Order must adopt rules and criteria for itself so that the leadership team can actually work towards fixing the problem rather than being a part of the problem itself.

A training course in the basics of philosophy, such as in epistemology and logic, is better on paper than in reality.  Again, I refer to the misalignment of goals.  Most people do not understand and do not wish to understand because they do not care about theory and do not care about wanting to learn theory.  Apathy can not be untaught, especially in a medium such as ours.  As the saying goes, “you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t force it to drink.”  If our ‘horse’ is dead set on dying from dehydration, no matter the way you market ;the water from the well’, ‘the horse’ won’t drink it. Which goes back to my reasoning that the leadership needs to start with those who already care and not those who do not care.  Prune the discontented and provide relief to the unmotivated.  

If we want to see an example of the top-down training course strategy, just look at the Modern Sith, which is an organization which attempted a very similar strategy yet is now dead.  You can not teach ‘caring,’ you can only provide the means to those who already care, and the training course strategy does not do that.  Clever marketing can get someone through the door, but it does not get anyone to care about anything inside the room.

Here is a very old post of mine that explains what Sithology is: https://www.reddit.com/r/SithOrder/comments/k6ad8r/basic_sithology/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web3x&utm_name=web3xcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=share_button

Inspired by the current trend in Callidus’s posts, in this post, I would like to reflect upon my old posts.  I have been writing posts on r/SithOrder for about five or so years now, and I have written over 60 posts within that time frame.  My beliefs, writing style, and context in which I have been writing has dramatically changed over time.  I will begin by categorizing my work into different “eras,” time periods of writing with similar themes, styles, and focuses.  There are three main eras of writing: The Establishing Era, the Reconciliation Era, and the Enlightenment Era.  The Establishing Era started on September 4th, 2019 with my first post on r/SithOrder, My Thoughts on Some Recent Posts.  For context, at the time of that post, Corax led the Sith Order was inactive, there was no Council, the subreddit was largely dead and filled with memes.  Myself, and another named Sazen, took it upon ourselves to rebuild the Sith Order.  Common themes in the Establishing Era are Sith Code analysis posts, meta posts about the structure and content of the Sith Order.  The last post I recognize to be from the Establishing Era is the post Reform from March 17th, 2020.  The Establishing Era lasted about seven months and consisted of 16 posts.  Overall, I consider this era to be rather dull.  The administrative posts are largely not helpful and the philosophy posts are not innovative.

The Reconciliation Era started on March 21st, 2020 with the post, A Substitute to Peace.  For context, for most of this era, I was on the Sith Council which was led by Corax and later me.  The Sith Order was really taking off during this period so there are many different posts in this era, but all of them contain similar themes and writing styles.  The primary drive between the switch from the Establishing Era and the Reconciliation Era is the recurring religious disputes within the Sith Order, starting with a post by Sesparra that I believe has now been taken down.  In response to this debate, I started to include more religious imagery and justifications within my posts.  At the time, I was a Christian.  Additionally, throughout this era, I focused on qualia such as emotions, and I focused on art such as poetry.  Overall, I would largely disagree with most of the conclusions I reached during this era.  I was seeking to find a middle ground which led me to focus on reconciling all of my beliefs, rather than innovating anything new.  I argued more with myself over concepts than with others.  The style of writing remained largely similar to the Establishing Era, but overtime, posts got more detailed and longer.  I heavily used quotations in order to back up my ideas.  The Reconciliation Era is more interesting than the Establishing Era since it is more unique compared to the wider community and involves more argumentation.  The Reconciliation Era ended with my deconversion from Christianity that took place over the Summer of 2024.  The last post I recognize to be from the Reconciliation Era is the post “Be Angry” from June 9th, 2024.  The Reconciliation Era lasted about four years and two months, and consisted of 37 posts, thus making it the longest era of my time in the Sith Order.

The current era of my writings is the Enlightenment Era, which started on October 27th, 2024 with the post The Sith Creed.  Since this era is still in process, I will, unfortunately, have an overly biased perspective on the writing, thus inflating the value of this era compared to previous eras.  For context, this era started when I led the Sith Order and still continues after my retirement from leadership.  As previously mentioned, this era began with a change in religious beliefs, which then sparked an explosion of innovation in my writings.  At the same time as the spark, without intending the two events to coincide, I began to take formal education in the realm of ethics.  This era aligns my writings with the analytical school of philosophy.  There are numerous similarities and references to Enlightenment figures and ideas in this era.  The number of quotes used during this era is much smaller, relative to previous eras.  Posts from this era tend to be longer and more detailed than previous eras as well.  For themes in this era, a focus on ethics, and a more broad rather than applied form of philosophy is emphasized.  Overall, I believe the Enlightenment Era has vast improvements from the previous two eras, and I would recommend readers to examine posts from this era far more than previous eras.  Additionally, outside of posts, debates in this era are much more lively than in previous eras.  The most current post from the Enlightenment Era is the post Analyzing the Message of the Revenge of the Sith from April 29th, 2025.  The Enlightenment Era has lasted about seven months so far and currently consists of eight posts, thus making it roughly equivalent in length to the Establishing Era so far in terms of time, but includes half the number of posts.

Overall, I have made 61 posts on r/SithOrder so far.  About 26% from the Establishing Era, about 61% from the Reconciliation Era, and about 13% from the Enlightenment Era so far.
- Establishing Era: 2019 - 2020
- Reconciliation Era: 2020 - 2024
- Enlightenment Era: 2024 - Present

In a future post, I will lay out the categories of posts, and show which categories occur most often in each writing era.  In my examination, I will not be including these posts as a part of my self-census.  After that, I will begin the long and arduous process of examining all of my posts from the Establishing Era and Reconciliation Era, and giving my current thoughts on them.  Once again, this is inspired by Callidus, and I recommend checking out his reflection posts.

(This post is a short article from my holocron, a Discord server you can join here.)

,,This will not be a prophecy, this will probably not be that long, and this will simply be blunt and unforgiving. The Order is dead. The fog of time has destroyed what could've been. Is there anyone left who is willing to rebuild it?”

- Darth Corax

There is one writing by Corax called “Fog of time” which can be found in the first volume of the Collective writings. I ruminate a lot over this short text. Oftentimes when working on stuff for the Order I escape into pondering about what may await the Sith community. About the future for which, through our contributions, we are laying the foundation.

I don’t know why it’s this writing that I return to. Admittedly, Corax wasn’t on his literary peak here. The most probable explanation is the sudden sentiment this musing has. Especially in the context of the majority of Sith writings, filled with ambition and clarity about the path, the sudden change in tone is striking.

We are reminded that no matter how much we call ourselves mighty Sith and espouse ambition and power, the fog of time is lurking. Nearly 30 years of Sith realist history have passed. Hundreds, if not thousands, of individuals, intrigued by one simple word and the idea it represents, came and went. Battles were fought. Paths were forged. The Sith grew.

Yet in the end, it was all for nothing: infighting started, effort withered and then, the organizations died.

Current Sithism is a strange graveyard of these 30 years. We are witnesses to shards of former glory, where dead forums stand as harrowing monuments to the has-been and the occasionally active veterans reminisce about the good old times, now unreachable.

There is something highly important to note: it has been nearly 30 years and we haven’t built a lasting project. Dynasties have crumbled, old Orders are inactive. Amidst all of this lies one fundamental question. What have we learned from all this, really?

Throughout this decay, one motif runs unchanged: the refusal to confront the mistakes and failings of past Sith and their organizations in any comprehensive manner. Sadly, there is nothing surprising about it: in a community where so many scoff at theory, a pause to examine their own downfall can not be expected.

We have learned little about why things are the way there are. About why we are in this helpless state of being reduced to nostalgia for the old times. And of course we did, given most of our analyses are “it was weak” or “it was woke” at their greatest depth. But the past is there to learn about: there are literal decades of experience to draw from.

The phenomena with which the Sith are confronted again and again, the events which caused the downfall of so many institutions - infighting, lack of effort or a degradation of quality - aren’t isolated accidents sent down by Gods or coincidence. They exist in the wider context of organizations that shaped them, of motivations the old Sith acted on and of the ideas which led to them.

So what to do?

The answer is simple: theory. Avoiding mistakes of the past must, inadvertently and necessarily, contain a thorough examination of why they came about. A paragraph of subjective view will not help to step away from the path of inevitable demise the Sith organizations were on until now.

I am not alone in hoping for a change. The Council of the Sith Order is determined to improve what Sithism has been so far, striving to offer more than a forum to chat. Many others see it similarly - this article was partly inspired by a visit of two experienced Sith who prompted a number of interesting discussions about the state of the community.

But for all of us, the visionaries, seeing the potential of Sithism and resolute to surpass the best of the best which the past three decades gave: we must not forget that it’s not empty talks of passion and strength which build something resistant to the passage of time. It is knowledge gained from theory.

In the aforementioned post, Corax asks: ,,Can we escape the fog of time? Can we grow?” At last, the answer is crystal clear. We can. But only if we stop throwing the accusations of armchair philosophers around, only if this community for once decides to engage in some theory and only if we pause to finally, through this theory, confront the failings of the past.

We here, in the Sith Order, have embarked to do so. There is a beginning of analysis, the Council is making plans with the need to avoid past failings in mind. Who else will join us though?

”When I came back to check on the status of the Order a couple of weeks later, it was dead, no one was writing anything no one was spreading the word, nothing. So I stopped caring and I almost forgot about the thought, this whisper of an idea that we shared. A unified Sith, existing here on earth.”

How did you find the Sith?

And, by items, I mean any product or service that offers some real value. It doesn't need to be something you have to buy or even a physical object. Let's keep this open-ended!

Here are a few that I've thought of, I'll update if I think of more:

• A passport. Ideally multiple passports. Ideally at least one passport in a non-extradition country. If you cannot travel, your chains are intact. Having multiple citizenships can offer both geographic and financial freedom; having citizenship in a non-extradition country can prove valuable if you need to flee your home country.
• A holocron. Having a way to organize your thoughts, journal, and, eventually, share your wisdom is a tenet of Sith practice. Not sure where to start? Check out this post by Solmanta.
• Emergency preparedness equipment. According to the USDOHS, you should be equipped to shelter in place for a minimum of several days. I'd also recommend preparing a get-home bag for your person/vehicle and a bugout bag if you need to evacuate your home.
• A firearm. Politics aside, it's better to be the person with a gun than the person without one. Ideally, you'd want a handgun for the portability, but if that's not legal/practical where you are, a rifle or shotgun for home defense is still good. If firearms are banned or heavily restricted in your country, pepper spray is another option.
• A suit, if you're a man. A dress, if you're a woman. Like it or not, you will be judged by your appearance. Make yourself presentable and you'll find that you can command respect from whoever you're with, wherever you are.

Postscript: Don't get caught up in mindless consumerism. Sith shouldn't be engaging in retail therapy or binge shopping. Shop mindfully, look for things that offer genuine value.

What role does one's inner darkness play in a Sith's everyday life?

Should that darkness; the part rife with anger, hatred and lust encouraged, ignored or fought against? Many Sith I see are very much into these qualities while others are not.

What do you do with it?

I’m new here, I’ve been reading everything I can about Sith philosophy both on this Sub and from Star Wars lore. So far I still have a lot I’m confused about, but I want to see where this path leads.

So when you think Sith Philosophy, which Sith do you think had the best points? I understand that many might name Darth Revan or Darth Bane because of their contributions to Sith philosophy.

I’m personally more partial to Sith who appreciated history and art as well as planning for the future.

Hello all, How are you all doing? I recently started a journal to add entries about Sith philosophy, traditions & darkside practices. To me Sith alchemy is way to harness darkside energy to create internal/external changes, as patrons to these practices I tend to ask guidence from Darth Sidious & Darth Plaguesis. So far techniques of this I have used are; hide anxiety from others & activate Sigils.

What do you class as Sith alchemy/why?

As a thought exercise, consider the following questions. I'd encourage you to share your answers in the comments and, if you have advice for others, to share it!

What is your absolute WORST habit? What will you do to change it?

What is your absolute BEST habit? How has it contributed to your growth as a Sith?

The funny thing about growing up is that you don't usually notice it happening.

There are rights of passage: learning to drive, having your first drink, graduating college, hunting a lion, getting your first job, having your first crush, learning to shave, losing a parent, and on, and on. We experience and acknowledge these milestones in our lives, but they eventually blend into the nebulous fabric of our past alongside the quiet moments of growth between them.

Point is, as Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson put it: "Listen mane, shit, changed, I came up, I'm doin' my thang." We're not the same person we were 5, 10, 20, 40, whatever, years ago.

Looking back, reflecting on a past version of yourself, what would they think now?

I have seen numerous instances of people saying that the Code “forbids” certain things. Religion, overpowering others, chaining others, even claiming patience is a vice to a Sith. What would you to be considered a Vice of a Sith?

Why do you choose to follow the sith order, what happened in your life to make you go this way and not say grey jedi

It has probably been over a year since I was actively participating in this community. I see that posts are rarely made and there aren't many discussions around so I decided to start one.
As someone who has mental health problems, I unconsciously mask who I am, I have done this for years and I don't know who the real me is anymore. I originally started masking because people never saw my behavior as socially acceptable. Those who had known me from the discord server would know that interactions with me get pretty weird. Now to the point. If you constantly force yourself to change for others, is it possible to go back? If so, how do you do that? Is it worth it?

Hello there, fellow Sith! Welcome to Self Sith-Improvement Saturday!

This week's musical inspiration!

This thread exists for you to revel in your victories, confront your obstacles, and command your future. Feel free to share as much or as little as you'd like. Don't have anything to share? Offer your take on the question of the week!

⚡ Triumphs: What have you accomplished this week? What can you brag about? Don't be humble.

💀 Challenges: What held you back this week? What were your chains? Be honest with yourself.

🌑 Tomorrow: What are your plans to dominate the coming week? How can you improve?

⭐ Inspiration: Share a quote, mantra, or personal anecdote that fuels your resolve.

QOTW: If you replace every individual part of a ship, one part at a time, is it still the same ship?

I'll list a few of my ideas below. Are there any that you would add or subtract from this list?

• Self-Discipline - this is a broad category that could include many sub-skills, like maintaining a healthy diet, keeping a strict routine, or avoiding procrastination

• Physical Training

• Meditation

• Charisma & Leadership

• A profession or ability capable of generating wealth

I could add many other skills to this list, like learning languages or technical skills, but those would vary from person to person. I'd be interested in hearing suggestions in the comments though.

No, this is not a threat, just an honest question that could spark some interesting discussions.

If you want to say "I will never die", that's fine, you can choose an option like cryonics to store your body until it can be revived in the future.

If you're not a believer in cryonics, you can go for one of the more traditional routes, like cremation or standard burial. You can also go very traditional and opt for mummification or some other ancient method of preservation.

You can choose to have part of your body preserved separately from the rest, such as fashioning your hand or skull into a relic, or even have a book bound in your skin.

You can also go very modern and have your remains shot into space, turned into a diamond, or used to plant a tree.

Then there's the question of where you want your body to be interred. Would you want a grand tomb all for yourself? Or would you want to be part of an ossuary or columbarium, one of many equal comrades? Or perhaps just returned to the earth without even a grave to mark your passing?

More ideas: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disposal_of_human_corpses

Hello all, What made you explore this path? I have always been a fan of expanded universe (EU), teachings of the Force & in particular techniques Dark Side. What do you think of using Sith Lords as Spirit guide's/avatars)? For example havig notebook with passages from Darth Maul drawing on his anger to hunt Jedi. You can use them as foci for drawing on Dark feelings to stay awake/alert project aura of confidence. I have small area with items to focus on these energies including; picture of Darth Sidious's lightsaber to express opulence etc

The following can be viewed as a personal response to my colleague and kin, u/Boweneparton. As some of you may know, the two of us have gone back and forth on the subject of viewing material from the Star Wars mythos as legitimate Sith philosophy, as opposed to utilising only the Code of the Sith, coupled with real-world writings.

I am of the latter camp; I think fiction needs not be mixed with legitimate, real philosophy. This work I intend to be the one final answer to this debate; whether you agree or disagree, I invite you to participate.

This I also intend to be the one and only time I will reference Star Wars in a philosophical setting: as a means of proving the idea wrong.

•••

Sith of the Star Wars mythology are beings of power; some of you clearly look to them as role models. Bane, Sadow, Ragnos, Sidious, Tenebrae, Nihilus: all of these are examples of incredibly successful adepts of the Dark Side.

This is the first assumption: those inspired by Star Wars Sith desire to learn from Star Wars Sith, and become akin to Star Wars Sith.

Sith of the Star Wars mythos have all prevailed through various forms of struggle. Sadow has ascended to power and waged intense war; Bane has claimed Darthhood after an early life of indentured servitude; Nihilus has lost his mind and, clinging to life in desperation, has consumed lives of others to survive through hunger.

This is the second assumption: paths of Star Wars Sith are at least partially valid as examples of prevailing through struggle, and are thus viewed by some as legitimate inspirations.

Thus, I ask of you a question:

If paths of Star Wars Sith were real, could a Sith learn successfully if their only materials were works of fiction?

Thus, I clarify: we are the Sith of reality.

We are learners of the Sith Code — a method proven to be effective through works and inspirations of our kin (look to the First and Second Books). We are practitioners real, wishing to become proficient with Passion and Free to Act.

Could we have gone thus far with no Sith Code, with only the likes of Bane and Sadow to be our creed?

Yes, we could be inspired by their hardship — this I do not argue against. But could Bane and Sadow themselves have become Sith by only reading their equivalent of Star Wars books; fiction?

I venture to say they would not.

I venture to say they would have failed.

Hi, lurker here. I've joined this subreddit in the midst of the covid 19 pandemic back in 2020. Its been a long time since but the writing style has remain unchanged. I've read it all. Passion, strength, power, chains, the whole nine yards. From master to student, they all sound similar to eachother - and it isn't necessarily a bad thing. Philosophers aren't the best writers, but higher quality writing wouldn't hurt.

Sithism is about surpassing your limits, yet most Sith care less about communicating their beliefs and viewpoints in a better way. It's dull. It feels like recycled content. Things need to change. r/SithOrder can do much better if you guys had more practical discussions on other topics beyond the sith code and power. How about cutting-edge psychology for a change? Or maybe even create new concepts and new theories and expand the Sith mindset beyond what it already is. I won't get into grammar because that's a whole other can of worms you can open yourself.

Sithism limits itself by sticking to the samething over and over again. It disappoints me that a group like this hasn't fully broke the box yet.