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Announcements
May
19, 2014
It is our
pleasure to announce that today, at 8:00 Central time, Companion
Rick Kasparek was made a Knight inducted into the Council
of Knights.
Brother Knight
Rick, for those of you who were not around back then, formalized
our coat-of-arms and registered it, at his own expense back in
2012.
We look forward
to his continued involvement.
January
31, 2014
Brother
Knight Nick Bettis has put together an impressive 2014
Calender based on the 12 Trusts.
Each
page sports an impressive image with a knightly theme.
This is an impressive step in in doing professional
marketing outreach, and we are proud if his work. Please
support his efforts by using this calendar to get the word out.
January
21, 2014
Companion
Bruce Haig, who lives in Germany, has just created a Chivalry-Now
group Facebook page in German. He and his wife Martina will administer
it. We are now available to a whole new audience. To see it, click
here.
January
19, 2014
A
Chivalry-Now Gathering is being planned for the weekend of
June 20 -22, 2014, to be held at Brother Knight Dean's
house in Chester, Connecticut. It will be a time for Companions
to meet face-to-face and get to know each other. In-depth discussions
will be scheduled for the future of our fellowship. We will also
have cook-outs, canoeing, swimming, and a Knighting ceremony for
those who complete their Path to Knighthood Program.
If you are
interested in attending, please contact
Brother Knight Dean. There are numerous hotels/motels in the Old
Saybrook/Westbrook/Clintin areas - Middletown/Cromwell as well.
January
6, 2014
At
the request of Brother Knight Nick Bettis, a different Trust
and commentary was published on Facebook for each of the 12 Days
of Christmas. Judging by the stats and new "likes,"
it was a huge success.
December
21, 2013
Brother
Knight Dean will be giving a talk about Chivalry-Now
on Friday, January 24, 2014 at 3:00 pm at the auditorium
of a senior living comunity called Evergreen Woods, located
at 88 Notch Hill Road, North Branford, CT 06471. All are welcomed
to attend..
December
13, 2013
Brother
Knight Nick Bettis held chivalry workshops in two
schools in Colorado today. This is a big step forward for
our movement. Read Sir Nick's comments here.
Comments from some of the students can be read on his Open
Forum posting.
December
8, 2013
Nick
Bettis receved the accolade today and is now a distinguished
member of the Council of Knights.
October
26 , 2013
The
Knighting of Tobias Neal was held in person today in
the backyard of Dean and Lynne Jacques in Chester, Connecticut.
Their sunken shade garden was decorated for the occasion with
shields, torches, a firepit and table. Companion Steven Harris
attended the event, and Brether Knight Steven Forgette listen
by phone. The ceremony was held after dark. The firelight made
it seem like an outdoor chapel. A Templar sword was used for the
dubbing. After it was over, discussion continued around the fire
for hours. This was the first knighting for the fellowship in
several years.
Pic 1
Pic 2
July
30, 2013
The
response to our Facebook efforts has been rewarding. One of
our postings, only 3 days in, received over 370 viewings, a large
number of them from reader referrals.
The website
redesign, while almost finished, hit a snag. Dean's mouse finger
is hurting badly and he has to let it rest for a while. Hopefully
it will be completed in the next couple weeks. All that main pages
and articles are finished however. The hidden Companion section
also has a slightly different look from the rest of the site.
We have also incorporated the Chalice Well design,
circled by Esoterica concepts. You can see this on Facebook too.
So, we're
off to a good start.
July
22, 2013
The
latest efforts to promote Chivalry-Now have begun.
The website is being redesigned and our Facebook page is being
used for concerted outreach. Special thanks go to Council Knight
Jeff Barnes for all his help in preparing and running our
social media channels, including the technical administration
of the Open Forum. We would be lost without him.
Council Knight
Dean Jacques has retired from Social Services in order
to devote his time to this promotion. He will be working on the
Facebook page, and hopes to someday do Twitter as well.
These are
exciting times. We have several members taking the Path to
Knighthood Program, and expect to add new Council Knights
in the near future. We also have a number of Companions doing
their own work to help people and spread the word. We are proud
of them all.
April
24, 2012
This last
weekend, Companion Nick Bettis came over my house to discuss
the future of Chivalry-Now. Nick works in marketing, and has offered
his expertise to help us out.
Along with my wife Lynne, we spent hours
brainstorming about the possible next phase of the movement. We
thought that CN needed to identify itself with a cause that we
could all rally behind. One suggestion that seemed appropriate
was that of bullying. The 12 Trusts would seem the perfect
cultural solution for that endemic problem. As you know through
the news, bullying has been the cause of much anguish, physical
harm and death among children in school.
Nick suggested an organization which
his daughter is involved in called Rachel's Challenge.
Rachel was the first girl who was killed during the Columbine
High School shootings of April 20, 1999. Her parents started
this project in order to combat school violence. I have since
presented this idea on our Open Forum to discuss it.
Below are some photos my wife took during
Nick's stay. The first is of a fine, stainless steel coif that
he made for me, which I will always treasure. The next two show
some sword fighting poses that were taken while we were working
out in the backyard. (Nick is the younger man on the right.)
Published
at last!
April
20, 2012
Although
The Deeper Quest has been available on Amazon
for a few weeks now, today is its official day of publication.
It is also being offered as an e-book, which will soon happen
for Chivalry-Now, The Code of Male Ethics
Accomplishments
March
9, 2012
As we approach
this year's Chivalry Day, March 31,
let us review some of the exciting things that our members are
doing:
- With the
help of Sir Ed Toton, Sir Jeffrey Barnes has taken over
the Open Forum and improved it to better represent our
ideals and help our membership communicate with one another.
- Sir
Ed runs
his own website dedicated to knighthood called Modern
Chivalry.
- Sir
Steven Forgette has had cards and post cards printed up
to advertise the web site.
- A while
back, Sir Steven was a guest on the Knights of Awakening
Blog talk radio.
- Kevin
Hankins is designing a "rack card" that will introduce
CN on one side, and list the 12 Trusts on the other.
- Nick
Bettis
is providing us his expertise in marketing to develop a marketing
plan, and may introduce CN at a Renaissance Festival in Colorado.
- Wendel
Leroy
has begun his quest to help the poor and homeless by driving
his solar-powered tricycle to Salem, Oregon, where he is living
among the homeless and working to open a center on their behalf.
(He is describing his ongoing adventures on the Open
Forum).
- Rick
Kasparek is
working to launch a website for the free registration of assumed
arms.
- Tim
Ingersoll
is making a book about using the Long Sword.
- Our second
book, The Deeper Quest, has an official pushing date
of April 27, 2012. Both of our books will soon be available
as e-books as well.
- Sir
Terry Plage has started a group in South Africa associated
with CN, called The Collegiate Fellowship of Chivalry.
(If I missed
anything, please let me know. - Dean)
The
Discipline of the Sword
September
20, 2011
I recently
added a new section to the Companionship section of the web site
called Discipline of the Sword. It presents a short summary
of how to use the long-sword according to Italian and German traditions.
This adds a new dimension to our Path to Knighthood Program.
It is not mandatory, but offers a scope of knowledge that can
be considered knightly, expanding our repertoir.
I hope you find it interesting. Please
keep in mind that it is still under construction. I add to it
almost daily.
The
Deeper Quest
June
24, 2011.
It's been
a while since I've updated this page, and what better time to
start up again with the announcement that our second book, The
Deeper Quest, has been accepted by
O-Books for publishing. It should be on the stands in about
a year.
This book is different from the first.
It explores Esoterica, the historical and philosophical
foundation of Chivalry-Now. It is intended to be a textbook
for those who wish to progress into Knighthood, or anyone interested
in what legitimates CN as a valid transmission of our Western
heritage.
Final
Revisions
July
29, 2009.
I have just
submitted the revised manuscript after a grueling few weeks of
making thousands of revisions. My wife was very helpful in this
procress, and I never would have finished it in time without her.
I must admit the changes really improved
what I had before, and I look forward to seeing the book in print.
O-Books has designed a wonderful cover that should sell
the book on its own.
No idea where al this will lead, but
hopefully it will be good. The more people we get thinking for
themselves, the better.
O-Books
February
18, 2009.
Today I received
a contract from O-Books, a publisher based in England,
that has agreed to publish my manuscript, Chivalry-Now, the
Code of Male Ethics.
This is exciting news. It is my hope
that we will be able to reach a much larger audience with a book
in local libraries and on the shelves at bookstores.
Much still needs to be done before
that happens, and it may be over a year before it is actually
published, but the process has begun. I will keep you posted.
Century
of Self
December
26, 2008.
For many years
I have been troubled by aspects of consumerism that I was unable
to fully understand, much less articulate.
Companion Michael Bark recently
came to the rescue, On the open forum he pointed to an incredible,
four part documentary reporting on how Western governments and
businesses have responded to Freudian psychology by purposely
trying to manipulate entire populations away from freedom in order
to control what they viewed as the primitive, irrational sides
of human nature. Doing so, they fed into these instincts and dulled
our appreciation of liberty, creating the consumistic society
we live in today.
It is my hope that everyone takes the
time to download these documentaries and watch them. I cannot
stress how revealing and even liberating they are to people who
have been subject to this kind of mind-control all of our lives.
I have written a very inadequate summary
to whet your appetite for truth. You can see it at Century
of Self. Please
check it out, and then take the time to view the actual documentaries
themselves.
Sir Dean Jacques,
KCN
Chivalry
Day, and more
March
30, 2008
Tomorrow we
celebrate our first Chivalry Day celebration, commemorating
the first year anniversary of the Council of Knights.
Companions have put forward some ideas
on this, including
- feasting
- fasting
- renewal
of commitments
- donating
money to charities
- planting
trees
- spreading
the word
- posters
- downloadable
copy of the 12 Trusts.
A good first response. I look forward to next year's celebration,
when we will have more time for preparing ideas.
Sir Dean Jacques,
KCN
New
People
November
9, 2007
We're attracting
some new people to the Open Forum lately, and they've added
new elements to topic discussions. Most of them come with a good
sense of what we are all about. Good to see, but we're a long
way off from where we need to go. We need new ways to get the
word out.
According to the forum stats, we had
80 people on the forum at the same time on October 13.
This morning, there were 30 when I logged on. The forum is definitely
being read by more people than those who introduce themselves.
THe comments I hear are very encouraging.
Keep up the good work!
Sir Dean Jacques,
KCN
Path
to Knighthood opens its doors
September
5, 2007
Chivalry-Now
needs greater exposure. We need an elite force of independent
knights to make that happen.
With
this in mind, a group email was sent to all active Companions
this morning announcing that we will now be accepting applications
for the Path to Knighthood Program.
Applicants
must be Companions in good standing to participate.
Since
this is our first excursion into evaluating people over the Internet,
we anticipate that the process will change and develop as we go
on. Please have patience. Knighthood is very important to us.
We need to assure its solemn value.
Please
remember, participation is in no way mandatory.
There
is no fee for this program. All we ask is for your seriousness,
honesty and patience as our first generation of knights-in-training.
Getting
Back on Track
September
2, 2007
While waiting
for the book's last few chapters to be proofread, I thought it
best to hit the road running with a new article on the web site,
called Sir Lancelot's Path to
Self-Discovery.
The idea came from the original manuscript (Vulgate), that was
never transferred into the
newer (Mallory's Le Morte d'Arthur) version. Actually very little
of the original did, which gives me a lot of potential material
for the future.
The
Path to Knighthood is almost complete as well. Just some fine
tuning. We will probably make it available to prospective participants
(Companions only) before it is complete and allow it to develop
on its own
Sir Dean Jacques,
KCN
The
Path to Knighthood
August
24, 2007
A few announcements:
We will soon
be introducing the Path to Knighthood Program, through
which the Council of Knights will evaluate and train interested
Companions to become members of the Council. Those who successfully
complete the program will become certified as Knights-errant
in Council of Knights or Chivalry-Now.
As certified knights, they will be authorized
to represent our cause as official advocates, and serve as advisors
to the Inner Council of Knights. Those who cannot attend
an actual accolade ceremony will be designated provisional status,
which gives them the full recognition of being one of our honored
knights until that time when the accolade can be administered.
Those who are under 21 years of age and
successfully complete this program will be designated as Esquires
until they reach the age of majority. As Esquires, they will be
still be members of the Council of Knights.
Second, at the suggestion of one of our
esteemed Companions, we are officially adopting the postnominials
CNC (Companion of Chivalry-Now) and KCN (Knight
of Chivalry-Now) to be added to our names. Please use them as
you wish, if you are a Companion or Knight.
Third, just want to mention the rewrite
of the book is almost complete, and it is much improved over the
original. That being said, I will use sections of the original
worth saving for future articles.
Sir Dean Jacques,
KCN
The
Essence of Chivalry
June
17, 2007
{Part
1)
Today
is Father's Day over here in the United States.
I
would like to take this opportunity to remind you all that being
a good father is part of chivalry. The two are intertwined.
Let's
think about that a little as the day goes on, and tomorrow as
well.
Chivalry
means being a good father, son, brother, friend, citizen, and
patriot. In other words, good men. Let's identify Father's Day
as day to recognize the value of male ethics.
And
for the women among us, the males you influence, be they your
children, spouse or whatever, need to open their eyes to what
is good about them in relationship to the world. Please encourage
them as you can.
{Part
2)
One
of the pleasures of receiving survey responses is to read
the moral insights of those who submit them. The similarity and
sometimes intensity of their responses adds further truth to the
idea that chivalry is somewhat inborn in all of us.
I'd
like to share a couple that came in from teenage men, aged 15
and 16 years old, from opposite sides of the globe.
What
impressed me with both is how the vision of male ethics we ascribe
to remains alive and well in this new generation. It gives me
great hope for the future.
"Chivalry…
fills you with a feeling of warmth... given off by a candle
of passion of doing good that is ignited and remains ignited
so long as you remain honorable and do good every day of your
life."
"It
is enough that I know inside that what I have done is the right
thing."
In these two
statements we find the very essence of chivalry, the human pride
we experience when we do good deeds. The aspiring knight-errant
has no need for reward or public accolades for what he does, because
it comes from the heart. He is truly part of the world, transcending
the barriers of ego. He is a light for others to follow, if only
a candle flame.
It
reminds me of words from the song Impossible dream:
"And
I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest, that my
heart will lie peaceful and calm when I'm laid to my rest."
If reward
must be our goal, then know from these sage young men (and Don
Quixote as well) that doing good is its own reward.
What
are we dealing with here? The resurrection of an antiquated, medieval
code of honor? Or the activation of our souls and collective conscience
on a personal and someday social level?
Good
friends, do your hearts cry out for this as much as mine does?
Do you feel the ache for something real in world of mass illusions
and political ignorance? Can we turn our backs on it now when
Creation itself calls for our attention?
The
seeds of chivalry are already sown with every child's birth. That
labor is already accomplished. The Quest calls for us to nurture
these seeds in ourselves and in others, that virtue might flourish
in world where the lack of virtue promises to be the death of
us all.
Sir Dean Jacques,
Knight
Opening
Our Eyes
June
14, 2007
I
just placed an article
on the web site entitled Opening
Our Eyes. It was inspired in part by recent political
debates, but also by a book that I read which I heartily recommend:
Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death.
I think it's important to all aspiring
knights-errant to be aware of the media's influence on how we
think and act, and on politics. More and more the media strives
to control us for the profit of their corporate investors. Through
the television, we invite them into our homes and minds without
reservation, when they would say and do just about anything for
profit, just like any con-man or criminal. The principles we observe
in chivalry are far from their minds.
Acknowledging this problem is halfway
to solving it, so please, give it some thought.
Sir Dean Jacques,
Knight
Moving
Forward, Inch by Inch
May
22, 2007
It
is s beautiful spring morning
in central/south Connecticut. Birds are chirping, sunlight streams
through the trees, flowers pop up everywhere, filling the air
with wonderful scents.
Being self-employed has had its financial drawbacks, but allows
me to take spare moments like this morning to really experience
and appreciate things. So, I went for a walk and communed with
my consciousness of the world around me.
Life has been difficult lately, like
a roller coaster of ups and downs. After much soul-searching,
I decided about a week ago to rewrite the CN manuscript. I thought
it would be easier than it is, but I am constantly reminded how
important it is to get his right, and make it for an audience
who might not know what chivalry is to begin with. So progress
has been slow.
The job I'm working on at the same time
has also been very slow moving, adding to my frustration.
But today none of that seems to matter.
Even our small accomplishments count, and need to be appreciated.
It occurred to me last night, as I got
into bed, that our movement needs to claim a kingdom. Half-asleep,
I watched my hand scribble the words to a new article, The
Kingdom We Inherit,
which I uploaded this morning. It made me realize that we are
far more along that I had thought. As small as our circle is,
we have a true kingdom at hand, as sure and as beautiful as Arthur's.
It exists as a place of ideals, because our ideals exist in us.
We merely have to live them to bring our kingdom to life.
With that thought, I leave you to rejoin
the beauty of this inspiring morning, with the hope that you experience
such mornings also, and experience inside you the birth of a better
world.
Sir Dean Jacques,
Knight
Another
First
April
13, 2007
Maria,
known to the forum as Courtly Love, has become our first
Lady of the Fellowship, a designation denoting Companionship
status for women. Her interest and contributions, to both the
forum and the administration, have proven themselves invaluable.
We all welcome her.
Speaking
Out. At Last?
April
12, 2007
With
today's article on Don Imus,
I am focusing some of our values on a specific topic in Headline
news.
We have ample opportunity to do this,
of course. Politics and media constantly run up against the beliefs
of basic morality and chivalry especially.
What I need to know is how our membership
feels about taking a more proactive stance. I am especially concerned
because of the international character of our membership. Some
of the members might not feel comfortable with such localized
topics.
I feel it is right now and then to take
these opportunities to illustrate what is going on, and to define
the enemy, which is the prevalent, halfhearted way of understanding
things, that destroys the world around us.
I invite your input. Please let me know
if you feel this kind of discourse is helpful or acceptable.
Thanks.
Sir Dean Jacques,
Knight
The
Accolade & More
April
3, 2007
On
March 31st, I received the accolade of Knighthood from Sir
Steven Forgette at his home in upper-state New York. It was
a simple yet wonderful ritual, whereby he blessed the sword I
brought with me, asked questions, and then, with the tapping of
the sword, declared me Knight. He then repeated the 12 Trusts,
and had me swear to each.
Once that was accomplished, I commenced
with initiating Chivalry-Now's Council of Knights by swearing
in Sir Steven as its first member, and he did likewise to me as
its second.
I cannot adequately explain how moved
I was by these rituals, which legitimize our Companionship. I
knew that something had changed, but was not sure what. In fact,
I spent the next couple days wondering what all this meant, to
me, to the fellowship, and to our future. I felt overwhelmed,
and yes, somewhat discouraged, by organizational details, the
logistics of our membership, and what direction to take from here.
It was not until Monday night that the
answer came, a surprising answer spelled out in greater detail
in the Companionship section of the web site.
Suffice it to say, I think we have found
our way in assuring the integrity of our Companionship and the
inclusion of Knighthood as something meaningful. It is my hope
that this will infuse us with new energy and commitment that will
eventually guarantee the success of our mission.
I am pleased to see that membership on
our open forum continues to expand since its creation last February.
We have new people adding new and valuable insights to our banter,
and this is very encouraging.
I thank all those who participated in
my induction from afar by lighting a candle at 11:30 a.m. during
our ceremony. It means a lot to me.
Now is the time for us to move forward
with our own self-development and personal commitments. Let's
bring Chivalry-Now to life in ways that people will inspire
people.
Newspaper
Coverage
March
19, 2007
It
took a while, but we finally got some local coverage.
A Connecticut newspaper, The
Day, had a column covering the presentation I made at Harmony
House 2 months earlier. It was entitled Chivalry Has
A New Champion, By Steven Slosberg.
None of us were contacted about
this beforehand, or even after it was published. I found it through
a Google search. Unfortunately, it is no longer available through
the newspaper's web site.
Here is an excerpt:
"Chivalry
Now, The Code of Male Ethics" is the title of a book written
by Jacques, who, according to his Web site (www.chivalrynow.net)
biography, has a 25-year background in social services and lately
his own professional writing and Web site design business.
"Compared with the rise of
feminism, the state of male ethics has revealed its deficiency,"
says Jacques. "What masculine ideals we inherited from chivalry
have been disconnected from their roots by the culture shock of
the Industrial Revolution. Today's Information Age only propagates
that separation further."
Jacques, who studied English literature
at the University of Hartford, posts a questionnaire about chivalry,
then and now, on his site, and has compiled data for the first
150 respondents, 65 of them men and 85, women. The ages of the
respondents were not available.
Question No. 9 asks: Would you personally
like to see men act more chivalrous?
"The majority of women want
men to be more courteous, but in a manly fashion," writes
Jacques of the results. "They want men to be strong, unselfish,
self-disciplined and reliable."
" ... The men are more difficult
to categorize," he reports. "They seem almost innately
attracted to chivalry, and many feel that the chivalric ideals
are an active part of their lives or inclinations. However, they
are more cautious responding to the idealism that chivalry calls
for, probably due to many factors, such as past disappointments,
cynicism, disbelief that there can be a significantly positive
role for men, beyond the drudgeries of work."
One illuminating finding was that
men want women to be more chivalrous, too, even though, as Jacques
writes, "chivalry is defined as a male ethic."
"Some feel that chivalry is
dependent on women's attitudes," he writes, "complaining
that women make it difficult to act chivalrous by rejecting such
acts as opening a door, etc."
It can, indeed, be a rude and demeaning
world out there, and Jacques is to be commended for his crusade
to instill, again, codes of ethical and compassionate behavior.
Harmony House is to be commended, as well, for opening a door
for him.
We thank Mr.
Slosberg for his kind words.
Dean
Chivalry-Now,
The New Companionship
March
8, 2007
As
the Chivalry-Now community continues to grow, it's only natural
for it to evolve as well. What was only a web site not long ago,
now includes
- an ongoing
survey
- chat forum
- secret
teachings
- email updates
More importantly,
many of us are conversing in private, forging friendships and
sharing insights and encouragement.
A companionship is
forming. A companionship focusing on chivalry and the desire to
improve the world we live in. This is an exciting development
that deserves recognition. We are creating, together, something
that will someday make a positive difference in our culture.
Looking back on the Order of
the Round Table, the Knights Templar, The Knights of the Garter
and others, we can be sure that what we are building is based
on a moral foundation just as important and as honorable as theirs.
What's more, our focus provides a whole new approach to social
improvement. We are returning something of great value to the
culture that we love, something that helps complete us all as
human beings, and contributes to our relationships at every level.
Never was a cause more noble and timely.
We see our world ablaze with a clash
of ideologies, with innocent people dying every day. Both history
and common sense tell us that a war of ideologies cannot be won
by military adventure. What we need is a more compelling
ideology, compelling not only to ourselves, but to the world at
large. We had a compelling ideology for a long time. Freedom
and democracy inspired people everywhere.
But some of that has been lost.
People are burning American flags in the streets, and looking
elsewhere for inspiration. Is it possible that we failed both
them and us in what our democracy and freedom has produced?
If replace a deep sense of human
morality with greed, then yes, we have failed. If we become cogs
in a machine, or nothing more than "consumers" in a
marketplace, we have failed. If we use freedom to dictate our
will on other people, we fail on a level that explains exactly
where we are now—scratching our heads, wondering what went
wrong.
We have a rich ideology to draw
from, one that can inspire the world again. But we have to reclaim
it. We have to elevate it for all to see. We have to immerse ourselves
in its depth, and steer western civilization into the Camelot
that it was meant to be. We need a new Renaissance. And we
are the ones to make this happen.
We start to do that when we stop
rationalizing greed as a life-principle, and re-embrace the Golden
Rule. When we stop looking at people as consumers, but as our
brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, fathers and mothers,
friends and companions. We bring back true freedom and individuality
when we think for ourselves and resist those who would do the
thinking for us.
Chivalry-Now is nothing less
than reclaiming our own moral heritage, wrenching it from the
hands of those who would shape it according to their own benefit.
Here at Chivalry-Now, we
respect your freedom. We dictate nothing. Our mission is to point
out the moral center of each man's soul. The obligations that
come from that will be yours to decide. This is the very essence
of what we call the "quest. "
Simply put, as it was with those
legendary heroes of old, the fate of the entire world is in our
hands. (If not us, then who?) Whatever each of us
contributes to the cause of chivalry will make a
difference.
With that in mind, I announce the
formation of the Chivalry-Now Companionship. It consists
of those people who assist us in our cause. The Secret Teachings
section of the web site (for Companions only) was made especially
for their advanced level of involvement.
Next, we will recognize those who
are most involved, and who best exemplify our ideals by instituting
an Order of Chivalry within our companionship.
Can we do this?
As Sir Steven Forgette, one
of our esteemed Companions, points out, "true Knighthood
is not determined by membership in an organization, a membership
card, or fancy certificate hanging on a wall. It is determined
by a person's actions—the way in which he conducts himself
on a day-to-day basis."
Nothing could be more true. Bestowing
the recognition of knighthood does not transform
a person into a "knight." As Sir Steven
says, it merely recognizes what is there already. If you remain
true to your own personal quest, if you uphold and help propagate
the tenets of Chivalry-Now (the essence of which is thinking
for yourself), if you perform good service for those in need,
then nobility already exists in your heart and mind. When the
inner circle of our Companionship deems that you are ready,
we will present you with an offer of the accolade.
Knighthood will not be offered without
proof of sincerity and accomplishment. It would be worthless otherwise.
That being said, there will be no formula as such. We do this
in order to encourage all our companions to use their skills and
talents as they see fit, finding creative ways to do good and
reach other people. Good works, while valuable in themselves,
are not enough to qualify for this recognition. Chivalry must
be an integral part of your efforts and goals.
We want good people on this inner
Council—knights we can be proud of. Their names will
be listed in a registry that will be posted on the web site.
If you feel moved to be a Companions,
we want you to let us know what you are doing for our cause, even
the small, personal things. At King Arthur's Round Table, the
knight met on regular occasions to speak of their adventures.
Let us know about yours, that they might inspire others. Use the
open forum, or communicate with us directly.
Keep in mind, we ask for no donations,
no membership fee. We are a Companionship of the heart.
May the inspiration and excitement
of the Quest be yours forever.
Your Companion-at-arms,
Dean Jacques,
Knight-in-Training
Latest
Survey Summary
February
2, 2007
We
have collected 160 survey returns!
Taking the first 150 (keeping them
in batches of 50), we have compiled their responses, which continue
to be amazing. People generally have a a strong, positive reaction
to the idea of chivalry. Women especially. See Summary
for more details, which include not only statistics, but some
of their quotes as well
Dean
Chat
Forum added to web site
January
30, 2007
A
bright young man by the name of Joshua has helped us
acquire a chat forum linked from the Chivalry-Now web site.
We will be able to use this to share ideas and maybe draw more
people into our circle. I'm hoping this will provide quite a tool
in our outreach efforts.
Thanks Josh.
Dean
Harmony
House Presentation
January
5, 2007
Lynne
and I gave a presentation of Chivalry-Now to group
dedicated to peace that meets monthly at a special place in Old
Lyme, Connecticut, called Harmony House. The people there
were tremendous in welcoming our ideas and discussing them afterwards.
It was a tremendous experience. (See a copy presentation.)
The reason it was so significant
was that the group had no idea what to expect from us. A few admitted
to having come there with absolutely no interest in the topic
of chivalry, and actually derided it beforehand. By the time it
was over, however, they were greatly moved.
Like the survey responses, I found
great encouragement by their reactions. Chivalry-Now is
touching a nerve in people. It is presenting a view of our social
problems in a completely new light.
Dean
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