Spoilers ahead for Midnight Horizon and The Book of Boba Fett!
Ahsoka's Jedi status has been a question for a little while now. She left the Jedi Order in The Clone Wars' season 5 finale, and when we saw her again in Rebels she made it very clear that she's no longer considering herself a Jedi, even if her goals and some of her beliefs still aligned with Jedi like Ezra and Kanan. However, her appearances in The Mandalorian and Book of Boba Fett suggest an Ahsoka that's reconnecting with her Jedi past, though it hasn't been necessarily been explicitly stated by Ahsoka herself. So what's the deal? How can she be a Jedi after leaving the Order? The High Republic may provide the answer we've been looking for- Wayseeking.
What is Wayseeking? Simply put, a Wayseeking Jedi is going their own way. Jedi, at least in the age of the High Republic, could declare themselves as Wayseekers. They could travel the galaxy, going where the Force leads them without operating under the Jedi Council. Orla Jareni declared herself as a Wayseeker in Into the Dark, but still would help Jedi who needed it when the Force led her that way. Jedi could be Wayseekers seemingly forever, or could return to the Order when they felt that they were ready.
While characters like Orla Jareni declared themselves Wayseekers and made the purposeful decision with authority of the Council, there were also "unofficial" Wayseekers who were welcomed back into the Order, who may not have properly declared themselves as such but were understood to be Wayseeking, and after they had properly explored themselves were welcomed back into the Jedi when they were ready. We learn about Kantam Sy taking this path in Midnight Horizon- before their Trials, they realized they weren't ready to commit to the Jedi. They left without resistance from their master, Yoda, and after a long while of learning about themselves, the galaxy and the Force, they were ready to return to the Jedi- and were welcomed back with open arms. They never declared themselves to be a Wayseeker like Orla did, but it's understood that that is what took place.
It's Kantam Sy's story that parallels so strongly to Ahsoka's. Ahsoka didn't declare herself a Wayseeker when she left the Jedi Order, and didn't think about a future of returning to them- which isn't dissimilar to how Kantam seemed to feel when they left. Yet, what was Ahsoka doing if not Wayseeking, but finding her way and her place in the galaxy, learning about everything without the lens of the Jedi Order? We can tell that Yoda feels the same way- in The Clone Wars episode "Shattered," Yoda mentions a possibility for Ahsoka to return to the Jedi. She's not especially receptive, but I feel like there is definitely consideration there from her. With the new context of Kantam Sy being Yoda's padawan and what happened with their journey, I can't help but think that Yoda was making the Wayseeking connection with her too. (I could talk all day about Yoda letting Kantam Sy leave the Jedi versus how Anakin reacted to Ahsoka leaving and what all that means, but that's probably an article for another time.)
After the events of Order 66, however, through reading the Ahsoka novel and watching Rebels, we can tell that Ahsoka considers herself far from a Jedi during that time. She boldly states it a few times, even if there are times where she doesn't seem thrilled about the distance put between her and the culture she was raised in. But It's been suggested by recent media that Ahsoka is embracing the Jedi again. Her featured episode in The Mandalorian is called "The Jedi" which I can hardly believe was just an accident, and doesn't correct anyone calling her that like she did in Rebels. She's also hanging around Luke's temple in The Book of Boba Fett and seems to have beliefs more aligned with Jedi philosophy. Her voice is also among the chorus of all Jedi voices that inspire Rey in The Rise of Skywalker.
Like Kantam Sy, Ahsoka has rejoined the Jedi Order, just in a much more unconventional way than they did- especially considering the Jedi Order doesn't really exist anymore, not as it did for Kantam. What happened in her journey in the years between Rebels and The Mandalorian that changed this perspective for her? I imagine it would be connected to her time in the Malachor temple, but we can't know for sure. It's something the Ahsoka series will hopefully delve into, because it's a part of her journey I am definitely curious about.
Regardless of what lead her back to faith in the Jedi, the High Republic has provided us some context for what Ahsoka's journey is, and provided a path taken before by other Jedi like her.
Such a great storyline for Ahsoka 💕