Teaching children about spirituality

[DayDream]

I have two young children and I want to teach them about spirituality. I am not sure how to go about doing this. I am still learning everyday myself. We live in the "Bible belt"' and all their friends at school are some type of Christian denomination. I do not want them growing up like I did, hearing nothing but hell fire and damnation stories. I do not want them growing up feeling any pressure to be a Christian or a member of any other organized religion. I want them to be have knowledge of all the great teachers who have walked this earth. If they grow up and decide they want to be a part of a religion I will be fine with that. I just want them to have the knowledge that I never did as a child. I was hoping maybe someone could suggest some books on children and spirituality. Any thoughts or suggestions? Thank you.

[SoulPeace]

A Teen Self-Discovery Workbook in Astrology
by Kathleen Scott, C.A.P, Astrologer
Published by A New Day...A New Way

This workbook is designed for the beginning teen and young adult astrology student to help them discover their natural strengths and talents. Flash Cards, a chart form and a crossword puzzle are included.

Angel Academy: Where You Discover Your Dreams and Talents
by Lisa Baglia and Elizabeth Baglia
Published by Author House

Written by a mother/daughter team, this book shows children the importance of reaching their highest potential, achieving success, and living their dreams. It keeps children focused on their own unlimited potential and committed to achieving their goals.

Looking Beyond: A Teen's Guide To The Spiritual World
by James Van Praagh
Published by Simon & Schuster


This book gives teens the tools they need to uncover the power, strength, and talent to fulfill their unique destiny.

[SoulPeace]

I also suggest checking to see if there are any groups that meet for children and teens. We are just starting one small on (Jan. 2012) that will meet in a home and if there is a need will move to a larger facility. I think there is a need for this to have kids feel accepted and meet each other. They can learn proper techniques with their family involved.

[Keiju]

Spirituality is about discerning what is true. Whatever that entails. In every aspect of their life, from money to sexuality, these two subjects being the most ignored in school despite its significance in every single persons life on this planet.


If you can not be the source of what is true, a book will not be able to replace that.


The most important thing you can teach your kids is learning how to learn, because the schools sure as hell will not.



My advice would be that you teach your kids from day to day. As long as you do not stop thinking, you will constantly be presented with idea's. You take into consideration their position, and utilise this never ending stream of idea's.


There is no perfect formula, mistakes are inevitable for anyone in anything. You simply get better as time goes on as long as you do not give up and stay aware. Accept your mistakes, it's painful but beneficial. Once you accept them, the fix will begin streaming into your mind. Patience and persistent awareness is key to success in any endeavour, including parenting.


Do I have kids? No, but I have plenty of experience watching sub-par parenting Thinking back to how you percieved the world when you were their age is also a good idea. They talk to you, sure, but how much can you remember from when you were their age? Remember what it was like being their age.


A good replacement for the Bible is the Bhagavad-Gita, it is clean and unedited from its original conception, it reads I imagine, how the orignal Bible may have. The vedic scriptures are a good solid foundation for anybody of any age.

[DayDream]

Originally Posted by SoulPeace

I also suggest checking to see if there are any groups that meet for children and teens. We are just starting one small on (Jan. 2012) that will meet in a home and if there is a need will move to a larger facility. I think there is a need for this to have kids feel accepted and meet each other. They can learn proper techniques with their family involved.

Thank you SoulPeace for the book suggestions, I will check into those.

I just recently found out that there is a United Metaphysical Church in my area. I am going to check into that as well. However, I plan on going by myself to see what it is all about for I involve my kids. Thank you again for your input, I am excited to pick up a couple of those books!

[desertrat]

You could read to them , or let them read if there older, stories from the Bible. Tell them there more story , not lit. truth. Tell them about reincarnation , and the astral relms ect. Tell them there Christan friends are not dumb they just have a differnt belief system . desert rat

[ALLisWELL]

Hmmm... as my wife and I have been trying for children, this has also crossed my mind.

Some of the general things, in no specific order, that I've thought of in recent weeks
that may help you find your own plan:

-Remember that all teaching starts out basic!
Keep the concepts as simple as possible, and build on those foundations as the child grows and matures. We must learn the alphabet, and the sounds made thereby, before we can associate them into written words, and so on. Meditate on the most basic essence of whatever subject you wish to communicate, and then render it for the age you are teaching. For inspiration, keep note of what activities, toys, colors, and other sensory items that they respond to.

- Play the good role model
Exercise emotional control, avoid any gossip or judgement, be a good listener, have patience, etc. Also, stay educated and continue to learn, yourself.


-Keep a journal together of significant insights/comments
Children have had past lives, astral travel, dream, have spirit guides, angels, etc.
I think a lot of children have very insightful comments, or may express knowledge of some of these things in some way. Let them teach themselves in addition to your guidance! After all, self-guidance is the goal, right, whether one considers themselves spiritual or not. When they say things that you also feel relevant, affirm this to them and make an activity out of it. Focusing on the positive things and facilitating a confidence in them concerning their insights will start them strongly in the right direction. Of course it will be simple, but the simple ideas can be the most powerful. It is probably unnecessary to get too deep with children, but don't hold them back if they take off with it. Also, encourage them to make art about these things, or just to make pictures in general as another exercise in the journal. Pretty soon, you will amass enough to begin to understand your childs unique spirituality, and can build other activities around that.

-Be the student
Related to the above item, remember that children will teach you as you will teach them.

-Teach them of things "unseen"
This one.. I'm honestly not quite sure about! I feel like there is some way to introduce the concepts of chakras, spirit guides, energy, Etheric/Mental/Emotional/Spiritual/Astral/Celestial Bodies, etc. without confusing them or getting too "out there", but I just don't quite know the way yet. I do have some ideas that may help when the time comes however. For example, you don't have to tell a child there are (or will be as they develop I think) wheels of energy swirling through their bodies; I'm not to say this honesty and clarity wouldn't be beneficial, but if you feel it to be too deep at first, just help them make connections. For example, on the subject of chakras, there are many things to teach them aside from the fact that they are part of our spritual anatomy. Teach them the seven colors (purple, indigo, blue, green, yellow, orange, and red), the archetypes (which are all over Disney movies and other children's stories), the musical notes, and other aspects that can be found in many books about chakras. Invest in a set or two of singing bowls or crystal bowls (that are tuned to the chakras), and play with them with your children. Ask them how they feel, how the noise makes them feel, promote self-investigation of the activity. As they grow and understand and develop, you can build on the concepts to add complexity, and eventually bridge to the understanding that chakras are a part of their own bodies.

-Promote creativity
I've already recommended journaling and making pictures, but it's also a good idea to flex the imagination. Make up stories together, imagining the settings, characters, clothing, etc. (I sure say etc. a lot! haha). This imagination will build creative forces in them. Play music with them. All children like music. Get some bongos and other simple instruments. Play some New Age music and play along, teach them to keep the beat. Develop activities in any way that require creativity, whether sculpture, writing, drawing, painting, plays, puppet shows... children like these things for a reason.

-Nutrition!!!!!
Teach them about nutrition. This is good advice for anyone spiritual or not. You will notice a preference in the coming years for better nutrition inherently present in children, but our culture is very promoting of non-nourishing, low-vibrational sustenance. Keep a garden with them if you can. This will teach them about nature (spiritually significant), nutrition, and perseverance/responsibility. It will also prove a good metaphor throughout their lives in teaching that all things are process.

-Teach them compassion
Donate and volunteer, and make them a part of it. Obvious, but also important, teach them how to act toward and treat others. Also, teach them to have compassion toward themseleves.

-Explore their individuality
Promote their individual light, and let them recommend activities and areas of interest in the process of the education. They will have a unique set of talents to offer the world, and better understand who they are.

[raykilleen]

The innate human quality “curiosity” prompts learning, therefore being mindful of curiosities may stimulate and cultivate. Encouraging inquiry to verification seems to prove a helpful learning technique.

Young minds work much different than older ones; Picasso had a talent that was developed, then it took the rest of his life to draw like a child.

[RonSouther]

I've recently become aware of Waldorf types schools...totally consistent with your goals.

Why Waldorf Works - What is Waldorf Education?

I don't see directly talking to them about spirituality. I see pointing out what false spirituality is, like practicing beliefs. Real spirituality is realized rather than taught. Eliminate the false in life to reveal the truth. The truth is that we are spiritual.

So help them see that culture too much is about molding their minds to become part of the collective mind of society, robbing them of their individuality and creative spirit. How can someone be molded and still be free to create? The two are at odds with each other.

My favorite author is Osho. There's a great book called Revolution in Education which is a dozen or so talks he gave to educators about what is wrong in the education system. I can email you the book.

My insistence under my roof is that the kids are to be left to be themselves. My home isn't a boot camp for obedience training. If I can't appeal to the intelligence of my kids, then I got a problem with me, not them. It forces me to reflect on what I'm saying and be true to life, not to society.

I see that kids that can't escape the pressure of society in their own homes are the ones driven into drugs. What happy kid is going to care about drugs? And my kids are happy being able to express themselves to me which sometimes includes a tongue lashing from them if they need to vent. I listen to the message buried in the venting and the venting becomes like a sneeze...it feels good and no harm done because my kids don't define my sense of self.

Here's an example...My 16 year old wanted to go to a heavy metal concert and I said no, that it's too negative there. He can go as an adult. He's totally not in that crowd, not into any drugs, etc.... He's not escaping life or anything. But he is curious and some of the music he likes.

So he said that he's considering going anyhow. I told him that this home is not a prison, that he's free to do what he wants but he's also responsible for what happens to him. He's really coming to see that freedom requires responsibility, otherwise the freedom isn't complete.

He was talking about a 3 hour ride on his bike but later realized that he would be riding in the early hours of the morning through bad areas. He had second thoughts and decided not to. I congratulated him for using his intelligence to make a good decision. And then suggested to him to text his cadet squadron commander who is a deputy sherriff to see how good of an idea it was to ride a bike there and back...to further increase his awareness.

To me, this is the real spiritual "training"...to help them be solid in their individuality, then as whole minds, they will come to see such a beauty in themselves and in life and THAT will be the spiritual presence they feel.

To address spirituality right now will turn it into an intellectual idea. Instead, help them live it, not "hear" about it.

[arpee]

Teach your children what hell is and tell them that they made that up to make people scared and control them.

I'll make your children careful about what they believe and they won't join a religion out of fear

[zeitgeist]

I do Sunday school with my boys during the summer - they are 4 and 6 and I felt that for the younger one it was still a little early. My methodology is that I only teach them what I really believe in. My hunch, over the years they will end up teaching me as much as I can teach them. That is how it turns out most of the time. Just have fun with it would be my advice 'cause that is what a spiritual path is - lot's of fun.

[ButterflyWoman]

One thing I do is always acknowledge that people believe different things. I'll say something like, "Well, Jews traditionally believe that they shouldn't eat pork, and some other foods, and that the food has to be prepared in certain ways." I don't go into a lot of background on that (although I could), and I don't say that it's wrong or right, only that this is what they believe. Usually, the question that then follows is, "Well, what do YOU believe?" and in the case of keeping kosher, I'd say, "No, we don't follow those beliefs."

This holds for all kinds of religious things, of course, not just Judaism (for which I have a lot of respect, I want to add, though we're not Jewish). I try hard to make it clear that while we don't follow a particular tradition or belief system, there's nothing necessarily wrong with doing so. It's just not what we do.

Of course, then you eventually have to field questions like, "Why do those people think their way of believing is the only one that's right?" or whatever, but cross that bridge when you come to it. The answer, generally, is going to be "because they're afraid".

[ChrisGinsburg]

My very first thought upon seeing this thread was to reverse who's teaching who.

[Prinie]

My grandmother led by example. She was a Christian, but she was the brightest light I have ever seen.

Oh yeah...Disney. Lion King I was good for me. Circle of Life, being connected, loving people who were different, being who you are, etc.

[DayDream]

Thank you everyone for all the wonderful feedback. You have all given me many things to think about.

My children have taught me more than anyone or anything possibly could. My first born passed after a very short time here on Earth. His death is actually what awakened my connection to the spiritual world. I had several remarkable experiences after his death. It's strange how such a tragedy in my life made it so much better at the same time. I thank him every day for coming here and being my greatest teacher. It is very important to me for my children to learn about or rather yet stay connected to their true self. I want to make sure I give them the proper guidance they need while at the same time allowing them to be themselves. I want my children to grow up being accepting of all people, no matter their race, religion , age, gender, etc. I struggle with knowing when or even if I should teach my kids about things like chakras, meditation or even psychic abilities? I guess I have a fear of failing my children and that is my issue to deal with. I guess I need to just relax and "go with the flow" and allow them to come to me with their questions. For now I will just give them my gentle guidance by allowing them to express themselves how they wish, answering any questions truthfully and to the best of my ability and encouraging them to always seek more knowledge.

[raykilleen]

Originally Posted by DayDream

and encouraging them to always seek more knowledge.

that's a good start and when they become disillusioned with outward seeking assure them the inward search will be completely liberating.

[DayDream]

Originally Posted by raykilleen

that's a good start and when they become disillusioned with outward seeking assure them the inward search will be completely liberating.

Yes, absolutely!

[ButterflyWoman]

Originally Posted by DayDream

It's strange how such a tragedy in my life made it so much better at the same time. I thank him every day for coming here and being my greatest teacher.

This caused me to smile and simultaneously brought tears to my eyes. I completely understand what you mean about tragedy being a catalyst for positive change. It's still deeply saddening, but at the same time, there's a profound joy in it. Bittersweet.

Originally Posted by DayDream

I struggle with knowing when or even if I should teach my kids about things like chakras, meditation or even psychic abilities?

I just let things be suggested by normal conversation. I don't sit my kids down and teach them things, but if something comes up naturally, I address it then. There's really no need to know about the chakra concept when you're a child, as far as I can see.

I have taught my kids about meditation, though. It's a useful skill, and worth cultivating. I haven't had much luck in getting them into it, but so long as the seeds are planted, I'm okay with that.

Originally Posted by DayDream

I guess I have a fear of failing my children and that is my issue to deal with.

Indeed. You need to get to the root of that fear and release it.

Originally Posted by DayDream

I guess I need to just relax and "go with the flow" and allow them to come to me with their questions.

You can also bring up things if it seems like an appropriate time to do so. Just by way of example, the other day my youngest child asked about saying "eve" (as in Christmas Eve, New Year's Eve, etc.) and it turned into a discussion about saints, of all things. I mentioned that Halloween was a form of "Hallowed Eve" or "All Hallows Eve" and that it's the night before of All Hallows Day, also known as All Saints Day. I hadn't really intended to talk about saints, but it came up, so we did. (We're not Catholic; my knowledge of saints is from a combination of studying Medieval history and studying the history of Christianity.)

I definitely agree with encouraging them to find out more if they're interested in something. We're always looking things up around our household. Both our kids know how to use Google (with appropriate filtering on ) to find out stuff, and lots of times if I say "I don't know," the answer I'll get back is, "Well, can we look it up?" Great attitude to encourage in a child. It lasts a lifetime.

Originally Posted by DayDream

For now I will just give them my gentle guidance by allowing them to express themselves how they wish, answering any questions truthfully and to the best of my ability and encouraging them to always seek more knowledge.

Perfect. That's just beautiful.