“The word 'spiritual' does not refer to religious matters, so-called. All activity which drives the human being forward towards some form of development – physical, emotional, mental, intuitional, social – if it is in advance of his/her present state is essentially spiritual in nature and is indicative of the livingness of the inner divine entity. The spirit of man is undying; it forever endures, progressing from point to point and stage to stage upon the Path of Evolution, unfolding steadily and sequentially the divine attributes and aspects”
Alice A Bailey.
Education in the New Age
It seems that the collective cry of parents in general these days is…How do I understand my child so that I can be supportive?
Again I would like to quote from Education in the New Age where it says “The first thing that must be done is to train the child in the correct use of the discriminating faculty and in the power of choice and of directed purpose. He/she must be brought to a truer understanding of the underlying purpose of being, and be led to work with wisdom in the field of creative activity, which means, in the last analysis, in the right use of the “mind stuff”. Thus and only thus, can he/she be released from control of his/her lower nature.”
Let's look at the above statements...training in discrimination. This is perhaps less about a child labelling something as right or wrong and more about knowing what is appropriate for him/herself as an individual. Children need to know how to make the necessary choices, all the while maintaining a balance between personal and family/society needs.
Somehow, these children seem to inherently know what they need although perhaps not how to ask for it. We appear to have a generation of children whose intuitive faculties are extremely well developed. Do we, as parents, need to trust in their wisdom?
The second statement is, The Power of Choice...Nothing is more empowering than being given the opportunity to make our own choices. We can all learn how to take responsibility for those choices and how to change them if they don’t work out as we had planned. This is such a wonderful opportunity for parents to enter into meaningful dialogue, negotiation and education to assist children in thinking through their choices. Together you can look at possible outcomes both positive and negative, explore different options and scenarios, while unobtrusively offering your child the wisdom of experience. Gone are days of “Do as I say, not as I do” or “Just because I say so!!” Practicing power with instead of power over will prepare children for a future, which I believe, will demand of them more than we can imagine.
The third statement is Directed Purpose...Goal setting !! I am constantly fascinated by the evolution of the goal setting I witness in the children who pass through some of my workshops.
Initially they set goals for themselves. When they return as a Logistics (helper) it becomes goals for the group until finally at the Rites of Passage Camp their goals encompass the bigger family of humanity.
All this through being introduced to their very own “Rainbow Self”, the wise one within, the intuitive Self, the higher Self. Who better to know each child’s purpose and assist with direction?
Sandi Smith is creator of The Rainbow Bridge, a Life Skills and Empowerment workshop for young people 9 -18 years. See her ad in Courses for the Spirit.
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