Children’s Spirituality
(This is an excerpt from University Of Metaphysical Sciences course at www.umsonline.org, please feel free to visit the school website)
All things, including us, are sacred and are infused with part of spirit. We are spiritual beings having a human experience. Tobin Hart says in his book, The Secret Spiritual World Of Children (2003),
“Spirituality is an intimate influence of the divine in our lives… Spiritual moments are direct, personal, and often have the effect, if only for a moment, of waking us up and expanding our understanding of who we are and what our place is in the universe. It involves an invitation to dwell as near as possible to the channel in which our light, or spiritual essence, flows.”
Spirituality entails reaching from inside oneself to something transcendent. Some come near that light through service or devotion. Some find incomprehensible oneness in nature. We also find the spiritual in everyday moments. Spirituality may be seen as a worldview and as a process of development. How we address the answers to the questions of “who am I and what am I doing here?” affect the way we live in the world.
As we make practices to nourish the spirit within, we teach children to do the same. In actuality, it is the children who are our teachers. No one can teach us how to be in the present moment, the ever-unfolding Now, the way that children can. Children are our very best teachers to remind us of being in the moment. Hart says in his book, The Secret Spiritual World Of Children (2003),
“Play, joy, laughter, ecstasy, beauty, dance, and celebration of all sorts tease open the heart.” Children are already in their spiritual beingness. It is not about helping them reach up and transcend, it is more about drawing out the spirituality that is already there and giving them space and time to explore their own sacred inner world. Hart writes, “A child’s openness and directness of perception allows for this intimate and intuitive awareness of the world; the child seems to dwell nearer the light… The world’s sacred traditions tell us that the process ultimately unfolds in the direction of love and wisdom.”
Spiritual direction is not only of the mind but is understood as a matter of the heart. We are providing children with an opportunity to develop a connection to a higher power, which increases their sense of security, confidence and well-being. We are here to help them to see the bigger picture of life and show them that there is a spiritual place to turn for comfort and protection. We must establish a spiritual dialogue for questions and concepts. We can create spiritual awareness in our children by using everyday occurrences as teaching moments.
Children have spiritual experiences and capacities that shape their lives. These spiritual connections come through moments of wonder, asking questions about the meaning of life, finding their inner wisdom and also seeing beyond the physical realm. One of the greatest lessons children have to teach adults is the power of awe, which brings a spiritual attitude to the wholeness of life. Adults can use some lessons on how to be open and appreciate life with fresh eyes, without expectations or judgments. Children learn early to protect themselves from the world, to judge, and manipulate it. We must encourage them to stay open to the moment as they inspire us to do the same.
The architecture of a spiritual life includes the structure of delight. Children often show us delights so effortlessly. Like eating our vitamins for our body, delight nourishes our spirit. Delight is an affirmation of spirit. Children do all this so naturally. We can take their lead and join in the joy of being alive on this planet. We can monitor ourselves by asking, have we had our draft of delight today? Our dose of beauty? A playful laugh? Did we sing or hum?