Raising children with spirituality
By Jimmy Henderson
Spiritual experience is no longer limited to religion, with many people and families who would not be considered ‘churchgoing’ or religious in the true sense of the word, reporting an awareness and relationship with a higher spiritual power (God). This relationship can be achieved by merely becoming more conscious of oneself, nature and the world and usually begins with a healthy curiosity and a sort of inner motivation to seek the truth. This points one in the direction of articles, books and people which have a more holistic approach to life and spirituality and eventually one develops a framework which includes a concept of God or the Universe which makes more sense in terms of your real-life experiences.
If one wishes to raise children in a spiritual environment, there would therefore be two questions to first consider. One, do you wish to raise this child in a traditional religion in which the spiritual practices involve regular church attendance and prescribed training in the scriptures?, or second, do you wish to offer them a more open and holistic view of the world and of spirituality and formulate your own spiritual programmme designed to fit the specific needs and development of your child?
If you are already part of an organised religion and church fellowship and find that your spiritual needs are completely satisfied by your involvement in this church and the doctrines presented, and are quite willing to have your child raised in this framework, then much of your responsibility for the spiritual upbringing of your child can be handed over to the church, which usually has a formalised scriptural study programme for children from pre-school to early adulthood in the form of Sunday school, catechisms and youth events. This would merely have to be supplemented at home with instruction in prayer and dealing with any questions that the child may raise with regard to the religious instruction being presented.
However, if you, as parents, are not completely satisfied with the traditional religious path or even with your own religious experience within the church, there is a more holistic approach which involves a direct personal involvement in the spiritual life of your children. The holistic approach
For this approach, your role would be more that of a facilitator, exposing your children to a framework of holistic spiritual concepts and ideas, providing encouragement and support in their own search for spirituality and allowing them to unfold naturally at their own pace.
When working with small children under the age of 5, a good start to this framework would be talking about the meaning of ‘right’ and ‘wrong’ and the positive reinforcement of actions and ideas in line with the universal laws of love and compassion (This should, in any case, form part of the socialisation process for any child). At this time, your personal example to the child will be very important, as children use their parents as role models.
Appropriate to the child’s age, new ideas could be introduced such as soul and spirit, consciousness, the concept of a Supreme Being, divine Intelligence or guiding principle, as well as universal concepts such as tolerance, respect, brotherhood and love. If you wish, this knowledge can be related back to sacred scriptures, as this approach does not necessarily include a break with traditional religious practices, unless they are exclusive.
Exposing the child to these issues would encourage questioning (and a child is ready for an answer when he /she asks an appropriate question). Children are naturally curious and will ask questions about everything. And if you wish to consciously direct them towards spirituality, your answers should be related to spiritual ideas that you would wish them to incorporate. At this time, your aim should be to cultivate a questioning mind, self-awareness and a love of Spirit, nature and people.
In terms of this approach, as children mature they should be exposed to a variety of spiritual ideas from scriptures, books, articles and by attending holistic events and festivals. They should also receive training in prayer and meditation and the availability of spiritual guidance and support. Once again, open-ended question-and-answer sessions should continue, especially with regard to any spiritual experiences they may have had, such as dreams, visions or contact with angels and other spiritual beings. These experiences should be fully explained to them and they should be encouraged to document them in a journal. It is important that children be encouraged to begin thinking for themselves, allowed to formulate their own set of spiritual ideas and learn to interpret their own experiences.
Later on, age-appropriate training in the further exercise of spiritual faculties can be introduced, such as advanced forms of meditation, imagery and conscious inner work. This could involve training by other mentors as well as courses suited to their emerging abilities.
In conclusion, I wish to appeal to you as an enlightened parent in modern times, to assume a more flexible view of spirituality and not try to force your child into a mould which does not fit his or her particular personality and spiritual gifts.

For more information on books, articles, talks and courses see my blog www.jimmyhendersonbooks.blogspot.com