Subcultural engagement for the 21st Century...
Barbelith is a new kind of community (find out more)...
You can login or register.

Underground > Temple >

Educating children in magick?

03:15 / 07.12.02

IN some leter-talks with friends this days, and in the chaos worldwide mail list, a theme started to form, a personal doubt that you fine people can help me to solve, here it is:

If you have kids, or if you participate in the
formation of children (particularly young children),
have you educated them in pagan beliefs and/or
magic(k) from the beginning? What is paedagogically
better for them? Will they be affected by being
outsiders during their childhood? I mean, most of us
(I supose) have been outsiders most of our lives, but
it was by our own options (or magical redestination,
if wou will). What will happen when these magickal
kids get to adoilescence (the rebelion)?
Is it better to educate them in magick for their power, or is it necesary to deconstruct the ego as an adult to be a better one, spiritually? How do you handle things like Xmas?

05:53 / 07.12.02

this is a really great question.

i think we should keep in mind the very magickal nature of children to begin with. In the sense that they soak up things, they actively engage in solving problems, and in using their imaginations (its a very entertaining and interesting experience to just play with young kids. It makes one long for that ease in making up stories and playing/pretending.... assuming forms?). I think basically, rather than trying to drill teachings into them, it's probably far more important to find a way of preserving that questioning and active imagination in them.

Adolescence is a tricky one, but I suppose considering the hormonal chaos that one goes through, there is a lot of potential for magickal training and things like astral travel/clairvoyance/lucid dreaming. I know I had a really easy time having intense visions and dreams at that age. This might be the time when information of all sorts is vital. Not structures per se (since the tendency is of course, to break those down), but a plurality of models for looking at the world. Let the youngster pick and choose what works for them.

Granted, this is me being hypothetical and rather idealistic. Perhaps I'll get back to this when and if I have children.

solid~liquid onwards

00:42 / 08.12.02

my views fairly simple. Just wait till they are old enough to make up their own mind, dont force or hide magick from them

Sirhan Sirhan Solo

09:41 / 08.12.02

Kind of a mind-bender of a question, there.
I think the best way to do it would be to just encourage the hell out of a child's innate curious creativity. Let the kid have an imaginary friend, or even a bunch of them. Also, not to wear my particular tastes on my sleeve, so to speak, but I'd imagine that raising a kid in Chaos Magic would be much easier than in any pagan/wiccan/etc. environment. It's hard to "rebel" against a reality model that basically says "hey, it's your choice."
The important thing, I guess, is to remember that magic and play-time can be the same thing.