One of the main obstacles to awareness of other planes of existence or communication is our own mental blocks or belief systems which, we are told, hinder our efforts to break through the barriers in the physical world.  Our awareness is constricted inside our physical forms, partly by choice, but then also by training and habit.

If this were the case, one would think that children raised specifically not to build up these psychic walls of resistance would be the ideal people to explore the afterlife and astral planes.  If it is "normal" and not to be feared or thought of as being "impossible," then their belief system would be open to it.

When I was between 6 and 12 years old, I had repeated episodes of sleep paralysis on awakening.  I knew I was conscious, but couldn't move my body, even an inch.  Sometimes I would panic, and think I would never be able to do so (it is a terrible feeling to be locked in).  I also heard unusual sounds around those episodes and at one point, I told my mother.  She mentioned it to the pediatrician who had no explanation. 

Only in retrospect did I realize that these episodes might have happened on return or starting OOBE.   What if I had been nurtured by an adept to take it one step further, at that time?  Would it have been easier, given my age, and lack of training in belief systems?

Is childhood the right age to mentor and teach these things?  Most kids are uncomfortable thinking about death or the afterlife, and want everyone and everything to last forever.........


M

Matthew

I really wanted to raise my kid in an alternative fashion. I think there could be a change if the children collectively learned some of this stuff. But there have to be enough adults to give them strenghth to live it.

(And I don't exactly want it to end up like it did in Arthur C. Clarke's story Childhood's End either).

One thing I couldn't figure out was how to offer him something alternative ( and my own skills aren't really solid enough to do that effectively, other than to encourage him to trust his own conciousness) AND also teach him to fit in with the group. I don't think you can teach children healthy duplicity. And you have to be able to survive the group.

You can see this around you, I am sure, in how people can struggle when their religion does not match the one of others around them. We have come a long way in that department! but have we come far enough yet to teach kids to communicate across the boundary, so to speak, and create a space where they are free to talk about ti?

And kids do tend to talk about everything!

HAving been raised in one of the Christian trditions, I had grown to reject the practices of Christianity. I also do not celebrate Christmas in an extreme fashion. With a small child it is difficult to avoid that holiday! I didn't "do" Santa Claus..my choice! But oh was I an "evil" mom! I think it would have been easier if I could have said I was Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist or Hindu.

So how could you teach a kid these skills and also keep them safe? You are lucky your pediatrician didn't decide you had a psychological problem.

This is a conversation topic that could go in several different directions. I do think that children in this age group have not lost the "magical" yet. I sometimes see books that I think are aimed at telling children it is OK to maintain that. I think folks do think about how to do this. It is just difficult to know how to teach both this and the culture when the culture is based on denying this. And if you want your kid to survive the culture, you have to teach the culture.

On another angle, I think children who die young may communicate more easily with parents left behind here (than adults do).  Elissa Al-Chokhachy, whose book I mentioned in another thread, is working on another book devoted to discussing events that have happened when children have passed over. I don't know when she plans to finish it.

DocM,

"I have started to teach my son what i know so far, in the simplest ways I can. My hope is, he will keep an open mind, and in the end will have a smooth journey as a result."

I dislike 'I know what's best for you', but being a parent that's part of the "job" imo. I see like attracts like mentioned, and when kids are old enough to decide on their own, another interesting "lesson" comes into play, allowance.

I'm not a parent and like it that way, but would probably be prone to worry waaaaay too much if times were hard for the kid/adult. Thing is though, none of the people who I REALLY like have had smooth journeys, but they sure did become diamonds in the process.

Howdy,

"I've often pondered the idea that in order to evolve, one must go through hard times. In the end, while we can cite examples of this, I think it is not a "requirement" of the earth school."

The heavy and hard times as in pain I try my best to ditch/work through ASAP. Expanding the idea going with what Lucy said,

"I didn't "do" Santa Claus..my choice! But oh was I an "evil" mom! I think it would have been easier if I could have said I was Jewish or Muslim or Buddhist or Hindu."

Standing up for what you think may seem like a rocky road, at first, compared to pleasing others by following the herd. The rocky road gets smoother when you get to be comfortable by doing what YOU know in your heart is right, and the dogs barking up the tree don't matter any more. The smoother road of getting a pat on the back for falling in line may become very rocky when one continually make choices that feel wrong.

"If, deep down, we feel that money is the root of all evil (it is not), and we expect poverty, are we surprised if we are poor."

Got enough money to get by in this system and then some, still dislike the debt system of money created by bankers, and still think I get what you're saying.

"I know this sounds disjointed, but that is what I meant my hope was for my son. Ultimately, I believe he will be well in the end, because of his heart; I have seen it, and I know everything else will follow."

I don't know you, but gleaning from your posts, sounds like he'll get a good foundation to be who he is by your parenting.

Matthew,

So many NDEs in effect portray Jesus as reinforcing a very standard fundamentalist theology.  Similarly, so many New Age astral exercises merely confirm standard New Age beliefs with very few progressive advancements in insight.  In my view, none of this qualifies as genuine afterlife exploration.  Apparently, there are elusive waking states that induce fantasies reinforcing our wishful thinking.  These states need to be understood so they can be distinguished from genuine astral exploration such as that undertaken by Swedenborg and even some of Robert Monroe's phasing.

This need elevates the importance of NDEs and OBEs reported by atheists and especially by children.  Belief system contamination is less pronounced among such groups.  For this reason, atheist Howard Storm's NDE is probably my favorite, though I suspect some bias filtered into his memory through his resulting conversion to Christianity.  Books on childhood NDEs (e. g. by Dr. Melvin Morse)  are also very compelling for me.

Many newbies have never read this story.  When I was living in Cambridge, MA, I met a woman at a local bar who was in charge of day care for Harvard's School of Education.  She told me that the toddlers under her charge often spoke of experiences in heaven prior to birth.  One boy (age 3) spoke of flying around out of his body during nap time.  Amazingly, he observed, "The other kids fly around too, but they don't even know it."  When this woman asked him how he explained their ignorance, the boy said, "Well, it's like a little mousie doen't know that it's a mouse."  Just think of it.  This toddler was able to infer that animals lack self-awareness and that his fellow toddlers were not aware of their OBE travels during nap time.  The boy then asked the woman, 'You have a birthday tomorrow, don't you?"  "Yes, but how did you know."  Boy: "I learned your birthday in heaven before I was born--and also the birthdays of my uncles and aunts." 

Now I don't believe in astrology, but I am at a total loss to explain why and how this toddler could acquire such information.   There are other cases in which 5-year-olds independently describe the park-like setting of their NDE in great detail and thereby confirm the "geography of Paradise" in ways that adult OBEs and NDEs never seem to able to replicate.  The inner eye with minimal biased pre-programming seems to be potentially one of our best sources of afterlife knowledge.

Don

Harvey,

There is no emotional subterfuge or deceit in Don's post.  He has written of this anecdote before, and it seems quite sincere to me. 

You, on the other hand come across as what the young people nowadays call a  "hater," and, unfortunately, you change the topic of my thread from musings about children and the afterlife to musings of a biased anti-christian (I was going to say something more colorful, but refrained for the sake of decorum).  If you want to continue in this vein, perhaps you could start your own "rants and raves" section of the forum(with Bruce's permission). 

Don,

Sometimes it seems so hard to empty our cups, it just struck me that children are at the perfect stage of development to tear down their hindering belief systems before they are built up.  Then again, it has been my distinct feeling that we are all born with a set of soul-tendencies (for lack of a better word), which may either enable or hinder afterlife contact in childhood.  This would be different than a karmic debt from a past life, rather it is the soul-potential, that we bring into the world, which manifests, even at a young age a level of spiritual development.  Hence the notion that some 3 to 6 year olds are "mature for their age," while others are wild and act in an unloving way.

M

Beginning, end and the Lepus hare
Will define you as well as false hair
A single thread of the whole

First breath, and a scream for the road
Now you'll carry a part of the load
So much to learn to forget

Do this but don't do that
Bow, take off your hat
And last but least look out

New copies of old copies rejoice
At the thought of a choice
Heart and soul, the fire within

But somewhere along the way
Got stuck in all the games to play
But they say you're doing well

You recognize the sound
The wheels keep spinnin' 'round
Fears and doubts dress up as you

Last breath and a sigh to go
Now they'll lay the body low
Not there anymore nor really ever here

Shake off, take on, repeat
Linear end and start, complete
In the pond a ripple forms

Knowledge and a mere kazoo
The final review with all of you
Thanks a lot, now, what will you do?

Volu,

Vivid!  I see those images of a human life unfolding through childhood and beyond. Then to me it is like a rondo, a cycle that endlessly repeats. (Rondo may not be the right word.)
If I were a calligrapher, i would letter it in a giant circle, or perhaps in the 'sideways 8' that stands for infinity. (Again, can't think of the word for that form.)

Anyway, thank you!

Bets