Kaylana Anaya February, 2009

In this month’s article I’d like to discuss life cycles and the wheel of life. It is up to us to teach our children about life cycles. We are born, we grow, we get older and we die. That is the life cycle in its most basic of terms. A child under 2 is too young for this discussion so this month’s article focuses on ages 2-5.

Point out examples of the life cycle all around you, new babies, older kids, adult, older adults and the seniors. Remember that kids this age don’t have a good sense of time so if you point out an elderly person and say the person is close to death, they will think you mean tomorrow. So don’t say that. You can just state that this person (the elderly person) is near the end of her life cycle. No matter how you present it, at some point your child may walk up to an older stranger and tell him matter-of-factly that he is old and near the end of his life cycle (or even near death). While this will be embarrassing at first, just explain to the older person that you are teaching your child about the cycle of life and that you apologize for the child’s bluntness. Later that day or the next day when the moment is forgotten, explain to your child that some people are sensitive about their age and so we don’t usually say that people are old. Your child may need a few reminders, depending on their age but they will eventually get it.

Whether or not you believe in reincarnation, birth is a continuation of the life cycle because if people only died and no one was born, there wouldn’t be life. It is up to you if you want your child to witness giving birth but children under age 5 most likely aren’t ready for it. Perhaps the 41/2 – 5 year old would be ready. I would say if you wish to show your child how babies are born, I’d stick with puppies or kitties. Seeing their mom or another woman giving birth might scare them and they might resent the baby, thinking it is the baby’s fault that the woman was in pain.

As you describe the life cycle, the question of what death is will crop up. Everyone always freaks out when the word death is brought up. If our children see us freak when they ask the question, they will notice and think that death is something bad and to be feared. We don’t want that. We want them to see death as just another part of the life cycle. For specific words to say to explain death, the life cycle and much more, check out Just Tell Me What to Say by Betsy Brown Braun. It’s an awesome book all about children ages 2-6.

As you are teaching about the life cycle, you can also teach the wheel of life, explaining that it is the life cycle of our world. Equate the two by showing that when new leaves and flowers grow, it’s like a baby being born and when the trees die in the winter, it’s like our death.

As your child sees that each season always comes and goes, you can point out that people will always be born and always die. That’s why it’s a cycle, because it keeps going on and on.

I think teaching your child these things is very important, especially starting at age 3. As Betsy Brown Braun says, if you teach your children about the life cycle and death from early on, when someone or some pet they know dies, they will be more likely to accept it and start to understand it.

All right that’s it for this month; I hope you’ve found something helpful. As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please email me at callista83@cogeco.ca. I always welcome comments here too of course; it’s great to know my article is being read.

Tags: children, kids, pagan parenting, parenting

• Children and Parenting

Patrick McCleary January, 2009

The Lessons of Winter

Winter is really here. In most parts of the United States the cold weather and snow has set in. But what does this season mean to us Pagans? We know about Yule and the rebirth of the Sun, but what about that period between Yule and Imbolc? I believe that every season and every Sabbat can teach us lessons if we only have the ears to hear and the eyes to see.

This season is traditionally a time of rest and recovery for the world. A time, when in the natural world, most trees shed their leaves and many animals turn in to hibernate for the long winter. It was also a time of rest for mankind. When the toils of the the year were finished and in many villages the people gathered around the hearth to share stories and count together the blessings of the previous year.

But what place does any of this have in our modern world? A world that never seems to sleep much less take a breath. The answer for many is ‘I’ll rest when I am dead.’

For me this answer is far from being the correct one. The modern world’s way of doing things teaches impatience and greed. And it forces us to run at breakneck pace, only to get us to the grave quicker and with far more regrets.

And this is not the message that I wish to pass on to my children. As a Pagan parent one of my responsibilities is to instill the values taught by the Goddess and God. Those values that are inherent and visible in the world around us.

The lessons I have learned from winter and that I in turn pass on to my children are many. And if you join me in looking at the world around us then I can show you a few examples.

I teach my children to be as still and quiet as a winter pond. For if we are always busy then how can we hear the Gods when They whisper to us?

They learn to be patient as well. For as we look around at the Earth and the plants upon it, and watch them seem to die and wither away, hope could be easily lost. But we know that if we wait long enough then the Earth and the plants will bloom again. This is important because sometimes the Will of the Gods are as equally mysterious and take as a long time to make sense.

But the most important lesson is for them to remember the importance of Family. For in the loving embrace of Family they can truly feel the arms of the Gods around them as well. As I said earlier, Winter was a time that friends and family gathered together around the hearth to share stories. I believe that this was important for the cohesiveness of the family and the community. And it is something that, today, is missed and is desperately needed.

This month is also marks the passage from one calendar year to another, a traditional time to make resolutions. What will our resolutions be? Will you join me and resolve to pass on the lessons the world shows us, the Lessons of Winter?

Tags: children, kids, lessons, parenting, parents, teaching

• Children and Parenting

Kaylana Anaya January, 2009

Happy New Year!

Some of you celebrate the New Year on Jan. 1 and some of you don’t but even if it’s not the beginning of your seasonal year, it’s still a new digit in our year. 2008 is now 2009. Can you believe it? I remember when we brought in the year 2000. I was thinking about what life would be like in 2010. In 2000 I was 17 so I had no idea what was ahead of me. So am I happy with where I am? Yes. Things could always be better but I have a husband who loves me, and two beautiful children. I’m happy.

So how much does a 5 year old understand about the New Year? I don’t know. My children aren’t 5 yet but I’ve worked with 5 year olds and they seem to understand it signifies the change of the calendar year. They may have heard adults talk about resolutions but may not fully understand what they are. Do you make resolutions for the New Year? I do, but I make sure to stay away from goals related to weight loss. Controlling your weight is difficult and you may not fulfill your goal, through no fault of your own. Stick to simpler goals but don’t be too broad.

For example, I plan to keep my house cleaner is too broad. I plan to sweep and mop once a week is better. I plan to write a novel is too complicated (who writes a novel in one year?) I plan to come up with a plot outline and get started on the first chapter is better.

Why are resolutions important? Goal setting in particular is different and there is just something about the New Year that makes us want to do better. What does this all have to do with children? Lots!

I want my children to see the importance of goal setting, including not just the setting of goals but also the follow through. Making the goal is just the first step. If you ignore your goals for the rest of the year only to make new goals (or the same goals) again the next year, you aren’t modelling the importance of goal setting to your children.

Even children as young as 2 ½ can understand about doing better in the new year. Perhaps they want to learn to use the potty or how to tie their shoes. The trick is though, not to pick something YOU want them to learn and tell them it’s their goal. They need to come up with it themselves, something THEY want to learn or do better. If your child can’t come up with anything, even with you suggesting some things, than just leave it. Wait till next year but keep up with your goals and keep modelling goal setting.

Imbolc

Moving on, Imbolc is coming up Feb. 2. As next month’s ezine will be too late to plan for Imbolc, I want to touch on it here.

Imbolc of course, is a celebration of light as winter is ending and spring is on its way. It’s not here yet (that would be Ostara) but each day has more and more light. Deity-wise, it is the time that the Goddess recuperates after giving birth to the God.

So what can you do with your little ones to celebrate Imbolc?

* Light candles and watch them burn. Your child is too young to be making candles but with your help they can light candles and watch them from a safe distance. This is a good time to teach fire safety. NEVER leave your child alone with a candle.
* Look for signs of spring. Are there any shoots on the trees yet? Perhaps there is less snow? Or a bird tweet? It all depends on where you live as to how much of spring you will see at the beginning of February.
* Have a purification bath. Either bathe with your child or bathe your child, whichever works best for you. Bless the water before you and/or your child get in and perhaps say something about the deity (deities) of your choice blessing and purifying you and your child.
* A child 3-5 might be able to make a Brighid’s Cross out of pipe cleaners, with help. Just bend them in half and put them together as you would straw.
* Have a very simple ritual. I think many Pagans underestimate their ability to make their own ritual. Ritual does not have to be long and complicated with lots of actions and speaking parts. You wouldn’t want this with a child under 5 anyways. Perhaps turn off all the lights in the house (during the day so it’s not too dark) and hold hands. Then say something about spring being on it’s way and light coming back to the earth. Then go around the house and turn on all the lights. Then hold hands again and say Welcome. Turn off unnecessary lights after 30 minutes or so to save energy.

I hope I’ve given you some good ideas. I’m sure you can think up some more on your own. Ask your child what he/she thinks you should do to call spring back. They just might have some great ideas.

All right that’s it for this month, I hope you’ve found something helpful. As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please email me at callista83@cogeco.ca. I always welcome comments here too of course; it’s great to know my article is being read.

Tags: children, kids, Pagan, parenting, parents

• Children and Parenting

Kaylana Anaya December, 2008

Greetings. Hope everyone’s November is going well. This month I’d like to focus on the upcoming Yule season, which I’m sure you are all excited about. This month’s article will be a bit short since this season is so busy, I’m sure you don’t have time to read a long article.

What are your plans for Yule? Do you have set traditions that you do every year? Do you do a ritual? Have you just not gotten around to celebrating yet? If you’re anything like me, the Yule season is so busy you don’t do nearly as much as you’d like to, to celebrate. Don’t feel that you have to do any or all of the ideas here. Do what works best for your family. I’m just going to provide some ideas.

Pre-Yule

Read Yule . I will never stop suggesting that people read. I think it’s important and what better way to explain Yule to your kids than to read them books. There aren’t many books available that were written for a Pagan child but there are books on the Winter Solstice that are appropriate. Here are a few:

The Winter Solstice by Ellen Jackson

The Shortest Day: Celebrating the Winter Solstice by Wendy Pfeffer

The Return of the Light: Twelve Tales from Around the World by Carolyn McVickar Edwards

Use an Advent Calendar. Okay so it won’t exactly be an advent calendar as Advent means the coming of Christ but it will be a countdown calendar. It doesn’t have to be like a calendar either. What we like to do is cut strips of paper the width of a ruler out of green and red paper. We write down on each one, one thing we’d like to do in December such as read a holiday book, go for a winter walk, bake cookies, listen to holiday music etc…. Then we make a chain out of them, and hang it up. Each day we take apart one chain and do what it says. It’s a fun way to countdown.

Decorate. This is an easy one. Most Christmas decorations will work for Yule and if you don’t like the selection, you can always make something. Decorate a wreath with fake berries, holly and red and green balls and ribbon.

Yule

Ritual. Ritual is not for everyone but if it’s for you, do a simple Yule ritual. It doesn’t have to be extravagant. Put up a circle, have light a yule log (if you don’t have a fireplace, you can drill holes in a small log and insert candles to burn) and do a meditiation. If you are including your child(ren) omit the meditation and sing some Yule carols. (http://willow.creative-interweb.com/library/songbook/carols/)

Dinner. You can either make it a small dinner for immediate family or hold a dinner party, whatever is within your ability. It doesn’t have to be a turkey dinner. (http://www.unc.edu/~reddeer/recipe/rec_yule.html)

Post-Yule

Meditation. I think post-holiday is the best time to do meditation. You’ve already experienced the holiday and can properly reflect on it. Just envision yourself walking into a snowy wooded area. Make it a long walk, deeper and deeper into the woods. When you finally get to the center you are in a clearing. A deer approaches you and give you a message. Leave a (mental) gift and walk back. Obviously the meditation would take a lot longer than it did for me to write those basic ideas down. Stretch it out.

Yule Log. Make sure you keep the last little bit of your yule log (or last bit of candles from fake yule log) for next year.

All right that’s it for this month, I hope you’ve found something helpful. As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please email me at callista83@cogeco.ca. I always welcome comments here to of course; it’s great to know my article is being read. Happy Yule!

Tags: children, christmas, kids, parenting, yule

• Children and Parenting

Kaylana Anaya November, 2008

Hope your Samhain went well. This month I said I’d give you some fun, everyday type activities that you can do with your young children that have a Pagan or Mother Nature theme. Later on are some winter activities too.

For the child under one, the only Pagan thing you can really do is to treat them right and keep them healthy to show that you have pure love for your child. You can however and should start introducing him to Mother Nature.  For six months and under I’d probably stick to looking at real nature from a distance and reading nature books or playing with nature toys that are okay for them to manipulate and mouth. Unfortunately there doesn’t seem to be too many nature toys. For six months to one year you can start introducing your child to grass and sun and leaves and twigs and rocks. Try to keep the items big so they can’t be swallowed and NEVER look away. The child should be on your lap facing outwards and you should be manipulating the object together so that as soon as the child tries to mouth the object you can stop her. However instead of pulling it back and saying no, try to redirect her into doing something else with the object (such as putting it in a bucket.)

For the child ages one to three years, you can start to do more. On the Pagan front, your child should be learning how to handle and manipulate their energy, basic Pagan etiquette (such as no touching the altar) and of course more on Mother Nature.  Tell your child that we all have energy inside us. It’s what allows us to move and think. Of course the one year old won’t understand much of this but explain it anyway. They always retain more than we think they will. Then start teaching them about feelings and help them to identify what they are feeling. “You’re angry that you have to put away your toys right now when you don’t want to.” “You feel sad that Mommy has to go to work.” Obviously this will be easier with the older child but a child between one and two can start to learn that when he is crying it means he’s sad.

After your child has learned to identify her feelings, she needs to learn how to deal with them. Teach your child a very simple “ritual” that he can perform with you when he has strong feelings such as anger, sadness, anxiety or fear. This could include scrunching up toilet paper while thinking of feelings then flushing it down the toilet or punching a pillow or jumping up and down.

As for Pagan etiquette, now is the time to teach that an altar is personal and not for random touching, that while we are proud to be Pagan, we don’t shout it from the rooftops or offer the information up out of nowhere and that during a ritual we are quiet and don’t touch anything or say anything unless we are told too.

With regards to Mother Earth, your child one to three can manipulate it more. Teach her to be gentle and never to pick anything off a live tree or plant. Explain how plants are living like us, that they breathe and eat. Now would be a good time to have a plant or two in the house and have your child help you water it and replant it when necessary. They will quickly learn what happens to a plant if it is not taken care of. (Especially if your “green thumb” is like mine.) Read lots of books about nature, go for lots of nature walks and answer his questions to the best of your ability. Don’t be afraid to give explanations but stop if your child seems uninterested.

So what about the child three to five years old? Pretty much everything mentioned for the one to three-year-old still applies. If you’ve been doing the ideas, keep them up. If you are just starting, do what was mentioned before with more thorough explanations for the older child.

Also now is a good time to start introducing the elements. Stick with the four basic ones first: Air, Fire, Water and Earth. Play fun games to get them familiar with an element and then name it. The book Circle Round by Starhawk, Diane Baker and Anne Hill has activities for each element (along with a lot of other great ideas.) Here are a few basic ideas:

AIR – burn incense together, lie down and look at clouds, make a dream journal, take a walk in the wind

FIRE – watch candles burn or have campfires, cook or bake together

WATER – play with water, have a bath together (for same genders), play out in the rain, learn more about feelings

EARTH – make mud pies, take a nature walk, plant a seed and watch it grow, learn what deciduous trees do through the seasons

That should give you a basic idea of what your child should be learning about spirituality wise from birth to age five.

Winter Activities

Yule is coming up and I’ll have more Yule orientated activities next month but this month I wanted do give you a few winter activities. Winter of course starts at Yule so November isn’t winter yet however there are a few things you could do.

Make Bird Feeders – It’s not too late. This activity is often done in the spring but some birds are collecting food for the winter so bird feeders help them get what they need.

Learn About Darkness – the days are getting shorter and the nights longer. Your child will be seeing that it gets darker, earlier every evening. Just because it’s dark and chilly, doesn’t mean you should stay indoors all the time. If it’s not too windy, bundle you and your child up and go outside. Take a short walk in the dark if you live in a nice area. If you don’t, just sit on your porch for a while or perhaps find a way to spend an evening in a safe outdoor area. Have your child point out how things are different outside when it’s dark from when it’s light.

Death – If you didn’t talk about your ancestors during Samhain, do it now. If your child is under 5, they won’t understand what death is so don’t try to explain it too much. You don’t want to frighten your child either. Just show pictures and explain who the people are and explain that they are somewhere else where we can’t see them or talk to them anymore. Don’t be afraid to let your child know that you are sad and miss them. You want them to understand it’s okay to grieve.

Hibernation – read your child books about animals that hibernate for the winter like the bear. Ask questions and listen to your child’s answers, they may surprise you. Make a bear cave and bear with play dough for your child to play with. Search online for crafts and activities to do to reinforce this idea.

All right that’s it for this month, I hope you’ve found something helpful. As always, if you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please email me at callista83@cogeco.ca. I always welcome comments here to of course; it’s great to know my article is being read.

Tags: children, kids, parenting, parents

• Children and Parenting

Administrator August, 2006

On a long hot summer day, Nadia and her fellow young sea nymphs swam and played in the ocean. Then they decided to go into the cove and tease the human children from the village. This is something they did regularly. See the sea nymphs were magickal creatures that had been around long before humans and felt superior to them.

As they approached the cove, they heard the familiar laughing and splashing of the same children that were usually in the cove. They pulled the same tricks they pulled most days. They tugged on their legs under the water. They pulled their hair. They took turns doing the various things that came to their mind to annoy or harass the children. The children were annoyed and finally gave up trying to have fun at the beach and got out of the water and went home. The sea nymphs swam off laughing to themselves at the fun they had had.

One of the little boys that had been at the cove was named Jack, he was five. When he got home, he was pretty mad about the sea nymphs always ruining his trips to the beach with his friends. After he took off his wet clothes and changed for dinner, he went into the kitchen. His mom was in their finishing up dinner and getting it on the table.

She smiled at him when she saw him come in and said “Hi, Jack. How was your day?”

He looked up at her still annoyed and shrugged. “Okay, I guess” he said.

“What’s wrong Jack?” she asked. “Were the sea nymphs bothering you and your friends?

He looked at her in wide eyed surprise. He had no idea any of the adults knew of the sea nymphs.

“Yes, Jack” she said. “I know about the sea nymphs.”

“You see when I was a young child they played tricks on me and my friends as well.” She said in explanation.

“Really, mom?” Jack asked

“Yes son. You see they have been doing this to each generation of humans since humans first began to venture to the seas.” She continued. “They are older and more magickal than us and feel we are inferior and therefore they toy with us.”

“But mom it isn’t fair.” Jack said.

“I agree it isn’t but it is a part of life.” Then she explained. “You see Jack in life there are people and nymphs that will do mean things to you and you cannot control their actions only your own actions and reactions.”

“I don’t understand” Jack said

“Well, Jack, you have to decide what kind of person you will be.” She continued. “You can either be rude and petty like the sea nymphs or you can be kind and generous and be able to look at yourself in the mirror each morning.”

“I think I understand, mom. But I still don’t think it is fair.” Jack said.

Smiling, Jack’s mom said “I know, Jack. Life often isn’t fair.”

So the next day after school, Jack and his friends were back at the cove playing. Jack had thought about what his mom said but still hoped that the sea nymphs wouldn’t show up today; he didn’t want to deal with them.

Just as the kids were starting to relax and have fun, thinking they had lucked out and the sea nymphs would not come today; they began to feel the familiar pulls on their legs. They groaned out loud and moved to get out of the water. They weren’t in the mood to deal with them today. As they went to get out of the water, they heard a screaming sound. They looked back and noticed that today, unlike most days, that it was only one sea nymph instead of a group, and she seemed to be having some trouble.

At first the kids were going to walk away and leave the sea nymph to her problems, after all what did they care after all the mean things she had done to them. As they started to leave, Jack thought about what his mom said and realized that this was what she was talking about. He had to make a choice as to whether he was going to be mean and petty like the sea nymphs or be kind and generous.

Making up his mind, he called to his friends to come back.

“Come on guys. We can’t leave her like that. We are not mean and petty like they are.” He said.

His friends looked at him in doubt at first and hesitated.

Jack had made up his mind though and he jumped in the water and swam out to help the sea nymph. As he got there he realized her tail was caught by a giant clam. Hard as he tried he couldn’t get it free. He was getting exhausted; when suddenly his friends were all around him helping him. With a mighty pull, they got the sea nymphs tail loose.

The sea nymph was so relieved and shocked.

“I don’t know how to thank you.’ She said

“Why did you help me after all the mean things we did to you?” She asked

“Because.” Jack explained. “Even though you and your friends were mean and petty, we decided we didn’t have to be as well.”

“I will make sure all the other sea nymphs know of your kindness and bravery and that humans should never be treated unkindly again. I want to apologize for everything we did to you and thank you for saving me.” She said with tears in her eyes.

As she swam away she waved goodbye and Jack and his friends waved goodbye to her as well.

From that day forward the sea nymphs and humans were wonderful friends.

***

author bio:

Mundane Name: Debra Clapp

Magickal Name: Lexxa MoonCat

lexxamooncat@hotmail.com

http://groups.msn.com/MollysMagickalCorner/

I am 36 years old share my life in the country in Georgia with my husband of almost ten years, my cat, my dog and my two parakeets. I am an Eclectic Solitary Wiccan. I have been on my path for about four years and still learning so much every day. Telling my nephews bedtimes stories has been the inspiration for my current short story and the beginning of several more still in development. So I am dedicating my first published story to Edward and Alex. They help me see the magick in everything.

Tags: children, debra clapp, story

• Articles

Administrator July, 2006

Removing our Kids from a Violent World

There are violence, crime, pain, drugs and death all around us. It has become a part of society and we have begun the process of normalizing it into our everyday world.

The video games, music videos and songs that depict violence are just unbelievable. So, if you are anything like me, as a parent there is a certain amount of anxiety you carry when thinking of your kids in the “real” world.

You may be thinking, “What does this have to do with Paganism?” Well, it has everything to do with paganism and living a spiritual path. We, as adults, know we make a different and make better decisions when we are rooted in a spiritual path. Why do we automatically assume that kids are so different from us?

Granted, children don’t have the life skills and experiences we do. Children do not have the critical thinking skills some adults have, and notice I did say some.

Children are learning how to operate in the world with every passing moment. Sometimes, in the world of an adult where things seem to move so fast, we forget the true path of a kid and that path is all about learning the life skills to live and make decisions. More often than not, it is about learning to recognize choices and make better choices.

With all of that in mind, let’s go back to the original thought. As humans, children and adults alike, we make different and better decisions when we are rooted in a spiritual path.

So by putting that into its proper perspective, the time is now.

The time is now to teach our children responsibility and accountability, not by preaching but by example. Remember, attraction rather than promotion.

The time is now for spiritual knowledge. Broaden their minds; kids can never have too much knowledge.

The time is now to teach our kids structure. We cannot pretend that our kids will automatically understand that the world is based on rules; some real and some invisible. If we don’t provide our kids structure, how will they learn how to exist in the world?

The time is now to teach our kids to respect life and everything in it. They must begin the long process of understanding that we are connected to everything and everything is connected to us.

The time is now to teach our kids how to think. Children are accustomed to reacting to life instead of thinking things through and evaluating consequences. This is a skill many adults didn’t learn and they are still suffering the effects of bad choices made in the past and in the present.

The time is now to have open and honest communication with our children about life. We think we can save our kids from the reality of the world but, when our kids don’t get the answers from us, they are looking from the answers from others. And sometimes the places our kids look for answers is the last place we would wish.

The time is now to teach our kids that they create their own reality. Kids often immediately think life is horrible or unfair when things don’t go their way. We all need to understand life is hard but I chose how I am going to deal with it or what feelings I am going to accept or adopt. How I chose to look at life will dictate how I feel about my life. There are people who have much less in life than I do and they wake up happy in the morning because they actually opened their eyes to another day. Wow, what a harsh realization at how many of us are self-centered and don’t appreciate our blessings. Guess what? We pass that along to our kids.

The time is now to teach our kids that we cannot control other people’s thought or actions. We just have to learn to live in spite of the outside world.

With all of that in mind, again let’s look at the mission of this article. We cannot actually remove our children from the violence in the world today because, no matter how far away we move, violence is a part of our everyday life. But we can give our kids the tools to understand life in a way that doesn’t promote violence and destruction.

Let’s stop acting like it is ok that our kids are exposed to senseless violence in movies and TV. I am not promoting censorship but our attitudes will help dictate how our children see these things. If we are acting like it is ok or “cool” then why wouldn’t we think our kids would think the same thing?

Sit with yourself and a piece of paper and think of some of the discussion topics that you feel you need to start opening the lines of communication around, and then just start. Sometimes it isn’t about the how but just to do. And don’t forget to incorporate spirituality into almost everything.

Just imagine if all parents started doing the same.

Blessed Be!!

***

author bio:

Rev. Crystal

amethystsage@sbcglobal.net

I am a 29-year-old Pagan mother, been married for seven years. I am very close to my family and my parents. I work full-time in the drug and alcohol treatment field. I have been a practicing Pagan for about four years. I consider myself to be an eclectic Wiccan/Pagan. I try not to limit or label myself. My passions in life are my family, enjoying a good book, learning what life has to offer, connecting with my spiritual self, giving back to my community and spending time with good friends.

Tags: children, Rev Crystal, violence

• Children and Parenting

Administrator July, 2006

Once, long before the age of man and dinosaur, the earth was an enchanted playground filled with magickal beings made up of elves, gnomes, and fairies.

Although they were all different with a variety of talents and looks, they lived together happily. They were proud of their individual gifts and those of their fellow beings. The land was filled with happiness, love, and faith.

The Goddess watched over her children and her heart overflowed with joy and love.

Time began to pass and other feelings began to form between the magical beings. Feelings of envy, greed, and anger surfaced. Fights broke out. Magick was used for harm instead of good.

The Goddess watched this with great sadness. She tried to comfort and guide her children but they could no longer hear her through their hostilities.

Finally, a sort of truce was declared. The land was divided up into three equal portions and fences were raised to mark the boundaries. The gnomes, fairies, and elves would no longer live together as one.

At first this seemed the answer to all their problems. However, they soon began to notice some flaws with this new arrangement.

For instance, the fairies had water but no fertile soil and no farm animals, which meant they could not grow and gather crops. What would they do for food?

The gnomes, on the other hand, had fertile soil but no water source. How would they survive with no water or food?

The elves had farm animals and one well, but no fertile soil. How would they survive with a short supply of water and no means to grow food?

Though each group suffered, they refused to break the boundaries and try and help each other. The Goddess knew if something did not happen soon her children would not survive, but what was she to do? They would not let themselves hear her anymore. Then it came to her.

One day while the magickal beings were all doing what little they could to survive, the earth began to shake and the sky began to darken. The magickal beings were terrified and ran for shelter.

When the rumbling stopped and the light began to shine again, they slowly emerged from their hiding spots to see what had happened.

As the groups all moved toward the source of the rumbling they found themselves at the exact spot where all three communities came together. There in the middle of that spot stood a magnificent tree filled with various fruits that were ripe for the picking.

Each group rushed the tree but was struck back by some sort of invisible barrier. As they lay shaken on the ground, they each thought surely with their magical abilities they could break the barrier.

They talked amongst themselves then each group headed off to get baskets to collect the fruit.

The first group back was the elves. They tried every spell they knew but nothing worked. Exhausted they finally gave up and rested on the ground.

Next came the fairies. They tried everything they knew, but pretty soon they were also defeated.

     

Last came the gnomes and their fate was no different than the others.

As they lay there panting from exhaustion and near starving, they began looking around at the different groups. Finally, with unspoken agreement they all got up joined hands and joined their magical powers.

They did not, however, try to break the barrier this time. They prayed to the Goddess to please hear them. They asked her for forgiveness.

Suddenly the tree lit up in front of them and they looked on in awe. The Goddess spoke to them from the tree as she is in everything and everyone.

She said, “My children, I never stopped being there for you or loving you, you only stopped hearing me. You are all so precious to me and should also be precious to each other. Life is a gift to be celebrated. Please celebrate now with me and with each other”.

Then the fruit began to float from the tree into their baskets. After everyone was fed and drank, they decided to tear down the fences around their properties and their hearts.

They knew that all they needed was each other and faith in the Goddess.

***

author bio:

Debra Clapp

Tags: children, debra clapp, faith

• Children and Parenting