{"id":2431,"date":"2009-09-01T01:10:26","date_gmt":"2009-09-01T06:10:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/paganpages.org\/content\/?p=2451"},"modified":"2009-08-28T10:59:15","modified_gmt":"2009-08-28T15:59:15","slug":"under-18","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/2009\/09\/01\/under-18\/","title":{"rendered":"Under 18"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
Kids are a problem.\u00a0 No, no, I\u2019m not talking about the trials of parenthood; I\u2019m referring to the problem of teaching minors about Paganism.\u00a0 Though there aren\u2019t any laws that specifically say to teach somebody\u2019s child about a religion is unlawful, there exist community and cultural customs that condemn the teaching if it is done without parental permission.\u00a0 In the case of Paganism, the problem is just as big as it would be if a Jewish family was to find their child being taught Islam\u2026 maybe bigger.\u00a0 The problem is complex and I don\u2019t intend to cover every facet here, but I will put forth some ideas about it in the hope that it will stir the cauldron a little and cause some discussion.<\/span>The age of majority in the USA is generally considered to be eighteen for most everything.\u00a0 When a person reaches that age, they can be held legally responsible for their public and private decisions.\u00a0 That is, they can legally be bound by contracts, sued in a court of law, hold a driver\u2019s license, get married, join the armed services, be able to vote, and generally be treated as an adult in most social and legal things.\u00a0 If anyone of that age or older comes to us and asks for teaching or initiation, there isn\u2019t anything that can be done by parents or relatives to legally prevent it.\u00a0 But if they are under that age, there are a lot of legal avenues a parent or guardian can pursue to make it a problem for anyone who accepts the child for studentship without parental permission.<\/span><\/p>\n

Beside the possible legal trouble, a parent who doesn\u2019t understand our spirituality is often afraid of it and will react in a violent way when they find out we have been teaching their child about \u2018witchcraft<\/em>.\u2019\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter what we might call our brand of spirituality, what most parents will immediately think is that \u2018devil worshipers\u2019 are indoctrinating their child!\u00a0 No amount of quiet reasoning will work against their panic, and the facts have nothing to do with their perceptions.\u00a0 In case you forgot: perception is<\/em> reality.\u00a0 The determination and ferocity of a parent who believes their child is in danger should never be underestimated.\u00a0 And even if you have parental permission, you should still be aware of how your teachings might be misinterpreted by society and attract the unwanted attentions of any number of governmental groups.\u00a0 This can be true even if the child you are teaching is your own!<\/span><\/p>\n

There is a great deal of information that can be passed on to the next generation but you should be conscious of four considerations whenever you go about teaching anyone<\/em> about our faith:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. WHAT<\/span> is being taught?\u00a0 There is more to a myth besides a fun story, for instance.\u00a0 The traditions and lore of any faith group reflect its values and perspectives as well as customs and culture.\u00a0 Information about any aspect of magic or spirituality always contains a subtext that you need to explore fully before<\/em> trying try to pass it on.
    \n<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. WHO<\/span> is being taught?\u00a0 Information that would be appropriate for a person who is 20 is not likely to be suitable for a youngster of 10.\u00a0 A child probably won\u2019t be interested in the complexities of western religious and political history.\u00a0 Similarly, an adult isn\u2019t likely to want to draw pictures of Isis for an hour.\u00a0 And, in case you didn\u2019t know, boys learn differently than girls.\u00a0 They pick up information and use it in different ways, even if it is the same information.\u00a0 It is not just a cultural prejudice; male and female brains work differently.\u00a0 And, as any parent of teenagers will confirm, there sometimes isn\u2019t any<\/em> way to figure out how a pubescent child will react to anything<\/em>!\u00a0 Even they<\/em> don\u2019t have a clue.\u00a0 There\u2019s a good reason that the most common answer to the perennial question, \u201cWhat were you thinking<\/em>?\u201d is a blank look and a mumbled, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d They really don\u2019t.
    \n<\/span><\/li>\n
  3. HOW<\/span> is it being taught?\u00a0 You can teach the information about incense making by the book.\u00a0 But to get down and dirty with the actual making<\/em> of a particular compound, to use it for an actual purpose, or to present it to others with, \u201cI made this,\u201d will make the learning more powerful and meaningful by far.\u00a0 Learning is more than memorizing information; it\u2019s about making a change in the learner.
    \n<\/span><\/li>\n
  4. WHY<\/span> is it being taught?\u00a0 There must be a purpose and a plan to your teaching.\u00a0 Simply to spout information is not the same as teaching.\u00a0 Information needs to be related to real life as well as everything else that the student has or will encounter.\u00a0 Any teacher worth their salt will transcend their own agendas and look to the needs and visions of their students.\u00a0 If you teach because you think it will make you look important, you will only be seen that way by yourself.\u00a0 Think back to the teachers in your life that have had the most impact on you and you will see the truth of this.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    Our ideas and ways of looking at life are especially appealing to people in their late teens.\u00a0 Our freedom of spirit and joy of living are much like their own youthful enthusiasm.\u00a0 And, at least on the surface, our belief in magic seems to answer their wish for simple solutions to the complex problems they are becoming aware of all around them.\u00a0 We will always have those who think of magic as a quick fix for all the ills in the world. They come with stars in their eyes, blinded to the fact that all true magic workers are hard workers.\u00a0 Their naivety might be a source of amusement but it also makes them extremely vulnerable.\u00a0 They so much want<\/em> to believe there are easy ways to overcome large problems they will do almost anything to prove themselves \u2018worthy\u2019 of such fantastical powers.\u00a0 Instead of allowing them to be victimized, we need to find ways of educating them about the real powers of magic.\u00a0 Simply trying to burst their bubble of fantasy will not work.\u00a0 They will reject our discouraging words and go looking for someone who will reinforce their dreams.\u00a0 We must translate<\/em> their visions into actions that allow them to find their own truths and powers.\u00a0 Putting them to work on real projects, giving them an opportunity to figure out how to make something work and make a change is the greatest teacher of all.\u00a0 Yes, they will<\/em> make mistakes; who doesn\u2019t?\u00a0 But let\u2019s be frank, isn\u2019t that the way we<\/em> learned?\u00a0 Celebrate their successes and don\u2019t ever<\/em> be too busy to offer help.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Because we don\u2019t\u00a0have \u2018all the answers\u2019 written down, our beliefs are centered on individual experiences.\u00a0 We call them \u2018the mysteries\u2019 because that best describes the role these have for us.\u00a0 We \u2018solve\u2019 these mysteries by living the moment and discovering who and what we are in relation to the reality of our experiences.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Providing opportunities for the young to encounter their own mysteries needs to be tailored to the abilities of the student.\u00a0 Most school systems use a three-tiered structure for teaching youngsters.\u00a0 The youngest group usually covers from age six to eleven or twelve.\u00a0 The next learning group is the so-called \u2018tweens,\u2019 ages twelve to fifteen.\u00a0 Last, there is the sixteen to eighteen group.\u00a0 There are sound reasons behind splitting up the learning in this way.\u00a0 Each age group learns in different ways.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The brain functions of the youngest group are nothing like the oldest.\u00a0 Though they absorb prodigious amounts of information at an astounding pace, the information is in its least complex form.\u00a0 Very little associative thinking goes on in this age group.\u00a0 For instance, a child in this group might easily learn the names for every town in their state but not be able to understand a map.\u00a0 Complex relationships between one thing and another are difficult for them to understand.\u00a0 That\u2019s why stories for this age group are written in such black-and-white terms; heroes are all-good and villains are all-bad.\u00a0 No explanation is necessary about why the kiss from a charming prince is required to awaken Sleeping Beauty, it simply does<\/em>.\u00a0 As any parent who has had a child go through this age knows, explaining why a certain rule is established doesn\u2019t mean anything to these kids.\u00a0 That\u2019s why, \u201cBecause I said so,\u201d really is<\/em> the best explanation in many cases.\u00a0 Teaching this group about Paganism requires information that is not<\/em> subtle:\u00a0 Pan is the god of wild things\u2026 period.\u00a0 The more you explain, in some cases, the less they will understand.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The middle group, the \u2018tweens,\u2019\u00a0 is in the transitional stage from one method of learning to the other.\u00a0 Their comfort zone in learning is still back with the black and white, childhood model.\u00a0 But their world is steadily growing and they\u2019re becoming more independent every day.\u00a0 Relationships are now more apparent and reasons<\/em> are becoming necessary to explain them.\u00a0 This is the age of reason for these people so what is taught to them needs to be accompanied with more in-depth information.\u00a0 Motivations behind actions and beliefs begin to play an increasingly important role in their understanding and they will question boundaries and limitations more.\u00a0 Because their bodies are going through an accelerated growth time, they will often physically test themselves against many of these limitations and dare the universe to slap them down.<\/span><\/p>\n

    The oldest group is making its entrance into adulthood and the methods by which they learn are pretty much the same for the rest of their life.\u00a0 Associative or relational<\/em> thinking has become more comfortable and its value to the student has been steadily growing for several years by now.\u00a0 From here on, the student will question relative value structures, relying less on quantitative and more on qualitative information.\u00a0 Though their decision-making abilities are relatively immature, they nevertheless feel the need for independence and freedom to act.\u00a0 Lessons must relate to this urge or the importance of the information will not be perceived.\u00a0 Now, not only does the information about Pan being a god of wild things become a part of their overall consideration, but background information that makes Pan a more interesting and complete god-form must accompany it.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Our rituals allow the primary school child to enjoy the fantasy and wonder of our beliefs.\u00a0 For the middle school aged, they also teach something about the complexities of those beliefs.\u00a0 For the young adults, the fullness of meaning is a feast for their minds and hearts.\u00a0 It is the same demarcation as the teaching levels.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Teaching about<\/em> our beliefs is quite different from exercising them on circle.\u00a0 Nothing we do, with the exception of where we meet and with whom, is a secret.\u00a0 When you teach others about our beliefs, our lore and practices, you should be mindful of how your words will be interpreted.\u00a0 Your students or audience need to understand what is meant, not just hear the words.\u00a0 For instance, \u201cto make a spell,\u201d will undoubtedly be interpreted as some sort of supernatural hocus-pocus by any who are not aware of the processes involved.\u00a0 Far better you should forego the term and explain the process.\u00a0 Then<\/em> you can tell them that that process is called spell craft.\u00a0 The same goes for many other words and phrases we commonly use in Paganism.\u00a0 All specialized knowledge has its jargon and we aren\u2019t any exception.\u00a0 Educating others requires us to explain things without the confusion of language that can be easily misinterpreted.<\/span><\/p>\n

    Teaching others is also a way of learning.\u00a0 Every teacher is a student and every student is a teacher.\u00a0 The Pagan faiths have grown and will continue to grow because its people have had the courage to teach and train others.\u00a0 It is one way we can help our faith group become better, both because we will refine our own knowledge and because we will gain new perspectives with each person who comes to us.\u00a0 We must take this challenge seriously and never allow charlatans or abusers to rule over people whom the gods have sent our way.<\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Kids are a problem.\u00a0 No, no, I\u2019m not talking about the trials of parenthood; I\u2019m referring to the problem of teaching minors about Paganism.\u00a0 Though there aren\u2019t any laws that specifically say to teach somebody\u2019s child about a religion is unlawful, there exist community and cultural customs that condemn the teaching if it is done without parental permission.\u00a0 In the case of Paganism, the problem is just as big as it would be if a Jewish family was to find their child being taught Islam\u2026 maybe bigger.\u00a0 The problem is complex and I don\u2019t intend to cover every facet here, but I will put forth some ideas about it in the hope that it will stir the cauldron a little and cause some discussion.The age of majority in the USA is generally considered to be eighteen for most everything.\u00a0 When a person reaches that age, they can be held legally responsible for their public and private decisions.\u00a0 That is, they can legally be bound by contracts, sued in a court of law, hold a driver\u2019s license, get married, join the armed services, be able to vote, and generally be treated as an adult in most social and legal things.\u00a0 If anyone of that age or older comes to us and asks for teaching or initiation, there isn\u2019t anything that can be done by parents or relatives to legally prevent it.\u00a0 But if they are under that age, there are a lot of legal avenues a parent or guardian can pursue to make it a problem for anyone who accepts the child for studentship without parental permission. Beside the possible legal trouble, a parent who doesn\u2019t understand our spirituality is often afraid of it and will react in a violent way when they find out we have been teaching their child about \u2018witchcraft.\u2019\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t matter what we might call our brand of spirituality, what most parents will immediately think is that \u2018devil worshipers\u2019 are indoctrinating their child!\u00a0 No amount of quiet reasoning will work against their panic, and the facts have nothing to do with their perceptions.\u00a0 In case you forgot: perception is reality.\u00a0 The determination and ferocity of a parent who believes their child is in danger should never be underestimated.\u00a0 And even if you have parental permission, you should still be aware of how your teachings might be misinterpreted by society and attract the unwanted attentions of any number of governmental groups.\u00a0 This can be true even if the child you are teaching is your own! There is a great deal of information that can be passed on to the next generation but you should be conscious of four considerations whenever you go about teaching anyone about our faith: WHAT is being taught?\u00a0 There is more to a myth besides a fun story, for instance.\u00a0 The traditions and lore of any faith group reflect its values and perspectives as well as customs and culture.\u00a0 Information about any aspect of magic or spirituality always contains a subtext that you need to explore fully before trying try to pass it on. WHO is being taught?\u00a0 Information that would be appropriate for a person who is 20 is not likely to be suitable for a youngster of 10.\u00a0 A child probably won\u2019t be interested in the complexities of western religious and political history.\u00a0 Similarly, an adult isn\u2019t likely to want to draw pictures of Isis for an hour.\u00a0 And, in case you didn\u2019t know, boys learn differently than girls.\u00a0 They pick up information and use it in different ways, even if it is the same information.\u00a0 It is not just a cultural prejudice; male and female brains work differently.\u00a0 And, as any parent of teenagers will confirm, there sometimes isn\u2019t any way to figure out how a pubescent child will react to anything!\u00a0 Even they don\u2019t have a clue.\u00a0 There\u2019s a good reason that the most common answer to the perennial question, \u201cWhat were you thinking?\u201d is a blank look and a mumbled, \u201cI don\u2019t know.\u201d They really don\u2019t. HOW is it being taught?\u00a0 You can teach the information about incense making by the book.\u00a0 But to get down and dirty with the actual making of a particular compound, to use it for an actual purpose, or to present it to others with, \u201cI made this,\u201d will make the learning more powerful and meaningful by far.\u00a0 Learning is more than memorizing information; it\u2019s about making a change in the learner. WHY is it being taught?\u00a0 There must be a purpose and a plan to your teaching.\u00a0 Simply to spout information is not the same as teaching.\u00a0 Information needs to be related to real life as well as everything else that the student has or will encounter.\u00a0 Any teacher worth their salt will transcend their own agendas and look to the needs and visions of their students.\u00a0 If you teach because you think it will make you look important, you will only be seen that way by yourself.\u00a0 Think back to the teachers in your life that have had the most impact on you and you will see the truth of this. Our ideas and ways of looking at life are especially appealing to people in their late teens.\u00a0 Our freedom of spirit and joy of living are much like their own youthful enthusiasm.\u00a0 And, at least on the surface, our belief in magic seems to answer their wish for simple solutions to the complex problems they are becoming aware of all around them.\u00a0 We will always have those who think of magic as a quick fix for all the ills in the world. They come with stars in their eyes, blinded to the fact that all true magic workers are hard workers.\u00a0 Their naivety might be a source of amusement but it also makes them extremely vulnerable.\u00a0 They so much want to believe there are easy ways to overcome large problems they will do almost anything to prove themselves \u2018worthy\u2019 of such fantastical powers.\u00a0 Instead of allowing them to be victimized, we need to find ways of educating them about the real powers of magic.\u00a0 Simply trying to burst their bubble of fantasy will not work.\u00a0 They will reject our discouraging words and go looking for someone who will reinforce their dreams.\u00a0 We must translate their visions into actions that allow them to find their own truths and powers.\u00a0 Putting them to work on real projects, giving them an opportunity to figure out how to make something work and make a change is the greatest teacher of all.\u00a0 Yes, they will make mistakes; who doesn\u2019t?\u00a0 But let\u2019s be frank, isn\u2019t that the way we learned?\u00a0 Celebrate their successes and don\u2019t ever be too busy to offer help. Because we don\u2019t\u00a0have \u2018all the answers\u2019 written down, our beliefs are centered on individual experiences.\u00a0 We call them \u2018the mysteries\u2019 because that best describes the role these have for us.\u00a0 We \u2018solve\u2019 these mysteries by living the moment and discovering who and what we are in relation to the reality of our experiences. Providing opportunities for the young to encounter their own mysteries needs to be tailored to the abilities of the student.\u00a0 Most school systems use a three-tiered structure for teaching youngsters.\u00a0 The youngest group usually covers from age six to eleven or twelve.\u00a0 The next learning group is the so-called \u2018tweens,\u2019 ages twelve to fifteen.\u00a0 Last, there is the sixteen to eighteen group.\u00a0 There are sound reasons behind splitting up the learning in this way.\u00a0 Each age group learns in different ways. The brain functions of the youngest group are nothing like the oldest.\u00a0 Though they absorb prodigious amounts of information at an astounding pace, the information is in its least complex form.\u00a0 Very little associative thinking goes on in this age group.\u00a0 For instance, a child in this group might easily learn the names for every town in their state but not be able to understand a map.\u00a0 Complex relationships between one thing and another are difficult for them to understand.\u00a0 That\u2019s why stories for this age group are written in such black-and-white terms; heroes are all-good and villains are all-bad.\u00a0 No explanation is necessary about why the kiss from a charming prince is required to awaken Sleeping Beauty, it simply does.\u00a0 As any parent who has had a child go through this age knows, explaining why a certain rule is established doesn\u2019t mean anything to these kids.\u00a0 That\u2019s why, \u201cBecause I said so,\u201d really is the best explanation in many cases.\u00a0 Teaching this group about Paganism requires information that is not subtle:\u00a0 Pan is the god of wild things\u2026 period.\u00a0 The more you explain, in some cases, the less they will understand. The middle group, the \u2018tweens,\u2019\u00a0 is in the transitional stage from one method of learning to the other.\u00a0 Their comfort zone in learning is still back with the black and white, childhood model.\u00a0 But their world is steadily growing and they\u2019re becoming more independent every day.\u00a0 Relationships are now more apparent and reasons are becoming necessary to explain them.\u00a0 This is the age of reason for these people so what is taught to them needs to be accompanied with more in-depth information.\u00a0 Motivations behind actions and beliefs begin to play an increasingly important role in their understanding and they will question boundaries and limitations more.\u00a0 Because their bodies are going through an accelerated growth time, they will often physically test themselves against many of these limitations and dare the universe to slap them down. The oldest group is making its entrance into adulthood and the methods by which they learn are pretty much the same for the rest of their life.\u00a0 Associative or relational thinking has become more comfortable and its value to the student has been steadily growing for several years by now.\u00a0 From here on, the student will question relative value structures, relying less on quantitative and more on qualitative information.\u00a0 Though their decision-making abilities are relatively immature, they nevertheless feel the need for independence and freedom to act.\u00a0 Lessons must relate to this urge or the importance of the information will not be perceived.\u00a0 Now, not only does the information about Pan being a god of wild things become a part of their overall consideration, but background information that makes Pan a more interesting and complete god-form must accompany it. Our rituals allow the primary school child to enjoy the fantasy and wonder of our beliefs.\u00a0 For the middle school aged, they also teach something about the complexities of those beliefs.\u00a0 For the young adults, the fullness of meaning is a feast for their minds and hearts.\u00a0 It is the same demarcation as the teaching levels. Teaching about our beliefs is quite different from exercising them on circle.\u00a0 Nothing we do, with the exception of where we meet and with whom, is a secret.\u00a0 When you teach others about our beliefs, our lore and practices, you should be mindful of how your words will be interpreted.\u00a0 Your students or audience need to understand what is meant, not just hear the words.\u00a0 For instance, \u201cto make a spell,\u201d will undoubtedly be interpreted as some sort of supernatural hocus-pocus by any who are not aware of the processes involved.\u00a0 Far better you should forego the term and explain the process.\u00a0 Then you can tell them that that process is called spell craft.\u00a0 The same goes for many other words and phrases we commonly use in Paganism.\u00a0 All specialized knowledge has its jargon and we aren\u2019t any exception.\u00a0 Educating others requires us to explain things without the confusion of language that can be easily misinterpreted. Teaching others is also a way of learning.\u00a0 Every teacher is a student and every student is a teacher.\u00a0 The Pagan faiths have grown and will continue to grow because its people have had the courage to teach and train others.\u00a0 It is one way we can help our faith group become better, both because we will refine our own knowledge and because we will gain new perspectives with each person who comes…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"iawp_total_views":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2431","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2431"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2431\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2431"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2431"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paganpages.org\/emagazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2431"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}