To Not Be Afraid of the Dark Wishes Children's Shrine Self-Blessing Magickal Activities for Children Children's Spells Meditations for Children Charms, Amulets & Talismans Children's Blessing Bedtime Blessing Children's Animal Guide Ritual To Not Be Afraid of the Dark by Kirin Lee To help a child who is afraid of the dark, add some lavender scent to a spray bottle of water. When the child has gotten into bed, spray an arch of fine mist from the floor up over the bed, and down to the floor on the other side. Have your child visualize the mist turning into a rainbow arch of brilliant color. Let the child know that the rainbow and its energies will still be there when the light goes out. Top of Page Wishes Find any silver-colored coin with the child’s birth year on it. Have the child take it out at dusk and wait for the first star to appear. As the child does so, have them hold up the coin to the starlight and say, “Catch the starlight in this coin so bright. I’ll get the wish I wish tonight. Within this coin my wish is carried. The magick will grow when it is buried.” Then have the child put the coin in an area of rich soil where it will remain undisturbed so that the spell can manifest. Top of Page Children's Shrine Have your child make a shrine in their room. This should be a shrine, not an altar. In other words, it should have a deity figure as a focus and be for devotion, rather than for magickal work. Go through some simple self-blessing and worship ritual with them. Then leave them to it. Tell tem to perform some ritual at the shrine at least once a day (first thing in the morning or last thing at night) for a month. How complicated the shrine is will depend on the age of the child. Very young children may be content with a statue or drawing and a bowl for offerings. Older children can use candles and incense, once they are taught how to use them safely. The rituals performed at it will also vary. For young children you will most likely need to write a short prayer or two that they can use. Older children can write their own or wait for the deity to inspire one in them. Top of Page Self-Blessing Give the child a short ritual that they can do on their own. A very simple one can be done with a bowl of water. The child holds their hands over it and says: “May this water be blessed with the power of the Goddess, and the power of the god, so it will bless me.”   They can then anoint themselves. The places blessed can vary, but usually the forehead is included. If they are preparing for work or sports, they may wish to anoint the parts of the body that they will be using. Self-blessings may also be used for morning or evening prayers. Top of Page Magickal Activities for Children Drumming: Drumming is one of the best things that ever happened to Neo-Paganism, and the earlier a child gets involved, the better. Drum with your child, either with just your drums, or while keeping a beat to recorded music. Once they can keep up with a simple beat, they should be encouraged to bring their drum to Pagan gatherings. There will probably be rituals where they will be able to play. The experience of being part of a group of drummers contributing to a ritual is overpowering. Children have few opportunities to take part in rituals in such an active way. Inexpensive drums are available in music and toy stores. Gardening: Have your child choose the plants, plant, care for, harvest, and prepare the garden for winter. The size and complexity can increase with the child’s age. Have your child write and carry out a garden blessing. Remember that a garden can be a window box, plants in pots on a balcony, or even an indoor herb garden kept by a sunny window. Nature Journal: With your child, keep track of one year, noting dates of flowering, appearance of leaves, changing and dropping of leaves, migrations of birds, behavior of animals, weather, etc. Take nature walks to gardens, ponds, lakes, parks, etc. Non-Pagan Activities: There are many activities sponsored by non-Pagans that can be part of a Pagan education. Summer camps, nature and science centers, and scouting all teach knowledge of and respect for nature. Art museums sometimes offer workshops in skills such as mask making. Community centers and ethnic societies give lessons in traditional dance and music. Class: Though the most important part of your child’s religious education will take place in informal or ritual contexts, more formal schooling can be integrated into a Pagan education program. The more formal aspects of Paganism can be presented in a weekly class. It should last no more than one hour. Treat it as if it is as important as any other appointment. This will show your child how important Paganism is. Give your child a notebook. In it they can record what is taught in class, as well as rituals and prayers that you teach them. Then they will be able to perform them on their own.   Begin each lesson with a short (5 min or less) period of meditation or lighting a candle, and ask a blessing from the Goddess and God. Some of the above information came from Pagan Family: Handing the Old Ways Down, by Ceisiwr Serith and from Family Wicca: Practical Paganism for Parents And Children book, by Ashleen O’Gaea. Top of Page