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Life for God/How Can One Help Children?

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How Can One Help Children?

Vladimir Antonov

Certain regularities of a child’s development and factors that affect this process, also the methodology and methods of helping children in their development are discussed in our books [1-2,4,14,17]. Therefore, here I am going to give only a short review on this subject.

Education can and must make a significant contribution to the correct formation of the psychics of every child.

The parents, other relatives, and teachers in schools have to show to children, by their own behavior, examples of a truly spiritual way of life, including emotional reactions. For this purpose they themselves have to learn the basics of ethics and the art of psychical self-regulation.

Instructors have to demonstrate to children examples of a good and careful attitude towards them. On the other hand, they should not allow children to manifest indiscipline, aggressiveness, greediness, theft, and attempts to humiliate others. In the struggle with such vices, the instructor has to be rigid and firm. On the contrary, all positive changes in the characters of children, including those resulting from punishment, have to be encouraged by clear manifestations of the instructor’s heart love.

In teaching children it is desirable to put the emphasis on broadening their outlook in different positive areas of human activity and knowledge. It will help them to “find themselves” in social life in the future.

One can carefully acquaint children with the rules of ethically and physiologically adequate nutrition [14, 17-18], even if in their families there are other rules. Only by these measures one can help children to avoid many illnesses and coarsening of themselves as souls.

Sport games that cultivate coarseness, violence, and aggressiveness are very detrimental to the correct development both of the participants of the game and of the audience. Let them better cultivate in sport activities the qualities of beauty, harmony, subtlety of the consciousness, might of the intellect, and power without aggression! Such recreation would contribute to spiritual development of both the players and the audience!

The competitive tendencies, too, cannot be regarded as useful in the spiritual field: they provoke the growth of selfhood, one begins to view others as rivals, enemies. And this does not conform at all to the suggestion of God that we grow love in ourselves.

It is very important to show to children methods of correct development of the emotional sphere with the emphasis placed on the development of the spiritual hearts. This would allow such children to avoid in their future many possible breakouts in the ethical aspect and will prepare them for successful mastery of the heights of spiritual self-perfection in adult life. These methods are described by us in the book [18].

Many may find helpful the formula that once was given to me by God: “Every instance of leaving the state of love results in the accumulation of negative karma!” [12].

Acquainting children with living nature is very important for their correct development. Let them come to know about the existence of many incarnate lives: both plants and animals! Let them learn to regard them as our lesser brothers and sisters, and try to avoid causing any harm to them, even inadvertently!

Moreover, it is among living nature rather than in “boxes” of city houses that one can successfully learn to expand as a spiritual heart!

Life in nature makes one healthy, broadens one’s outlook, and allows one to master harmony in mergence with the gentle beauty of nature!

Let me quote a remarkable verse that was created and given to us [9] in 2003 by one of the Geniuses — Russian poet Nikolay Nekrasov:

… In the beginning, one develops through activity. But then a successful spiritual seeker should master inner quietness (hesychia). It is only in the state of deep and broad inner calm that one can traverse the final stages of the spiritual Path. Therefore, let children from an early age learn both activity and calm — in their harmonious coexistence! And it is best to learn this in natural landscapes.

At natural working sites of Holy Spirits one can show to children the Beauty of God and explain to them at the same time that God is real, that He is Love, Caress, Tenderness rather than a fairy-tale monster who punishes people for every mistake. And let children begin to aspire to cognition of Him and know that one can advance to Him only by becoming similar to Him — similar to His Subtlety, to His Love-Caring, to His Love-Tenderness.

* * *

Let me give some excerpts from the book [17] on the subject of how God views the ecopsychological education of children and its role in the Evolution:

“What do the majority of people do in the early morning? The answer is simple — they sleep! But if man — even once in a lifetime! — watched a sunrise consciously, leaving the warm bed and cozy home for this purpose, and, overwhelmed with delight, one-to-one with the rising sun, watched the sunrise, — then this person would have lived the earthly life not in vain!

“… There is a wonderful state of quietness in nature before sunrise! Almost all living beings sleep a peaceful sleep. Nothing disturbs the quietness of the early morning…

“One has to be able to listen to the quietness, to become filled with it, and to be it! It is an important component of the spiritual development of man!

“For example, if at sunrise in the forest one begins to listen to the quietness of the space with the ears of the soul or, to be more precise, with the ears of the spiritual heart, then one can become the absolute quietness.

“When inside you there is only quietness — the lower self turns into nothing: nothing of it disturbs the quietness and harmony of the world around! In such quietness one may hear everything: from soft murmuring of a forest brook, whispering of leaves, warm breathing of sleeping little mammals… — up to the most confidential mysteries of the Creation.”

“Everything is so simple! To become happy, one needs to make a little step in the right direction… And then it becomes clear that behind all the beautiful — there is its Creator: God! And one’s heart filled with joy begins to aspire to Him!”

“It is very easy to settle in the world of God if you have joy in the soul! Sorrow, depression, and hatred are for hell.”

“One has to teach… not only a non-harming attitude towards our lesser brothers and sisters — but to love them! Because they are our lesser friends, capable of creating and maintaining on the planet the energy states of paradise!”

“The most important point, that I want to tell about, is introducing the principle of giving! It has to come together with opening of the spiritual heart and you have to suggest many different ways of realization of this principle!”

“They need to be suggested the ways of positive development! Everyone wants to receive — but one has to teach them to give and to create!”

“Every person can begin to help God: to help to transform that which is bad. But everyone has to start with changing oneself — only oneself!

“Everyone can begin to create around themselves a small space of love. It is so simple that everyone can do it… One has to learn to shine with a ray of love from the spiritual heart!

“One can come to the forest; it is best to do it in spring, but any other season is also good. One has to stand near a birch, to touch its trunk with a finger, to stroke tenderly this living tree, and then to feel a ray of light coming from one’s own chest, from the place where love lives. And then — to stroke with this ray of light the trunk of the birch: as with a finger.

“Then one can repeat this exercise several times — in order to really feel this touching.

“Anyone can do this — a little child, the mother or grandmother of the child; then the child can teach it to the father and to the grandfather.

“Everyone has this ray; one needs just to turn on the light of love.

“If there is no forest or birches nearby, then one can stroke any tree…

“Then one has to learn to shine with this ray from any distance — and to give thus tenderness to all whom one loves.

“One can try to shine even at flowers which grow in one’s own room and to see how they will grow better after that!

“One can try to direct this ray to our Earth and to stroke the planet with it, directing the ray into the depth: the Earth also has a heart… One has to stroke it very gently: Earth is living!

“Also one can stroke God with this ray and feel Joy of God in response…”

“Everything around you loves you, man! Thus the Creation was created by God-the-Father! And if inside you there is a response of love, then mergence happens: separateness and isolation disappear and become replaced with the Love of Everything Existing! All energies of the universe inside man come then to harmony!

“This can be given not only to those who are close to Higher Initiations. This should be included into the basic course of opening the spiritual heart!

“Harmony and Love of the Absolute — this meditation has to become one’s background state, one’s natural way of life, the correct self-awareness of the soul!

“Everything can be solved through submergence of the consciousness into the spiritual heart!”

“One has to teach them to love — and only then the entire spectrum of perception and awareness of human souls can be realized!

“For example, one can learn to walk the Earth. One can remember that our Earth is a living soul, and — simply walk, carefully stepping on the body of the Earth, feeling every touch of the feet to its surface. It is very simple; everyone can do this! Just ten minutes of such walking can result in first changes.

“… Or it is possible to lie on the Earth with the arms spread, in a relaxed state — and become aware that we fly in space on the planet called Earth… If teachers or parents lie together with children in this way and tell them about the universe — then the children’s impressions from this conversation will be more important than those received in entertainment attractions!

“And a stay for a night in the forest can give unforgettable impressions if one lies so and looks at the stars…

“… One can wash or swim in interaction with this wonderful miracle created by God on our planet — with water, which is one of the main components of the matter of living organisms. One can even talk to the water, to ask it to purify and to heal the body. One can swim, feeling water with every cell of the body. Thus one can increase the awareness, improve health, and remember this exercise as something very significant!

“Also one can wash oneself with sunlight. It does not mean simply exposing the body to sunlight: one has to also interact with it! The energy of the Sun is so wonderful! It exists both on the visible and non-visible to the human eyes levels; it penetrates the depths of us! One can stand under a flow of sunlight as if under a waterfall — and do the exercise latihan. And this can fill one with joy and health!…

“Of course, one should not suggest to people, who are not interested in spiritual truth, to dedicate much time to such exercises. For them it can be interesting and useful to arrange sport trainings in nature, to collect mushrooms, berries, and medicinal herbs. One can taste the gifts of nature: berries, leaves, herbs that are pleasant to eat. And let us thank nature for these gifts! This can also bring healing to bodies and souls! Many people can be attracted by this healing aspect — and it is very good in the beginning.

“One can learn to receive joy even from removing garbage from places where other people defiled the beauty of nature with it. This is also a part of ecology that people have to learn!…

“It is in interaction with the harmonious states of living nature, with concrete plants and animals, in which people can come to understand with what great Love God created everything living!”

“Let us begin to look at the world together — how beautiful the Divine Creation is! Let us tell children what we know — and thus we together will cognize something new! Let us try to see BEAUTY with the help of a camera, painting… In any case we have to be open to each other and to the life around! And God will help us! This is His joy: to see how His children grow towards light, kindness, and love!”

“It is best to do this through one’s own example! The main educator is the way of life of those who live near the child. They can be parents, teachers, and the society in general. It is principles of life, seen in real examples (not as slogans but real life principles of concrete people and of the entire society), that educate our children!

“If these examples are imprinted in children as something they can imitate as examples of behavior — then they become qualities of the souls. And if such examples are love, benevolence towards everyone, caring attitude, and respect — then all these qualities will be developed when the children grow.

But if children imprint the emotions and behavior of the opposite kind — then for a long time such souls have to be weaned — through their own pain — off the vices imprinted in their memory of the consciousness during childhood.”

“It is very important to learn to rejoice! People have forgotten how to rejoice at natural beauty — and this is very sad for God.

“There is much beauty on the Earth; one just needs to see it! Not everyone can see masterpieces of arts, but everyone can admire the beauty of living nature! Even in the desert and in the eternal Arctic ice there is a special charm!

“Ask people around you: how often do they look at the sky? You will know that the “world” for most of them is limited to several meters around their bodies and even these meters are contained in their rooms and offices.

“One has to teach them to notice the beautiful! To notice it — not only when admiring forests, meadows, lakes, steppe, seas… — but also in dewdrops, in the first rays of the rising sun, in the drops of rain, in the blades of grass, in the singing of birds, in the thin new moon… — everywhere one can discover the wonderful beauty of the Creation!

“And when people learn to notice the beautiful and to enjoy it, then they can understand and fall in love with Him Who created all this: with the Creator! Living nature was also created by the Creator — as an inexhaustible source of joy and love!”

“To work with children is a great joy for God! Children’s souls are more open towards the beautiful! The purity of their perception of the beautiful is much higher than that of adults. Children are also capable of comprehending very serious knowledge about God if one treats them seriously and speaks to them as to equals. They are capable of coming to the level of their instructor if it is interesting to them. They absorb new knowledge with the whole consciousness, contrary to the case with adults, when the received knowledge unfortunately “gets stuck in the head”.

“One must also keep in mind that children have a dangerous “transitional age”, but this is natural. Those who pass it safely have a remarkable foundation for correct further development.”

“Little children are a source of joy and happiness! Almost all of them come to this world as souls similar to blank pages: to begin creating anew their lives on the Path to Light! And it is adults who begin to “write” children’s destinies by introducing into them the seeds of either good or bad qualities!

“When a soul comes to the Earth (incarnates), it is difficult for the soul to become used to the small child’s body, to its limited material and mental abilities. The soul has to master relationships with the outer world through intermediates: through adults and peers, who surround the baby. The soul anyway absorbs everything — both good and bad: on this stage of development children are not capable of discerning them.

“It is the seeds of good that adults have to introduce into children souls! It is very easy to do — at an early age by addressing the soul, the consciousness of the child — without using the intermediate: the manas of the body. The effectiveness of such education is very high, but adults themselves have to be in the state of love, otherwise the result will be the opposite.

“It is very important to exclude from relationships with children the ways of educating them which use only the commands like: “it is not allowed!”, “do not go!”, “do not touch it!”, etc. One necessarily has to explain to the child why it is allowed and why not. Then the child develops the ability to think rather than to react primitively to the commands of adults.

“Adults think that they know better than children, but this is not necessarily always true. Adults have to observe more attentively the behavior and reactions of children in different situations before trying to educate them. And then adults can avoid making many mistakes which are harmful to children.”

“One has to view the child as a student — and in the presence of students the teacher cannot allow himself or herself to show even a little weakness.

“The more difficult the student is, the more impeccable the teacher has to be!

“If one analyzes one’s own behavior — then one can understand that the roots of many child’s vices have roots in the soul of the teacher.

“One can repeat good words many times… — but what is the worth of the words of the one who cannot follow impeccably one’s own advice? By such a behavior the teacher can depreciate forever the beautiful and correct values which he or she tries to impart to the student.”

“First, you have to develop love in children! Then ‘falls’ will be impossible. A soul which has grown as love cannot degrade!

“Second, you have to strive to create groups of children (or children and adults)… — with a pure and harmonious environment for living and growing. It is in such an environment that one can form in children souls strong, positive principles of life, ethics, and principles of interaction with the world of living nature. … It is a possibility to provide help to sprouts of good, which need to be cared for constantly in the beginning.

“To be different from others — normally — is not possible for a soul in a child’s body. To oppose the aggressive primitivism is possible only for a mature and strong person. Also, not all children can withstand by themselves the temptations of the dull contentment of the tamas guna.

“But if there are companions on the Path, then the child — even if he or she was an outcast — accepts a new positive role and becomes one of the heroes-pioneers, defenders of the good!

“To a child, it is very important to have like-minded companions both among adults and among children!”

“Cognition of God and His Creation is so very interesting! However, now on the Earth (with some exceptions) the word God is related in children’s minds mainly with tedious edification from adults… But God is their main Friend, their main Companion in games and in life!… God wants to make their lives very interesting! It is called ecology. It teaches one to learn, to love, and to guard!”

“It is with this purpose the Avatars come to the Earth — to show to people examples so pure and beautiful that many souls may aspire to Them with great love, may accept Their advice, ethic precepts, may follow Their example in everything! Avatars show with Themselves examples of Love, Goodness, Knowledge and manifest this by every day of Their lives!”

“One has to lay in children the foundation of development in the form of growth of love! Then future difficulties, including the temptations of an egoistic attitude towards the world, become less dangerous.

“It is love that has to be the foundation of the education of souls of any age! This makes their degradation impossible! If the hands of the spiritual heart — the hands which give, create love — have become the basis of soul’s life, then such a soul cannot fall! And having such a background, the intellect has to be developed on it! A healthy and joyful way of life in harmony with nature, giving love to others — this is how souls have to be educated! The development of heart love toward every one of God’s creations can help children on the spiritual Path!”

“How can one help those who turn away from love?”

“They have many lives ahead… God’s help comes to those who seek how to help others.”

* * *

In the education of children it is very important to pay attention to sexual problems, of course, using a language adequate for the child’s age. So many calamities can be avoided then!

After all, the knowledge of nuances of the sexological subject is not inborn in man! It is received either from outer sources (books, films, talks with other people who are very ignorant quite often), or from personal experience based, among other things, on mistakes, on tragic mistakes sometimes.

This concerns, first of all, the ethical aspect of behavior. And it is the ethical aspect that is the basis of formation of our destinies!

I believe that for everyone it would be useful to learn — before gaining their first sexual experience — how one should and should not do it. Also one should know what karmic consequences can result from ethically significant errors and how partners can use sexual interaction for their common progress on the Path of spiritual development. In the latter case, it concerns the correct development of the emotional sphere, refinement of the consciousness, accumulation of the energy potential called Kundalini, which is necessary for spiritual growth.

We have discussed all these subjects in several books [17,39], but in most detail in [10].

In the process of sexological education one should, among other things, pay attention to destruction of such traditional prejudices as the requirement that a girl must be virgin when she enters into marriage, that the birth of children outside a registered marriage is shameful (though these children were sent to their incarnations by God!), also the tradition of circumcision.

Circumcision of boys in areas with dry climate can be viewed as a positive tradition: in the conditions of a deficit of pure water, it is not always possible to maintain basic personal hygiene.

On the other hand, in some countries of Africa there is a cruel and absurd tradition of “circumcision” of all girls at the age of pubescence. It consists in cutting away with a knife (without any anesthesia) the clitoris!…

… From the standpoint of the above-discussed knowledge about the stages of intellectual growth, every reader can judge: people of what levels of development support such traditions and defend the continuation of their existence?…