Growing Up In The Tribe

There are incidences when boys want to crochet and cook, or girls want to do tasks which are by society ascribed to boys. Often parents become furious that they have a "sissy" for a boy or a "tomboy" for a girl. “That is not done in OUR family.”

The family makes a great effort to force the boy or girl into the proper behavior and living patterns of the family. I hope that this does not occur as frequently anymore, but I know it still does occur in some families.

An artistic child may be told, you can't make money with the arts, find a real career. Whatever the “you should rather” is, it constitutes a roadblock to the most inner call of the person.

Spiritual confusion sets in and with that, most likely a form of desperation. Grades may drop. The child may act out in some form or another or become listless and depressed. The child is not allowed to do what (s)he knows he must do or what the child has come to do. Fearing her/his parents (s)he will of course obey. But everything else has no meaning. The person lives in a meaningless world, forgetting why he is even here – living in misery. By God's grace the person will at some point in life again remember the original gifts and meaning of his/her life. But until then a lot of misery accompanies that spiritual confusion. The tribal expectations can become roadblocks to an individual's gifts......gifts which, who knows, may further many people, even a whole society.

The family is here to teach a child many things, amongst them discipline and moral behavior. A family's task is also to nurture a child and protect it.Yet family needs to function with the sight set on the new soul which brings unique gifts to share, even if those gifts are uncomfortable to the family. A family is a give and take situation, they not only are called to teach and nurture they also are called to learn from each other.

Meditations:

1. “This child brings God wisdom to help me learn about myself”.

2. “All things are a lesson which God would have me learn.” (from Course in Miracles)
   
   

Rainbow meditation

For those who are familiar with the chakras (as described by eastern religions), or are aware of the many spiritual bodies surrounding us, you may enjoy and benefit from this meditation.

First envision a red space. It is the most physical energy. Sit or stand in this red space and ask following question: Lord God what is it I need to know from this energy, what is my work and purpose?Let vision come to you.

Journal what you see, hear or feel.

Then take each color of the rainbow, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet and do the same thing. Ask what you need to know in order to fulfill the purpose you have been given. Journal all insights. If the insights from all the colors does not make sense, reflect on them, draw, paint, dance, sing them until they do make sense.

Read following Biblical Scripture:

Luke 15:11-32 (Prodigal Son)

Read this scripture in the light, not how the son dishonored his parents, but how the parent accepted his son fully even if he did not shape up to societal and family expectations. He learned his lesson, and the father celebrates the knowledge his son gained.


© 2012 Angelika Mitchell