Ours is a Pagan household and we raise our children as Witchlings fully involved in the Pagan faith. We’ve taught them about Paganism from birth giving them a strong Pagan foundation to work from. The Pagan foundation we give our children is very diverse. I’m sort of an eclectic Celtic Reconstructionist and Odin follows a Norse path. It is myself who is primarily responsible for teaching Paganism to our children and I teach them about both paths. I also teach them about other pantheons, some elements of Wicca, some about the Fae, and elements of various other Pagan paths. They are free to pick which deities they feel called to and want to work with. So far both have shown a fondness for Thor so that’s who I help them connect with primarily even though he is not one of my deities.
How do I teach my children about Paganism? There are many modes that I use. First and foremost I get them out in nature. I talk to them about it as life situations come up. Anytime they ask a question about the natural world is a chance to talk about Pagan concepts and to teach them to respect the Earth. I read to them from books like Circle Round Raising Children in Goddess Traditions by Starhawk, Diane Baker, and Anne Hill and Paganism for Kiddos by Jessica M. Hauptmann. We celebrate the sabbats together, something Lugh and Loki always look forward to. Our local U.U. is not just Pagan friendly but a heavily Pagan congregation that Lugh and I attend. When Loki is better able to sit still and quietly he’ll attend too. I also do my own sort of Pagan Sunday school, or Moonday school if you prefer to call it that. I know that sounds kind of boring but if I get lax and don’t do a lesson for a while the boys start asking when they’re going to get another lesson because they like them so much. Another great resource is the website Little Pagan Acorns, the boys love their lapbooks. Don’t forget about Pooka Pages too. Loki and Lugh both love to smudge and to help me smudge and bless the house. Lugh is old enough, he’s seven at the time I’m writing this, that he’s interested in magick and we have discussions about what real magick is and what is just movie magic. He’s showing interest in wanting to do a real spell and I think he’s ready. Reading, though he does fairly well, is his toughest subject and I’m thinking of having him do a spell to help him improve his reading skills. Children learn a lot through music and I have a nice collection of Pagan children’s songs that they enjoy.
So what kind of topics do I discuss with and teach to the Witchlings? Here’s a list of some topics that we cover to give you some ideas as to things you can teach your Witchlings. This is by no means all inclusive.
-The directions/elements
-The Nine Noble Virtues
-Important Pagans and their contributions
-Your Pagan code of ethics
-The Wheel of the Year
-Lessons on different deities
-The pentacle
-Stories of the gods
-Meditation
-Grounding and centering
-Casting simple spells
-Moon phases
-Magickal correspondences
-Magickal symbols
-Natural cycles
-Faeries
-Shielding
-Crystal healing
There are those that would balk at how I raise my Witchlings but it works for our family. We raise our children firmly in the Pagan faith. Don’t get me wrong, they know that there are other religions out there but we teach them the Pagan path. Eventually they’ll have to choose their own path in life but we are giving them a firm Pagan foundation. Children need to be raised with some kind of spiritual paradigm. When we don’t teach them some kind of spiritual philosophy we leave a gap in their development. If you can’t tell I strongly disagree with the “we’ll teach our children about all religions but not have them practice any religion or spiritual philosophy” approach. From my background in mental/behavioral health children need some kind of spiritual philosophy, even if that philosophy is Atheism, they need something to hang their hat on. But this blog isn’t about why children need some spiritual philosophy from a psychological perspective, it’s about raising Witchlings. What we, in our home, can offer our children to hang their hats on is Paganism.