Sometimes Sara’s gaze stops hanging from a point invisible to me, but perceptible to her. And then I ask her: -Sara what are you thinking of?
The answer from the title comes naturally and I continue with what Sara feels. Often there are areas of her body, other times there are just emotions that are localized in certain areas … anyway it is obvious to me that children feel the “presence” and are connected with Here and Now. Through it they connect with their body and bring a new ray of light in their world.
How are they doing it?
I encountered the discussion about feeling your body at Tolle (Eckhart Tolle). For him, but also for us, a door to the deeper self is represented by the perception and feeling of the body. You practically bring awareness in certain areas of your body. A good way to start is through the awareness of breath. So children feel their body and if we “catch it” we can help them become aware of this connection.
Without reading Tolle or any other spiritual texts, children are born spiritual and connected… until a moment… where it begins the intervention of adults and society.
I stated in a previous article that there is a big difference between labeling and perceiving. We try, in Sara’s case to use “it is called” instead of “it is”. Gabriela is being more consistent in choosing “I do not know what it is, but I can tell you what it’s called.” Removing the label allows for keeping alive the amazement, curiosity, and wonder.
Sir Ken Robinson speaks in one of his speeches about “lateral intelligence”, meaning the ability to see an object beyond its labels. Children see in a whirling teacup an ocean, or a spaceship … or, or, or … This ability decreases as we move into the “institutionalization” through formal education only to completely disappear in adulthood.
And then, returning to the “Sara feels herself” I often wonder how to do best not to stand in her way. For our contribution, that of the people “grown up” is often limited to shortcuts and labels, hastily applied without any touch of presence, being too caught by their own personal luggage. So I appeal to observation and presence, trying to face those new periods of education as I am going through them. Fortunately this time there are no exams, and the grades are measured by the length of smiles … this of course after Sara ends the process of feeling herself.
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