Reverant Tradition
One of my missions in this life is to create reverence, wonder, and awe. I happen to believe that one of the biggest issues in modern society is the lack of reverence, wonder, and awe in childhood. These are things that were naturally woven into life and society from the beginning of time until the advent of modern technology. The more we tried to save time with machines the more we pulled away from the natural world as a species.
Now, this is not a manifesto to live as in the days of old, shunning all technology, and to move into a shack in the woods. It is more to raise awareness about this issue that we are faced with at this time. Reverence for the natural world was once imbued into the ethos of humanity, and without it we are left glorifying technology that pulls us away from the natural world that we are a part of as living creatures, and that also takes us away from each other. More and more when I go out I see a screen between people that are in close proximity to each other but are not interacting in any way.
Our children need us to create a different experience for them. The intent of this post is to highlight why reverence is important and to point out different ways that you can imbue your home with wonder so that your children can see the world in a whole new way.
You may be asking yourself: why does reverence matter?
When we create reverence and wonder for things, we teach our children that things are more than just a momentary experience. It puts a different weight on things. When you spend time in nature year after year with kids, you begin to build a relationship with the natural world. Kids begin to get excited as the buds appear on trees, or learn that a particular weed can help with your bug bites, or watching lightning bugs light up the sky. This then expands their awareness to conservation issues, or our dependence on single use plastics, or their carbon footprint. Essentially, kids learn to care more.
Reverence goes beyond the natural world. Take holidays for example. For a month leading up to a holiday, my family takes up crafting. We make beautiful things to decorate our home or to give away as gifts. By slowly building the excitement, and imbuing the holiday with intention, reverence is created. The children then appreciate that day with keen profondity. The food, the gathering of family, the making of memories, is something they are fully present in.
Wonder is something that happens when we take the time to show children things. When my husband takes the time to invite the children to help build our home with him, or when I invite the children to bake, or when we tend to our vegetable patch together. We pass along wisdom, that to children, seems like magic. We teach them the interworking of the world, and in turn it engages their sense of wonder that becomes a strong foundation for interacting with the world in an inquisitive and empowered way.
I could go on and on with this topic. The point here is to look at your life and ask yourself: do you feel full of reverence, wonder and awe?
If not, then where can you cultivate that? What is it that you need to shift to make space for this life changing work? This is one of the greatest gifts you could give the next generations or yourself. If this is something you are lacking in your life, then please reach out today so we can start your Mindful Tradition.
