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A Czech translator has come out with an English translation from the original Czech of one of Karel Weinfurter's books - Mysticism for All: Especially for Parents. This small book (about 120 pages) aims to give guidance on how to approach children's questions about things like god and sin.
Weinfurter makes an interesting point early on:
Chapter I starts by giving guidance for children "from the age of four, as soon as they begin to explore their surroundings and their intellect begins to develop." The point is made that instruction should not be on profound matters but rather fundamental principles. For instance, rather than telling the child that god is in heaven and pointing upwards, teach the correct understanding that god is everywhere and in everything, including themselves. Hence, the should be instructed to direct their prayers at the centre of their chest. Weinfurter suggests that such a practice will save the child effort later on with concentration exercises. Weinfurter also deals here with sin and how to move the focus from it to love.
He goes on to look at how the concept of god can be developed from the age of six. He makes arguments here for using the idea of the Virgin Mary as an aspect of god which is more accessible to a child. Also included here is gratitude and the importance of rejoicing.
From the age of seven the concept of divine power and its relation to life is introduced.
Chapter II covers the relationship between god and human beings, in particular how to explain what sacred books are and the idea that they are written to convey multiple meanings (and why). The difference between the hidden church and the external churches is also part of this. Other religions are also discussed amongst this, including paganism - he sees all as reflections of the divinity. Some of it may be controversial for some: "No religion is without a secret Path to God [...] the churches replaced this Path, which you will also tread one day, with external rituals".
Chapter III is about the soul and how to talk about it with children. He starts this with a discussion about how to answer questions about how we know these things. He especially notes:
Weinfurter goes on to discuss reincarnation and a doctrine of the outer soul and inner soul (and how the latter relates to goddesses). He also suggests some physical demonstrations that can be used as analogies. Some of this is quite distinctive to his brand of Christian mysticism.
Chapter IV goes deeper into reincarnation and discusses karma. "As today's children are much more intelligent than in the past (!), they will easily grasp these spiritual laws."
Chapter V gets practical with prayer. He recommends awakening the child's interest in mystical experiences through fairy tales or stories about miracles. (Here he also discusses invisible friends.) It is at this point that he introduces J.B. Kerning's letter practice, a form of concentration for 10 minutes a day. All through this chapter (and the book as a whole) he backs things up, not just with Christian literature, but with excerpts from Indian sacred literature (Weinfurter translated many sacred Indian works into Czech), which he places on the same level as the Bible - this may put some more traditional Christians off, but it reflects the mystical emphasis of this book.
In many ways I think this book has a lot of useful ideas on how to educate a child not just about religion, but about the human condition. And as such, there is a lot in it which any adult would find worth reading and meditating on.
Weinfurter makes an interesting point early on:
I would like to draw parents' attention to the fact that a child is essentially a little occultist. Their thirst for occult knowledge is evident in their fondness for fairy tales and everything related to the occult world. [...] The invisible world is much closer to children than adults because the child's soul has recently returned from the invisible realm to assume a body as its instrument.
Chapter I starts by giving guidance for children "from the age of four, as soon as they begin to explore their surroundings and their intellect begins to develop." The point is made that instruction should not be on profound matters but rather fundamental principles. For instance, rather than telling the child that god is in heaven and pointing upwards, teach the correct understanding that god is everywhere and in everything, including themselves. Hence, the should be instructed to direct their prayers at the centre of their chest. Weinfurter suggests that such a practice will save the child effort later on with concentration exercises. Weinfurter also deals here with sin and how to move the focus from it to love.
He goes on to look at how the concept of god can be developed from the age of six. He makes arguments here for using the idea of the Virgin Mary as an aspect of god which is more accessible to a child. Also included here is gratitude and the importance of rejoicing.
From the age of seven the concept of divine power and its relation to life is introduced.
Chapter II covers the relationship between god and human beings, in particular how to explain what sacred books are and the idea that they are written to convey multiple meanings (and why). The difference between the hidden church and the external churches is also part of this. Other religions are also discussed amongst this, including paganism - he sees all as reflections of the divinity. Some of it may be controversial for some: "No religion is without a secret Path to God [...] the churches replaced this Path, which you will also tread one day, with external rituals".
Chapter III is about the soul and how to talk about it with children. He starts this with a discussion about how to answer questions about how we know these things. He especially notes:
A lot depends on always telling children the whole truth and avoiding evasive answers because children instinctively sense when they have not been answered sincerely.
Weinfurter goes on to discuss reincarnation and a doctrine of the outer soul and inner soul (and how the latter relates to goddesses). He also suggests some physical demonstrations that can be used as analogies. Some of this is quite distinctive to his brand of Christian mysticism.
Chapter IV goes deeper into reincarnation and discusses karma. "As today's children are much more intelligent than in the past (!), they will easily grasp these spiritual laws."
Chapter V gets practical with prayer. He recommends awakening the child's interest in mystical experiences through fairy tales or stories about miracles. (Here he also discusses invisible friends.) It is at this point that he introduces J.B. Kerning's letter practice, a form of concentration for 10 minutes a day. All through this chapter (and the book as a whole) he backs things up, not just with Christian literature, but with excerpts from Indian sacred literature (Weinfurter translated many sacred Indian works into Czech), which he places on the same level as the Bible - this may put some more traditional Christians off, but it reflects the mystical emphasis of this book.
In many ways I think this book has a lot of useful ideas on how to educate a child not just about religion, but about the human condition. And as such, there is a lot in it which any adult would find worth reading and meditating on.
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