A question for wiccan and pagan, about my daughter?

Question

I am wiccan but I was raised christian, somehow I always knew there was more to believe in. I received my gift of healing at about age 10 and started on the elements by 15. My daughter is only 8 but she already sees the dead. She already knows about the other side and has dreams of past lives. Her father wants her raised christian and tries to tell her these things aren't real. Yet, I send her to a christian church every sunday also to spend time with my mother but I fear this will confuse her. Do you think I should let her explore both religions and perhaps even more or should I tell her what I have come to understand. Should I teach her magic, at 8? What techniques would you suggest for explaining that to a little girl without scaring her?

Answer 1

Let's have a test to see if it's real...

What is my dead father's middle name?

I think your daughter simply has an active imagination...coupled with her mother's desire to believe in "Magick".

Why don't let you let her explore both religions and then she can decide when she's grown for herself? Wouldn't that be the fair thing to do?

Answer 2

IMO it's wrong for a parent to try and force their child into any religion. I commend you for handling this the way you have. I don't know much about wicca. Only that it is horribly misunderstood. But I think you do need to give them all the information you can. Talk to her about the differences between religions. I assume you and your husband can do this pretty well. The idea that a wiccan and a christian can make a marriage work is astounding. I commend you both on that. I do have one warning though: I grew up in a religious school. People who are close to churches tend to be very opinionated about things. Wicca is not an exception here. A mother in Georgia tried to have Harry Potter books banned from the local school because, she said, it promoted wicca. According to her, wiccans are satanists. That is one part of Christianity that youhave to make sure doesn't influence her (IMO; ultimately she's your kid so you can raise her as you see fit).

Answer 3

First off, nobody should ever tell a child anything isn't real. They will figure out what is real on their own. Spending time with Christians won't hurt her any as long as they respect her individuality. If she sees the dead, let her, ask her what they are saying, don't stifle her. Go ahead and teach her magic. My children have been learning since they could speak. If you don't teach her, she'll learn it from hearsay and it'll be crap.

Answer 4

I would suggest teaching as she asks questions.
personally, i would never force feed any belief on anyone.
i subscribe to the idea that wiccans feel that all is sacred, therefore none of my actions would be inappropriate simply because of how i treat all that is sacred. ( this renders the threefold law meaningless )
your daughter is a sacred being, so of course you would never do her any harm. let her spirit discover, and you should merely be a guide.
let her make her own decisions, and those decisions will become very clear by not only her questions, but especially in her actions.
plus, this gives you a wonderful opportunity to learn even more about yourself through her!
enjoy your journeys and adventures with your daughter!

blessed be!

Answer 5

I am a Christian and would encourage you to speak with your daughter. Explain to her what she is experiencing, that it is perfectly normal and explain to her about your gifts and experiences.

Christianity does not dismiss the world of spirits as many suggest. However, there was and is an effort to minimize it's affects within Christianity for a variety of reasons.

If you do not speak with her, your daughter could experience something scary being unprepared, and have no-one to go to for support and help.

Allow her to find her own path which may include both expressions to one degree or another. There is no perfect expression: Only the expression that is perfect for you.

Peace be with you.

Answer 6

I think she should be exposed to all religions. There's nothing wrong with education and exploration, but part of that comes confusion, especially at her age. You need to be prepared to answer any questions she may have.

I think it would be a good idea to show your daughter some magick, especially if your husband is going to shovel out his two cents on what's real and what's not. But my instincts tell me that, if she is your biological daughter, she most likely shares your same gifts and has experimented with magick already.
I would suggest observing her while she plays with her fiends or by herself. You should be able to tell what magickal level she's at, and then discuss it with her and slowly try to enhance her abilities.

Answer 7

Let me put it this way--many pagans were raised in Christian homes that tried to prevent them from learning about any religion but Christianity. It would be hypocritical to raise a child in a pagan home, only to prevent them from learning about certain other religions, Christianity included. Children are a lot smarter than we often give them credit for; talk to them about their beliefs, but let them make their own decisions. But that's just IMO, and take it as you will.

Answer 8

Tell her the truth, or she'll grow up thinking she's a loony tune.

Here's a great book to help.

Raising Witches: Teaching the Wiccan Faith to Children
by Ashleen O'Gaea

Answer 9

well, i suppose 8 yrs old isn't too young to introduce your girl to the history of both religious and help her notice how they intertwine.
you might want to sugar coat it a little bit for her father's sake but help her understand how Christian holidays and Pagan holidays intersect. then try to find as many similarities as possible between her father's faith and yours. you can deal with the conflicting concepts later.

since daddy takes her to church and exposes her to Christian rituals and traditions it's just as appropriate for her to be exposed to you faith's rituals and traditions. i bet she'd enjoy participating in some rituals with you. a cool mother/daughter thing. no doubt more fun and interesting than sitting in a pew for an hour.

Answer 10

Explain that you have one set of beliefs, while her father and grandmother believe differently (she probably already realizes this). If she asks what you believe and why, begin gently showing her rituals, if you think she's ready. She'll make a decision on her own when she reaches the right age for it. But she can't choose what she doesn't know, so it's important that she understands your beliefs.