AboutAlayne Grey Expertise I am a Druid and a scholar of Wicca and other forms of Paganism - I can answer people's questions about Wicca, Witchcraft, Druidry (specifically), how to begin Pagan studies, Asatru, Shamanism and so on. I also feel myself competent to deal with the questions of teenage seekers looking to be Pagans, as I am a teenager myself.
Experience I've been a Druid for almost a year, write essays for Witchvox, and I am currently writing a book on controversial Pagan issues. I am widely read about Wicca and other Pagan paths and about the best foundations for beginning such a rewarding spirituality.
Publications I am listed under "Alayne Grey" on Witchvox and have written several essays, including one about my own beginner's experience.
Education/Credentials I am a Pagan teenager completing my A-Levels, having achieved high GCSE awards the previous year in 2005.
Question 7 year old obsessed with spells and wizards.
I am not a practicing Wicca. I have an exceptionally unique situation with my little miracle son. I was told by 5 doctors that I would not be able to have him, or we would both die. 8 months in bed and lots of hard work later….. He has always shown me his spiritual side and I have come to be more in touch with my spirituality because of him. He is now 7 and I have been noticing his draw, or obsession, to wizards and spells and anything that has to do with magic. Building dragons, reading anything wizard related, Dragon books, castles, and magic spells, reading books over and over. Of course this all started with Harry Potter and I thought it was a “thing he was going through.”
We travel and hang out at music festivals as part of my work. He has been with me all summer and has been paying attention to people talking about spiritually and playing with a lot of kids that are exposed to pagan festivals and the Wicca religion. He has asked me for books to read and to learn and start practicing with the pagan people. Can you tell me where to start with him and give an idea what I can start reading to learn more about paganism and Wicca religion?
Answer Kim,
You probably won't like this, but I think your lovely son is too young to really understand what the pagan people are actually up to. It is complicated - not about crystals and chakras and meditating, like the hippies and New Agers who flock to music festivals and Stonehenge would have you think. Ultimately, Paganism is around the same faith as Christianity - about deity, about a personal relationship with the Gods, not about standing in a circle or waving wands or casting spells.
I'm sorry, but he is too little for any of this to mean that he will or should be a Pagan of any kind. Most seven year olds are obsessed with fantasy and magic - that's why we have fairy tales to tell our children at night, that is why "Harry Potter" is so popular. All of the stuff kids believe and imagine about magic is just fantasizing - and nothing to do with Paganism or Wicca. A lot of teenagers who intend to become witches find this out when they begin reading about Wicca, and decide it isn't for them because it doesn't give them immense powers like in the movie "The Craft".
No Pagans with a conscience would teach a child so young, because he's not old enough to decide these things for himself. It's true, if he starts now he could become a Wiccan, but he could also end up moving on to a different religion as he got older and started asking the adult questions that people who are truly seeking do, or he might end up an atheist. What you see as "spiritual" is simply the imaginative nature of a creative child, who sees much more possibility in the world than an adult who has become jaded with bills and murder in the news and the daily grind of a job in order to survive.
As such, Pagan books and websites are geared towards older teenagers and adults with basic questions, seekers and the serious alike. Paganism requires an in-depth understanding of history and culture and other Pagan and non-Pagan faiths, not just about spells. It is a religion, not a quick-fix solution to life's problems like the New Age community would have you think. There is no asking the universe for answers.
Can your special child tell you about the Celts, their leaders, languages, poetry, stories and battles? Has he read the Bible, or the Koran? Has he experienced other faiths, in order to know this is the right one? Does he know how to pray to the Gods, and which ones will be his masters? Does he know that sometimes serving deity will be hard and painful? Does he know that spell-casting has rules? Does he know how tight the ethics of Paganism binds its adherents?
No. He's little. He doesn't need religion - all he needs is the love of his mom, some good books, and a lot of mucking around in the garden and the great outdoors and with his toys until he becomes a teenager. If he's meant to be a Pagan, that can wait! The Gods don't need babies as servants, but adults.
Where should he start? With the world around him. Teach him about plants and bugs and animals, where he can get down in the dirt and look at stuff for himself. You can teach him about recycling. Volunteer with animal shelters or rescue groups, and projects to pick up trash or clean up after oil spills. Teach him the names of the stars. Read him the Greek myths. Teach him to treat others well, and not to be mean about people even when he doesn't like them. Send him to Sunday school, take him to visit a synagogue and a mosque, and tell him what different religions believe. Teach him to write his own stories and poetry, and to sing and play music.
Ultimately, the world around us is the heart of Paganism. If he eventually becomes one of us when he is eighteen and ready to be taught, this will be the perfect grounding for his faith. And if he decides it's not for him, he'll have had a great childhood with his mom and he'll know he was loved and educated well. This is much better than trying to teach him stuff like rituals and spells, which are based too deeply in complicated theology for him to understand just yet. (My sister's eleven, and religion is hard for her to understand, even though she prays and goes to church and is interested in the world around her).
It sounds to me as if you have a smart and sensitive kid. Nurture him, and whether he turns out to be religious or not, he will be a great person and will do great things. Religion is inconsequential against the gentle nature of a good person - and my faith teaches me that goodness is more important than believeing the right thing. :)
