TABLE OF CONTENTS

 QUESTING: A Teen's Quest for Life

EXCERPT

Looking into the Heart

Every child and young person has a special gift to give the planet. It is all theirs to give! And unless they understand this and are allowed to discover their unique gift to earth, they will not be satisfied. They want to be special!

The search for the special gift that is unique for each young person begins in a serious manner by the early teens. They will often sense, "I have something inside of me that is about to be born." They have deep feelings at this time about personal identity and purpose. Often, there is an excitement and inner expectancy of something wonderful! This is the period, set aside by nature, when the young person finds his or her spiritual message within and begins to harmonize with the indwelling Spirit and Creator Intelligence or Heart Mother. Unfortunately, this sacred and important period is generally overlooked, disregarded, even laughed at by our schools and the parents themselves! And because of this, humanity lives in a vacuum without the spiritual feeding of a creative intelligence. The "child" to be born of Spirit never happens. It is dulled into complacency, perhaps even depression.

What is wrong with our educational values when we push the young person into intellectual stimulus disregarding the heart-intelligence? Why do we do this to our children? Why haven't we followed the path mapped by nature, a path that would insure deepening awareness and creative, compassionate contributions to our earth community?

Between the ages of twelve and fourteen a door is waiting to be opened. Every parent and every teacher should be ready to beckon the child through the door. They should be building toward that moment of the quest when the child ventures forth into new directions, unknown lands of creative intelligence. The young seeker should be encouraged to open that door--confident that they can open it!

Although young men and young women have somewhat different anticipations in the quest of life's purpose, their paths are initially the same because they both are seeking--their souls are seeking--avenues for expression far beyond the present mode of the world.

What needs to occur in our educational system as well as at home base is recognition of the Quest and the importance of making a place for it in our schools and places of worship. Perhaps teachers and parents might take this time set aside for the rite of passage in order to experience their own deep yearning for a renewed self-image and vision for tomorrow. We are talking about making a "space" in our crowded agendas and curriculum so that there is ample opportunity, encouragement and stimulus for the quest. Life is too wonderful to lose it, too magical to let it be smothered by endless books and tracts of paper.

Where is our sense of adventure? Questing can be fun if we understand the truth of it!