A friend of mine told me about a recent visit with her two year old grandson, who appeared in his mother's dreams long in advance of his arrival, and told his expectant parents what his name would be. As an infant, Daniel spent a great deal of time lying under trees, watching shafts of light filter and shimmer through the leaves. He was fascinated with the phenomenon of light appearing unexpectedly in the trees, sparkling off the water of the Feather River near his home, or breaking through a cloud-filled sky. When he was old enough to talk, Daniel began to call the light "Adda." When he sees a glimmer or a shaft of light at a distance, he stops whatever he is doing, points to the light, and whispers reverently, "Adda."

Daniel's grandmother and I talked about how important it is that children like Daniel are affirmed for their inborn sense of magic and mystery. In the words of poet Robert Bly, this is the "360-degree radiance" with which Daniel was born and which will always be uniquely his. So many of us, when we described seeing the world through magical eyes, were discouraged rather than encouraged in expressing the light that was born in each of us. In these encounters, the one-in-us who could see "Adda" slowly lost the ability to see...or, at least, began to hide from those who could not appreciate the magic that Daniel's family adores in him.

What is your experience of children like Daniel? Did you have mystical experiences as a child? Did you try to communicate your awe and wonder at the Mystery in the world around you to the adults who cared for you? What was their response, and how do you believe this impacted the development of your spiritual life?



Meredith Jordan
Rogers McKay Publishing

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