The Spiritually Gifted Child

In my experience, children with "learning disabilities" most often have a heightened sensitivity to the world around them, including their own intuition. They are able to tap into the gifts we are all born with, but that most are encouraged to shed as they move into the school years (Kindergarten through high school). For the spiritually gifted child (whether they are diagnosed with a learning disability or not) their heightened attention to their intuition and the world allows them to access gifts on an energetic or "spiritual" level. 

 

What does “Spiritual” Mean?

The word "Spiritual" tends to take people to a misconceived notion that it is based in religion. There are several reasons fort this: one, is that most families have an undercurrent of religious beliefs on some level or another, and most of us have been exposed to at least some religion. We may have been generally taught that spirituality and religion are the same. For example, in Catholicism, one makes the sign of the cross with their hands saying “…in the name of the Father, the Son, The Holy Spirit…”. Another reason is that we have heard the word used in association with various religions throughout our lives. However, in order to understand what “spiritual” truly means – in the way it is employed at Conscious Kids –  it is imperative to interrupt the entanglement of "spirituality" and "religion” and go to its source. 

 

Let’s look at the definition of “spiritual” itself.[1] Merriam Webster defines “spiritual” (adj.) as:

"of, relating to, consisting of, or affecting the spirit”

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“Spirit” is defined as:

 “an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms”

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Looking at the Etymology (origin of the word), we find that “Spirit” is:

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Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French, espirit, spirit, from Latin spiritus, literally, breath, from spirare to blow, breathe.

 

The Etymology of Spiritual is from Late Latin spiritualis, from Latin, of breathing, of wind, from spiritus.

 

Now we see that “Spirit” is the essence of being – the breath that fuels your body, the wind in your lungs. It really is the essence of your entire livelihood. So when we say, “spiritually gifted”, we mean in deep connection with the essence of livelihood, with the nature of our very being.  Now that we’ve finished our vocabulary lesson – let’s get back to it, shall we?

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Understanding now that the spiritually gifted child is one that is in deep connection with the spirit of life, this connection may show up in a myriad of ways for the child.  There are many gifts that come from this deep connection, but it may also be very challenging for a child to understand or navigate these gifts - especially if they already feel "different" from other children because of a learning disability.  It is very important to create a safe space for the spiritually gifted child to explore, understand, and play with the gifts they have been given. We want to encourage them to feel empowered, instead of "different" from others. We are all in this together, so it is not about separating them out, it is about allowing them to feel confident as they are, so they can feel comfortable as they are, in any situation with any group or person.  ​

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Most often these children already feel as if they do not fit in with others, that perhaps they are not the same. This is because they have usually not been given a space or community that empowers their uniqueness. Spiritually gifted children are brave and have been given extraordinary gifts. It's our duty to show them they do belong, and they are beautiful exactly as they are. 

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[1] While dictionaries offer several definitions of each word, it is necessary to note the first definition as it is the one with the most primary meaning.

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