<div>Paul et. al.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Some who are involved in the "Indigo Child" concept deny that it refers to an aura of the children involved. Read the bottom of the load page for the web site below. But even the Spokesman Review article I quoted was titled "Aura Of Indigo" in big bold letters, with a big charming picture below of children at the School Indigo in Coeur d'alene giving big hugs... How sweet!
</div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="http://www.indigochild.com/">http://www.indigochild.com/</a></div>
<div><br>"New Age" spirituality or religion is a popularized media concept more than any sort of well defined theological system. If you follow some sort of Yogic meditation and are a Christian, the Christian purists may say you are being corrupted by "New Age" religion, despite the fact that Yogic mediation techniques pre-date Christianity. The same can be said for those who follow Goddess or Earth/Nature centered spiritual traditions. Those get labeled "New Age" also, though they also pre-date Christianity.
<br> </div>
<div>And though Christian saints have been having visions and communicating with a transcendent realm for centuries, if someone has visions or communicates with a transcendent realm in a manner that does not fit Christian ideology, well, this is "New Age" bunk, or worse, the work of the devil. It seems if you want to ridicule a spiritual phenomenon, label it "New Age."
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>There are aspects of the "Indigo Child" phenomenon that do qualify it for inclusion under the concept of "New Age," with a strict adherance to the "new." The Indigo Child is supposed to be more of a recent phenomenon, a response to the new global cultural environment and technological developments, or even a transcendentally originating spiritual response to the massive crises the human race faces at this moment in history, or biological evolution at work in our time. It seems to me that the great Christian visionary and artist Hildegard Von Bingen (1098-1179 AD), if born today, might be called an "Indigo Child:"
</div>
<div> </div>
<div><a href="http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/hildegarde.html">http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/med/hildegarde.html</a></div>
<div> </div>
<div>"Hildegard was born a "10"th child (a tithe) to a noble family. As was customary with the tenth child, which the family could not count on feeding, she was dedicated at birth to the church. The girl started to have visions of luminous objects at the age of three, but soon realized she was unique in this ability and hid this gift for many years."
</div>
<div>--------</div>
<div>I do think the "Indigo Child" phenomenon is probably more a matter of spirituality and religious feeling for those involved with "different" or talented children, who want to view them in a positive light, and find the current cultural definitions lacking or oriented toward placing a negative label, than it is something scientifically or medically based. But why should this spirituality be ridiculed more than other forms of spirituality? Is the Indigo Child phenomenon something inducing great social harm?
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Given that Ellen finds the concept used for crass materialistic ends, with the "New Age" label apparently part of this exploitation, lets examine how Christianity, indeed many significant spiritual movements, are also exploited in this manner.
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>As a matter of fact, in absolute terms, there is more lightening of wallets in the name of Jesus in the USA, than for any other religion or spiritual orientation, if for no other reason than Jesus is by far the most popular religious figure worshiped.
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Why target so called "New Age" religion for this particular capitalist exploitation of the gullible? Look no further than that televangelist or traveling tent preacher, telling you your cancer or blindness or deafness can be faith healed in the name of Jesus, while pleas are made to support the ministry with a donation.
</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Ted Moffett</div>
<div> </div>
<div><span class="gmail_quote">On 8/3/06, <b class="gmail_sendername">Paul Rumelhart</b> <<a href="mailto:godshatter@yahoo.com">godshatter@yahoo.com</a>> wrote:</span>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: #ccc 1px solid">
<div>
<div bgcolor="#ffffff" text="#000000">The "Indigo child" thing comes from the color that psychics allegedly can see in their auras. <br><br>At the risk of alienating myself on this list, I'm one of those weirdos that thinks they can see auras. I still have no idea what it is I can see, it could be a trick of the light or an eye/retina condition. I don't know if it's some kind of energy or if it's some kind of psychological thing. Personally, I think it's my brains way of displaying information that I'm sensing somehow in other ways, or maybe that I'm just gathering subconsciously from subtle clues. I have never seen an indigo aura, but I've seen green, blue, yellow, orange, tan, and even black.
<br><br>While you're probably already lumping me in with Miss Cleo, understand that I don't put much if any stock in the "accepted" meanings for aura colors. In researching this phenomenon, I did read about Indigo children - I just have never seen one. It's not like I can see auras all the time, anyway. I have to be very relaxed, for one thing, and that's not that easy when you're around people you don't know well, and the lighting conditions have to be right (strong light makes them hard to see).
<br><br>Now, this doesn't mean that there is actually anything to this "Indigo child" stuff. Most of the information on aura colors is laid down by people who don't have a lot of respect for science or the scientific method. It's all completely subjective, basically a simple corelation between someone whose aura they see as blue and the fact that they know that person to be generally nicer and more helpful than most or whatever. You get the idea. You'll also find many different meanings for the same color, which should tip you off that there is no real objectiveness behind this. They also make all kinds of statements that I have seen personally to be untrue, such as "a person's aura never changes over their lifetime". It also seems that the idea has been latched onto by people trying to capitalize on it, which should throw up warning signs.
<br><br>So, the concept of an "Indigo child" as a description for the latest round of child prodigies is probably as good as any other label, but I bet that the term will get diluted quickly. Everyone wants their child to be an "Indigo Child". Even if they really do have indigo auras, few people that I have met can see them.
<br><br>On the other hand, I wonder what I would see if I sat down with Akiane and had a relaxed chat with her in a semi-dim room and tried to see her aura.<br><br>Paul<br><br>Ellen Roskovich wrote:
<blockquote cite="http://midBAY101-F21C789FDC04408F95B4690E2530@phx.gbl" type="cite"></blockquote></div>
<div><span class="e" id="q_10cd711d0dfcdb70_1">
<div>
<div>
<p><strong>Ted. . . . I actually agree with you concerning children, schools and labels. But the problem is "Indigo Child" is yet another label for something that has always existed. What I really object to is the "New Age" association and the websites that sell materials to parents looking for quick answers.
</strong></p>
<p><strong>Years back when I worked for DoD I was assigned to Defense Contracts Administration Services. It will probably surprise a few to know that 35 years ago there was an AF contract to study ESP and Pk among other things. The gentleman in charge of this contract was extremely interesting to talk to and I would seek him out at lunch to pick his brain. Life is far more fun and interesting if you keep an open mind : ) Anyway, to keep a long story short, I will always remember one thing he told me about his field of study. Everyone has the ability but very few tap into it. When they do tap into, it most subjects make any experiments almost worthless because they feel they are having a "religious experience". . . and in his exact words to me: "religion ruins everything".
</strong></p>
<p><strong>That was a fun job. . . the Navy also had a contract to communicate with dolphins. </strong></p>
<p><strong>Ellen A. Roskovich</strong><br><br></p></div>
<blockquote style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(160,198,229) 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"></font>
<hr color="#a0c6e5" size="1">
<font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">From: <i>"Ted Moffett" <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:starbliss@gmail.com" target="_blank"><starbliss@gmail.com>
</a></i><br>To: <i>"Ellen Roskovich" <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:gussie443@hotmail.com" target="_blank"><gussie443@hotmail.com></a></i><br>CC: <i><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:privatejf32@hotmail.com" target="_blank">
privatejf32@hotmail.com</a>, <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com" target="_blank">vision2020@moscow.com</a></i><br>Subject: <i>Indigo Children:Child Prodigy Art</i>
<br>Date: <i>Thu, 3 Aug 2006 10:23:57 -0700</i><br></font><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"><br></font>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">All:</font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">There was an interesting long article about "Indigo Children" in the March 13, 2006 Spokesman Review, section B page 1 and 5. Consider that both sources Donovan gave are clearly biased against finding value in the concept, the Wiki article with warnings that the content is in dispute, and the "skepdic" web site being what it says it is, "skeptical." Skeptical is good! I'm skeptical of Donovan's dismissing the concept of "Indigo Children" with three words, "made up garbage." Look in the mirror!
</font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">If this concept is "made up garbage," consider that there is a school in Coeur d'lane named "School Indigo." To quote from the Spokesman Review article:
</font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">"Their thought processes usually operates a little differently."says Sydnee Wright, director of School Indigo, a private alternative school in Coeur d'lane. "They tend to think outside the box. They tend to think very large."
</font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">The article raises the question about whether the "Indigo Child" is just another label for something else already categorized, like "gifted" or "genius," or a positive concept to label something more negative, like ADHD.
</font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">However, the article discusses the lives of several children who some consider "Indigo Children," and these children are not just misbehaved and malfunctioning:
</font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">"A Post Falls girl, 11 year old art prodigy, Akiane Kramarik, was featured in the recent indigo documentary."</font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">"At the age of 4, she had a tremendous spiritual transformation," says her mother, Foreli Kramarik. "This is when she started sharing about her visions of heaven and little by little I began believing."
</font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">Akiane's art work can be viewed at:</font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.artakiane.com/" target="_blank">http://www.artakiane.com</a></font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">And what do I think? I think we put children into far too many "boxes," labels based on incomplete understanding of human individuality and the complexity of the human organism. And I think many children who resist conforming to a traditional school setting are not just "misbehaving." I think it is unrealistic to expect all children to sit quietly in desks in rows at the commands of adults. Many talented children who who resists this sort of educational setting do not have a "pathology," in my opinion, but in fact may be more inward and creative in their thinking, thus resisting the demands of conformity. And given what many societies expect children to conform to, this might be viewed in a positive light.
</font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">However, I'm not interested in more labels to impose upon the uniqueness of each individual, such as "Indigo Child." On the other hand, however much the origins or theory of the "Indigo Child" should be questioned, it does provide a context in which to provide cultural protection for gifted children who might be otherwise labeled in some negative or pathological manner, resulting in the stifling of their individuality and gifts.
</font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">Consider that many of the most passionately held religious beliefs, when examined under the glaring light of logic and fact, can also easily be dismissed as, "made up garbage."
</font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">Ted Moffett</font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"> </font></div>
<div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"><br> </font></div>
<div><span class="gmail_quote"><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">On 8/2/06, <b class="gmail_sendername">Ellen Roskovich</b> <<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:gussie443@hotmail.com" target="_blank">
gussie443@hotmail.com</a>> wrote:</font></span><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"> </font></div>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0px 0px 0px 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid">
<p><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"><strong>On giving some of those websites a quick glance, it looks like parents trying to find an excuse for badly behaved children. Also noticed that these websites are quick to make your pocketbook lighter. . . for a price they'll tell you how to deal with your little darling.
</strong></font></p>
<p><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"><strong>Ellen A. Roskovich</strong><br><br></font></p>
<div><span></span></div>
<hr color="#a0c6e5" size="1">
<font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">From: <i>"J Ford" <<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:privatejf32@hotmail.com" target="_blank">privatejf32@hotmail.com
</a>></i><br>To: <i><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:vision2020@moscow.com" target="_blank"> vision2020@moscow.com</a></i><br>Subject: <i>[Vision2020] Change of Subject - Children
</i><br>Date: <i>Wed, 02 Aug 2006 17:35:37 -0700</i><br></font>
<div><span><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">>Has anyone heard of "Indigo Children"? Can you explain it to me or if it<br>>even exits? If it does, what ways are KNOWN to treat these wee ones that
<br>>works? </font></span></div><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"><br>><br>>Thanks.<br>><br>>J :]<br>><br>>_________________________________________________________________
<br>>On the road to retirement? Check out MSN Life Events for advice on how to<br>>get there! </font><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://lifeevents.msn.com/category.aspx?cid=Retirement" target="_blank">
http://lifeevents.msn.com/category.aspx?cid=Retirement</a><br>><br>>======================================================= </font><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"><br>> List services made available by First Step Internet,
<br>> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<br>> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.fsr.net/" target="_blank"> http://www.fsr.net</a><br>> mailto:
<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com" target="_blank">Vision2020@moscow.com</a><br>>======================================================= </font><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif">
<br></font><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"><br>=======================================================<br> List services made available by First Step Internet,<br> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
<br> </font><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.fsr.net/" target="_blank">http://www.fsr.net</a><br> mailto:
<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com" target="_blank"> Vision2020@moscow.com</a><br>=======================================================<br><br></font></blockquote>
<font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"><br></font><font style="FONT-SIZE: 11px; FONT-FAMILY: tahoma,sans-serif"><br></font></blockquote></div></span></div>
<div><pre><hr width="90%" size="4">
=======================================================
List services made available by First Step Internet,
serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.
</pre></div>
<div><span class="q"><a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.fsr.net/" target="_blank">http://www.fsr.net</a> <a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com" target="_blank">
mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com</a> =======================================================</span></div>
<div><pre></pre>
<blockquote></blockquote><br> </div></div><br>=======================================================<br> List services made available by First Step Internet,<br> serving the communities of the Palouse since 1994.<br>
<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="http://www.fsr.net/" target="_blank">http://www.fsr.net</a><br> mailto:<a onclick="return top.js.OpenExtLink(window,event,this)" href="mailto:Vision2020@moscow.com">
Vision2020@moscow.com</a><br>=======================================================<br><br></blockquote></div><br>