13 Moons for kids! 😻

Hey there!

I know this newsletter has been mostly crazy ramblings so far… so I want to talk about something a little closer to home, because (1) you may like to hear something more personal and practical for once and (2) for my own sanity.

I have a three-and-a-half-year-old son. We’ve been showing him the 13 Moon Calendar since he was a little baby. We started teaching him numbers by showing him dot-bar notation. Each day he now can identify which of the 20 solar seals it is, and on Magnetic tone days (like today!) he often helps me put our wavespell magnets on the fridge.

His Mommy and I have a system for taking turns with some daily activities by using the colors of the seals. On red and blue days it’s Mommy’s turn. On yellow and white days, it’s Papa’s. Maybe child-rearing books talk about this kind of thing, where something neutral and outside of yourself determines the tasks to be done… I can attest that this can help prevent (SOME) power-struggles! 😃 (If you think you’re going to completely avoid power struggles with your child, you’re crazy! Or some kind of superhuman(?) in which case I would like to subscribe to YOUR newsletter!).

For him it’s a normal part of the daily routine, like brushing teeth! Now that he’s coming into a deeper self-expression we can start playing into the codes for each day! I’m looking forward to this!

I know parents like to brag about how amazing their children are,… and I’m no exception! I was super impressed at how easily he learned and remembered all those solar seals so young, and that he could recognize dot-bar numbers at such an early age. And, I feel great about that! Not because I want him to use the 13 Moon Calendar and be all super into it (like me), but I’m glad to be able to give him something unique and different to relate to, that also challenges his intellect and stimulates his imagination. Also:

The ease with which my kid is learning it, affirmed to me that children are far more brilliant and capable than they are usually given credit for. It’s no wonder if they act out sometimes – they get bored and need something to expand their horizons!

We’re experimenting with it, but we don’t push it on him. Personally, I’m just curious what he will take from it, what he will see in it, and what will interest him about it. Plus, I love that we got a jump on teaching him to interact with a different perspective of Time before anyone has had an opportunity to teach him the insane 12-month calendar and unforgiving mechanical clock! …Well, we do have “bed time” and things like that, but our schedule isn’t so insanely overbooked that we don’t have plenty of opportunities for timeless play.

I also want to share a story about my wife. She and her friends in Venezuela volunteered to teach the 13 Moon Calendar to some troubled children in their city. They went to the school and taught the kids about natural time, how nature’s cycles are harmonic and balanced. They also taught them about the Banner of Peace and the concept of peace through culture. After their visits, the teachers reported that the kids behaved much more peacefully and cooperatively.

We’re not child psychologists, but my “silly-wild-ass-guess” (to borrow a phrase from my Dad) is it’s because the children felt empowered by the 13 Moon Calendar. For instance, if they knew it was their galactic signature day, they would be in charge of certain tasks at school. Instead of fighting against doing these tasks, they were happy to do it, maybe because it felt empowering to them – or maybe it came as a fun surprise, or something to look forward to!

How else should I try playing with the 13 Moon calendar with my son? And how about you? Do you share the 13 Moon Calendar with any children in your life? Do you have any ideas about it? I’d LOVE to hear them!