First, I want to share this really lovely song blog member Al Williams and his wife, JJ composed in honor of Erik. I think it’d be a great addition to the soundtrack if his story ever becomes a movie. I cried when I listened. They’re so freaking talented!! Check it out HERE.

Also, many of you guys asked for contact information for Joey Herman, the comedian who called in during last week’s radio show. Here’s this site: http://www.datpiff.com/Joey-Herman-Enjoey-mixtape.821407.html. For more about him, click on enjoey.joeyherman.com. After listening to this podcast, it became clear to me that he is very spiritually knowledgable, and perhaps he’d be a great teaching co-guest with Erik!

Last announcement: I’m told that the CE event in Houston is actually Friday and Saturday (the 20th and 21st.) Sunday the 22nd is not part of it, but we can still hang out anyway if you guys want! 

Me: What can you do to open the realities of young children to things like chakras and vibrations to help them feel comfortable and confident navigating their time on Earth? How do you teach them this on a child level?

Jamie: Erik leans over and cuts his eyes at me. I don’t hate it. I like that he knows so much about me, but he motivates me in ways that challenge me.

Erik (looking at Jamie): Well, if Jamie would get her materials out—

Jamie: It’s a secret dream of mine. I don’t think I’ve ever shared it with you, Elisa. I’ve written children’s books and stuff about learning about vibrations and energies and chakras—

Me: Well, hurry up! I’ve got a grand daughter to help raise here!

Jamie: Well, I have them written; I just can’t really seem to find a publishing company and set up the illustrations that I like and stuff like that.

Me: Oh, okay.

Jamie: So, he’s calling me a lazy dud.

Erik: Yeah, so when you’re dealing with kids like 4 or so—

(Pause)

Jamie (to Erik, a little aggravated): Don’t! Don’t do that! YOU answer the question!

(Pause)

Jamie: Okay, this is from Erik, not me. He said, “You should answer it.”

Erik: When you’re talking to these children, of course it’s always s little uncomfortable at first to start using words like chakra and aura and other kinds of woo-woo things, because you don’t want your kids to be out there using those sorts of terms and having other moms thinking, “Who the fuck are you as a mom?” Cuz it’s still a little taboo.

Me: Yeah.

Erik: It’s a fine balance raising your children with this and still being in the general public, so I would come up with some different words. They can be words you come up together, and when you’re talking to your kids when they’re having a certain emotion, draw a picture and help teach them that their body doesn’t stop where their skin is. Their body goes out wider and brighter than that and that’s where the emotions are. The emotions are held outside the body. That would be a simple way of introducing that they are bigger than their bodies, and if they are feeling happy, people can stand inside their happiness or if they feel sad, they can stand inside their sadness. And this is why they feel what other people are going through.

Me: Ah! We adults could take something away from this, too!

Jamie: Yeah, I like that, Erik! I better jot that down.

I can hear her whispering the words to herself as she scribbles on a piece of paper.

Jamie: Erik, maybe you and I could do some fun stuff with that one.

Erik: Yeah, sure! Okay. And when you’re teaching them about chakras, just use the term, “center.” To teach a spiritual person, as an adult, we’re always teaching them to center to their heart, so make that the starting place and talk about the green center that’s in their heart. Then really discuss with them about the emotions. I wouldn’t really teach more than that until about the age of six or seven when they start to really identify themselves as independent and start creating a sense of separation from themselves and their world. When you get there, that’s when you can start teaching them about the other centers like the throat and how they govern other parts of the body. And that’s when you can start teaching them about color therapy.

Me: Ah, great!

Erik: With the 0 to 6 age range when it’s mostly about emotions and the green center, this will help them center in emotions. That makes them a better spiritual child. You can also teach them aromatherapy, because that can link straight to the emotions. “If you’re happy, smell this.” “Oh so this smell makes you happy.”

Me: Wait, so shouldn’t it be something that you smell when you’re sad so that you’re happier?

Erik: Well, we find it more beneficial to have the higher vibrational emotions. So, identify the smells that children associate to higher vibrations. It could be excitement, peace, centeredness, calm, joy, all of these things, so when they’re experiencing the lower vibrations, you can say, “Oh, you’re pretty anxious about what’s going on. Well, here’s this smell that makes you calm.” So when a child is giggling and laughing, give them like five scents and say, “Smell these five scents and tell me if you like any of them right now.” And the one they like the most will be their happy smell.

Me: Oh, I see!

Erik: And when they’re really calm and centered or really tired and they’re going to bed, say, “Oh, smell these five; which one do you like?” Then that one will be their sleep scent. So if they can’t get good sleep, you can use that spray or that oil to create that sleep state.

Me: I get it.

Erik: Yeah, so you definitely want them in the emotion to pick out the smell that goes with it.

Me: How do parents pick out these scents? Do they come in sets?

Erik: I would recommend, um, pick the top twenty or top fifteen—I like twenty—that are non-toxic, non-allergenic and use those. A child’s is going to be pretty much honest with you. They might smell ‘em all and go, “I don’t like any of them.” And you go, “Okay.” And then the next time they’re happy, try a set of five.

Me: Okay. So when they try the set of five, so they just sniff it or do you use a diffuser?

Erik: Nah, just let ‘em sniff it. Just sniff it out of the bottle. The simpler the better. If you make it more complicated, the kid will snap out of their happiness and get into the mode of exploration and you don’t want that.

Me: Okay. This is all great information, Erik. God, I wish I knew all of this when you guys were growing up.