Excerpt from The Lemurian Way
Chapter 4: Childhood: The Communal Lap
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There were no unwanted children in Lemuria. Each precious child was carefully planned for, welcomed, adored, and lovingly raised. Being raised in our environment was like a fairy tale, an enchanted land of earthly fairy godmothers and godfathers. The birth of a single child occurred infrequently, spaced from ten up to one hundred years apart in each community.
Following birth the mother breast-fed, then surrendered the newborn to the Council of Elders for the "Becoming" ritual. At that time many of the women of the village also began to lactate and took turns feeding the baby. This was done because the child was a member of our entire community, and belonged to no one set of parents.
Although a child was born to an individual mother, the community parented the child from the beginning of its life to emancipation from childhood. All men and women of a community were the child's enraptured parents.
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We knew that during the first two years of a child's life the baby was only loosely connected to its physical body. So we took turns holding our sweet infant who was never isolated or abandoned, never even laid down.
Our child slept, ate, cuddled, played with, and was held on the "communal lap" of men, women, and older children. This way our child would fully integrate a physical body while also maintaining a light body. When the tot was ready to crawl or walk, he or she was encouraged to do so, only returning to someone's lap to rest, sleep or cuddle. Consequently, there were no crib deaths in Lemuria, no orphans, no birth or separation trauma, and no worn-out parents.
The forming of this deep connection with the community nurtured the full bloom of a child's personal nature, talents, and being. Connections formed in the first two years molded our children's characters, bonded them to the community, and supported their growing awareness of their innate gifts and Universal Wisdom. We knew the value of carefully and gently raising a beloved child.
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Much attention was given to each growing infant in the first two years, a full-time joyful celebration of the delivery of a new life. Our children were lovingly guarded, protected, caressed, and nurtured. Infants received daily massages and were gently bathed in waterfalls, streams, and oceans, made to feel at one with nature. This treatment was to ensure that they were grounded in their bodies while becoming bonded with nature, the community, and the source of all being.
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Raising our growing and developing children was the most fun-filled, awe-inspiring, and fulfilling responsibility we could imagine. By observing and nourishing a child's true essence, wisdom, and connectedness to all, we breathed life into that child. We never made the mistake of imposing our personal aspirations on our children. Each child's soul had already declared its purpose and intentions for coming into our world. Everyone in the community knew about the influence of the sun, moon, planets, and stars, and how to support our child's talents and gifts. Our Council of Elders observed the child frequently and paid attention to the parenting taking place. They didn't directly participate in the parenting, but were the child's overall protectors and guides. They could step in and correct something that was not proceeding in the child's best interest and for the highest good of all. They made certain that the village parented the child with the best possible attitudes, unconditional love, and sacredness of spirit.
The child received abundant suckling from humans and nature. We were always in contact with the baby's body by touching, massaging, cuddling, stroking, and bathing. We added plumeria, ylang ylang, and fresh herbs to our baby's bath water for absorption of healing essences. The child learned the Lemurian Way through our playful and loving interactions.
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The child was so filled with love and nurturing that there wasn't an instant of hunger or unfulfilled need. Yet we encouraged our child's natural rhythm to ensure that the tot would stay connected to its own body wisdom, while being provided for abundantly.
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Mothers stopped lactating and nursing when a child was about two years old. Prior to that we offered finger foods like fruit and other natural foods. A two-year ritual was performed at this time. The transition was an important one, from being continually held and breast-fed to learning a sense of self-responsibility; learning about the food of life and eating from the table of nature; nurturing oneself and not depending wholly on others; exploring inner wisdom, self-awareness and learning how to care for one's own needs. However, we continued to communally parent our children for many years.
Our toddlers were also taught chanting, singing, and dancing. Our little children were inspired to use their Source-given ability of communicating telepathically. We raised them with nature so they easily imitated sounds of birds, animals, and dolphins. Around the time that modern children are throwing tantrums, our children rode dolphins with playful ease, buoyant in their light bodies. Baby-sitting Elders cast Gold Light around babies and communicated with predators, to align with protecting our precious children.
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The Lemurian Way, Remembering your Essential Nature
copyright Lauren O. Thyme 1997, 2017