The Religious Guardians
This week’s reflection
What are all the different names people have for the Spirit within them? What wisdom do they have to share?
Share your thoughts below — and read what others are saying.
This week’s reflection
What are all the different names people have for the Spirit within them? What wisdom do they have to share?
Share your thoughts below — and read what others are saying.
For parents and spiritual or religious teachers seeding an awareness of the wisdom that comes from the world’s religions, my suggestion for this category is to select beautiful quotes from Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, Buddhism—and all the different pathways—selecting one per week for the weeks when this category rolls around.🙏🙏🙏
Use whichever name is used for the loving Source and Center for that child’s religious or cultural training. This is the only category I didn’t ask the kids to interact with but rather take in and simply reflect on the quotes.❤️
Different names and thoughts on the primal and loving Source and Center within you:
The first quote I sent the kids to reflect on was sent on October 16, 2023 and was the Judeo-Christian teaching: “The Lord our God is one Lord, and you should love him with all your mind and heart while you do your very best to love all his children as you love yourself. This one God is our Heavenly Father, in whom all things consist and who dwells, by his spirit, in every sincere human soul. And we who are the children of God should learn how to commit the keeping of our souls to him as a faithful Creator.” ❤️😇
A Statue of Chief Seattle
On January 17th, 2024, the following quote was shared with the kids that was once said by Chief Seattle, a wise man from the indigenous people in America that are called Native Americans. They’re known for having a lot of respect and love for God, who they call the Great Spirit, and for all of creation as well. This is what he said long ago:
“Will you teach your children what we have taught our children? That the earth is our mother? What befalls the earth befalls all the sons of the earth. This we know: the earth does not belong to man, man belongs to the earth. All things are connected like the blood that unites us all. Man did not weave the web of life—he is merely a strand in it. Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself. One thing we know: our God is also your God. The earth is precious to him, and to harm the Earth is to heap contempt on its creator.” 🙏🌎
Confucius:
On April 2, 2024 the kids were given this quote by Confucius to reflect on:
“Heaven’s bounty never stops. Benevolence is Heaven’s choicest gift to man. Heaven has bestowed its nobility upon the soul of man; the virtues of man are the fruit of this endowment of Heaven’s nobility. The Great Heaven is all-discerning, and goes with man in all his doings. And we do well when we call the Great Heaven our Father and our Mother. If we are thus servants of our divine ancestors, then may we in confidence pray to Heaven.
The Great Heaven
The kids aren’t asked to reflect on a question whenever we work with this category. But this discussion naturally followed after hearing Confucius’s quote about the Great Heaven between them at the Savannah Rose Home:
Ravics JohnSun, Apr 7, 10:19 AM (6 days ago)
It’s heartening to see the children engaging with teachings from different religious traditions. After listening to the teaching from Confucianism, the children expressed their feelings of awe and wonder at the idea of Heaven’s constant benevolence and the notion of Heaven as a caring parental figure. They appreciated the emphasis on serving divine ancestors and the sense of connection to something greater than themselves. Some like Francis,Salima and Kyatwike shared their reflections on how this teaching resonates with their own beliefs and experiences, fostering a sense of unity and understanding. Overall, they expressed gratitude for the opportunity to learn and grow in their understanding of various religious perspectives.
Francis raised his hand excitedly, saying, “I really liked the part about Heaven’s bounty never stopping. It makes me feel like there’s always something good coming our way, no matter what.”
Rihana nods in agreement, adding, “Yeah, and the idea of Heaven being like a caring parent feels so comforting. It’s like we’re never alone, and that’s really nice to think about.”
A quieter child at home, Salima, said thoughtfully, “I like how it talks about serving our divine ancestors. It reminds me of respecting my parents and ancestors, even if they’re not here anymore. It’s like they’re still watching over us.”
Kyatwike looked pensive before saying, “I never thought about Heaven like that before. Calling it our Father and Mother feels different, but in a good way. It makes me feel closer to it somehow.”
Overall, the children shared a sense of appreciation for the teachings and expressed curiosity about how they can incorporate these ideas into their own lives. They seem genuinely engaged and open to exploring different religious perspectives.
Nelson Mandela:
On Wednesday, June 12, The kids were sent a quote by Nelson Mandela—a great African leader whose deep faith enabled him to lead his people effectively with great moral courage through many struggles. Here, He shared his wisdom about the true nature of courage:
“ I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
The exercise of reflecting on wisdom by Mpande Juliet:
The Sunday after Nelson Mandela’s quote was sent, Mpande Juliet conducted a session with the children at the Savannah Rose Home to reflect on what he’d said. Her account of the session is exemplary of how this category should be handled. When it comes to the Religious Guardians, the children are never sent questions but rather asked to deeply reflect on what “the other” is saying, often from a different religious or racial point of view. But in this case it was their own beloved Nelson Mandela.
Mpande wrote:
Hi dear Brothers and everyone
Today being iddi day for the Muslims I have been at SRRH with the little ones going through it together.
This week with the Religious Guardians was a truly enlightening experience. We introduced Nelson Mandela’s powerful quote to the children:
“I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.”
Rather than posing a direct question, we encouraged the children to reflect on Mandela’s words and share their insights.
The children’s reflections were both profound and touching. Many expressed how the quote helped them understand that feeling fear is natural, but overcoming it is what truly defines bravery. One child spoke about the fear they felt before performing in a school play and how they managed to overcome it, while another shared their experience of learning to swim despite initially being terrified of water.
Several children connected Mandela’s message to their daily lives, acknowledging moments when they had faced their fears, whether it was speaking up in class, trying something new, or helping a friend in need. Their stories highlighted their innate resilience and the ways they are already practicing courage in their own unique ways.
The atmosphere during the session was reflective and supportive. The children listened to each other with respect and empathy, creating a safe space for everyone to express their thoughts and feelings. It was inspiring to see how Mandela’s words sparked a deeper understanding of courage and a stronger sense of community among the children.
These reflections not only reinforced the value of courage but also demonstrated the children’s capacity for introspection and growth. We are grateful for the opportunity to engage with them on such a meaningful level and look forward to continuing these enriching discussions.
Thank you for providing such impactful material for our sessions.
The wonderful Ernest Holmes:
On August 20, 2024, the kids were asked to reflect on a quote from a wonderful religious philosopher and teacher who lived in America in the 20th century named Ernest Holmes. Ernest believed deeply in the peaceful center that the presence of God creates within each one of us, saying that each of us is an inlet and an outlet for that peace.
He said : “God has implanted this peace within you. Because God is peace and because God is in you, the peace of God must also be in you. You should no longer go in search of peace for this is confusion. ‘Search him not out but seek him at the center.’”😇❤️😇
Rumí:
On October 29, 2024, we introduced the kids to the great 13th century Persian mystic and poet, Rumi, whose religion was Sufism, part of Islam. In his religion, the holy name for God is “Allah”.
Rumi wrote many beautiful things, and this is one about the nature of love.
I prayed for change
So I changed my mind.
I prayed for guidance
And learned to trust myself.
I prayed for happiness
And realized I am not my ego.
I prayed for peace
And learned to accept others unconditionally.
I prayed for abundance
And realized my doubt kept it out .
I prayed for wealth
And realized it is my health.
I prayed for a miracle
And realized I am the miracle.
I prayed for a soulmate
And realized I am with the One.
I prayed for love
And realized it is always knocking
But I have to allow it in.
❤️😇❤️
Mahatma Ghandi:
On January 27, 2025, The kids were asked to reflect on this quote by Mahatma Gandhi, who was Hindu and thought of himself as a karmayogi:
He said, “The similarity and difference between the actions of a worldly man and those of a karmayogi are immediately clear. For example, if a karmayogi is engaged in the care of the cows, he will do the work with the idea of serving the society by providing it with plenty of milk; and at the same time he will look to it as an opportunity to have a relationship of love with all the lower orders of beings through the service of the cows. He will certainly get his wages, but that is not his motivation. Real joy lies in the divine feelings informing the actions. Every act of a karmayogi unites him with the whole universe.”
Indonesia:
On April 22, 2025, we had the kids reflect on a quote from a religiously tolerant Indonesian leader named Gus Dur, who was a devout Muslim.
Gus said, “The value of liberation is the fruit of brotherly affection. If we love someone then we want to always see him progress, be happy and successful, even though sometimes the path he takes is not always the same as what we believe. The essence of the value of liberation is not to impose our will on others when they believe their way is good.” ❤️🙏❤️😇
Hildegard of Bingen:
On July 1, 2025, we focused again on a wise teacher or leader from the past and the wisdom they’d offer us today. Hildegard of Bingen was a German Benedictine Abbess 1100 years ago. But she was very wise and talented and once said, “Everything that is in heaven, on earth, and under the Earth is penetrated with connectedness, penetrated with relatedness. Every creature is a glittering glistening mirror of Divinity. All living creatures are sparks from the radiation of God‘s brilliance, emerging from God, like the rays of the sun.” In Hildegard we see what it is for a person to be both visionary and loving. ❤️😇❤️
Rabia al Basri:
On September 9, 2025, working with the Religious Guardians, as we moved into the next cycle of questions, I wanted the divine values that we focused on to be those of intelligent worship and divine love. So, we introduced the kids to a wonderful Sufi poetess named Rabia Al Basri who lived in Mesopotamia in the 8th century. Rabia taught that it was important to love God neither out of fear nor desire for reward but just because you love him so much for who he is unconditionally and outside of human religious mandates. Rabia wrote: “In my soul there is a temple, a shrine, a mosque, a church-—where I kneel. Prayer should bring us to an altar where no walls or names exist-—that dissolve, that dissolve in God.”
Marguerite Porter:
On November 18, 2025, working with the Religious Guardians, we shared some quotes by a very wise author named Marguerite Porete who lived in France in the 13th century. Marguerite wrote that, “In the stillness of the heart, truth reveals itself.” while, “True beauty arises when the soul surrenders to love.” And then she said, “Goodness is the essence of the soul united with God. As the soul draws nearer, it radiates love and compassion into the world.”