To Support the Vision of
Mulund Institute
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Second Stage of Life (7 to 14 years)
Avatar Adi Da Samraj: The second stage of life is the early stage (particularly occupying human beings during the second seven years of life) of adaptation to the etheric dimension . . . the dimension of natural life--energy, nerve--force, and direct feeling--sensitivity to the conditions of existence.
[It] is the school in which you develop your feeling--sensitivity. In other words, you develop the capability of the etheric being, or the being who is not just a physical personality, but who is a force that is manifested as a field of life--energy in contact with the energies of nature and the Universal Spiritual Energy in Which nature is arising. In order to allow this entire process of feeling--sensitivity to mature, the individual must discover that he or she is just such an etheric (or energy--based) personality.
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[I]t is not readily obvious to young people, or even to many adults who have never really undergone the true learning of the second stage of life, that they are manifested as an etheric energy--field. This must be learned through “self”--observation and exercise of the feeling-capability. Thus, your initial guidance of a young child—and some of this training can begin even in the first stage of life—would include helping the child to become aware of his or her own energy--field.
When this feeling--sensitivity is exercised, one learns that one is more than merely physical, but one is also energy that extends to others and communicates emotional, mental, psychic, and physical states to others as well as to the natural “world”. Therefore, one must learn to be responsible for one’s emotional, mental, psychic, and physical state by participating in, or surrendering openly into, the domains of life--energy.
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Thus, the individual in the second stage of life should repeatedly “consider” this matter of the etheric energy--field, or the feeling--being. You contact or sense it as energy, but it is manifested through the vehicle of your feeling and emotion.
[C]hildren should cultivate the capability to use the etheric dimension of the being in their contact with everything in the natural “world”. Using touch and all the other senses, they should develop a feeling--sensitivity to the energy and the emotional state of others and to the energies in nature. Children should also be taught to use all their senses in the physical observation of the material “world” and other beings. In other words, they should have a feeling--based (and not merely a materially based) relationship to nature. However, they must be brought to exercise this feeling--dimension on the basis of “self”--awareness, having observed their own energy--field.
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Through the learning process of the second stage of life, including the development of social adaptation and sensitivity to nature, children should come to realize that their emotional state is registered in their energy--field, and that their emotional state communicates itself to others not only through their actions and speech, but also directly, via the interaction of this energy--field with the energy--field of others. . . you affect others, and even the natural “world”, via this etheric energy--field.
Because this direct communication of your state to others has moral and Spiritual implications, you must become responsible for your energy--state—responsible, therefore, for your emotional state. You must keep your energy--field in balance by transcending reactive emotions, and you must maintain a state of physical well--being and mental openness, receptivity, and clarity. You must maintain a free psychic state. In doing this, you not only change your outward behavior, but you also affect your energy--field and, therefore, your energetic transmission to others.
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Thus, in the second stage of life, you learn about this etheric energy--field that is the dimension of the personality next in subtlety after the gross physical dimension. The child learns how to be responsible for it, how to communicate through it, and how to be sensitive and helpful to others in these terms. . . The purpose is not to merely socialize children in conventional terms, but, rather, to bring them to the capability to be socialized rationally, or in truly human and sacred terms. Therefore, they should learn how this etheric dimension works and gain a truly moral understanding of how to use it rightly in all relations on the basis of their truly sacred (or ego--transcending) practice.
-from “Early--Life Education, or My Seventh Stage Way of Schooling In The First Three Stages of Life”
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Growth Challenges in the Second Stage of Life
Developing sensitivity to the etheric dimension:
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--the natural life-energy that pervades the physical body, all others, and nature
--the feeling dimension of the being
--how we communicate our state to others at an energetic level
Emotional adaptation:
--going beyond dependence on feeling loved by others, shown by doubting that you are loved or loveable
--observing the mood “you don’t love me” and the tendency to retaliate “so I won’t love you”
--learning the positive emotion of love and living as “I love you”
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Socialization:
--participating in an expanded sphere of relationships as a relationally positive person
--exercising true morality, based on awareness of one’s impact on others rather than rigid behavioral codes
--learning to balance privacy and socialization: self--acceptance and acceptance by others
--learning to conduct awakening emotional--sexual energies and heightened gender awareness
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To learn more about how to serve children and young people in the second stage of life, see The First Three Stages of Life:
