What are crystal & indigo kids?

[Snickers]

Brats? Sounds like teenagers, more like. Wonder what they’ll call the kids when they hit 13.

[Kythereia]

Wasn’t there a quote by P.T. Barnum floating around, cited by Cecil, to the effect of “After the post-war era, there were two born every minute”?

[Malacandra]

Nope, they’re called Indigo children because, when they act up, you take 'em up to their room, open the door, and with a curt jerk of your thumb you mutter “Indigo!”.

[Dung_Beetle]

@DoctorJ

I would occasionally do this when I was a kid, and my aura was definitely indigo for while afterwards.

Now that I think about it, though, it was more of a black and purple than an indigo. And it wasn’t my aura, it was my ass. Same thing, though.

I just burst out laughing at work.

[DocCathode]

@Inigo Montoya

. . . .

His name is Inigo Montoya.

I don’t see what all the flap is about . . .

He can’t see why we’re bothered.

I’m just some guy.

He’s just some guy.

[Mr.Blue_Sky]

These are not the Indigo children you’re looking for.

[Inigo_Montoya]

these are not the indigo children we’re looking for

[Danalan]

@DocCathode

@danalan

I’m not at liberty to reveal my source, but suffice it to say that not everyone who can see aura’s is entirely comfortable with, or exploits that ability.

That would help explain why we have no scientific proof that anybody can see aruas.

Actually, it may be that seeing auras is purely a personal phenomenon. From here:

"Synesthesia research offers an explanation for a phenomenon that has been described by psychics.

Many self-proclaimed psychics say they can detect a person’s aura, often described as a colorful energy field given off by certain people. But Jamie Ward, head of the Synesthesia Research Group at University College London, said some people can experience colors in response to people they know – a condition called emotion-color synesthesia.

“The ability of some people to see the colored auras of others has held an important place in folklore and mysticism throughout the ages,” said Ward. “Rather than assuming that people give off auras or energy fields that can only be detected by rigged cameras or trained seers, we need only assume that the phenomenon of synesthesia is taking place.”

[ianzin]

@Danalan

I have it from a good source that a black aura is very bad – it means that the person is near death.

The two parts of this reply are incompatible. Any ‘good’ source (a source that is well-informed and worth heeding) would tell you that so-called ‘aura reading’ is nonsensical superstitious crap which has consistently failed any empirical testing, and that to assign any significance to supposed auras is, by definition, to see significance where none exists. Any source that tells you anything different may be a source, but cannot be a good source.

[Guinastasia]

Actually “auras” do exist-for us migraine sufferers, we sometimes see flashes of light, bright colored patterns-the same sort of thing you see after you stare at a bright light and then get an after image. It’s usually a sign that a bad one is going to hit.

[lynne-42]

As a specialist in gifted education, I have grave concerns about the Indigo Children movement, as I do about many aspects of the gifted brigade. Some children are different and have, as we term it in the trade ‘special needs’. Sometimes this is because of intellectual abilities. Some of the Indigo Children ideas don’t match all kids.

The traits I have read of Indigo Children match many lists of gifted children - kids who find school dull because they can work at much faster rates, or frustrating because they see links and depths that the majority don’t, or have an insight which seems way beyond their years, or an unusual obsession giving them what seems incredible knowledge. Like all kids in an ideal world, they should get the education to match their needs, just as those with sporting or musical ability often do. Gifted kids might be extremely gifted, but they are also kids. Some parents like the ‘gifted’ bit much more than the ‘kid’ bit when they put their offspring on public display.

When a label is slapped on and used to convince the child that their specialness means they don’t have to abide by social expectations, then you end up with a very unhappy misfit by secondary school. In extreme cases - and I have dealt with quite a few - I would rate the behaviour of some parents as child abuse. (And others as excellent parenting seeking the right education for their child - but that doesn’t apply to the Indigo Children approach being discussed here.)

So recognising special abilities is great - but using them as an excuse for isolating their child from the social awareness they will need, especially as teenagers, is just plain cruel.