Little Suns

Lesson 7.5: Your Sphere of Light

To teach the School's teaching of the body of light: around and within each of us is a living sphere of light, like the great circle of the Cosmos in small, already ours, which we learn to feel from the inside; and to give the first practice of the Bubble of Light.

At a Glance


Unit	7 — You Are a Little Sun
Key idea	You have a sphere of light around you, and the little Sun at your center fills it.
Time plan	Opening 3 · Wonder Question 2 · Teaching Script 7 (with Body Break) · Activity 7 · Talk Together 4 · Stillness 4 · Closing 3 = 30 minutes
Stillness	The Bubble of Light (first teaching), 3½ minutes (the youngest stops at 3)
Materials to prepare	A hula hoop or a 6-meter (20-foot) loop of string or yarn for each child; a bottle of soap bubbles and a wand; paper and watercolors (or crayons and thin watercolor wash), or colored pencils; the tracings from Lesson 7.2; a ball; the yellow ball
Baskets used	What we know (a sphere; living bodies give off a very faint light that special cameras can measure); What our School teaches (each of us has a sphere of light, the body of light, already ours, filled by the little Sun); What we wonder (what the sphere is like for each person)

Objectives

Heart: The children will feel the joy and safety of being whole, with their own sphere of light that is already theirs and that touches, kindly, everyone else's.
Head: The children will learn the word sphere and the School's teaching that around and within each of us is a sphere of light, filled from the little Sun, like the great circle of the Cosmos in small.
Head: The children will learn the difference between seeing something and feeling it from the inside, and that the sphere of light is something we learn to feel, not something we must see.
Hands: Each child will sit inside their own circle and paint a "light bubble" picture with themselves at the center.

Teacher Background

NoteThe teaching (What our School teaches; CD 31 §31.2; CD 24; CD 29 §29.9). The Doctrine defines the body of light as "the soul's real vehicle of light, the ochēma in its own nature, luminous, aethereal and spherical… of one nature with the light of the Sun, the Solar Logos and the Infinite Light." In the solar microcosm, it is the sphere that encloses the whole: "as the Sun stands to the planets and to the heliopause, so the solar center stands to the operators and to the ochēma." The ochēma's sphere mirrors the cosmic horizon (CD 24), the great circle the children met in Lesson 2.6, and the child-sized form is: your sphere of light is like the great circle of the Cosmos, in small. The body of light "says what the vehicle is", the ochēma "says how it is structured", and "the living light of the cell" says how it is signed in matter. For the children, these three are simply the sphere of light.

NoteRecovered, not built; felt from, not looked at (CD 31 §31.2, 31.5). Two principles from the Doctrine shape this lesson. First, the body of light is recovered, not built: "no practice makes the vehicle, and the work changes only how far the soul is awake in the body of light it has always had." So nothing in the lesson asks the children to make, grow, strengthen or push their sphere; it is already theirs, whole, and they learn to notice it. Second, the School's principle: to be aware not only of the body of light, as an object seen, but from it, dwelling in it. "The aura is seen, and the body of light is the place we see from." The children's form is: you feel your sphere from the inside, the way you know where your hand is with your eyes closed. Children are never told they will see anything (Lesson 5.3, on the Soft-Eyes Tree; Appendix G, "Can I see auras?").

NoteThe Divine Double, optional (CD 25 §25.12; CD 31 §31.2; WFA 10.5.4). The Doctrine teaches that the body of light is "the radiance in us of the Divine Double", the eternal self, which "does not age, decay or contract" and is "recognized, not built". This guide allows it to be named only in Going Deeper, only for the eight-year-olds and only at your discretion, as "the part of you that is always wholly you". Because a forever-self leads easily to questions about death, read Appendix G's comfort-first answer to "What happens when we die?" before you teach it. That answer promises nothing beyond what the old teachers said, begins with comfort and ends with "I don't know everything, and that is all right". If any of the children is grieving, or anxious about death, leave the Going Deeper prompt for another year.

The Key Idea

Short form: "My sphere of light."

Hand motion: start with both hands on the chest (the little Sun), then sweep both arms out and around in a big circle, up over the head and down to the sides (the sphere), and bring the hands back to rest on the chest.

Materials

A hula hoop for each child, or a loop of string or yarn about 6 meters (20 feet) long for each child, laid flat on the floor as a circle; four circles in all, close enough that they nearly touch. (The string stays on the floor: it is never looped around a neck or wrist, and it is put away after the lesson.)
A bottle of soap bubbles and a wand (for the Wonder Question).
A ball (any size).
Paper (thick paper if painting) and watercolors, or crayons with a watercolor wash over them (crayon-resist: draw in crayon, then paint over in a pale wash, and the crayon shines through), or colored pencils.
The tracings from Lesson 7.2.
The yellow ball (the Sun), the lesson lamp, the bell, the job chart and the Wonder Journals.

Opening (3 minutes)

The Sun-Keeper lights the lamp. All together:

"Light in the center, light in the circle, light in me."

Three Sun Breaths.

The recall question: "Why does the Moon change shape, and is it ever really broken?"

Answer to listen for: we see different amounts of its sunlit half as it goes around the Earth; it is always whole. Bonus: "and the Moon in us is the mirror of our feelings", "the little Sun is still shining when the mirror is ruffled". Ask the youngest, as Moon-Finder, to report the Moon's shape last night.

Say: "We've learned about the little Sun at the center, the helpers that go around it, and the Moon's mirror. Today we'll learn the last part of your little solar system, the part that goes all the way around."

Wonder Question (2 minutes)

Blow a few soap bubbles and let the children watch them float (they may chase them, briefly, and walking). Blow them over a rug or outdoors, since popped bubbles make a hard floor slippery, and wipe up any drips. Then hold one up on the wand if you can, or point to one as it floats:

"What shape is a bubble? Is it a circle? [It's round in every direction, a ball shape.] What would it be like to live inside a bubble of light?"

Let them wonder and answer. Accept everything.

Teaching Script (7 minutes)

Part One: A sphere (about 3 minutes)

"Here's a word: sphere. Say it: SFEER. A sphere is a ball shape, round in every direction. [Hold up the ball.] A circle is flat, like a drawing on paper. A sphere is round all over, like this ball, or a bubble, or the Earth, or the Sun.

Remember, a long time ago, when we learned about the circles within circles of the Cosmos? We learned that each of us stands at the center of our own great circle of sky, the biggest circle of all. Really, that great circle is a sphere. It goes up, and down, and all around, in every direction.

And remember our little solar system? The little Sun at the center, steady and kind. The helpers going round it. The Moon's mirror. And on your tracings, we drew one big circle all the way around your whole body. [Show a tracing.] What did I say that circle was? [The edge of your little solar system, your sphere.]

Well, here's what our School teaches. [Pause.] All around you, and all through you, there's a sphere of light, a living bubble of light, about as far as your arms can reach, and in a deeper way even bigger, joined to the great circle of the Cosmos. It's like the great circle of the whole sky, in small. And what do you think fills it with light? [Let them answer.] The little Sun at your center. The little Sun shines out, and its light fills your sphere, the way the real Sun's light fills the whole solar system. That's in which basket? [What our School teaches.]

You don't have to make your sphere of light. You don't have to build it or do anything to get it. It's already yours. You've had it since before you were born. We're just learning to notice it."

[Body Break — 1 minute]

"Everybody up! Let's find out how big our spheres are. Stand where you have lots of room. Reach up high, as high as you can… down low, nearly touching the floor… out to the front… out behind… out to the sides… Turn around slowly with your arms out. That's about the size of the sphere you can feel. Now, gently, move closer together until your fingertips just touch. Our spheres are touching! Say 'hello' to each other's spheres. Now the Key Idea motion: hands on the little Sun… sweep the big circle all around… and back to the heart. 'My sphere of light.' Sit down."

Part Two: Feeling it from the inside (about 3 minutes)

"Now, can you see your sphere of light? [Let them answer honestly.] Most people can't see it with their eyes, and that's fine. Here's a game. Close your eyes. Now, with your eyes closed, touch your nose. [They do.] How did you know where your nose was? You couldn't see it! [Let them answer.] You felt it, from the inside. You know where your hand is, and your nose is, without looking.

That's how we learn to know our sphere of light: not by looking at it, like a picture, but by feeling it from the inside, the way you know where your hand is with your eyes closed. Some days you'll feel it and some days you won't, and it's there either way.

And here's a 'what we know' fact for you. Scientists with very special cameras, in completely dark rooms, have found that living bodies, people too, give off a very, very faint light. It's about a thousand times too faint for our eyes to see. That's in the 'what we know' basket. Our School teaches that this faint glow is a little sign of something much bigger, the sphere of light that each of us has.

Now, what's your sphere of light for? It isn't armor. It isn't for keeping anything out. Nothing is attacking you! It's just your light, the light of your little Sun, shining out, glad to be you. And when our spheres touch, like they did just now, it's like two lamps in one room: the light doesn't fight; it just gets brighter.

If every one of us has a sphere of light, then this family is like what? [Let them answer: lots of bubbles; lots of little solar systems; a galaxy!] Yes, a family of little suns, each in its own sphere of light, all touching, all inside the One's great circle that holds everything."

Activity (7 minutes)

ExampleSitting in My Circle, and the Light-Bubble Painting

Part A: Sitting in my circle (about 2 minutes).

Lay the four hoops or string circles on the floor, close enough together that they nearly touch. Each child chooses a circle and sits in the middle of it (the youngest chooses first).
Say: "Your circle on the floor is a picture of your sphere of light. Your little Sun is right in the middle, in you. Stretch your arms out: can you touch the edge?" (With a hoop, nearly; with a large string circle, not quite. "The sphere is even bigger than you can reach!")
"Look, everybody's circle is close to everybody else's. Our spheres touch." If the children want to, they may gently slide their circles until they overlap a little.
One quiet breath together, each in their own circle. Then out to the painting table.

Part B: The light-bubble painting (about 5 minutes).

Each child draws themselves in the middle of the page (a simple figure will do), with a little Sun in the chest.
Around the figure, they draw a big round bubble of light filling nearly the whole page, in yellow, gold, orange or any color they feel their light is. Some children like to draw rays from the little Sun out to the edge.
With crayon-resist: they draw all of this firmly in crayon, then paint a pale wash of watercolor (blue, purple, or soft yellow) over the whole page, and watch the crayon light shine through. (Have a cloth ready for spills.)
Optional, for anyone who finishes early: paint or draw the spheres of the whole family, all touching, inside one great circle.
Say while they work: "There's no right color for a sphere of light. Your light is your own."

What it shows: Each of us has a sphere of light around and within us, filled from the little Sun at the center; it is already ours, it is a joy and not a shield, and it touches everyone else's with kindness.

Talk Together (4 minutes)

Question	Answers to listen for	If they are stuck
What is a sphere?	A ball shape; round in every direction.	Hold up the ball and a drawing of a circle.
What fills your sphere of light?	The little Sun at my center.	"What fills the solar system with light?"
Do you have to make your sphere of light?	No; it's already mine; I just learn to notice it.	"When did you get it?" (Before you were born.)
How do we know our sphere is there, if we can't see it?	We feel it from the inside, like knowing where your nose is with your eyes closed.	Do the nose game again.
Is your sphere of light for keeping things out?	No; it isn't armor; it's my light, shining because I'm glad.	"When our spheres touched, did they fight?"
What's our family like, with all our spheres?	A family of little suns; lots of bubbles touching; all inside the One's great circle.	Point to the four circles on the floor.

Stillness (4 minutes)

PracticeThe Bubble of Light (first teaching) — about 3½ minutes, with a half-minute settle; the youngest may stop at the marked place, at about 3 minutes

[Settle, about 30 seconds.] "Let's come back to our circles on the floor, or to our sitting places. Sit tall and soft. Feel your seat on the floor, and your feet. Hands resting on your knees. Eyes closed, or looking softly at the floor. Three Sun Breaths together. In, smelling a flower… out, cooling the soup. In… out. In… out. Now let your breath breathe by itself."

[Bell.]

"Feel your little Sun, warm and golden, in the middle of your chest. Steady… kind… bright. [Pause, about 15 seconds.]

"Now let the little Sun's warmth spread gently through your body, all by itself, like morning sunlight coming slowly into a room. Into your chest… your shoulders… down your arms into your hands… [pause, about 10 seconds] … down into your tummy… your legs… all the way to your feet. [Pause, about 10 seconds.] … And up into your face, so your face feels warm and soft. Your whole body is full of soft, warm light. [Pause, about 15 seconds.]

"Now feel the light shining just a little beyond your body, like the glow around a lamp. In front of you… behind you… on each side… above your head… below you, into the floor. [Pause, about 15 seconds.]

"You're sitting in the middle of a soft, round bubble of light, about as far as your arms can reach, your own sphere of light. You don't have to do anything. It's already there. Just feel it, from the inside, the way you know where your hands are. [Pause, about 20 seconds.]

"Your bubble is gentle and glad. It's not keeping anything out. It's just your light, shining. [Pause, about 15 seconds.]

"Now notice: all around you, everyone in our circle has a bubble of light too. And all our bubbles are touching, softly, like soap bubbles floating side by side. Our lights are shining together. [Pause, about 15 seconds.]

[Marker, about 3 minutes from the first bell: "If you'd like to, you can open your eyes now and watch quietly until the bell. Or you can stay with your bubble." The youngest may open her eyes here, or hold the bell, ready to ring it at the end.]

"And all our bubbles, and all the bubbles of every person and every creature, are held inside one great, great circle, the One who holds us. [Pause, about 15 seconds.]

"Quietly, in your heart: thank you, One who holds us, for my little Sun, and for my sphere of light. [Pause, about 10 seconds.]

"Now gently bring your attention back to your little Sun, in your chest. Feel your seat on the floor, your feet, your hands. One more Sun Breath together. In… and out. Wiggle your fingers. Wiggle your toes. When the bell rings, open your eyes slowly."

[Bell.]

How to end it: Ask softly, "What was your bubble like?" Some children will say warm, or big, or yellow, or "like being in a hug", and some will say "nothing". Accept every answer with the same warmth: "It's there whether we feel it or not. We'll practice it again." Do not ask whether anyone saw anything.

Length: about 3½ minutes from first bell to last. If the room is restless, skip the paragraph after the marker and go straight to the thank-you.

Closing (3 minutes)

The Key Idea together, with the hand motion:

"You have a sphere of light around you, and the little Sun at your center fills it."

The short form, all together: "My sphere of light."

Then, because this is the last lesson of the unit, say the whole unit together, with each hand motion in turn:

"The Sun gives light and life. A little world, a little Sun. Many helpers, one Life. The Moon is a mirror. My sphere of light."

The take-home, then the closing words:

"Thank you, One who holds us. We carry the light."

The lamp is put out.

Take-Home

Practice: at bedtime, one night this week (or every night, if a child asks), the parent leads a short Bubble of Light (one minute is plenty): the little Sun, the warm light filling the body, the soft bubble all around, "good night, little Sun".
Make: finish the light-bubble painting, or add the sphere of light to the Lesson 7.2 tracing (a big golden glow around the whole outline). Hang the tracings and paintings up together: a wall of little solar systems.
Wonder Journal: write or dictate one sentence: "My sphere of light is…"; and draw the whole family's spheres touching.
Moon Diary: keep it going.

For the Youngest

Her words: "I have a bubble of light. My little Sun fills it. It's already mine. Everybody has one."
Her job: she blows the soap bubbles for the Wonder Question, and she chooses her floor circle first. In the Stillness she holds the bell, ready to ring the end.
Drawing instead of writing: her painting is her journal page this time; you write her sentence on it as she tells it to you.
In the Stillness: she may open her eyes at the marked place, at about 3 minutes, and watch quietly, or hold the bell ready.
Something she can teach the others: she teaches the family the Key Idea hand motion as the unit's closing summary, leading all five motions in the Closing.
What to accept as understanding: "I'm in a bubble of light and it's warm." That is the body of light at six.

Going Deeper

Build: together, make a "solar microcosm" model: a clear plastic ball ornament (the kind that opens in halves, from a craft shop) or a balloon, with a small paper Sun hung or glued in the center and thin circles of wire or paper strips around it for the helpers' paths. The clear ball is the sphere. (The parent does any cutting of wire.)
Research question: the great circle of the Cosmos, the edge of what we can see, is called the cosmic horizon. How far away is it? (The light from it has been traveling for about 13.8 billion years; because space has been stretching, the edge is now about 46 billion light-years away in every direction.) Our School teaches that each person's sphere of light is like that great sphere, in small.
Find out: the solar system has a real bubble around it too, called the heliosphere, blown by the Sun's wind of tiny particles, far beyond Pluto. Two spacecraft, Voyager 1 and Voyager 2, launched in 1977, have crossed its edge. How far away is that edge? Make a drawing of the Sun's bubble with the planets inside.
Optional, at the parent's discretion (read Appendix G first): our School teaches that inside your sphere of light there is a part of you that is always wholly you, one that never gets old, never gets smaller, and is always completely you, whatever happens. The old teachers had a name for it, the Divine Double. Talk together: "What is the part of you that has stayed the same since you were a baby?" Accept every answer. If the talk turns to death, give comfort first, as Appendix G says, and answer "I don't know everything, and that is all right" where it fits.
Look ahead: the rooms of the next unit are inside this same sphere. Unit 8 shows the quiet "I" seven places of the body to visit, each in its own color, with the little Sun's light as a lamp.
Teach-back: each boy explains the sphere of light to one grandparent or family friend, with his painting, in no more than three sentences, and asks them what color they think their light is.

If Questions Come Up

"Does my sphere of light protect me from bad things?" "Your sphere of light isn't armor, and you don't need armor, because there's nothing to fight. It's your own light, glad to be you. What keeps you safe is the grown-ups who love you, being careful, and being kind. If anything ever scares you, you come and tell me." (Comfort first; safety rule 4; Appendix G.)

"Can I see auras? My friend says she can see colors around people." "Some people say they see colors around people, and some don't. In our School, we don't practice to see things; we practice to feel our light from the inside. You don't need to see anything. The light is there either way. And if your friend sees colors, that's her way; we don't need to argue about it." (Appendix G, "Can I see auras?") Never invite a contest about who sees more.

"Is my sphere of light bigger than my brother's?" "Every sphere of light is whole and beautiful, and nobody's is better. It's like asking whether your laugh is bigger than his. They're just different, and both are wonderful." (No comparison, ever: safety rule 10.)

"What happens to my sphere of light when I die?" (Comfort first.) Hold the child, if they want to be held, and answer from Appendix G: "That's a very big question, and a good one. Most people live a long, long time, and I am here to take care of you. Our School teaches that the deepest part of you is always wholly you, and that the One who holds us never lets go of anyone. The old teachers said that our light goes on. I don't know everything about it (nobody does), and that's all right." Then stay with them until the feeling passes. (Appendix G, "What happens when we die?")

"Do animals and trees have spheres of light too?" "Our School teaches that every living thing shines with the light it receives, as we learned when we talked about plants drinking sunlight (Lesson 5.3). Everything alive is part of the living world, full of soul. So yes, in their own way."

Teacher's Notes

What happened today: ______________________________________________

What to repeat: __________________________________________________

This lesson may be split across two sessions if the painting becomes absorbing (crayon-resist often is). Close the first session after the painting with a shorter Bubble of Light (2 minutes); open the second with the soap bubbles, the floor circles and the full Bubble of Light.

Before Unit 8 begins: use the Unit Review questions at the top of this unit in the Opening of Lesson 8.1. And check that each child's birth details are on their way for Unit 10 (Appendix C).

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Unit 7, You Are a Little Sun, Lesson 7.5, Your Sphere of Light (one whole 30-minute lesson)