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'Indigo children' is a term used within the New Age movement to refer to children who are alleged to possess paranormal attributes such as the ability to read minds.
The Indigo child concept was first publicized in the 1982 book "Understanding Your Life Through Color," by Nancy Ann Tappe. Tappe, a self-proclaimed synesthete and psychic, says she has the ability to see people's auras, and began noticing in the late 70's that many children were being born with "indigo" auras. Today, she estimates that 97 percent of children under ten and 70 percent of those age 15 to 25 are "Indigo."^[1]
The idea of Indigo children was popularized by the 1999 book ''The Indigo Children: The New Kids Have Arrived'', written by the husband-and-wife team of Lee Carroll and Jan Tober.^[2] Carroll insists that the concept was obtained via conversations with a "Master angelic energy" he calls Kryon. Tober has said that she and Carroll do not talk much about Kryon in interviews about their Indigo children books, because "the Indigo book is aimed at the mainstream public."^[3]

Contents

Beliefs

Characteristics

Scientific and critical interpretations

Education

Commercialization

In fiction

See also

References

External links

Beliefs

The Indigo child movement believes that the children in question are born with an empathic connection to Earth and others' thoughts. However, due to natural limits in infant communication, Indigo children's supposed abilities (empathy, telepathy, extra-sensory perception and extra-normal perception) are suppressed by negative parental or societal influence. The Indigo child movement therefore encourages parents to support those children in whom can be seen traits which are often labeled as negative by mainstream authorities but as positive by the Indigo child.
Adherents believe that this new type of child has come forward for a reason; most often suggested is that they will improve the world in some way. The changes generally discussed involve bringing peace, toppling corrupt institutions, and a shift from conventional medicine to a greater understanding of alternative treatment. Indigo children are said by proponents to be more in touch with something called the "Universal Truth," and do not tolerate or understand behaviors or systems that are not in harmony with it.

Characteristics

The following characteristics are said to identify Indigo children:
# They come into the world with a feeling of entitlement, which is often reflected by their behavior.
# Self-esteem is not a big issue; they often tell the parents "who they are."
# They have difficulty with authority and no explanation or choice.
# Waiting in line is difficult for them.
# They get frustrated with systems that are ritually oriented and do not require creative thought.
# They often see better ways of doing things, and tend to be non-conforming.
# They seem antisocial unless they are with their own kind.
# They will not respond to such disciplines as appeal to guilt.
# They are not shy in letting it be known what they need.
Critics point out that these traits are not unique, and are observable in most children (see below).
Other claims include psychic abilities; empathic, spirit communication; 'multidimensional awareness'; immunity to diseases such as HIV, and more. ^[4][5][6] None of these claims have been experimentally verified.

Scientific and critical interpretations

Scientists point out that the Indigo movement lacks verifiable evidence to support its claims, and because of this, it is considered pseudoscience. Though some of the authors of Indigo literature have degrees in psychology, Indigo Child is not a recognized term in the field thereof.
Indigo literature frequently talks about "university studies" and "interested scientists," but gives no actual citations. According to scientists such as Russell Barkley, a research professor of psychiatry, have stated, "There's no science behind it. There are no studies."^[7] Barkley has also expressed concern that labeling a disruptive child an "Indigo" may delay proper diagnosis and treatment that may help him or her.
Indigo children are often the offspring of New Age parents; exposed to New Age thinking, it would be unsurprising if the children possess a greater tendency to use New Age language than earlier generations. Having been told that the vast majority of children are now Indigos, New Age parents in fear of suppressing this special generation may be encouraging antisocial behaviors. It has been observed that many of the traits of Indigo children could be more prosaically interpreted as simple arrogance and selfish individualism, and that children labeled as such may actually suffer from ADHD^[8] or perhaps other disorders. Some have also voiced concern that teaching children that they are Indigo will encourage them to adopt sociopathic behaviors, such as a sense of human superiority, alienation, and a "bizarre" paranormal identity.^[9]
In addition to these concerns, some critics feel that it is possible to use the traits assigned to Indigo children as an observation of social trends, rather than as a signifier of a new race or form of consciousness. One such trend is more and more children are viewing magical/mystical TV shows and media that use new-age interpretable language. Coupled with how children feed off the media in their own natural fantasy play, such mystical make-believe could be unintentionally falsely re-interpreted as signs of preternatural knowledge, maturity or "higher consciousness".
An example of this emerged in a 2006 article in the ''Dallas Observer'' which covered the Indigo Child phenomenon.^[10] The reporter observed an eight-year-old boy named Dusk quizzed by a man on his "Indigo" status:
:"Are you an indigo?" he asked Dusk. The boy looked at him shyly and nodded. "I'm an avatar," Dusk said. "I can recognize the four elements of earth, wind, water and fire. The next avatar won't come for 100 years." The man seemed impressed.
However, readers of the ''Dallas Observer'' wrote to inform the editor that Dusk may have been drawing on the Nickelodeon children's show ''. This highly rated television show features a twelve-year-old boy who is the reincarnation of the Avatar Spirit, has the power to manipulate (or "bend") earth, wind, water and fire, and was once frozen in suspended animation for 100 years. These similarities were not noted within the article, and the editor of the ''Dallas Observer'' later admitted they were not aware of the possible connection until several readers brought it to their attention.^[11]

Education

Educators, generally, have not accepted the Indigo Child supposition. Some alternative educators have accepted the Indigo concept, and have related their mission to the needs of Indigo children.^[12]

Commercialization

There has been significant commercial value in book and video sales, donations, speaking engagements, and one-on-one counseling session fees to parents of "Indigo" children. In "Indigo: the color of money", an article on Skepticreport.com, Lorie Anderson has pointed out the potential commercial value of the "Indigo" concept for James Twyman, author of the video documentary, ''The Indigo Evolution''. Numerous other commercial websites offer indigo-child-themed goods for sale such as books and new-age healing devices as well as videos and other media.

In fiction

In 2003, a movie ''Indigo'' was released.
In the arcade-adventure computer game ''Fahrenheit'' (also known as ''Indigo Prophecy''), an Indigo child, Jade, is thought to be a prophet destined to bring some powerful truths into the world.
In the episode "The Unusual Suspect" of the television series '', a 12-year-old girl named Hannah is said to be an Indigo child. She claims responsibility for a murder of which her brother has been accused.
A film released on March 23, 2007 by New Line Cinema entitled The Last Mimzy featured two fictional children who develop powerful, magical abilities. The promotional website for the film ^[13]explains the concept of Indigo children briefly, tying the children featured in the film to this concept. However, the film is based on a 1943 short story Mimsy were the Borogoves by Lewis Padgett, which contained no hint of the Indigo Child theory. Rather, the story argues that there is an age beyond which children are too old to benefit from the toys sent back to their time from its future. The co-opting of the Indigo Child concept for the film's promotion appears to be an example of shrewd marketing.

See also

★ Homo Noeticus

References

1. " Indigo glow: Aura theory interprets behavior of exceptional children" by Savannah ThomasArrigo, ''Today's Local News,'' San Marcos, CA, July 2 2006
2. Carroll, Lee & Tober, Jan (1999). ''The Indigo Children: The New Kids Have Arrived.'' Carlsbad, CA: Hay House.
3. "Interview with Jan Tober" by Rick Martin, ''Kryon Website'', 2001
4. Indigo Children - Crystalline Children
5. The Indigo Crystal "Human Angel"
6. http://www.indigochild.com/News-CNN.html
7. "Are They Here to Save the World?" by John Leland, ''The New York Times'', January 12, 2006
8. "Indigo kids: Does the science fly?" by Sharon Jayson, ''USA TODAY'', May 31, 2005
9. http://www.skepticreport.com/newage/twyman.htm "Indigo: The color of Money", SkepticReport
10. "Little Boy Blue" by Jesse Hyde, ''Dallas Observer'', March 9, 2006
11. Letters to the ''Dallas Observer'', March 16 2006
12. Simpson, K. (2004). "The Beach School: Giving Children the Freedom to Learn." ''Children of the New Earth, 2'':1, pp. 92–95.
13. The Last Mimzy The Last Mimzy Promotional Website


★ Redman, Deb (2001). "Investing in Adult Understanding of Special Children." Chicago: Project Legacy.

★ Lancaster, Dianne (2002). ''Anger and the Indigo Child.'' Boulder: Wellness Press.

External links

★ IndigoChild.com

★ Skeptic's Dictionary entry on indigo children