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MiND JaRs

might be thinking, e.g., ‘Bobby’s birthday 

party is Saturday. I need to get a present.’
4. Ask “What are feelings?” Name some 

emotions and then have the children 

name some, such as anger, love or joy.

Begin the Experiment

1. Fill the Large Jar with Water. Put the 

lid on. Make Observations: Hold the 

jar up, looking through it at each child 

and ask “Can you see me?” followed by 

“I can see you.” Ask, “What else can you 

see?” We can generally see each other 

through the jar. Some youth may say 

that the view is distorted. This is true. 

When we look through our own mind 

we are always looking through our pre-

conceived notions. The better we can 

clear these, the more accurately we will 

see the world. 
2. Name Thoughts. Take a pinch of 

glitter. Tell the kids that this represents 

thoughts that are floating around in 

our minds. Name a thought as you put 

the glitter into the jar. Pass the glitter 

around, allowing each child to name a 

thought while putting glitter into the jar.
3. Name Feelings. Repeat #2, this  

time naming feelings. You should have 

about 1/8 inch of glitter in the bottom  

of your jar.
4. Shake up the Jar then Make Observa-

tions. Ask each child, “Can you see me 

through the jar?” Most kids will answer, 

“No.” The jar with the swirling glitter 

represents our mind with thoughts and 

emotions. It can be difficult to see past 

our own minds to see others for who 

they truly are! Without a clear mind, 

it can also be hard to see the next right 

step. Some children will say they can 

see through the swirling glitter, and this 

is true as well. However, for most of us, 

our attention is attracted to the sparkling 

glitter, just like we are attracted to our 

thoughts and emotions. 
5. Allow the Glitter to Settle then Make 

Observations. Once the glitter has 

settled, hold the jar up to each child and 

ask again, “Can you see me?” then say to 

each child “I can see you.”  Explain that 

this settling happens when we meditate. 

Our thoughts and feelings naturally 

settle down when we keep our atten-

tion on a focus point. After our mind is 

cleared, it is easy to see our family and 

friends as they truly are, to find our true 

nature, and to see the right next step in 

our lives.
6. Create Individual Mind Jars. There 

is nothing quite like having your own 

Mind Jar to keep the teaching alive, to 

put on your night stand or altar, and 

to use before meditation or when your 

thoughts and feelings are going wild. 
a. Use small vials
b. Add water
c. Name thoughts and feelings while 

putting glitter in
d. Screw the lid on tightly
e. Add an affirmation onto the lid of the 

jar, such as: “I settle my thoughts and feel-

ings and can see clearly.”