What Is an Indigo Child, According to New Age Spirituality?

Published by
Christina Lawson, B.A.

You may have heard the term Indigo Child being used with growing frequency in recent decades, particularly since the 1970s.

This is when the basic idea was developed by the teacher and author Nancy Ann Tappe. Or perhaps, this is the first time you are hearing of it. So what is an Indigo Child? And what characteristics are they said to have?

The term ‘Indigo Children’ quite simply refers to gifted children who are believed to naturally possess any kind of special abilities or traits. According to Tappe, these can range from the magical to even the supernatural.

It is believed that these children serve as a reminder for the rest of humanity, who through time has lost touch with who we truly are – one shared body of consciousness. While the rest of us pay far more attention to our thoughts as opposed to our feelings, these children know instinctively how to connect to our collective consciousness.

Some have even gone as far as to say that the generations of Indigo Children are ‘The Next Step in Human Evolution’.

So why the color Indigo? This has to do with auras; In 1982, Nancy Ann Tappe published a book titled ‘Understanding Your Life Through Color’, a book focusing on the metaphysical concept of different colored auras that people can have, and what meaning each color holds. She states that during the 1960s, she noticed that many children were being born with indigo color auras.

Is it possible to spot an Indigo Child? If you believe in the reality of this concept, there are certain signs that are claimed to define these special children.

Here is a list of ten characteristics that Indigo Children are said to have, which might help you identify one.

1. They have a clear sense of purpose and self-confidence, which most people lack.

2. They can be strong-willed from an early age and have their own unique way of doing even the simplest things. The rules and regulations the rest of us follow as children may seem trivial to them.

3. They can ignore what is ‘expected’ of them, preferring to do their own thing. This can cause friction with parents and teachers.

4. The authority that allows no choice or input is rejected by them. Therefore, it can be a challenge to parent or discipline an Indigo Child. Standard methods do not prove effective.

5. They can be incredibly empathic towards others and possess wisdom that even people twice or thrice their age cannot compare to.

6. Because of their different nature, they can be seen by family and friends as strangely anti-social. The exception is when they are with other Indigos like themselves – this is the only time they may feel understood and ‘at home.’

7. They have an amazing intuitive ability – they always seem to hear or know things that non-Indigos cannot explain.

8. They are insightful and have uniquely good ideas. They can provide simple solutions to complex problems, making them seem like “system busters.

9. Their high intelligence quota, combined with their creative right-brain thinking, can give them a hard time in a tradition left-brain school system

10. Their brains can process information much faster than the average person. This increased energy, if not correctly balanced, makes them prone to not only anxiety and depression but also the high likelihood of being ADD and ADHD diagnosed.

What do you think? Do you believe that indigo children are real? Do any of these resonate with you, your kids, or someone you know?

View Comments

  • I am one no 48 years of age .I possess all of these traits all of them luckily my parents were hippies and did not always feel the need to make me conform.I now am a meditation instructor for children .Interesting and never heard of this before but every single person I ever met that can see auras said my aura was actually Indigo .I have even had people walk right up to me and stare.I excelled in school for the first week until I finished completing the year's work in a week with A's then they just let me go to whatever classes I wanted .This did cause a problem for some teachers but they gave my arguments were stronger and my will well they never had a chance.Authority was definitely a problem for me lol

  • What if indigo children never excelled in the maths a science of schools. But spiritually and through God could see and do things. She's been a target her whole life. Someone is constantly chasing her and ruing her life. We're at a loss for how to take care of things now that she's an adult. Yes it's generational.

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Published by
Christina Lawson, B.A.