Feature Stories
Autism: Shedding Light
on a World of Unsolved Puzzles
by Anna AmodioIn the lobby of a preschool that teaches children with autism, a mother faces her son’s diagnosis as she struggles her three-year-old through the door way. “Jimmy’s” blonde hair is tussled by his mother’s efforts to soothe away his tantrums, and his screams protest this unfamiliar place.
An Unlikely Warrior:
83-Year-Old American Woman Changes
the Lives of Thousands of Children
by Janis Olson“Nothing rekindles hope in the human condition more than witnessing the transformation of a child.”
This is Olga Murray’s adage—and she knows it first hand, as she has devoted her retirement to helping children more than 10,000 miles away from her home in Sausalito, California.
Astrology September 2008
Virgo: Star
(Ace of Pentacles)
8/24-9/22: Faith is often misunderstood as blind trust in some unseen, omnipotent force. Wishful thinking motivated by longing or worry is complacence at best. Having confidence in yourself and an understanding of how to apply your energy is faith that is founded upon self-assurance. Keep your intention focused this month and you will be amazed at what you manifest. No time for passivity, you must channel this power in a deliberate fashion. The last weekend of the month is an intense one.
It’s no secret that we are in a time of great change as we look toward a quite uncertain future. Always will there be those foreseeing and predicting events to come, but the transition we are currently experiencing is coupled with forces much greater than mere human doing. We are living a stretch in time indicative of immense change that ancient civilizations documented thousands of years ago. Some are preaching a dimensional shift while others proclaim the end of the world as we know it. Mind States
Reconnective Kids:
Putting Healing into the
Hands of Our Children
by Steven Shefler
by Cynthia Jenson-ElliottLiving Arts
Children as Teachers
by Loba and Jesse Wolf Hardin
I have never delivered a child from my body, but in my 30s, I was blessed with a little girl in my life. For the first time, I got to experience the blessings, challenges and responsibilities of bringing up a young one in co-parenting the amazing Rhiannon.
Osteopathy and Childhood
by Sydney L. Murray
According to The New York Times, osteopathic medicine is one of the fastest-growing medical professions in the United States. More than 50,000 osteopathic physicians practice in recognized specialties such as obstetrics, neurosurgery, cardiology, and internal medicine. Just a fraction of them are certified to practice cranial osteopathy because only licensed physicians who have completed additional training in this specialty may provide this drugless, non-invasive medical treatment.
Whole Childhood:
The Prime Sustainability Issue of Our Time
by Joni DeGroot & Joan Jaekel
by Gabriel Constans, PhDLifeQuake™
Dear Dr. Toni:Holistic Products
In today’s fast-paced world, people don’t always make the healthiest choices when it comes to food. As we grab meals on the go, many of us try to get our vital nutrients through supplements. However, most of these supplements are synthetically made and do not supply our bodies with the whole foods we need. 
Small Hands™ eco-friendly apparel for adults, children and babies is “changing the world, one torso at a time.” Uplifting messages such as “Love Your Earth,” “Practice Compassion,” “Manifest Peace,” and “We are All Extraordinary” inspire both the wearer and everyone he or she encounters.
Holistic Living
A Visionary Beginning
by Deborah Trotta
Isn’t it interesting how having children is such a powerful catalyst for change? Through this life change, we get more serious about intellectualizing our beliefs or “Rulebook of Us,” as I like to call it. We become more introspective about what we want to share and teach to our offspring. We begin to really explore our ideas of spirituality, health, nutrition, education, and more. Life views and our carbon footprint suddenly become more important. Often some of these ideas are visited for the first time as new parents. A School Garden That’s Got SOL
by Julia Dashe
Young people in Southeast San Diego have been re-imagining what their school environment can look and feel like. As creative visionaries, they have been transforming the cement and asphalt canvases that they interact with everyday into verdant, edible landscapes. They have been busy reshaping the conditions of their community so that folks can learn about and have access to fresh, locally-grown food. Vision Cafe
Now in its 20th year, Body Mind & Spirit Expos (BMSE) has become the largest health and wellness expo in the United States. With a presence in 20 states and expanding, BMSE creates an arena for the general public to increase their knowledge of alternative health and metaphysical topics. Expo founder Steve Strickland hopes that by providing these venues, people in search of change will be enabled to take charge of their own wellbeing. He encourages taking a skeptical approach to the metaphysical ideas presented, while remaining open to the possibilities that will unfold. 
A new hands-on exhibition at the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center in San Diego takes a slightly different view of Fluffy, Fido and the rest of the animal kingdom. Come experience some of the slimiest, stinkiest and downright yuckiest creatures on earth at the all-new Animal Grossology exhibition, running daily from Sep. 27, 2008 through Jan. 4, 2009.
Earth Watch
Visionary Vehicles:
Moving Towards a Sustainable Planet
by Elyssa Paige
What is the greatest gift that we can give to our children? Some may say love or positive values—and yes, these are wonderful ideas. But in order for our youth to experience these joys and bring them into adulthood, they must have a place in which to do it. At the rate we’re going, it seems clear that the earth will not sustain our way of life forever.Greek to Me
No Kidding:
Confessions of a Cockeyed Visionary
by Michael Raysses
Life’s funny. You’re born, you grow up. But for all the changes you go through, I pray there are a few sacred things that will be universal and never-ending: the beauty of the sun setting on a crisp autumn day, the majesty of an eagle in flight, the relief you feel when you realize that your fly isn’t really open—you just caught one of those inexplicably weird drafts.Reviews
King of California
by Sydney L. Murray
King of California is a whimsical tale of a father trying to redeem himself in the eyes of his daughter. After leaving a mental institution, Charlie is reunited with his daughter, Miranda, who struggles to make sense of her life as she supports both of them by working at a fast food restaurant.My Big Green Teacher
by Elyssa Paige
I may not be a kid anymore, but My Big Green Teacher, written and illustrated by Michelle Glennon, definitely put a smile on my face. That’s because this series of six children’s books informs and inspires young minds about our collective ecological issues in a way that’s fun and uplifting.
Have you ever closed your eyes and envisioned a totally peaceful planet? Perhaps this vision includes no wars, clean air and water, flourishing flora, a thriving ecosystem, and all beings living in harmony. As adults, we sometimes begin to lose faith in this dream and become apathetic and undetermined. We believe that it’s out of our hands and the next generation will have to pick up the slack.