• Last updated 11/8/12 by Cynthia Mosher

The debate in Vermont continues as the state considers ending the right to a philosophical vaccine exemption for families. The exemption currently allows parents to say no to vaccines for their children and still send them to public school or child care. Vermont is one of twenty states that allow such an option for parents. Vocal opponents of the exemption state that it  jeopardizes “herd immunity,” putting the community at risk.  Others see it as a vital right that allows families to make informed health decisions without excluding them from important... read more

• Last updated 11/8/12 by Cynthia Mosher

 “Most people are slow to champion love because they fear the transformation it brings into their lives. And make no mistake about it: love does take over and transform the schemes and operations of our egos in a very mighty way.”   -Aberjhani One of the most common ways that we leave each other while staying together is to remove sex from our relationship. This is not a new topic. In recent years the concept of the Sexless marriage has made the cover of Newsweek and other major publications, which reported that as many as 15- 20% of married couples have had... read more

• Last updated 11/9/12 by Melanie Mayo

“It’s also helpful to realize that this very body that we have, that’s sitting right here, right now… with its aches and its pleasure is exactly what we need to be fully human, fully awake, and fully alive.”   -Pema Chodron One of my favorite movie scenes comes from the old Wim Wenders’ film “Wings of Desire” when Peter Falk is speaking to the air, to an angel he senses next to him.  He bubbles with gratitude about the joy of living in a body. The deep satisfaction of physical human experience translated into something as small and often unnoticed as warming... read more

• Last updated 10/18/12 by Cynthia Mosher

By Carol McMurrich Issue 141 - March/April 2007 Tomorrow, my daughter, Charlotte, will turn two. On the eve of this anniversary, I find myself contemplating my mothering journey, humbly marveling at how such a tiny child has changed me so profoundly and permanently. I am deeply thankful for the opportunity to mother Charlotte, though some might find that surprising and unbearably sad. On the day of her birth, as her lovely body began its descent into my birth canal, Charlotte died. Her umbilical cord, which was wrapped around her body and tucked under her arm,... read more

• Last updated 11/9/12 by Melanie Mayo

By Amy L. Lansky, PhD (For more information about homeopathy, visit www.impossiblecure.com) One of the most common things that people ask me is: what does this or that reaction to a remedy mean? Confusion about homeopathic remedy reactions is quite understandable, since they are often quite different than reactions to conventional drugs. Homeopaths also understand the meaning and significance of these reactions in a much more profound way than allopaths (conventional doctors) do. In this short article, I’ll try to get across the main ideas about... read more

• Last updated 4/13/12 by Mothering Editorial

The High Cost of Autism by Theresa Wrangham From Mothering magazine Issue 153, March–April 2009   Twelve years ago, tears stained my face as my husband and I were told that our eldest daughter, Rachel, then six-and-a-half years old, had autistic tendencies that would require further diagnostic investigation. Six months later, Rachel was diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum with Pervasive Developmental Disorder—Not Otherwise Specified (PDD/NOS). In layman’s terms, Rachel was mildly autistic. Even so, she would face significant challenges in everyday life that would... read more

• Last updated 4/13/12 by Mothering Editorial

By Edmund ArangaWeb Exclusive “The biggest danger, that of losing oneself, can pass off in the world as quietly as if it were nothing; every other loss, an arm, a leg, five dollars a week, a wife, etc., is bound to be noticed.” ?Søren Kierkegaard A diagnosis of autism affects each of us deeply. My own reaction was not apparent, at least to me, for more than a year after the diagnosis. The diagnosis was not completely unexpected. Something was wrong. The crying and screaming, the meltdowns, the need for sameness in food and routine, the lack of language, could not... read more

• Last updated 11/9/12 by Melanie Mayo

I think an alarming number of us are indeed Zombies, as Everett Bogue puts it. I rode the Metro in Washington, DC for three years and all it takes is one week riding next to depressed and frazzled government commuters in their too tight Dress Barn suits and crappy ties, eating on the go, looking vacantly into the dark tunnel to conclude that, Yep, 9 to 5 is a special kind of hell and the residents are too tired to escape. Around that time I came into a lot of contact with Navy Admirals and Pentagon folk. As a vegetarian, apolitical Canadian with crystals... read more

• Last updated 11/9/12 by Melanie Mayo

USDA commons I’m one of those annoying people.  I grow enough organic produce to put up hundreds of jars of home canned goods each year. I grind grain to make fresh flour, use coconut oil instead of canola, even make my own herbal tinctures. I was probably a little nutty about nutrition before I had kids. Believe me, I got a lot nuttier afterwards. All of my health-foodie ways didn’t ward off my third child’s problems. He was born with a hole in his heart. Even after that was resolved he rarely seemed fully healthy. He had asthma, chronic skin... read more

• Last updated 11/9/12 by Melanie Mayo

What repels you? Nosy neighbors. Organized religion? Bohemia? Modern design or gold-gilded embellishments? Knowing what does not work for you is a powerful tool for creating more of what does work for you. Measuring positive feelings against negative feelings is one of the constructive ways to use comparison, and it’s a great way to tune into our deeper truth. Write down 10 things that creep you out, turn you off, or drive you nuts. Then ask yourself why it bugs you? Is it a past association, an unexamined story that you’ve been telling yourself, an... read more