A long time ago my son received an autism diagnoses. We had had a hunch he had a mild form of autism from our own observations and a medical intuitive. At different times when he was little it flared up and we were able to treat it with homeopathy and diet. But every time the "energy" or a situation was adverse for him, he would manifest more dramatic symptoms. When he first started school in North Carolina he was sweet, compliant, a teacher's ideal pupil - just not particularly interested in joining the play style of the boys and he happened to be in a class that was disproportionately boys. That didn't work for him. The amount of hyper boy energy and the stress of the teacher trying to manage it was not good for him. He expressed his needs, but the classroom basically wasn't a fit. Finally we had him tested so he could get an IEP. I wanted to offer him the option to part time homeschool and part time school. during the process of looking into that, he saw a letterhead that included his diagnoses:
Me to Gabriel after he read the school attorney's letter advising me on what I needed to do to submit our request for a shortened day to the board:
Gabriel, how do you feel about the word "autism?"
Gabriel: "Am I your love?
Me: "Yes"
Gabriel: "Am I your sweetie?"
Me: "Yes"
Me: "Do you not really care about the word autism as long as you know you're my love and my sweetie?"
Gabriel: "The only thing I care about is love."
I have written before about how symptoms of behavior and mental illness are often symptoms of societal disease manifested in the individual. Where there might be a tendency toward___________(whatever) it is the ecosystem in which we live that often determines what epigenetics express, and what arises as our authentic response to life. Our ecosystem includes the actual structures of our world and how we interface with them. Do the structures (physical and otherwise) have enough freedom and enough form? Are they built harmonically with nature? Is the intent control or nurturance of empowerment? Water itself can be structured. Space itself is structured. It is not just the outer structures but the inner ones that impact children. Children on the spectrum KNOW when the motive is LOVE and when it is complicity in fear or a milieu of control. Many administrators have forgotten their own childlike ability to be creative, to evolve. I want to encourage those who work with children to validate children's feelings, expressed or silently witnessed. The children are very, very often right. The adults who say, "this is the policy" when the policy hurts a child and there is a better way that is possible WITHOUT THE POLICY are forgetting Who They Are as entrusted with lives of huge beings in very tender vessels that are extra sensitive - sensitive to light and noise but also to truth. Often well trained and "qualified" adults feel obliged to enforce things that cause harm. Sometimes they truly believe they are right (kids KNOW when this is a falsehood) and sometimes they feel that there hands are tied. It's time to lovingly, fiercely untie our hands, first in the inner layers of our being, then in our outer actions of courage to express whatever is our soul truth in the ways that are aligned from the highest levels we can access, in the most fully embodied ways we can, for the highest flourishing of all life on earth, Now.
"The only thing I care about is love."

"Inner Child Frequency Is Unstoppable"
This is what I found myself saying to a woman in her sixties in the narrow hall of a coffee shop after she broke out in a huge smile watching me do the "If you're happy and you know clap your hands" song and dance with my head still hidden in the turtleneck style portion of the over-the-head fair trade shawl I was in the process of pulling my noggin through. When I finally poked my face and head out, I turned to my husband and said playfully, "boo!" The woman, whose perfectly fitting name turned out to be Gloria cracked up and we instantly became friends. I was telling my husband just yesterday about the way that my relating style is in many ways closer to kids on the spectrum than to conventional adults. I saw this thing written by a woman diagnosed with autism explaining how she feels unconditional love for everyone but has a really hard time with social protocols. I have always felt that same. Don't get me wrong, I don't always like everyone. I am neither an introvert nor an extravert and although the term ambivert fits me best, I am really more of a soul-o-vert. I enjoy overtly soulful connections across every other demographic. Poor, rich, black, white, or purple speckles, English speaking, speaks only other languages - doesn't matter. Sexual identity, education, fashion sense (or the lack thereof) - don't care. Unless you wear the stuff target was selling last year. Then I probably might need you to change into something else before we can talk. But generally, you get the picture. Most of the time I don't even notice obvious things about people. Or myself, sometimes. I've had people tuck in my collar from time to time because they care but I don't. I can't tell you what Gloria was wearing, but I can tell you I noticed her eyes sparkling from the moment she walked in and sat down. I think she had on a scarf. The woman she joined had a lower vibration and was at the moment I first laid eyes on her, unavailable to connect. Fast forward beyond my digression about autism,  fashion and my lack of interest in superficial interaction unless the chatter is incidential to the underlying soul connection taking place and pause with me at the moment where Gloria laughs out loud and spreads a smile on her face sweeter than chocolate icing on a cupcake. I turn toward and she says, "We NEED more FUN! Especially in these times..." "Yes, I said.  "We need more fun. When we embody our Inner Child Frequency, WE are unstoppable." Gloria told me about grandaughter's first music class, and the curiosity and joy of children. I added, "The kids being born now to families like yours come "intact" - they know who they are and the are here to shift the fabric of reality in positive ways -  they just need grownups who can hold that space for them so they don't get squashed or slammed into boxes. The more we embody our own inner child frequency, the more we shift the fabric of reality around us and help our children do the jobs they came here to do. Gloria shared how she agrees and how, as a science teacher, she has always tried to create that space for kids to be themselves without having their spirits squashed. "They have a big job to do," said Gloria. "Yes," I said. What they need most from us is for us to create safe spaces for them to be who they really are so they can give their gifts to the world. Our job is to lighten up and have more fun." I told Gloria and her friend about my "serious" day yesterday and how a little girl from down the street helped me remember what is important when she stopped by with her dad to give me the most beautiful Thank You card she made with a huge, gorgeous yellow butterfly on it. I said, "Ya know how kids sometimes draw themselves? It looked like her - this big, bright yellow butterfly over a beautiful green field with wildflowers. She brought it to thank for me for giving her a couple of crystals on Halloween. Previously she'd given me a blessed ginko branch, free of charge at her lemonade an ginko sale. I had no money, so she said, "That's okay," and handed a lovely greeny leafy bow anyway. I told her one day I'd give her a crystal to say "Thank you." On Halloween I gave out organic lollipops and little crystals. I let this particular child take two since I had no yet followed up on my promise and I wanted to be good for it. As it happened she is a crystal lover, and there on my doorstep she told me about her rock collection. When we embody our power through the inner child frequency, we are unstoppable - we arrive at each moment's destiny with our innocence guiding us, and as a result. Sometimes a child shows up at just the right moment to remind us when we've momentarily lapsed into seriousness. When we remember, are able to let our innocence, joy and beauty shine into the world, and this medicine is exactly what the world needs in its darkest hour. "Fun just might save the world," I said to Gloria's friend, who had formerly looked heavy, as if she were wearing a lead coat and shutters over the place where a person's soul speaks through the shine in their eyes, had been slowly opening her shades. "I hope so! I just can't stand the BLEAKNESS out there." "I hear you," I said. I I told her about Tomorrowland. If you haven't, I highly recommend. It features an inspiring young woman, a super cool message, a witty, endearing android girl...and George Cloony. When my husband mentioned George Cloony, both sixty-something women got really excited. "Fun just might save the world," said Gloria. By now both women were glowing with inside our soul smiles. I added, "Grownup playtime, here, Sundays?" Then I put on my panda hat and we all smiled huge ear to ear soul smiles. The woman whose soul shutters had been closed was beaming. We all were.

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