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NEWS FLASH!

BEDFORD, ENLAND, 8 APRIL 2009.
Bedford author Lynn Serafinn became an Amazon UK best-selling author yesterday when her debut book,  The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self  entered the top selling titles on the day of its launch on 7 April 2009, hitting as high as number 18 in its genres.

Amazon’s sales ratings are updated hourly. Books are not only rated in their rank according to their sales in “all books”, but also within a range of different categories. If a book appears in the ”Top 100″ within any given category, it can be said to be a best-seller. 

The Garden of the Soul achieved “Amazon Best Seller” status in the UK in the rankings at 1230 PM on Tuesday 7 April, the day of its official launch, when it ranked 25th in the New Age/Occult category (assumably because it contains content about Indian spirituality) and 28th in the Mind, Body, Spirit/Spirituality category. Later in the day, these rankings rose to number 18 and 21 respectively. It shared this list with authors such as the Dalai Lama, Rhonda Byrne, Deepak Chopra and Paul McKenna, and it is actually AHEAD of some titles by Doreen Virtue, Abraham (Esther Hicks) and Eckhart Tolle. All in all, it is mighty respectable company to be amongst, especially for a brand new author.

In addition to this, by the morning of Wednesday 8 April, Lynn’s book had also reached number 92 in the extremely competitive “Self Help” category, and its rankings in the overall books on Amazon reached an extremely impressive figure of number 1,494 amongst its many MILLIONS of books.

Some words from Lynn:
All of this is extremely satisfying for a first-time, self-published author working on a complete shoe-string marketing budget and who owes all success to the collaborative efforts of her many colleagues on the social networks! All hail to the power of the world wide web! When it works, it really works. And all of that is just from the first 24 hours! The real work has only just begun.

I am feeling truly grateful today. After two solid years of writing, rewriting, editing, proofing, marketing, coordinating and overall madness… the baby is finally born, and I now release it to the world. Just so you know how important each and every reader is to me, here is my “Artist’s Manifesto”, which I wrote in May 2007, and appears in the Introduction to The Garden of the Soul:

“An artist is a person who has awakened to the thrilling realisation that the real meaning of what he creates can only manifest via the multi-coloured perspectives of those other than himself.

In this state of being, he releases his vision, unattached to its destination.

Until that moment, he is not yet an artist, but a dreamer.

The true beauty of his art takes birth in the things others see in it that he does not.”

Purchase this best-selling book on or before Friday 10 April and receive 26 fabulous free gifts. Click HERE to find out how.

Title: The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self

Author: Lynn Serafinn
Publisher: Bright Pen Books
Publish date: 20 March 2009
Release Date: 7 April 2009
Format: paperback, 404 pages, illustrated
Genres: mind-body-spirit; spirituality; self-help/personal growth
ISBN13: 978-0-7552-1126-5
ISBN10 (Amazon ASIN no): 075521126X
Price: £14.99 GBP/$21.95 USD

Synopsis: The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Selfis a book about becoming whole…

Called ‘as spiritual as Deepak Chopra and as magical as Paulo Coelho,’ The Garden of the Soul is a journey on the ‘path of least resistance to the Self’ through the imagery of four flowers that represent four spiritual principles: ‘Give’ (the Rose), ‘Receive’ (the Iris), ‘Become’ (the Daffodil) and ‘Be’ (the Lily).Taking the reader on a daring and magical journey through the author’s life and imagination–from stage fright and burnout in a classical music conservatory, to life inside an Indian temple, to a hidden life of domestic violence, to finding inner peace atop an old English footbridge–The Garden of the Soul explores birth, death, love, art, spirituality and transformation in an eloquent, poetic and ultimately unforgettable way. It is an open invitation to readers to explore how they are already the heroes of their own lives.

Enquiries: info@give-receive-become-be.com

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Title: AMAZON LAUNCH! The Garden of the Soul
Location: Amazon.com worldwide
Link out: Click here
Description: Official Amazon launch date of Lynn Serafinn’s book, The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self. Receive 25 beautiful bonus gifts when you purchase the book on the day. Find out how at http://tinyurl.com/lynn-bonus
Start Time: 12:01 EDT
Date: 2009-04-07

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Title: RADIO: Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
Location: Internet Radio
Link out: Click here
Description: Ep9-Food as a Pathway to Spirit.
Author and Personal Transformation Coach Lynn Serafinn hosts British Naturopathic and Nutritional Therapist, Fran Stockley. Fran will be talking about how we can use food to deepen our spiritual connection. She will also share three principles for using food to open up both our “cells” and our “Selves” on a practical level so we can become open and more receptive to receiving guidance from the divine.
Start Time: 18:30 GMT
Date: 2009-03-18
End Time: 19:00 GMT

Listen LIVE or “on demand” at
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

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Show: Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
Episode 7: Growing Up in Your Relationships
Date aired: Wed 4 March 2009

Last week on my BlogTalkRadio show Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul, I interviewed Colorado-based Geoff Laughton, a Transformational Coach and Counsellor who specialises in inner child and relationship healing. Geoff shared his insights on how our childhood and adolescent wounds and beliefs affect our personal and professional relationships, and offered some practical tips to improve communication with your partner in a clear, adult, “Spirited” way, to deepen intimacy.

Geoff shared his own story of the struggles he had earlier in life, where he said he felt emotionally “dead” for many years. He described how he had taken what he thought would be a temporary job right after college, which ended up being a 17-year stint in the field of engineering. This, he said, gave him no intrinsic satisfaction, and left him feel empty, detached and stressed. Eventually in his mid-30s, after climbing the ladder in his career to reach the top of his field, he found himself working up to 80 hours a week, suffering from many chronic illnesses, and 100 pounds overweight. Due to his weight, which was by then about 300 pounds, his back eventually went out and he could not go to work for an entire month, being unable to drive, walk or even stand up. After that painful experience, Geoff used his willpower to lose the weight through diet and exercise over the next year. But although physically better, he was not truly and wholly well yet, for on Christmas day when he was 35 years old, he had a panic attack while standing in a book shop. In a private interview, Geoff described the terror, the racing heart, the fear of death, and the claustrophobia he felt in that attack.

Fortunately, this incident drove Geoff to do much soul-searching. He says, “The message I took from that was that it was time for me to look at what was really going on inside me. I had been overeating for a long time. So, I could see that something was wrong on the inside, but didn’t know what.” And in asking these kinds of questions, Geoff realised that, in spite of having a loving family and a highly successful career, basically he felt trapped and unfulfilled in life. So the question for him was, “What is not being fulfilled?” It was at this point that Geoff reached a turning point where he could clearly see that he had been using his career and work to avoid dealing with important emotions that had been with him since his childhood, but had not been resolved.

Geoff then started doing what he calls “significant work on himself”. He began conventional therapy and also did some group work around Transactional Analysis. All of this was very helpful, but then a good friend invited him to a special programme where he learned about the difference between thoughts and energy and how to work with both. Geoff says the experience was “intense” and that it was here where he “rediscovered and lit the fuse of his passion to help people.” He says, “I started feeling great, in body, mind and heart. I felt vibrant.”

Now back in touch with his innermost desires, Geoff embarked on the hero’s quest to live out that passion. He left the corporate world in 1996 and trained as a coach. He did Love Transformational Work and started volunteering to work with men’s groups. Then, the really big turning point happened when he started Inner Child work. Geoff quickly realised that he had a lot of unresolved and unexpressed pain from childhood and adolescence, including feelings of unworthiness and of not being good enough. He also came back in touch with different unresolved traumas, both physical and emotional, from when he was an infant and a child. He says, “I never got to be a kid while growing up. My spirit was dead, closed. My heart was not available. I felt disconnected in relation to God and spirit.” But the day after he started his Inner Child studies, he woke up with what he calls an “epiphany”. He says, “It might as well as been God standing in the room and handing me a programme telling me what I was supposed to do.” And so began Geoff’s decision to dedicate his life to being a relationship coach specialising in Inner Child work, and soon trained as an Inner Child Facilitator. These days, he helps men and women, both individually and as couples, to get in touch with their unspoken childhood pains, so they can reconnect to their hearts and souls, and develop intimate, loving and more spiritually-based relationships with their partners.

Of himself, Geoff says, “These days, I feel connected to an incredibly loving Universal Co-active Consciousness. I feel blessed to feel this in body, mind and spirit. I feel bliss, peace.”

Much of what I have written here are highlights from a private interview I had with Geoff shortly before the show. In his online broadcast, he shares other things, including different strategies for how to tap into your own inner child so you can find that same bliss, freedom and intimacy in your own personal relationships.

Speaking for myself, my own focus in life is to call out and acknowledge the inner hero that lies in every human being. And those of you who follow my writing know that my definition of a hero is one who hears the “call” of his/her own life and answers it, and brings those answers back to the world to make it a better place. Geoff’s story is an inspiring one of someone who not only hit rock-bottom and bounced back up to make himself a happy person, but also of one who is now actively helping to heal the pains of others and bring more peace, joy and connection to the world at large. So, like so many of my other wonderful guests on “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul”, Geoff is a true hero of his own life.

Read more about Geoff on his website at: www.geofflaughton.com

You can also contact him about relationship coaching at geoff@geofflaughton.com or by calling 303-953-9215.

Geoff’s upcoming workshops (see www.geofflaughton.com for more details)

• Transcending Survival: Stretching Towards the Divine, Tele-Class, Begins 11 March 2009 
• Raising Your Spirit’s Voice Workshops: Boulder, Colorado, March 27-29;  Santa Cruz, CA April 3-5; Albuquerque NM April 17-19
• Growing Up In Your Relationships Workshops: Los Angeles, CA, April 24-26; Santa Cruz, CA May 8-10
  

Listen to the show now:

Subscribe to this podcast here:

You can receive a special gift from over 20 other mind-body-spirit professionals when you buy my upcoming book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self. Find out how to get these fantastic gifts at:

http://www.give-receive-become-be.com/pages/bonus.html

AND… you can meet Geoff personally when you come join my online community, Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul at http://gardenofthesoul.ning.com. I call it “a vibrant place for cultural and spiritual creatives.” Come join Geoff and the dozens of others who are making it a very colourful place to be on the web.

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Lou also shared just a bit about some of the cases he has seen of amazing transformations that have occurred when people encounter what he calls the “extraordinary experience” of receiving messages from loved ones who have passed on to the next plane.

Lou holds multiple degrees and honors including: advanced degrees from Columbia University, the University of Notre Dame, & Florida State University, and has appeared on numerous radio and TV shows throughout the country including “Unsolved Mysteries.” With over 25 years of counseling the bereaved, he is an international speaker who has written eight books including four on topic of the afterlife communications, and the transformations they bring to people:

Love Lives On	Messages and Miracles
Gifts from the Unknown	After Death Communications

Lou will be speaking on Tuesday, March 31, 2009 on the topic of “Nine Proven Survival Skills for Coping with Loss and Change” as a guest of St. Francis Hospice, at Borthwick Mortuary, 1330 Maunakea Street, Honolulu, Hawiaii, from 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon Registration is required by March 24, 2009. You can register via email at fmarquezwong@stfrancishawaii.org or call Felicia Marquez-Wong at 547-8145 for more info.

Lou’s compassion and love for people is truly evident when he speaks. His understanding of death as a natural part of the cycle of life is so genuine, that it is obvious why he has been of such help to so many thousands of people over the years through his lectures, books and counselling. His voice is soothing and relaxed and his approach to the topic of death and dying is not only light and easy, but comforting and poignant. While a 30 minute show is simply not long enough to cover all of Lou’s wisdom and understanding on the topic, you can certainly get a taster from the podcast below). AND… be sure to visit Lou’s websites at www.extraordinarygriefexperiences.com.

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Spring is coming to England and the air is losing its chill. So today I took a walk along the River Great Ouse, which is a beautiful  and very ancient river that runs through this part of England. Every time I go down to that river, I find myself connecting with nature, with time and space, with the universe, and with my hometown. Basically, it is a very grounding thing for me to do, because I can get a real sense of the timelessness of the river, and how all the life along its waters and riverbanks co-exist together. Perhaps you have had a similar experience in your own hometown, or some other place that is special to you.

In my book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self, I talk about ”Four Principles” of “Give, Receive, Become and Be”. For me, the River is a great teacher and I find myself able to connect with these four principles easily whenever I go there. But today, the most prominent principle I  felt there was the “Principle of Receiving”, which is the principle that includes all that comes from the world and flows into you. ‘Receiving’ as a principle includes acute awareness via the senses and the ability to relish the smallest of the small and the greatest of the great. ‘Receiving’ is the fertile ground upon which creativity can take root; through ‘receiving’, the entire universe can sit upon our consciousness like a canvas.

I walked along the river and simply allowed my senses to open up. I opened my eyes and ears and simply watched and listened. I saw the most wonderful patterns atop the water’s surface, as the currents flowed and hit the sides of the riverbank. I saw dozens of swans, geese, ducks and seagulls along the river (as always) and noticed intricate waves of interference weave together as they swam atop the shimmering water. I noticed how the waves that were created by the flow of their bodies seemed to “clash” at first, but then they formed new waves, each with its own unique pattern, which glimmered brightly in the late afternoon sun. I heard the sounds of the water, the water fowl, the air, and the people along the embankment. I allowed all of it to enter my senses equally, without imposing a preference for one over the other.

And from allowing my senses to open up and simply watch and listen, the wisdom of the moment entered my awareness. I noticed the complexity of the sparkling patterns upon the water, and I could see how things that appear to be “conflicts” in our lives are really simply these waves of interference that weave in and out of each other, continuously coming and going. Each is equally beautiful. It is only our perception that interprets them as “good” or “bad”. Really all waves have a place on the river, and it is when we allow all these waves to flow in and out without judgement, that we become able to live in harmony with the world. 

To master the “Principle of Receiving” we need only to open our senses fully, and allow whatever is there to be, and to let it enter us and wash over us. Only then can we see the beautifully intricate patterns within the waves upon the surface of our own lives. When we are receptive to all that life is giving us, rather than inclined to filter it according to our judgements, we are finally able to master the art of receiving. Only then are we able to feel truly grateful and awestruck by how much the world is giving us at any given moment, and to “feel so full that you have no choice but to give yourself away” (from The Garden of the Soul).You can also read all about the Four Principles of “Give, Receive, Become and Be” in my book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self. It’s coming to Amazon Tues 7 April. You can receive 25 beautiful mind-body-spirit gifts when you buy the book during its launch. Find out all about the book and these gifts at http://tinyurl.com/lynn-bonus.

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Subscribe to this blog to receive weekly radio listings for Garden of the Soul Radio. Tune into the show Wednesdays at http://blogtalkradio.com/lynn-serafinn

Wednesday evening was episode 4 of my radio broadcast “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul” on BlogTalkRadio. My special guest was John Levine of Alpha music who composes “Alpha” music that is supposed to put you to sleep. Umm… that didn’t come out the way I meant it… what I mean is, John’s music is intended as a cure for insomnia, anxiety, etc., because it is said to induce Alpha waves in the brain, which actually bring one to a relaxed state. I had spoken to John over the phone before setting up the show, and I thought the story of how he came to create this music was so interesting that I simply had to have him on the show. I was really excited that he was going to be on the air, and we made all the arrangements together.

So along comes Wednesday and I log on to my switchboard for the show. John had agreed to call in at least 5 minutes before air time to touch base before we went live. But 5 min before the start of the show, there was still no one on the guest line. I watched the countdown… 4 min, 3, 2, 1… Suddenly I’m live on the air. The theme music plays. Still no guest. Yikes!

When I was trained in Leadership, we learned that a real leader is supposed to be able to throw out “the plan” when needed, and create something from anything… or nothing, as the case may be. Well, all I had was the title of the show, and little old me. No back-up plan whatsoever.

Hmmm… I thought. So what can I create from this?

Ok, so after the theme music died down, I do my usual spiel to start. I talk about last week’s show, and even the week before. Still no guest. Hmm… we are already 3 minutes into the show. So, I go ahead and introduce my guest anyway, but am completely transparent and tell the audience he’s not there, if you can believe that! I tell them I am just going to talk about the topic anyway, trusting he’ll show up.

TALK?? On what? I ask myself …This is supposed to be an INTERVIEW.”

Anyway, I took the topic of the show, “Using Creativity to Heal the Self” and just started “winging it”. I started talking about my own journey of creativity and how it helped heal me (or not). I ended up talking about my own creative process in writing the book (at least part of it). I spoke about how I let go of control of the need to create and allowed things to just evolve, and how this actually opened up not only my creativity, but allowed me to “heal” from many wounds from the past. I spoke about how different characters appeared for my book, how I “allowed” the characters to write the stories, and how this bought me to a deeper understanding of the story I was writing. I spoke about my story “Learning to Breathe” (part of the section on the “Iris” in The Garden of the Soul) where I wrote about my mother’s death. I spoke about my character “Crow”, who was inspired by an actual crow who came to my window one morning about 2 years ago, and prompted the flow and meaning of the story. I spoke about how Crow asked me questions to which I didn’t premeditate the answers, and how I simply allowed the conversation to unfold in the book. I spoke about the wisdom and the healing this kind of organic creative process brought me regarding many pivotal events in my life, such as my mother’s death.

Then, just as I was “sort of” making a point, and with a whole 14 minutes left to the show, my guest John Levine finally shows up. Apparently, he had been trying to call in for half an hour but couldn’t get through to the call (bless him!). But, as fate would have it, he came in right at a moment when I was just completing the idea of “allowing” things to evolve naturally (but where I would have gone after that, don’t ask me!), so I just sort of used the moment to create from whatever showed up and said something like, “We’re going to be creative right now and allow this moment to happen exactly as it is.”

Now, one would think that this is probably a host’s worst nightmare. It’s like all those dreams where you are pushed out on stage without ever having had a rehearsal (ever have those?). But you know what? I felt perfectly calm. I was well aware that I probably babbled my silly head off for 16 minutes. But I didn’t care. I felt connected in some WEIRD way, and simply remained open and fully transparent. Now, I find this a very strange thing to have done, and regardless of how “good” the babble ended up being (hahaha… I haven’t listened to it yet! Maybe YOU could listen to it and let me know!), I still feel pretty proud that I was able to hold the room for 16 minutes solo, and actually stay somehow on the topic of the show.

Even though we only had 16 minutes, we managed to have just enough time for John to briefly tell how he first embarked on his journey to producing Alpha music. He spoke a little bit about how being the witness to his father’s lifetime of stress-related illnesses compelled him to find answers to the mind-body-spirit connection, which ultimately led him to use his musical talents to create music that can alter the alpha waves in the brain to restore health and wellbeing to listeners. He told me about his secret desire to record an album in the Taj Mahal some day. Paul Horn did that in the 70s on his album Inside, but all he had was a flute. Bringing in a grand piano would undoubtedly be a little bit more challenging! Unfortunately, we only had time for a small excerpt of one of John’s track on the air, but if you go to his site  at  www.silenceofmusic.com, he’s got loads of clips for your to hear. Of course, I will have John on the show again sometime soon. He’s a lovely person with a great story and a MASSIVE repertoire of Alpha wave inducing music. So and I really want to have the chance to present him properly on another show.

By the way, John will be appearing LIVE here in Bedford at our Global Wellness Circle evening this Monday 16 February at the Park Road West Church Hall, just off Roff Avenue. CLICK HERE for full details, or visit http://www.global-wellness-circle.com and click “events”.

So the question is, I wonder why the Universe wished this to happen? I trust I shall find out eventually.

But I must admit, I now have a real appreciation for the role of a co-host!

Be SURE to check out John’s site at http://www.silenceofmusic.com. He has a MASSIVE amount of music there, and you can here samples online.

Warm wishes,
Lynn

P.S.: Have a listen to my own creative process while I was creating from chaos:

AND it would be great if you gave it a little heart to mark it as your favourite! It will help me get higher in the ratings.

OR… subscribe the podast HERE:

P.P.S.: Next week’s guest is Royal Amber Rojas who has an amazing story of survival to tell! Make SURE you all tune in on Wed 18 Feb at 6.30 PM UK time to hear her incredible story on the air. You can listen to the show online at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn, either live OR “on demand”.

P.P.P.S.: Come on over and join Amber, me and lots of other colourful people on my new social network “The Garden of the Soul” at http://gardenofthesoul.ning.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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Getting Friendly with Your Monsters
simple steps to stop what’s stopping you

Most of us carry around a dream for our lives. Having a dream is wonderful. It drives us forward. And in some ways, it is not so much the attainment of the dream itself that is the most important, but rather the fact that we are actively on the path towards it. We feel energised by the knowledge that we are living a vibrant, dynamic life that is moving one step closer towards our ultimate fulfilment every day.

Sometimes our dream is quite definable. We might be dreaming to find the ideal relationship, the ideal career or the ideal holiday. Perhaps we dream of having a best selling book (gosh, that’s my dream, for sure!). But sometimes, our dream is simply to find to courage to step into being the person we secretly know we are at heart, but have been afraid to show to the world. What is tragic is when we have this dream, and we never find the courage to act upon it, believing we are powerless for whatever reason. We might fear the judgement of others, or we might fear failure. We might be convinced that we are never “good enough” to be or to achieve what we really want. We might fear rejection, or we might even fear success itself, fearing that we may lose those who are close to us if we become the person we really wish to be.

I believe that all of these kinds of dreams comprise our “hero’s call” to our life purpose. And just like any hero, we encounter all kinds of “monsters” along the way before we reach the treasure we seek. In this case, our “monsters” are our self-perceived limitations. I say “self-perceived” because what I have learned, both in my own life and in working with clients, is that these kinds of limitations are seldom, if ever, founded in reality. However, they feel real to us simply because they are things we have come to believe about ourselves. Over the years, we have convinced ourselves we have these limitations or restrictions. We might even rationalise that we are being “responsible” to limit ourselves because we have family obligations. Thus, believing we are the powerless victims of fate or circumstance-or of other human beings-we never bother to take up the call to our own lives. Imagine if, due to your fears, you came to the end of your life, and you realised that you had never even started on your own hero’s journey. To me, this would be the ultimate tragedy in life.

I feel so passionately about this topic that everything I do, in one form or another, is focussed upon helping people get on, and stay on, the path to their life purpose, so they can attain their ultimate dream whatever that may be. One way I do that is through my course “Making Friends with the Monsters Under Your Bed”, where I teach people a 5-step model for understanding what a monster is, how it works, how to recognise one, and ultimately how to make changes to your consciousness so you can finally step into your authentic Self, and be the person you really wish to be, and who you know you are.

I’d like to invite you to my FR*EE teleseminar “Making Friends with the Monsters Under Your Bed” on Wed 18 February at 8 PM UK time, where I will introduce you to this model, so you can take away some useful tips right away. If you are looking to overcome your own monsters and become the hero of your own life, or if you are looking for a practical method to help your kids, students or clients do the same, check out this teleseminar.

Reserve Your Place Today at:

http://www.create-a-life.co.uk/telecourses/monsters/monsters_pre_signup_0209.html

All you need is a telephone to participate.
You will receive the call in details and a workbook for the call.

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News Update:  Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul on Ning
Become a member at: http://gardenofthesoul.ning.com

Today I launched my new social network on Ning called “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul” in preparation for the launch of my book (exactly 2 months away now!). I describe it as “A vibrant place for cultural and spiritual creatives.” I sent out the invitations this evening (Saturday evening…. not the best time to invite people to join a network?) and within 10 minutes I had several new members. Immediately they started bringing real vibrance to the site with music, pictures and just plain old personality. I found this to be amazing! All I did was set up the page and then click “send” and suddenly there is a virtual event going on all by itself.

While every one of the member pages has a quality and a character to it, I really wanted to showcase a priceless gem from one of my members, artist and poet Bruce Morse. He put on a slide show of his paintings, and frankly I could not believe that a single human being could paint so many paintings, what to speak of so many fabulous ones. I am posting his slideshow here (via YouTube) because I think it is top quality content and he deserves to be shouted about. So here’s to my Ning friend, the amazing artist Bruce Morse:

Visit Bruce’s profile on my new Ning site at http://gardenofthesoul.ning.com/profile/BruceMorse

And while you’re there, leave a comment for Bruce.
AND vote for our site as the on of the top spiritual networks.

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• Video of the Week! “Validation” (4)

Subscribe to this blog to receive weekly radio listings for Garden of the Soul Radio. Tune into the show Wednesdays at http://blogtalkradio.com/lynn-serafinn

Afterthoughts: Interview with Swedish Artist Kristina Berglund
Show: Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
Episode 3: Using Creativity to Heal the Self Part 2
Date aired: Wed 4 February 2009

This week on my BlogTalkRadio show Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul, I interviewed Swedish artist, coach and teacher of Vedic Art, Kristina Berglund. Kristina and I discussed how she used painting, and in particular the Vedic Art method of painting, to restore health to emotional pathways that were blocked inside her, resulting in years of difficulty with poor body image and eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia.

Those who listened to the show would have to agree that Kristina is a truly brave and beautiful human being. I have the great pleasure of knowing her as a dear friend, and I have also taken her excellent course on the 17 Principles of Vedic Art. On the air, Kristina kick-started the Vedic process by asking listeners to simply put their pen on a piece of paper in front of them, and let their hands go anywhere it wants to go. She warned that if your brain gets in the way and starts to compel you to create patterns, then you should toss away that paper and start again until the hand is really going on its own and there is no thought process involved. This was just a tiny hint of the first of the 17 Principles of Vedic Art-”the line”. It sounds like such a simple thing, but trust me, once you get into Kristina’s course, you realise the depth of it all, and how the Principles are all interwoven in a very deep and spiritual way.

Kristina’s art specialism is painting original mandalas using very large canvases, and highly textured images, mixing different objects directly into her paint, such as sand and gemstones. When I first saw Kristina’s paintings, all I could say is “Wow.” Fortunately for me, when Kristina read a galley print of my upcoming book The Garden of the Soul, she noticed that I described a mandala in my section “Lessons from the Lily”, and she immediately called me and offered to create an original mandala for the cover. I couldn’t have been more thrilled. I will be “unveiling” her finished work here by mid-February, so be sure you check back then. 

From so many angles, Kristina is an artist-she is a painter, a teacher and a coach. She is also starting a project in Sweden aimed at helping men and woman with eating disorders to restore their mental, physical and emotional balance through the process of learning the 17 Principles of Vedic Art. Kristina’s approach to art is a true example of one woman’s use of creativity to heal the Self. But she is not merely an artist; soft and flowing deeply like a river, Kristina is herself is a work of art.

Check out Kristina’s Art and Vedic Art Courses at 
http://principlesofvedicart.wordpress.com/

(and, yes, you CAN learn art over the telephone!)
You can also browse her FABULOUS mandala art gallery there!

Listen to the show below:

Or download the podcast here: 
Or browse through other episodes at:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

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Subscribe to this blog to receive weekly radio listings for Garden of the Soul Radio. Tune into the show Wednesdays at http://blogtalkradio.com/lynn-serafinn

I have a long history in the arts. I started playing music when I was 4 years old, when my mother bought a second-hand piano. I started playing violin at age 9, sang in my first opera at age 13 and went on to be everything from a symphony violinist, to an east-west fusion artist, to an electronic trance musician. I even had a chart-topping dance record back in the 90s. But even though my life was filled with music every day, I always used writing as my medium of choice for personal expression, self-discovery and emotional healing. I have written seriously since my early teens, and have always found it to be the place where I could not only express myself best, but also find the parts of myself that seemed not so clear to me. The entire experience of writing my book The Garden of the Soul, for example, was a cathartic one from start to finish. By the end of the process, I felt like I had not only given birth to a book, but also to my authentic Self.

Personal expression is extremely important to our overall wellbeing. When I work with clients, they often come to me frustrated that they feel unable to express themselves fully in their life, work or relationships. That is my primary focus with them as their coach. But beyond the coaching session, I know that tapping into creativity, whether that means inventing a new recipe, crocheting a scarf or composing a new song, can often be the vital element in a person’s overall balance in life. Because creativity is such a key factor in our fulfilment as human beings, I always listen carefully to the desire of my clients to find out what is longing to be expressed. Then, together we design ways to bring out that expression, so as to allow the inner healing to unfold on its own

In my book, I take the reader through a very simple way to understand what might be missing in our lives whenever we feel a bit ‘out’. In my book, I discuss four principles that bring balance and wholeness to the human spirit: give, receive, become and be. All four of these principles play a vital part in the creative process:

• The Principle of Giving: the principle of all that emanates outwards from within you. In relation to creativity, ‘giving’ as a principle includes self-expression, passion, emotiveness, boldness, etc. ‘Giving’ is the energy that drives us to call forth the creative process within ourselves; it is the urge to express.
• The Principle of Receiving: the principle of all that comes from the world into you. In relation to creativity, ‘receiving’ as a principle includes acute awareness via the senses and the ability to relish the smallest of the small and the greatest of the great. ‘Receiving’ is the fertile ground upon which creativity can take root; through ‘receiving’, the entire universe can sit upon our consciousness like a canvas.
• The Principle of Becoming: the principle of all that is continually changing. In relation to creativity, ‘becoming’ as a principle includes inspiration, imagination, spontaneity, and innovation. ‘Becoming’ is the act of creativity itself; without it, we have no impulse to invent something new.
• The Principle of Being: the principle of all that is non-changing. In relation to creativity, ‘being’ as a principle includes inner wisdom, stillness, serenity within all circumstances and the ability to be the observer without judgements. ‘Being’ is the perspective where we accept the role and responsibility of the sacred role of creator; it provides us with the ability to express fully without judging either self or other.

What I have found is that when we are feeling a bit ‘off’ in life, it is often because one of these principles is not flowing properly within us, or perhaps all of them are blocked in some way. When we find we are not expressing ourselves fully and authentically, it can manifest in so many harmful ways in life, such as depression, anger or even (and frequently) physical illness. I know because I have experienced all of these things over the years, and am extremely grateful now that I know how to recover from these imbalances either on my own, or with the help of one of my many wonderful friends. When I coach my clients, I help them to learn how to return to that balance, and sometimes I help them to engage on a creative enterprise, whether it is something artist like writing, music or art, or something life-changing like creating a new business or a creating an entirely new perspective of themselves that they bring into all aspects of their lives.

No matter what method we use to express the innate creator within each one of us, creativity is as essential to our health and happiness as eating a balanced diet. So if you are feeling a little ‘off’ today, take a moment to create something with consciousness-from a great new sandwich to a heartfelt diary entry. Take a look out the window and see what is there. Take a look inside your heart and see what is there. Then listen for what needs to be expressed and find a way to let it be heard. You will find that you not only heal yourself, but you will heal the world around you as well.

I’ll be telling you more about the four principles give, receive, become and be in the coming weeks, and you can also read all about them when my book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self when it comes out on Tues 7 April.

Want to hear more about how some
extraordinary people use creativity to heal the self?
Check out my next two radio broadcasts!

Wednesday 4 February
Using Creativity to Heal the Self Part 2
6.30 PM UK time, 1.30 PM Eastern, 10.30 AM Pacific, 7.30 PM CET
Author and Personal Transformation Coach Lynn Serafinn hosts Kristina Berglund, Swedish painter, Co-Active Coach and a teacher of the Vedic Art tradition. Kristina, whose artistic specialty is creating very large mandalas, is also the commissioned artist for the cover of Lynn’s book The Garden of the Soul. On tonight’s show, Kristina will be sharing her story of how she uses a deeper connection to art as a means of overcoming personal battles with eating disorders, distorted body image and other emotional blocks both within herself and others through her teaching. Kristina will be offering a live demo of Vedic art instruction on the air, so have some paper and come coloured pens ready!
Listen LIVE at: www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn
Listener questions: call at 646-727-3449 during broadcast (US number)

Wednesday 11 February
Using Creativity to Heal the Self Part 3
6.30 PM UK time, 1.30 PM Eastern, 10.30 AM Pacific, 7.30 PM CET
Author and Personal Transformation Coach Lynn Serafinn hosts British musician John Levine of Alphamusic. John will be sharing his story of how being the witness to his father’s lifetime of stress-related illnesses compelled him to find answers to the mind-body-spirit connection, which ultimately led him to use his musical talents to create music that can alter the alpha waves in the brain to restore health and wellbeing to listeners. John will be playing some samples of his compositions on the air, so get ready to an auditory massage.
Listen LIVE at: www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn
Listener questions: call at 646-727-3449 during broadcast (US number)

Did you miss ‘Using Creativity to Heal the Self Part 1
with UK author Tom McGreevy?
Catch the show ‘on demand’ anytime at
www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

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Subscribe to this blog to receive weekly radio listings for Garden of the Soul Radio. Tune into the show Wednesdays at http://blogtalkradio.com/lynn-serafinn

Afterthoughts: Interview with UK Author Tom McGreevy
Show: Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
Episode 2: Using Creativity to Heal the Self Part 1
Date aired: Wed 28 Jan 2009

Last week on my BlogTalkRadio show Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul, I interviewed British poet, Tom McGreevy, author of the books Poems for Paula and the upcoming book ‘I’m a Soldier…get me out of here! Tom and I discussed how he has used his creativity as a writer to heal his own emotional wounds, as how he currently uses it to help heal the wounds of others.

Those who listened to the show would have to agree that Tom is a down-to-earth, home-spun hero of the highest order. Originally from Newcastle in northeast England (for those who might have been able to place his accent), where he wrote poetry as a child, Tom joined the military at an early age to ‘make his father proud’, even though he knew deep down in his heart of hearts that he is ‘a writer, not a fighter’ (as Tom is found of saying). On the show, Tom shared with us his experience with seeing his best friend die in his arms in the war of the Falklands, and discussed the impact that made on him. He also talked about his experience with prostate cancer, and the emotional rollercoaster of the healing process. Tom’s poetry is traditional and direct, and written in an unassuming, natural way that gets right to the heart of the matter without any fluff. Plainly addressing issues surrounding death, dying and saying good bye to loved ones, Tom’s poems are a true example of one man’s use of creativity to heal the Self.

Tom spoke in brief about his work as Head Moderator for a project called ‘Forces Poetry’, which helps military, ex-military and their families overcome the effects of war, including post traumatic stress disorder, by writing. He is helping to coordinate the publishing of their first book entitled ‘ Voices of the Poppies” a collection poems by members of Forces Poetry, which is a part of a greater organisation called ‘Flow for All’ ( Forces Literary Organisation Worldwide for All ).

• Listen to the show below:

• On download the podcast here:
• Or browse through other episodes at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

NEXT SHOW: Wed 4 February 6.30 PM UK time. ‘Creativity to
Heal the Self Part 2′ with special guest Kristina Berglund, Stockholm-based artist, coach and teacher of Vedic Art Principles.

Tom Mcgreevy’s Website: http://www.poetryfromtommcgreevy.weebly.com

	Poems for Paula 94 page Paperback or ebook download both available from: http://www.lulu.com/content/2641854
	Draft cover of Tom’s upcoming book I’m a Soldier…get me out of here ! Watch for it in spring 2009.
	Voices of the Poppies a collection of ‘Forces Poetry’ members’ poetry Available from: http://silverwoodbooks.co.uk

Tom Mcgreevy is also the Head Moderator for the following Group of websites.

• Flow for All ( Forces Literary Organisation Worldwide for All ) http://FlowforAll.org
• Forces Poetry http://ForcesPoetry.com
• Forces Stories http://ForcesStories.com
• Flows Forum http://FlowsForum.com

FLOW is a non-profit making organisation set up by ex-forces, to help other
ex-forces and their families Worldwide. They try to encourage those suffering from PTSD ( Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ) to express their fears and feelings through writing poetry, and having it published on their sites. Their sites are free to use for anybody, but they welcome donations to keep the sites running, and help ex-servicemen and women worldwide.

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Subscribe to this blog to receive weekly radio listings for Garden of the Soul Radio. Tune into the show Wednesdays at http://blogtalkradio.com/lynn-serafinn

I totally LOVE this video entitled ‘Validation’. At 16 minutes, it is a ‘mini-movie’, but it is really worth watching. Get yourself a drink, sit back and ENJOY this! Would love to hear your comments.

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Subscribe to this blog to receive weekly radio listings for Garden of the Soul Radio. Tune into the show Wednesdays at http://blogtalkradio.com/lynn-serafinn

In response to my first article ‘Peace Begets Peace’, one person (anonymous post) replied:

A nice story but unfortunately irrelevant to the situation in Gaza. The truth is that the child has openly declared that he wants to kill his mother and she is trying to take the knife out of his hands. She knows that he always keeps his promises and is stabbing her for more than 8 years over and over again. She is overreacting because she is afraid of blood poisoning and has had enough. I’m all for everlasting peace. But, when the Hamas says he will not stop short of killing me, I have to believe him. I just can’t see what we can talk about.

While my initial article was written with a view towards peace in general, and not necessarily talking solely about the violence in Gaza, these comments are surely a wonderful expression of the frustration that is undoubtedly felt amongst the nations in question. I can personally relate to the imagery from the perspective of my marriage breaking down 6 years ago. Yes, when any relationship has gotten to the point that you are tired of being ’stabbed’ (using your metaphor), then fight or flight appear to be the only two options. However, I have learned a lot about fighting and flying, and how these appear to be the only options when we are in the midst of a situation. However, if we take a metaview of this, or any, hostile situation, I believe ‘peace begets peace’ does indeed apply on a larger scale.

I completely agree that when a relationship, whether between two people or two peoples, has broken down to the point where they are no longer able to hear each other, and communication is obscured because contempt has replaced it, it can seem like there is no way to fix the wounded relationship. There is a point, as you say, when one or both parties feels too wounded to trust any longer, and the relationship becomes toxic.

If you were a married couple in a toxic situation and could no longer endure it, you would divorce. In a divorce, solicitors are employed because, left to their own devices, the two parties would probably do nothing but shout, defile, blame and threaten each other. There is no more trust between them, so they are incapable of managing their affairs without the assistance of a disinterested third party, who has no real vested interest in the outcome. A solicitor might work well to help the severing process, but what a solicitor does not do is heal the relationship because it is assumed it does not want to heal.

Unfortunately, in the matter of nations, dealing with a toxic relationship is a different matter. You cannot divorce each other, yet still third parties (i.e., other countries) are frequently ’employed’ (or deployed) to act in the role of ’solicitor’ wherein property and boundaries are set, whether through additional warfare, sanctions or resolutions. However, there are several reasons why this is not likely to be particularly effective in the long-term. The first is that a third party nation rarely, if ever, has a genuinely disinterested relationship with either nation, so their intervention is bound to feel like manipulation to one, or even both, of the parties. Secondly, while a divorce lawyer can walk away from his clients thinking that it will be up to the clients to heal themselves as they separate from each other, it is practically impossible for two nations (and I use the word ‘nation’ to mean the people, not the geographic boundaries), especially two that have been living as closely as Israelis and Palestinians have, to separate from each other physically, emotionally, culturally or economically. And while couples who have divorced may or may not heal separately with time (some never do), nations have the disadvantage of not being able to truly separate and heal, nor do they have the luxury of taking time in their collective process because the rest of the world is depending upon their stability.

So when dealing with nations, what we need is not a divorce at all, although we traditionally use these tactics. What we need here is a means of actual healing of the relationship itself, not just of the separate nations. I do understand that sometimes it might be deemed that immediate action of a political or military nature for the purpose of ensuring the safety of oneself is necessary in the short-term. But in the long-term what is needed is for those who are more able to see past the blur of cultural prejudices to help the relationship, not in the role of the ’solicitor’, but as the healer. 

Healing the relationship is not a matter of conducting mediation for the purpose of making resolutions. It is a global process of rebuilding the trust between the parties so that they can see the humanity in each other, and therefore feel inspired to be at peace with each other. No peace can come without both parties being willing to release their judgements, blame and contempt, and this will not happen until their view of both ’self’ and ‘other’ is shifted. So long as both parties hold tightly to the ‘us’ and ‘them’ of the situation, toxicity will remain. And saying that ‘we’ will not release this view until the ‘other’ party does, only perpetuates the problem. Only when the ‘us and them’ perspective is shifted can healing occur, whether between two individuals or between two peoples. When this shift finally does happen, more choices become apparent, and then a lasting peace, and not just a ‘patch up job’, can take place.

I suppose what I am say here is that when one is caught in the crossfire, yes, there are things that may need to happen to ensure your survival. But if we rise above the situation and see what is needed at a larger level, trusting that it is possible, then our actions will be motivated by a different energy, and a different result is more likely.

As someone who considers herself in a healing profession, I am dedicated to doing my bit for the ‘bigger picture’. While I might not be able to take the knife out of the hand of the belligerent child, I hope to help change the situation so that the child no longer wishes to pick up the knife at all, except to slice the bread he will share with his neighbour and friend.

I firmly believe that all of us can begin this process when we start at a local level and heal the wounds within ourselves by shifting our internal energy to a place of peace, even when there is a turbulent storm raging around us.

I am grateful to this writer of this comment for giving me the chance to hear his anguish over the current situation.

Related posts

• Peace Begets Peace – Pt 1 (3)
• Personal Transformation and Why it is Important for the Greater World -Pt 5 (1)
• Personal Transformation and Why it is Important for the Greater World – Pt 3 (0)
• Personal Transformation and Why it is Important for the Greater World – Pt 2 (0)
• Personal Transformation and Why it is Important for the Greater World – Pt 1 (0)

Subscribe to this blog to receive weekly radio listings for Garden of the Soul Radio. Tune into the show Wednesdays at http://blogtalkradio.com/lynn-serafinn

We’ve all seen it.

A young child is screaming in the queue of the supermarket. He has seen a toy he wants, but his mother refuses to buy it. And so he starts to scream, saying, ‘I want it, Mummy.’ An embarrassed-looking mother restrains herself as she puts her groceries onto the conveyor belt. The child, being ignored, works himself up into a frenzy until his screaming causes people to look somewhat disdainfully at the distraught mother, who is trying her best to pay for her groceries and get out of the store as quickly as possible. But it’s no use. The child is getting louder and louder and people are looking even more irritated, especially now that the check-out girl at the till has just asked a runner to do a price check on that day-old loaf of bread amongst the woman’s groceries. So now the whole queue is waiting…waiting and trying not to look irritated as the child continues to scream louder and louder and louder…

And then, she loses it.

Unable to contain her composure for a single second longer, the mother starts shouting at the child. Her voice is even louder and more irritating that the child’s screaming. But she doesn’t just shout. She hollers. She threatens. She calls the child names. She uses language that she would never allow the child to use. She grabs the child by the arm, gives him a shove and tells him to shut up. She might even give a slap.

The mother, completely absorbed in her own frustration, is unaware at first that her own shouting is now drawing attention from even more disgruntled onlookers, who look at her with a bit of a critical eye. The mother starts to sense this. She tries to look away and pretends she doesn’t notice, but of course she feels mortified. But what else could I have done? she thinks.

Shocked by the mother’s aggressive behaviour, the child does go quiet-for the moment-and the mother tells herself that her behaviour is justified and that all these people looking at her should just mind their own business. She pays for her groceries, and starts to leave the store.

But as she goes, the child starts to cry again. It starts quietly at first, just a whimper. But soon it grows until it is even more pitiful than before. This time, his cries come from a much deeper place, and his sobs are gut-wrenching and heartbreaking to hear. They come from his feelings of being unloved, even if these feelings are completely unfounded. The onlookers watch as he cries all the way out of the store. Now he is wailing, even louder than before.

I describe this scenario because I have been thinking a lot this week about the nature of peace. As I write this, we are several weeks into the horrible violence happening in Gaza. I myself have several very good friends and colleagues living in the Middle East, both Jews and Palestinians, and the stories they tell me are heart-rending. Clearly, peace is needed, and it is needed immediately.

But taking the lesson from the story of the mother and the child, how does one create a lasting peace? When we attempt to create peace, at the cost of peace itself, we create no peace at all. We have seen again and again over the past two decades that when more powerful nations enter into the war arena in the name of re-establishing peace to a less powerful country or region, it rarely, if ever, works. Just like the mother who is able to temporarily subdue her child because she can shout louder and be more aggressive than the child, larger nations can surely assert their aggression upon smaller ones to get them to ‘behave’, but this is simply a temporary quell. Similarly, just as a child who has been shouted at his whole life learns to be aggressive when he reaches adulthood, nations subdued, whether through military action or political sanctions, also become aggressive when they begin to regain their strength. It might happen a generation later. But the reaction will come. Aggression can never be a solution for peace. Aggression breeds aggression. Only peace can beget peace.

Genuine peace is far deeper than the achievement of an externally subdued behaviour. True peace is a peacefulness of body, mind and spirit. Over the past year, for instance, much of the world appears to be not at peace over the global economy. However, I myself have been feeling very peaceful about it. I see the changes as part of the natural wave of cause and effect, and I am simply riding that wave with flexibility and creativity, feeling no real distress from it. But what I notice is, people who are not at peace within themselves, and who are given to stress, judgments and anxiety, are generally the ones who are the most disturbed by the so-called ‘crisis’. I myself felt this kind of distress about a year ago, until I realised that I was the source of my own anxieties, not the situation. It is not the economy that brings lack of unrest, it is us.

When we are anxious, we tend to spread our anxieties to others. When we do this, we create an imbalance in energy. It’s like tipping a tube filled with liquid. When the tube is unbalanced, the contents flow more to one side or the other. Similarly, when you tip things in the direction of your own anxiety, you only encourage more and more people to get sucked into the void of your own lack of peacefulness. One of most powerful mechanisms for shifting energies on a wide scale is the media. I personally feel that the anxieties surrounding the current economic situation have been greatly exacerbated by the way the media, including newspapers, have shifted the social energy. Shifting energy is the cause of any social epidemic, whether ‘good’ or ‘bad’. And what’s good about that, is that it also means that we have the power to shift it back into balance.

Knowing that global trends are really the result of shifts in energy, I find myself wonder on a daily basis what would happen if the entire world would suddenly come to a place of peace within their hearts. Imagine what would happen to the social energy then. If everyone were at peace within themselves, they would not have any inclination towards waging war, because they would not feel the need to judge or to be envious of others. If everyone were at peace within themselves, they would never feel the need to worry, even if economic circumstances changed. If everyone were at peace within themselves, instead of robbing others of energy, they would be able to give them energy. There would be no sense of competition, because no one would be worried about losing anything. Giving of oneself would come easily, because we would feel no lack within ourselves. Rather, we would feel full, and would have the desire to give. And when the whole world is giving, the planet becomes wealthy. The process is simple to learn. It is easy to do. It is sustainable.

‘But,’ you might ask, ‘this all sounds nice, but there is a real war going on. Blood is being shed. What could we do and what impact could we possibly have, while so much of the world is spinning out of balance?’

This is what you can do–be at peace.

This does not mean to be ignorant. This does not mean to turn a blind eye to the suffering of others. It means to walk with peace, hear with peace, see with peace. And if the whirlwind of the world’s drama tries to sweep you up, step back and know that just as you are the source of your own anxiety, you are also the source of your own peace. And just as the world may seem like it is trying to rob you of your peace, you as the Peace-bearer are actually able to heal the world with your peaceful heart. For when you have peace, the energy balance shifts, and more peace comes as a result.

So if you wish to do something that can make a difference to the citizens of Gaza, or to those who are suffering as a result of the economic tides, or to anyone else who is out of touch with peace, by all means follow your conscience and do whatever you believe is right. But regardless of how you choose to express your conscience, do it with a peace-filled heart, trusting fully that you have the power to shift the energy, and then simply watch the world start to change both around you, and within you

I believe that peace begets peace. So if we wish to bring peace to the world at a global level, we must start with ourselves. Be at peace. Go with peace. And the whole world will feel the impact of your peacefulness. Of this there is no doubt.

YOUR comments are heartily encouraged and requested. Please add to the energy! 

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copyright Lynn Serafinn 2009, all rights reserved

Related posts

• Peace Begets Peace – Pt 2 (1)
• Personal Transformation and Why it is Important for the Greater World -Pt 5 (1)
• Personal Transformation and Why it is Important for the Greater World – Pt 3 (0)
• Personal Transformation and Why it is Important for the Greater World – Pt 2 (0)
• Personal Transformation and Why it is Important for the Greater World – Pt 1 (0)

Subscribe to this blog to receive weekly radio listings for Garden of the Soul Radio. Tune into the show Wednesdays at http://blogtalkradio.com/lynn-serafinn

That’s how ordinary mortals like me can feel the adrenaline rush of being a race car driver, without having to be a natural daredevil like Patrick.

So today, take a moment to pay attention to where you are looking in life. Are you looking at the wall, continually trying to avoid it? If so, then turn around and have a look in the other direction. Cast your vision towards that lovely green field of awareness, and trust that you will be carried there effortlessly if you only allow that your natural navigational system take you back to your true Self.

This article originally appeared in Creative Living, November 2008.
Copyright 2008 Lynn Serafinn, all rights reserved.

If you wish to use this article in your newsletter, please send your request to info@give-receive-become-be.com.

P.S.: You can visit Patrick Ryan at www.awakenedwisdom.com.

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Subscribe to this blog to receive weekly radio listings for Garden of the Soul Radio. Tune into the show Wednesdays at http://blogtalkradio.com/lynn-serafinn

Fulfilment is any easy process of simply allowing your true self to blossom…

That is the primary message of my upcoming eBook The Path of Least Resistance to the Self. The “path of least resistance” is also the underlying message in The Garden of the Soul, although it is conveyed very differently in both books. In The Path of Least Resistance of the Self, I take you through 10 principles of life that help you recognise when you are working for and against your natural, authentic Self. It has been my most popular download to date, and I receive emails from people all the time about how inspirational they find it to be.

SO…for a limited time, I am offering the first 6 chapters of this book for FREE. This includes both printable text and MP3 audio, so you can take it away and listen to it in your iPod or other player. You receive a new chapter every week, so you will have plenty of time to assimilate all the inspiration.

To claim your free chapters, just go to
http://www.create-a-life.co.uk/articles/least_resistance_request.html

Don’t delay because as we get closer to the release of the complete book, these chapters will not be free anymore AND if you download them now, you will be sent a special “secret” URL where you can purchase the complete book at a discount price when it becomes available.

LET US HEAR FROM YOU and GET MORE STUFF!

The complete eBook and audio of The Path of Least Resistance  is coming in late February 2009. If you are one of the hundreds of people who have already read The Path of Least Resistance  so far, please leave your “review” below so other potential readers will feel encouraged to download these chapters while they still are FREE.

And, as a thank you for your nice comments, if your review is amongst the “TOP 10 ” we choose, you will receive the COMPLETE eBook (12 chapters) AND audio book (over 5 hours of audio) absolutely FREE. That’s a £30 ($50) value.

Deadline for this special offer is 28 February 2009. 
Winners will be notified via email and posted on this blog
after all entries have been considered.

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Subscribe to this blog to receive weekly radio listings for Garden of the Soul Radio. Tune into the show Wednesdays at http://blogtalkradio.com/lynn-serafinn

The Garden of the Soul is a book about becoming whole…

Described by its readers as “magical”, “spiritual”, “brilliant” and “profound”, The Garden of the Soul is a book that dances freely on both sides of the bridge between fiction and non-fiction, to illustrate the unearthing of the human spirit, using autobiography, dream work, poetry and metaphor. It is a journey on the ‘path of least resistance to the Self’ using the metaphor of four flowers that represent four spiritual principles that bring wholeness to the Self:

• The Principle of Giving (the Rose)
• The Principle of Receiving (the Iris)
• The Principle of Becoming (the Daffodil)
• The Principle of Being (the Lily).

It is an open invitation to readers to explore how they are already the heroes of their own lives.

More to follow…

Official launch date: 7 April 2009
Publisher: Give-Receive-Become-Be Publications
Enquiries: info@give-receive-become-be.com

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