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

Show: Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
Episode 8: Sound as a Pathway to Spirit
Date aired: Wed 11 March 2009

Last week on my BlogTalkRadio show Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul, I interviewed internationally renowned musician, recording artist, singer and composer Sat Kartar Khalsa. Sat Kartar spoke about the link between sound and the spirit, and practical ways in which we can use sound meditation, such as mantra, singing and chanting, to access the Divine Self. Sat Kartar also shared two very heavenly treats from her albums on the air, so it was a true auditory delight.

Sat Kartar shared some delightful information about herself, including insight into her early “hippy” days and how she moved from taking drugs to chanting mantras, and how within the sound vibration she was able to get a permanent “high” without intoxicants. She also talked about how her “upside down lefty” guitar playing influences her creativity, and how she came to mesh a sample from Tchaikovsky’s “Nutcracker Suite” with an esoteric Indian mantra (which she shared with us on the air). Listeners sampled two delightful sound bytes from Sat Kartar’s albums, including her latest album “Flow”. Although we were only able to listen to a few minutes of each one, they really demonstrated the breadth (and “breath”) of Sat Kartar’s uplifting and enchanting style, and the undeniable purity of her captivating voice.

And captivating, she truly is. I myself have been amongst Sat Kartar’s fans from the moment I met her in 1994. Since then, she has been a close personal friend of mine, so this show was a real privilege for me. But I also know about her integrity as a musician, and her creativity in the studio, for I worked with Sat Kartar when she was the vocalist on a track called “Imagine! Deeply Hypnotic Mix” by our band “Overlords of the UFO”. I believe it was her deliciously smooth voice and passionate harmonies that helped to propel the progressive b-side of that vinyl-only release to be called “Weird by wicked” by Mixmag, and shoot to the top of the trance DJ charts in 1994. You can hear a short snippet of that track, and Sat Kartar’s vocals, on the closing music to my radio show every week. Later, in 1999, she went on to record two more tracks with us on an EP entitled “Transcendental Overdrive”. Both of these are currently out of print, but stay tuned as there is chance you just might see them re-released later in 2009.

But you don’t have to wait until then to hear Sat Kartar’s vocals. Her delicious albums “Flow” and “Listen” are available both on Amazon, and these, along with other back-catalogue, are also available on her website at www.satkartarmusic.com. You can also purchase “Flow” and “Listen” right here on The Garden of the Soul Gift Shop.

AND… you can receive a very special FR*EE mantra meditation gift from Sat Kartar when you purchase my book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self on Tuesday 7 April. To find out how, just click HERE.

 Read more about Sat Kartar on her website at: www.satkartarmusic.com

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NEXT ON
Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
Wednesday 18 March

Ep09- Food as a Pathway to the Spirit
6.30 PM UK time, 2.30 PM Eastern, 11.30 AM Pacific, 7.30 PM CET

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.

Listen LIVE at www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn
Listener questions: call at 646-727-3449 during broadcast (US number)

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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

Title: Virtual Blog Tour for Garden of the Soul: Judy Davids
Location: Judy Davids’s
Link out: Click here
Description: Stop number 9 on the Virtual Book Blog Tour for Lynn Serafinn’s new book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self. Check out Judy’s blog and find out what she has to say about the book.
Date: 2009-03-18

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• Virtual Blog Tour for Garden of the Soul: Gina Marks (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

Title: Virtual Blog Tour for Garden of the Soul: Heidi Richards
Location: Heidi Richards’s Blog
Link out: Click HERE
Description: Stop number 8 on the Virtual Book Blog Tour for Lynn Serafinn’s new book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self. Check out Heidi’s blog and find out what she has to say about the book.
Date: 2009-03-17

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• Virtual Blog Tour for Garden of the Soul: Gina Marks (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

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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Title: Lynn’s interview on “The Passion Project”
Location: BlogTalkRadio
Link out: Click here
Description: “The Passion Project” with Katherine Reschke presents Lynn Serafinn, on finding what Lynn calls “the path of least resistance to the Self”. She will also share principles and excerpts from her book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self. She will also share with us her approach to being an authentic entrepreneur and how she helps her clients in this area.
Start Time: 16:00 UK, 12 PM Eastern
Date: 2009-03-13
End Time: 17:00 UK, 1 PM Eastern

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• Virtual Blog Tour for Garden of the Soul: Heidi Richards (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

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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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

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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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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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

BlogTalkRadio presents
Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
Episode 1: “Peace Begets Peace” (full programme info below)
Listen below to broadcast first aired Thursday 22 January 2009

About the episode “Peace Begets Peace”
Author and Personal Transformation Coach Lynn Serafinn hosts special guests Lina Nahhas of “1-Urban Humanity for the Middle East” and Davina Smollan of “You” South Africa to share a  formula for peace at both a personal and global level. Discussion will include how focusing on your inner peace can cause a shift in society, and create lasting peace within our homes, communities and the world at large.

Listen every week to Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn
Day and time varies. Check for listings.

About Lynn Serafinn, host
Lynn is a Personal Transformation Coach living in Bedford England, dedicated to awakening the authentic voice in all people through her company Create-a-Life. She is the author of the upcoming book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self, and the Founder/Leader of The Global Wellness Circle, a holistic community project that is rapidly spreading throughout the UK.

About Lina Nahhas, guest speaker
Lina is an Arab Canadian social researcher and social reformer living in Dubai dedicated to creating a new consciousness where all people see past cultural labels, and embrace the humanity within each other. She is the Founder/Leader of ‘1-Urban Humanity for the Middle East.’

About Davina Smollan, guest speaker
Davina is a Jewish woman and a personal and organizational transformation coach living in South Africa dedicated to helping others embrace themselves as their own full-range masterpiece living powerfully in accordance with their true worth for the purpose of creating a larger, connected humanity. Her Johannesburg-based organisation ‘You’ works with people of all ages, creeds and colours to achieve these goals.

About the show, Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
Based upon the lessons from the book of the same name, Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul is a broadcast series offering a range of inspiring topics and special guests, exploring personal empowerment, life purpose, balance of mind, body and spirit, and how to tap into the inner hero that lies within every human being.

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