Meditation 27: Poise
from “Lessons from the Iris: the Principle of Receiving”

Poise is a state of being in which you move freely and effortlessly within your own energy.

We tend to think of Poise as a word used to describe the quality of someone who is physically graceful and calm. Many of us also believe Poise to be the ability to control our emotional expression. While these external symptoms might sometimes be indicators of Poise, there are not the key elements. In fact, they might even been a shield that is covering up a lack of genuine Poise. How many of us refrain from expressing our emotions because we have told ourselves that it is the more “poised” thing to do. But if such emotional restraint is coming from the desire to appear mature, professional or in control, it is unlikely to be genuine Poise. You can tell the difference between the two, because true Poise results in a feeling of ease, satisfaction and freedom, while false Poise results in a feeling of being stuck, frustrated or stifled…

If you would like to read the rest of this meditation, please click over to my NEW blog portal at http://www.lynnserafinn.com. If you haven’t yet subscribed to that blog, please do so, as this blog will be discontinued shortly (it will just be a regular website) and all my meditations and other blogs will be sent from the new portal.

AND…

If you would like to find out how to master the four Principles of “Give, Receive, Become and Be” from my book The Garden of the Soul, as well as many other skills for personal transformation, join me and my colleague Vicki Goodyear on the Transformation Trilogy Weekend Workshop Series. Two new UK series starting 17 October (Bedford), and 7 November (Totnes, Devon). Click HERE for complete information and to book your place.

AND… if you think money is an issue, be sure you read about our innovative “Gratitude System” that, we hope, will enable everyone to attend.

See you there!

Warm wishes,
Lynn Serafinn
“Turning up the volume of the music in your heart!”

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This week’s number was selected intuitively by my great Twitter friend Lisa Lauffer (aka @deepwaterscoach) of Colorado. Lisa is a Co-Active coach and she always sends me fabulous cheesy disco on Fridays on Twitter.

Lisa selected number 19, which is the number for the attribute of “Life Purpose”. In my book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self, Life Purpose is part of the section called “Lessons from the Rose”. The Rose teaches us “The Principle of Giving” which everything that emanates from within you, out into the world.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 19: Life Purpose
Life purpose is the active process of embracing, expressing and living our reason to exist. Many people imagine Life Purpose to be something that they discover by asking the age-old questions of “Who am I?” and “Why am I here?” And while to some extent this is true, the term “Life Purpose” is meaningless until we consciously integrate our thoughts and feelings, and set them into action in our lives. If Life Purpose were merely a matter of receiving a message from some Divine source, it would mean we had a passive role to play with it, and it would not be an active process. We would probably fight against it, as we would perceive it as something that had come from outside of ourselves, and against which we were the powerless victims of fate. This is why it is important to remember that Life Purpose is an attribute of the Principle of Giving. It originates within the Self, and it can only manifest when we ourselves choose to send it into the world in an outward direction. At this moment we begin to live our lives “on purpose.”

Knowing this, we can finally cease our endless battle in life… 

To read the rest of this meditation,
including your enquiries for the week, CLICK HERE

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This meditation came from my upcoming book The Companion Guide to the Garden of the Soul, which is a practical guide to the lessons from the four flowers that appear in my bestselling book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self,. If you haven’t picked up your copy yet, check it out on Amazon by clicking HERE.

See you in the Garden!

Warm wishes,
Lynn Serafinn
Author of Amazon bestseller, The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self,
Official book site: http://www.give-receive-become-be.com
Coaching: http://www.create-a-life.co.uk

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Meditation 77: Continuity
Continuity is a sense of begininglessness and endlessness that comes from feeling connected to Existence itself. In the Divine sense, Continuity does not refer to the act of “sticking with things” for a long period of time. In fact, Continuity has nothing at all to do with “doing”; it is an attribute of Being. Nor does Continuity refer to a need for things to be changeless. Quite the opposite, Continuity is that state we reach where we are able to witness all of Creation as a great system of continual flow and change without beginning or end. Existence is both always the same, and always changing, simultaneously. When we witness this, and feel this at our core, we come to realise that Reality is comprised of a single experience of Divine Continuity, which has infinite possibilities of expression. These possibilities flow like the colours of a kaleidoscope as we turn the wheel around and around. As these patterns are ever-changing, we cannot say there is ever truly a specific pattern, as there is no way to “freeze” them in time. When we release the need to hold on to a particular pattern, we begin to step into the awestruck feeling of Divine Continuity, and come to enjoy every moment as it unfolds before us….

*If you wish to read the rest of this meditation (and there’s quite a lot more to read), come on over to my NEW blog at http://www.lynnserafinn.com. Over the next month, I will be gradually shifting ALL my blogging over there, so please subscribe to it to be sure you stay on top of all Garden of the Soul events.   

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Number 45 is the number for the attribute of “Growth”, which comes from the section my book “The Garden of the Soul” called “Lessons from the Daffodils”. The Daffodils teach us “The Principle of Becoming” which is all about youth, rebirth, discovery, evolution and creativity… and of course the process of growth. Let this one take root. It’s a subtle one.

And be sure to tune into next Wednesday’s show to find out what next week’s number is. AND if you’d like to help me write my book, and get a chance at having your name announced on the radio and in my next book, don’t forget to send me your intuitive number for next week’s meditation.

The Daffodil

Day 45: Growth
Growth is our willingness to expand beyond our boundaries and move into a different space. I say “willingness” because, while the natural tendency of all life is growth and expansion, true Growth can only take place via a combination of consciousness, will and intention. For instance, if you stop tending to your garden for only a few weeks, you will quickly see the life-forms spread out in every direction and create chaos, as conflicting intentions compete for space. A garden that gets choked with weeds, or a body that becomes riddled with cancer, are both signs that our consciousness and intention are competing rather than working with the principle of Divine Growth.

The Daffodils in The Garden of the Soul are teachers of this balance between consciousness, will and intention. As spring approaches, they become conscious of the changes in the time and space around them, and the, at precisely the right moment, willingly and freely expand beyond the boundaries of their underworld as they burst into the chilly late winter air. Rarely do you see a lone Daffodil. Rather, they spread like a bright yellow sea throughout the countryside, taking all the space they want, with the sole intention of announcing “Spring has come!” In doing this, they begin the cycle of Divine Growth.

Similarly, when we set our consciousness upon an intention of bringing about powerful change, whether for ourselves or the rest of the world, we begin to tap into our own natural potential for Divine Growth. To do this, we must, like the Daffodils, settle our consciousness into the “underworld” of a quiet mind. Then, as our consciousness becomes full, we must hold the enquiry, “What is needed now, at this point in time and space?” When our consciousness hears the answer to this question, we will then feel the will arising to act upon it. At this point, it becomes our choice to allow that will to flow or not. If intention is not there, then we are apt not to answer the call. If intention drives our choice, then we are more likely.

Without Divine Intentions, our decisions are likely to take on the qualities of the overgrown garden. When we set our Divine Intention by asking, “What is needed now, at this point in time and space?” we connect to the purpose of our actions, and become able to set our Divine intentions and initiate the process of Divine Growth.

Symptoms of when it is blocked or distorted
Inertia, routine, narrow-mindedness, resistant to new things, directionlessness, falling back on habits, dull spirit, decay

Symptoms of when it is flowing
Open-mindedness, willingness, full of intention, vision, faith, productivity, expansiveness, exuberance, evolving spirit

Enquiries to cultivate this attribute

1. What is needed now, for me and for the rest of the world, at this point in time and space?
2. What will grow if this need is filled?
3. What will grow if it is not filled?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you liked this week’s Garden of the Soul Weekly Meditation. Read below to find you how you can help me write my next book, have your name mentioned on the radio, and have a chance to be mentioned in the book, under my acknowledgements.

ABOUT THIS COLLABORATIVE BOOK PROJECT…
I am writing a “Companion Guide to the Garden of the Soul: 80 Daily/Weekly Practices to Allow Your Spirit to Blossom”. The book has 80 Daily (or Weekly) meditations to help to cultivate the spiritual attributes of the four flowers in the book. All 80 attributes are already “assigned” a number, but the entries for them have not necessarily been written yet.

YOU CAN HELP ME WRITE MY BOOK!

1. Every Wednesday through Sunday, just send me a number from 1 – 80 that you pick intuitively.
2. I will put all the numbers into a “hat” and chose one at random.
3. I will publish the correlating “meditation” for that number on the following Friday.
4. AND… if you number is selected, I will also read your name and your intuitively chosen meditation ON THE AIR on my weekly broadcast of “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul” at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn. Now that our show is 1 hour long, I have plenty of time for this. It’s just so much fun.
5. AND…I will also mention every person whose number was selected in the “acknowledgements” section of my book when it is published!

HOW DO YOU SEND ME YOUR NUMBER?
You can SEND me your number by:

• On Facebook http://www.facebook.com/LynnSerafinn
• On my Fan Page at http://tinyurl.com/gots-fan
• Via Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/LynnSerafinn  
• Through my Ning group at http://gardenofthesoul.ning.com
• A comment on my blog at http://www.give-receive-become-be.com

HOW DO YOU RECEIVE YOUR WEEKLY MEDITATION?
You can RECEIVE your weekly mediation by:

• Subscribing to my blog at http://www.give-receive-become-be.com
• Joining my Facebook group at http://tinyurl.com/fb-gots 
• Joining my Facebook FAN page at: http://tinyurl.com/gots-fan
• Joining my Ning group at http://gardenofthesoul.ning.com
• Tuning in/downloading my weekly show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

HERE’S THE BEAUTY OF IT…
If you send me a numbers for which I haven’t written the entries yet, I’ll write them as you send them. In other words, if 10 of you send me 10 new numbers, then I will write 10 new entries, but I will only post only one per week. That way, you will help me write my book, and you will receive a free meditation every week.

SO FAR THE WEEKLY MEDITATIONS I HAVE SENT TO YOU HAVE BEEN:

1. Day 75: Self-Awareness, selected by Kristina Berglund
2. Day 11: Boldness, selected by Kate Parker
3. Day 13: Vitality, selected by Callie Carling
4. Day 48: Discovery, selected by Geoff Laughton
5. Day 54: Rebirth, selected by Cindy Papale
6. Day 45: Growth, selected by Jude Jennison
7. Day ??? Coming next week! What does YOUR intuition tell you?

I look forward to receiving your intuitive number this week.  

See you in the Garden!

Warm wishes,
Lynn Serafinn
Author of Amazon bestseller, The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self
Official book site: http://www.give-receive-become-be.com
Coaching: http://www.create-a-life.co.uk

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Date: Friday 7 August 2009
Start Time: 7.30 PM (doors open at 7pm)
Location: Life and Soul Academy, Boxmoor Hall, St Johns Road, Hemel Hempstead, Herts, HP1 1JR
Tickets: http://tinyurl.com/gots-7aug09

A one-woman show!

An unforgettable multi-media performance combining storytelling, music, poetry, performance, inspiration and life lessons. Presented by Lynn Serafinn, award-winning Personal Transformation Coach, teacher, musician, public speaker, radio host and Amazon bestselling author of The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self.

“As spiritual as Deepak Chopra and as magical as Paulo Coelho.”
Lina Nahhas, 1-Urban Humanity

Tickets: £10 at the door; £8 in advance.
Special offer through Friday 17 July ONLY: Get your ticket PLUS a signed copy of the book for only £20 (a 50% savings on cost of entry).

Purchase tickets at http://tinyurl.com/gots-7aug09

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I read part of this week’s meditation earlier tonight (Wednesday) on my weekly broadcast of “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul on Blog Talk Radio. You can listen on demand at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn. (While you’re there, check the March archives to hear Geoff’s show … it was a good one).

Number 48 is the number for the attribute of “Discovery”, which comes from the section my book “The Garden of the Soul” called “Lessons from the Daffodils”. The Daffodils teach us “The Principle of Becoming” which is all about youth, growth, rebirth and creativity. That’s why it’s so cool that Geoff picked this particular number.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Day 48: Discovery
Discovery is our willingness to explore places, both outwardly and inwardly, which we have not encountered before, or to delve more deeply into ones we already think we know. The great discoverer Christopher Columbus had no idea what he would find when he sailed westwards across the great Atlantic, or even if he would survive the journey. Similarly, genuine Discovery is when we step into our fear of the unknown for the sake of the thrill of Discovery itself, rather than being attached to the result of what we might find.

The Daffodil

 The Daffodils in The Garden of the Soul teach us that no Discovery can take place until we fully embrace whatever shows up in our lives and hold it as an essential part of our journey. Until we do this, we will continually reject the gift of Discovery. True Discovery comes when we step fully into absolute Trust, and are willing to let go of control. After sailing across the stormy seas of our daily lives, we come to the ultimate Divine Discovery when we meet with the essence of who we are, and discover the Source of that essence. 

Symptoms of when it is blocked or distorted
Fear; stubbornness; overt cautiousness; lack-lustre life; feeling stuck; seeing no options; feeling you “missed the boat”

Symptoms of when it is flowing
Thrill; eager anticipation; flexibility; trust; curiosity; highly observant; fascination; willing to go on; able to be with fear

Enquiries to cultivate this attribute

1. What am I not trusting that is holding me back in life?
2. What might I discover when I learn to trust?
3. What will I discover when I meet my Divine essence?

Practical exercise to cultivate this attribut
Imagine the most distant galaxy in the Universe. Now imagine you are boarding a spaceship going to that galaxy. Once the ship takes off, there will be no turning back. The journey is so long, it is almost assured you will never return to Earth. What are you feeling as you are sitting in the cockpit before take-off? As the ship leaves Earth’s orbit? As you approach the unknown galaxy? What do you most want to discover?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you liked this week’s Garden of the Soul Weekly Meditation. Read below to find you how you can help me write my next book, have your name mentioned on the radio, and have a chance to be mentioned in the book, under my acknowledgements.

HOW TO HELP ME WRITE MY NEXT BOOK…
I am writing a “Companion Guide to the Garden of the Soul: 80 Daily/Weekly Practices to Allow Your Spirit to Blossom”. The book has 80 Daily (or Weekly) meditations to help to cultivate the spiritual attributes of the four flowers in the book. All 80 attributes are already “assigned” a number, but the entries for them have not necessarily been written yet.

YOU CAN HELP ME WRITE MY BOOK!

1. Every Wednesday through Sunday, just send me a number from 1 – 80 that you pick intuitively.
2. I will put all the numbers into a “hat” and chose one at random.
3. I will publish the correlating “meditation” for that number on the following Friday.
4. AND… if you number is selected, I will also read your name and your intuitively chosen meditation ON THE AIR on my weekly broadcast of “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul” at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn. Now that our show is 1 hour long, I have plenty of time for this. It’s just so much fun.
5. AND…I will also mention every person whose number was selected in the “acknowledgements” section of my book when it is published!

HOW DO YOU SEND ME YOUR NUMBER?
You can send me your number by:

• Joining my Facebook group at http://tinyurl.com/fb-gots (and be sure to follow me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/LynnSerafinn OR
• Joining Ning group at http://gardenofthesoul.ning.com and sending it to me there OR
• Sending it to me at Twitter at @LynnSerafinn OR 
• Putting a comment on this blog

HOW DO YOU RECEIVE YOUR WEEKLY MEDITATION?
You can RECEIVE your weekly mediation by:

• Subscribing to this blog OR
• Joining my Facebook group at http://tinyurl.com/fb-gots OR
• Joining my Ning group at http://gardenofthesoul.ning.com OR
• Tuning in/downloading my weekly show at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

HERE’S THE BEAUTY OF IT…
If you send me a numbers for which I haven’t written the entries yet, I’ll write them as you send them. In other words, if 10 of you send me 10 new numbers, then I will write 10 new entries, but I will only post only one per week. That way, you will help me write my book, and you will receive a free meditation every week.

SO FAR THE WEEKLY MEDITATIONS I HAVE SENT TO YOU HAVE BEEN:

1. Day 75: Self-Awareness, selected by Kristina Berglund
2. Day 11: Boldness, selected by Kate Parker
3. Day 13: Vitality, selected by Callie Carling
4. Day 48: Discovery, selected by Geoff Laughton
5. Day ??? Coming next week! What does YOUR intuition tell you?

I look forward to receiving your intuitive number this week.  

See you in the Garden!

Warm wishes,
Lynn Serafinn
Author of Amazon bestseller, The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self
Official book site: http://www.give-receive-become-be.com
Coaching: http://www.create-a-life.co.uk

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If you aren’t aware of the Weekly Meditation “game”, see info below to find out how to play.

Here is your Garden of the Soul Meditation/Practice for the week. This week’s number was selected intuitively by Kate Parker from Leicester, England. Kate intuitively picked number 11, which is in the number for the attribute of “Boldness” that appears in section on “The Rose: The Principle of Giving.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DAY 11: BOLDNESS
Boldness is our willingness to be seen in the world. This does not mean making ourselves the centre of attention, although we might indeed find that we our noticed by others when we are bold. Boldness means we are daring enough to express our Truth using whatever the Universe has given us as our unique talent, and to live our life purpose regardless of what others may think, and in spite of what limiting beliefs we carry around about ourselves. When we are living according to our life purpose, we are fully standing in boldness.

In The Garden of the Soul the Rose teaches by example as she stands her own boldness. Standing erect and armed with thorns, she remains poised in her own beauty, softness, sensuality and alluring aroma. True boldness has nothing to do with being aggressive or rude. Nor does it mean we are never fearful. It means to pick up the challenge of the unique life purpose (our dharma) that calls us, in spite of our fears. True boldness is spiritual. When we step into spiritual boldness, we have embraced our Eternal Dharma.

SYMPTOMS OF WHEN IT IS BLOCKED OR DISTORTED
Timidity; self-criticism; feeling useless; wandering; drifting; withdrawal; avoidance; intoxication; passive or aggressive

SYMPTOMS OF WHEN IT IS FLOWING
Confidence; faith; vibrancy; steadiness; sense of Higher purpose; able to recover when shaken; self-worth; clear vision

ENQUIRIES TO CULTIVATE THIS ATTRIBUTE

1. Where do I tend not to be seen in my life?
2. What stories have I told myself about why I disappear?
3. What will change both in my own life and in the wider world when I finally step into Divine Boldness?

 PRACTICAL EXERCISE TO CULTIVATE THIS ATTRIBUTE
Take your journal and write a story about a situation in your current life where you know you are not allowing your Divine Self to be seen. Then put your pen down and meditate upon the unique gift you carry for the world. Now rewrite the same story as it would happen if you gave this gift to the world by allowing yourself to step into your Divine Boldness.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I hope you liked this week’s Garden of the Soul Weekly Meditation.

YOU CAN HELP ME WRITE MY NEXT BOOK!
To “play” all you need to do is: 

1. Subscribe to this blog
2. Pick a number from 1 – 80 that you select intuitively.
3. Post a comment to this post below with your “intuitive” number (so everyone has a chance to play, comments will go “live” after I announce the winner for the following week)
4. I will put all the numbers into a “hat” and chose one at random and publish the correlating “meditation” for that number on the following Friday right here in the Garden.
5. Watch every Friday for a brand new weekly meditation, and then send me your new intuitive number

HERE’S THE BEAUTY OF IT…
If you send me a numbers for which I haven’t written the entries yet, I’ll write them as you send them. In other words, if 10 of you send me 10 new numbers, then I will write 10 new entries, but I will only post only one per week. That way, you will help me write my book, and you will receive a free meditation every week.

AND…
I will also mention every person whose number was selected in the “acknowledgements” section of my book when it is published. 

Sound like fun?

If you haven’t yet sent your number for the week, go ahead and send it now. Maybe yours will be next week’s Garden of the Soul meditation, to be posted next Friday.

Have a wonderful week in your Garden!

Warm wishes,
Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC
Personal Transformation Coach at Create-a-Life
http://www.create-a-life.co.uk

Author of Amazon bestseller,
The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self
http://www.give-receive-become-be.com

Follow me on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LynnSerafinn
Find me on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/LynnSerafinn
Join the Garden of the Soul Facebook group: http://tinyurl.com/fb-gots
Join the Garden of the Soul Social Network: http://gardenofthesoul.ning.com

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SHOW: Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
EP20-Feeling is Healing
GUEST: Steve Ryals
DATE AIRED: Wednesday 3 June 2009

Every now and then, you meet a person whose every thought, word and way of looking at things just seems to shine back to you like a mirror. My guest on my last episode of “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul” was one of those rare mirrors, whose clarity of heart was so evident that we were able to connect within seconds of first speaking together. That person was Mr Steve Ryals, a licensed spiritual coach and “Feelings Coach,” and author of the transformative book Drunk with Wonder: Awakening to the God Within.

Steve’s book kicks off with a bang. The opening words of the first sentence hurtle us directly into a graphic scene in which he describes one of his many experiences shooting speed in Haight Ashbury in the 1960s. From that scene, we travel along with Steve down the rabbit hole of bereavement, depression, alcoholism and dissociation. But Steve shows us this descent only for the sake of contrast, for his book is far from a nostalgic ode to the Summer of Love. It is, rather, a collection of spiritual dialogues between Steve and his Higher Self. 

Which brings us to explore the reasons why this book is described as “‘Where What the Bleep Do we Know?’ meets ‘Conversations with God’”.

First, let’s talk about “Conversations.” Dialogue as a literary vehicle is as old as philosophical thought itself. While so many of our modern philosophical works are presented in the form of scholarly theses, the Greeks, the ancient Indian Vedas and countless other oral traditions of the past utilised dialogues (and metaphoric stories) to present and explain complex spiritual concepts. Following in the tradition of these ancient texts, Steve Ryals, in Drunk with Wonder, allows his “Higher Self” to engage in an ongoing debate with his “lower self”, who asks many of the same kinds of questions we might also ask during the process of our own spiritual evolution. Such a dialogue enables Steve to speak eye-to-eye to the reader, rather than positioning himself “above” the reader as some kind of expert. In this way, the reader travels along with Steve as his two “selves” hash out finer details of the meaning of life. In travelling along with Steve on the journey, he becomes our ally in our own transformation. 

If any of you have read my book, The Garden of the Soul, you will no doubt remember that I also use dialogue in my discourses with the Four Flowers, the Very Good King, and also in my escapades with Crow in the story “Learning to Breathe.” I did this because I strongly feel that carefully constructed dialogue is possibly one of the most effective means of presenting a deep, spiritual message. Steve’s use of dialogue is slightly different, although the impact is similar. When I read Drunk with Wonder, the dialogue reminded me a bit of how Boethius wrote the classic work The Consolation of Philosophy way back in the 6^th or 7^th century. In that work, a reluctant and depressed Boethius is visited by the personification of Philosophy, who brings him to a state of Divine Wisdom through the vehicle of dialogue. Steve does much the same in Drunk with Wonder except that his teachings come from our 21^st century perspective, where quantum physics, field theory and holistic thinking have informed our way of explaining the nature of Truth.

Which brings us nicely to the whole “What the Bleep Do We Know?” thing. Back in the days when I was studying Vedic (ancient Indian) spirituality, I used to chant a lot of Sanskrit mantras. The Sanskrit word “Sat” appeared in many of them. Most books translated the word “Sat” as “eternity”, but I always felt that this did not give the true purport of the word, so I made up the word “is-ness” to explain what I felt the word “Sat” to mean. I remember my daughter, when she was little, always used to comment on how much she liked that word, because it was easy to understand the complex meaning of the word “Sat” by thinking of it in that way. Well, as I was reading Drunk with Wonder, to my great surprise and delight Steve also uses the word “is-ness” to describe our intrinsic and unchanging state of being. This made-up word speaks to us at a direct and intuitive level that bypasses the intellect and eradicates the need for logic…which I sort of think is at the backbone of Steve’s Truth. When we start to trust and release the need to understand the Infinite by means of our own finite thought, we start to step into the Divine.

Ok, so I’ve tried to explain a little bit about the style in which Steve’s book in written, but in this blog post I am not going to give away what the profound, yet easy to understand, teachings of the book contain. For that, you will just have to pick up your own copy of Drunk with Wonder and travel with Steve through his journeys with his Higher Self. But first, if you want to get a feeling for how, well, feelingly Steve presents his pathway to the Truth, check out his beautiful reading of one of the poems from the book near the end of the podcast. To my delight, he said that there is indeed an audio version of the book available via iTunes (see link below).

Steve and I did quite a lot of talking both before and after the show, and I felt like we had so much more we wanted to share. He is a lovely person, with a lot of passion for his work and for people in general, so he really is (as I said at the top of this article) just so easy to talk to. We both felt there simply wasn’t enough time on the air to cover everything we wanted to discuss. The whole experience has really got me thinking to extend the show to 60 minutes in length. My guests just keep getting better and better and 30 minutes is just not long enough.

Guess I’ll just have to invite Steve back some day.

AND… watch this space, because I’d actually like to collaborate with Steve to create some sort of intercontinental spiritual awakening experience sometime in early 2010. I’ll keep you posted.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

If you want to find out more about Steve and his work, listen to the podcast below. And after you do, be sure to visit Steve’s websites, and check out his book on Amazon.

Listen to the playback of the show here:

Or download the MP3 of this show from:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn/2009/06/03/Ep20-Feeling-is-Healing

Subscribe to the podcast here:  

Steve’s Official Drunk with Wonder Website: www.drunkwithwonder.com

Audio Book version of Drunk with Wonder on iTunes
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewAudiobook?id=251938760&s=143441 

Browse through other episodes at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

NEXT ON
Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the SoulWednesday 10 June
SHOW: Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
Ep21-Integrating Spirit and Human
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 life empowerment facilitator, transformational life coach and talk radio show host, Joe Rumbolo. Joe will share his story of how he overcame the challenges of his own lack of confidence, and learned how to recognise and step into opportunities he would never have dreamed of in the past. He will tell us about his experiences with creative channelling and his thoughts on conscious evolution, and will draw upon the material from his workshops to offer us tips on how to “dump the junk” that holds us back, so we can move towards the ascension of our own higher consciousness

Listen LIVE or download the broadcast “on demand” at:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn/2009/06/10/Ep21-Integrating-Spirit-and-Human
Listener questions: call at 646-727-3449 during broadcast (US number)

Can’t make it to the live show? No problem!

Catch all our episodes “on demand” at
www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

About the show, “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul”
Weekly broadcast 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. Hosted by Lynn Serafinn, Personal Transformation Coach and author living in Bedford England dedicated to awakening the authentic voice in all people. She is the author of the Amazon bestselling 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.

Lynn’s links

• Garden of the Soul Book Blog: www.give-receive-become-be.com
• Garden of the Soul Social Network: http://gardenofthesoul.ning.com
• Create-a-Life Coaching/Training: www.create-a-life.co.uk
• Global Wellness Circle: www.global-wellness-circle.com

Related posts

• Forgive and Be Free – Interview with Brenda Adelman (0)
• Books (2)
• Thurs 11 June – SHINE Radio Show on Westside Radio, Southall, London (0)
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• Always Look on the Bright Side of Death (0)

I first met the lovely Brenda Adelman on the coaching networks. When I first heard her story, and about her current work, I knew that she had to be a guest on my show “The Garden of the Soul.” Read on and you’ll see why.

Originally from Brooklyn (like me!) but now residing in Los Angeles, California, Brenda is an award-winning actress, Unity Church Prayer Chaplain, and Forgiveness Coach. What is a “forgiveness coach”? It is someone who works with clients at a deeply spiritual level to enable them to “forgive the unforgivable.” For her outstanding work in the field of forgiveness, helping others to forgive, and overcoming tremendous forgiveness of her own challenges as well, Brenda was the recipient of Hero of Forgiveness Award from the International Hawaii Forgiveness Project in 2008.

What makes Brenda a hero of forgiveness? In 1995 she heard a shot that, as she describes it, “shattered her world” when her mother was shot and killed at point-blank range… by her father. If that would not be enough for one young person to forgive, her father then went on to marry her mother’s sister. On the show, Brenda read an excerpt of this story as she tells it in her upcoming book, Forgive and Be Free: A Pathway to Personal Happiness. I must say that it is gripping and chilling at the same time. The shock of it, as Brenda reads it, does justice (as much as one can with words) to the shock she must have felt when this happened. Brenda then told me about all the subtle ways this impacted her at a deep level. Grief, anger, rage, shame, depression, loss and so many other emotions became a tangled web in her life.

I am quite sure that most people would agree this is just about as close to “unforgivable” as you can get. So imagine coming to a place within yourself where you were not only able to forgive everyone in this situation (father, aunt, the court system, society, the universe, God, self…) but you were also able to step into peacefulness and inner joy. Pretty amazing, huh? Well, now imagine that you not only reach this place within yourself, but you also use all of your talents and abilities to help others overcome devastating loss in their own lives by learning how to forgive. This will give you an idea of who Brenda is, and what she does.

Brenda has created a one-woman show entitled “My Brooklyn Hamlet” that tells the story of her journey from tragedy to freedom in a theatrical setting. After the show, she delivers a workshop entitled “Forgiving the Unforgivable as a Path to Freedom.” She does this, she says, “to open people’s hearts and gets them out of blame.”

As a special gift to our listeners, Brenda shared her 5 Top Reasons to Never Forgive and Why You Must:

Number 1 reason why you tell yourself you must never forgive:
If I forgive this person I am condoning what he/she did.
Why you must: Forgiveness is for you, not them. It sets you free.
 
Number 2 reason why you tell yourself you must never forgive:
My anger assures me that this person will never be in my life again.
Why you must: Your anger assures you that this person is constantly in your life through either obsessive thinking about them or suppressing your thoughts about them.
 
Number 3 reason why you tell yourself you must never forgive:
They will hurt me again.
Why you must: Being angry and unforgiving actually increases the odds of you being triggered emotionally (being upset) by something else that they do.

Number 4 reason why you tell yourself you must never forgive:
Who would I be if I forgave them?
Why you must: You wouldn’t be the same person who holds a grudge, lives in fear and needs a wall up to protect yourself. Your open heart, good judgment and healthy boundaries would lead to a life of more joy.
 
Number 5 reason why you tell yourself you must never forgive:
What happened to me or a loved one was just too horrible.
Why you must: It was horrible. In order for you to create the beautiful and empowering life that you want you need to acknowledge that, grieve what was lost and/or what was taken from you and learn how to release those parts in you that are stuck in darkness and pain.

And finally, Brenda reminds us that “Forgiveness is a process not an event.” 

If you want to find out more about Brenda, listen to the podcast below. And after you do, be sure to visit Brenda’s websites, to get a whole lot of free forgiveness “stuff”:

• Sign up to find out when Brenda’s new book, Forgive and Be Free: A Pathway to Personal Happiness will be available and get a small gift called Your Personal Forgiveness Assessment at http://www.forgiveandbefreebook.com
• You can also receive the full eCourse absolutely FREE at http://www.forgivenessandfreedom.com
• And join Brenda for her next free “Forgiveness Teleclass” on Wednesday, May 27th at 5 PM Pacific time “What is a Healthy Boundary? How do you Set It?”
  Sign-up at http://www.forgivenessandfreedom.com (replay available).

Going to be in Los Angeles in June?—Come see award-winning actress Brenda Adelman in her one-woman show, My Brooklyn Hamlet, on Sunday, June 7th at 7 PM at Celebration Theatre in Hollywood. Get tickets online at www.celebrationtheatre.com . A Q&A follows the performance. 

Listen to playback of the show below:

Download the MP3 from:

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn/2009/05/14/Ep17-Forgiveness-as-a-Pathway-to-Freedom

Subscribe to the podcast here: 

Browse through other episodes at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

NEXT ON
Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
(this show was already aired; catch the blog and podcast shortly) 

Wednesday 20 May
SHOW: Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
Ep18-Photography and Transformation
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 American photographer and transformation teacher Sheila Finkelstein. Sheila will be sharing her tips for using the camera as a tool for personal transformational, through which you learn to see the world with new and different eyes. She will tell us about her success in helping people who previously told themselves they were “not artists” to find and express their unique vision, by noticing the extraordinary in the seemingly ordinary, and the magic that is all around us within what she calls the “accidental art” of the world. Check out Sheila’s stunning photography in Lynn’s video “Song of the Rose” at http://tinyurl.com/rose-song.

This show was already aired. Catch the replay at “on demand” at:
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn/2009/05/20/Ep18-Photography-and-Transformation

Can’t make it to the live show? No problem!

Catch all our episodes “on demand” at
www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

About the show, “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul”
Weekly broadcast 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. Hosted by Lynn Serafinn, Personal Transformation Coach and author living in Bedford England dedicated to awakening the authentic voice in all people. She is the author of the Amazon bestselling 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.

Lynn’s links

• Garden of the Soul Book Blog: www.give-receive-become-be.com
• Garden of the Soul Social Network: http://gardenofthesoul.ning.com
• Create-a-Life Coaching/Training: www.create-a-life.co.uk
• Global Wellness Circle: www.global-wellness-circle.com

Lynn’s next live appearance:
Saturday 23 May
EVENT: Edenbridge UK Independent Authors Book Fair
9 AM – 4 PM
VENUE: Rickards Hall, 72 High Street, Edenbridge, Kent TN8 5AR
The first Independent Authors Book Fair takes place as part of the Eden Valley festival. The festival celebrates the West Kent community of Edenbridge town and the surrounding villages. The Book Fair presents twelve independent authors covering a range of genres. There will be a programme of talks, presentations and readings running throughout the day from 9.00 – 4.00. Light refreshments will be available. Join Lynn and 11 other UK independent authors for this inaugural event. Get to meet authors 1-to-1, ask questions, hear talks of writing and publishing, and purchase signed copies of their books. Be the first to be in the know about who is setting the trends in the independent writing field.

Amongst the speakers, author Lynn Serafinn will be delivering a talk on her new book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self which reached Amazon bestseller status in both the US and the UK the first week of its release in such categories as spirituality, mind-body-spirit and self-help. Visit Lynn’s book blogsite at http://www.give-receive-become-be.com for more information and full media kit for The Garden of the Soul.
More information at: http://www.ukindependentauthors.co.uk/Edenbridge_Book_Fair.html

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• Boosting Your Emotional Intelligence – an interview with Gail Sussman Miller (0)
• The Gift in Goodbye. Interview with Gemini Adams (1)
• Feeling is Healing – Interview with Steve Ryals (0)
• Living the Law of Attraction: interview with Ruth Hegarty (1)
• Vision and Visionary: Photographer Sheila Finkelstein (0)

The Lily- The Principle of Being

Some thoughts on the teachings in my book The Garden of the Soul. Click HERE to find out how to purchase the book today.

Over the past months, I have been sharing with you some of the life lessons from my book, The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self. The main body of book is divided into four sections, each one represented by a particular flower. You might think of these flowers as my “guides” or “mentors”, who teach me four spiritual principles:

• The Rose teaches the Principle of Giving
• The Iris teaches the Principle of Receiving
• The Daffodil teaches the Principle of Becoming
• And finally, the Lily teaches the Principle of Being

Today I would like to share some thoughts on the Lily and the Principle of Being.

Last month, I spoke about “The Principle of Becoming” (lessons from the Daffodil). The Principle of Becoming calls us forth to let go of “old stories” and allow change to occur for the purpose of expansion and growth. The Principle of Becoming is extremely important because without the conscious act of letting go, we tend to hold on to old patterns of behaviour, old emotions and old belief systems that no longer serve us and keep us stuck in so many ways. The Principle of Becoming is vital to our ability to adapt, experience joy and actualise our own creativity.

While the Principle of Becoming is all about our need for a sense of change, regeneration and rebirth so we can grow and have a sense of aliveness, the Principle of Being reflects our need for a sense of continuity, serenity and timelessness so we can feel safe and have a sense of identity. And while the Principle of Being is the seeming opposite of the Principle of Becoming, it is actually its essential counterpart. Without a firm hold on the Principle of Being, change in our lives can often make us feel vulnerable rather than free. But when both of these Principles are present and working together, they provide that much-needed balance between our desire for outward expansion and our desire for inner stability.

“Being” refers to continuity.
Our “Being” is that which is constant throughout our lives.

Being is…

• That safe place to which we can return reliably no matter what else is happening around us
• Our sense of Self that is not dependent upon time or circumstance
• Our inner knowing of who we are regardless of changes in our age, occupation, education, marital status, achievements, belief systems, social circles or economic status
• Our personal wellspring of serenity, wisdom, peace, inner tranquillity and satisfaction

In other words,”Being” is our sense of eternal identity, and is independent of our ever-changing personal relationships and roles in life.

To assess your own connection to your ”Being”, a good question to ask yourself might be, “Who am I when I remove all the labels about myself?” In other words, “Who am I when I am not the mother/father, daughter/son, husband/wife, boss/employee, this profession/that profession, rich/poor, young/old?” etc. In a quiet moment, ask this question, without self-judgment, and you will begin to get an idea of how much (or how little) you are in touch with your own essential “Being”.

At an even deeper level, true “Being” means an awareness of who we are beyond even more subtle designations of “self”, such as our intelligence, our talents, our nationality, our faith, our ethnicity or even our gender. Now ask yourself “Who am I without these designations?” and look more deeply into yourself to get a sense of that “Being” that lies at your centre. How easy or difficult do you find this?

Now go even deeper still and strip away all designations whatsoever, even to the point of letting go of the boundary between Self and the Universe. At this point, you realise at a deep level, and not merely with your intellect, that you and everything around you is Spirit. You come in touch with your own essence-your own eternal, pure consciousness- where you can see your connection to all of Creation, and is not dependent upon being within a particular bodily form at all. This ultimate understanding is at the core of the Principle of Being.

Some of us might find this perspective shift very challenging, if not scary, if we are at a point in life where we feel little inner connection to our own Being. We might fear that without some kind of “label” we will lose all sense of identity completely, and simply slip into a feeling of “nothingness”. If we dig down to discover the underlying cause of our fear, more often than not we will find it is triggered by a deep-rooted feeling of unworthiness. We do not feel we are “enough” without our worldly attributes. In other words, we have become accustomed to defining our worthiness through our roles, achievements and designations. We feel that we need these roles and designations to feel worthy of love, abundance-to be worthy of “Being”. When we have this underlying belief in our own unworthiness, it stands to reason that we would fear the loss of Self if we were to lose our labels.

But in actuality, the truth is just the opposite. Far from losing the Self, when we reach a state of genuine connection with our “Being-ness”, where no designations are needed to define who we are, our sense of identity is profound. At this point, we are able to find immense peace within the understanding that our identity is no longer dependent upon any external factor and is not subject to circumstance. When we finally release the need to identify the Self with “things” that come and go throughout our lives, we come into contact with our true Self, embracing it as eternal, and  transcending all change. And there is an immense sense of safety within this sense of “Being”, which is both immutable and indestructible.

The lessons I learned from the Lily in The Garden of the Soul (and especially in the story in the book called “Message on the Bridge”) guided me gently and lovingly through my own fears and attachments, so I could return to the essence of who I truly am. And the Lily as an image is an inviting and appropriate symbol for the Principle of Being. In the west, the Lily is frequently used in funeral ceremonies as a symbol of eternal, spiritual life. In the east, the water lily (or lotus) is a symbol of eternity and divinity, used to represent the soul, the spiritual master and even the spiritual world itself. In my own personal experience, back when I used to live in Arizona, I remember seeing a very special type of cactus that only bloomed one night a year, during a full moon. While I don’t know the name of this flower, it seemed to me that its white, star-shaped blossom was yet another kind of Lily, who appeared like a solitary hermit praying to the moon itself, shining brilliantly against the dark night for only a few hours. In fact, some of the imagery in my book where I meet the Lily come from my memory of that remarkable cactus flower. To me, the Lily, in all of its lovely permutations, was the perfect metaphor for the Principle of Being, as its beautiful, strong, white petals look like a hand of outstretched fingers, reaching upwards towards the heavens, providing a bridge between the earthly plane and the Divine.

The Four Principles of Give, Receive, Become and Be provide an easy model to check balance and flow in our lives. When we learn how to recognise these Principles in ourselves, we are more easily able to know how to recover from the inevitable upsets that come into our lives. The Principle of Being, like all the other Principles, helps us to enter into a deeper and more meaningful relationship both within our own Self and with the world around us. By tending to the Four Flowers within the Garden of our own Souls, it becomes very easy for our true Selves to blossom.

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• Wisdom – Our Eternal Dance Partner (0)
• Books (2)
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• Personal Transformation and Why it is Important for the Greater World – Pt 2 (0)

It’s my upcoming interview with author and spiritual teacher Glenn M. Smith on my talk radio show LYNN SERAFINN’S GARDEN OF THE SOUL. Glenn will be sharing his story of how his personal experience with psychic forensics helped him solve a murder of a young girl, and gave him a unique insight into the nature of the afterlife that he says can help people overcome their anxieties about death and dying. He will also tell us about his new book, The Lotus Petal.

Broadcast time:
6.30 PM UK time, 1.30 PM Eastern, 10.30 AM Pacific, 7.30 PM CET

Listen LIVE at
http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn/2009/04/01/Ep11-Releasing-Yourself-from-the-Fear-of-Death

Can’t make the live show? No problem! Listen “on demand” at the same website, or subscribe to the show via iTunes.

ABOUT THE SHOW LYNN SERAFINN’S GARDEN OF THE SOUL Weekly broadcast 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. Hosted by Lynn Serafinn, Personal Transformation Coach and author living in Bedford England dedicated to awakening the authentic voice in all people. 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.

Here’s the complete April line-up:

Catch the show weekly at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

AND… don’t miss the official Amazon Launch of Lynn’s book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self  on Tuesday 7 April. Click HERE to receive a launch reminder so you can receive over 20 beautiful mind-body-spirit gifts when you buy the book.

Related posts

• Feeling is Healing – Interview with Steve Ryals (0)
• The Lily – the Principle of Being (0)
• The Gift in Goodbye. Interview with Gemini Adams (1)
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• Flitwick Mind Body and Soul Fair (0)

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

Listen to the show now:

Subscribe to this podcast here:

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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• Boosting Your Emotional Intelligence – an interview with Gail Sussman Miller (0)

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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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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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.
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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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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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