Ok, now you are probably going to think I’ve lost the plot. Twitter changed my life. Let me tell you how. AND I am going to attempt to tell this story in lines of 140 characters or less. It all started when I launched my book “The Garden of the Soul” in April 2009. After a year of mastering [...] […]
Presenting an exciting NEW concept on the Internet, combining coaching, learning, community and business-building in a creative, spirit-based environment… SPIRIT AUTHORS GRAND OPENING Register for free at: http://spiritauthors.com/pages/grand-opening.html Spirit Authors (www.spiritauthors.com) is an innovative new membership site where established, new and […]
SIDEBAR NOTE: If you haven’t yet gotten your copy of Allison Maslan’s Number-1 seller, check this page out before Friday 29 January: http://myblastoff.com/booklaunch to receive 20 free mind-body-spirit gifts when you buy the book, “Blast Off!”. This is a true story of how one small thing can change your life. Back in September 2009, a fellow named [...] […]
I have a HUGE appeal I want to make to all of you. As most of you know by now, amongst other things, I am a book promotion coach for spirit-based authors. For the past 5 months, I’ve been working with a VERY wonderful woman named Allison Maslan. Allison came to me wanting me to design [...] […]
TUESDAY UPDATE! Yesterday I told you all about the launch of the book Blast Off! by my good friend and client, and fellow Spirit Author, Allison Maslan. Well I am pleased to announce that her book came out early this morning and has already been dancing around the top 25 list in “Entrepreneurship” category all morning here [...] […]
Hi everyone! Happy Monday to you. I just HAD to put this blog post up today because tomorrow, Tuesday 19 January, is a day I’ve been looking forward to for the past 5 months. Tomorrow is the day that my very good friend and client, Allison Maslan, is launching her new self-help book Blast Off! The [...] […]
By guest blogger Allison Maslan Note from Lynn: The exciting launch of Allison’s new book, Blast Off! The Surefire Success Plan To Launch Your Dreams Into Reality is coming THIS Tuesday, January 19. To find out how you can buy the book and receive more than 20 beautiful mind-body-spirit gifts during the launch, go to www.myblastoff.com/booklaunch. Are [...] […]
I can hardly believe that we are now into the second decade of the new millennium. It seems like only yesterday I was watching the fireworks over London (on TV) as we passed from the 20th century into the 21st. I don’t know about you, but I have a truly wonderful feeling about this [...] […]
It’s hard to believe that my radio show Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul is coming up to its 1st anniversary this month with episode 49. I wanted to celebrate the occasion in style, so I had in mind I wanted an extra special guest for that particular broadcast. I am delighted to tell you who [...] […]
Happy New Decade everyone. I am SO pleased to reveal the identity of some of the FANTASTIC guests I have lined up for the first few months of 2010 for Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul radio show on BlogTalkRadio. You’ll see some names that will really interest you, I know! The shows are not [...] […]
Have you ever wanted to write a book or see your name in print? Well, here’s an easy way for you to help ME write my next book, and have your name appear in my acknowledgments…
All you have to do is pick a number from 1 – 80!
I am writing a “Companion Guide to the Garden of the Soul” that has 80 Daily/Weekly meditations to help to cultivate the spiritual attributes of the four flowers in the book. You can help me write my book! Just send me a number from 1 – 80 that you pick intuitively.
I will draw one number at random to appear in next week’s meditation, which I will publish on Friday here on the blog. If you send me a number for which I haven’t written the entries yet, I’ll WILL write it if you send it to me. In other words, if 10 of you send me 10 new numbers, then I will write 10 new entries, but I will only post ONE of the ones I receive 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?
To “play” all you need to do is:
Subscribe to this blog
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 week)
Watch every Friday for a brand new weekly meditation
By the way, I started this “game” on my Facebook group last week, so I do have one meditation already done for you, which I’ll put in my next post later today.
GUEST: Sheila Finkelstein DATE AIRED:Wednesday 20 May 2009
I met the charming and fascinating photographer Sheila Finkelstein via social networking earlier this year, when she offered to be a joint venture partner for my book launch campaign. Like all the other joint venture partners, Sheila offered a free gift to anyone who bought my book during the launch. When I saw the unique gift she was offering, I was immediately impressed. It was a self-reflective photo-journal of thoughts and perceptions she had during the process of peeling a red onion. The reflections made during this most humble activity proved to be a veritable journey into self awareness. “Wow,” I thought, “this is really out-of-the-box. This woman is definitely someone I want to know better.” And so began my friendship with the wonderful Sheila Finkelstein.
To me, what makes Sheila an extraordinary artist, and an extraordinary person, is her ability to see things in ways that many of us simply miss. Remember when you were a child and saw pictures in the clouds? Sheila goes way beyond this. She has the uncanny vision to see a face in a crest of sea foam, or a heart in a reflection made between a reed and the surface of a pond. And that is just scratching the surface. On the show, Sheila and I talked about several of her thought-provoking photos, which she very kindly compiled onto a single page for my listeners to see. Have a look at these photos and others of stunning natural beauty at http://www.sheilafinkelstein.com/links-lynn-interview.html
But Sheila doesn’t just take photos; she also teaches others how to use the camera as a tool for personal transformational, through which you can learn to see the world with new and different eyes. On the show, Sheila shared a few tips on how to get started. First and foremost, she said, you should always carry a camera with you. While I am not a photographer, I do appreciate how having a camera in my mobile phone (even if not a very good one) has helped me chronicle the different seasons when I walk through the woods or along my beloved River Ouse here in Bedford, England. Taking a photo compels me to stop and appreciate what is there, instead of just walking through it. It also helps me to connect with the flow of life around me in a deeper way. And that is just from a grainy out-of-focus camera shot. Have a look at Sheila’s photos, and you can get an idea of the quality of Sheila’s photography, and what her students must experience as they work with her.
Sheila tells me that her work has helped many of her students, who had previously believed 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.
Sheila and I have also collaborated on a promotional video entitled “Song of the Rose”, which is a reading of a poem from my book The Garden of the Soul set to music composed by London musicians Bleep Test (two of my former students) and illustrated by a collection of Sheila’s stunning nature photography. If you haven’t seen the video you, be sure to check it out on YouTube at http://tinyurl.com/rose-song. I am really fond of this video, and I would welcome your comments and ratings.
From my perspective, Sheila perfectly exemplifies the “Principle of Receiving” (taught by the Iris) in my book The Garden of the Soul because she is able to open her senses fully and receive what is all around her, and to see the treasure that is contained within the smallest of the small.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I urge you to check out Sheila’s art and her work. If you have been looking for a novel way to experience self-discovery, check out Sheila’s 4-week telecourse:
“Through and From the Lens”
Discovering Beauty in the Ordinary
Experiencing it as Extraordinary
If you sign up using THIS link, you can save $30 on Sheila’s course as a “Friend of Lynn”:
Wednesday 27 May
SHOW: Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul
Ep19-The Art of Joyful Living
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 Certified Law of Attraction Coach, educator and talk radio show host, Ruth Hegarty. Ruth will be telling us how she helps women entrepreneurs create effortless success. She will also share her own story of how she went from an extremely shy underachiever, to someone who truly understands the personal demons that hold us back and, most importantly, how to shed those demons and transform into outrageously happy, successful, confident and prosperous beings without sacrificing our authenticity. Listen LIVE or download the broadcast “on demand” at: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn/2009/05/27/Ep19-The-Art-of-Joyful-Living Listener questions: call at 646-727-3449 during broadcast (US number)
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
Find “The Garden of the Soul” on Amazon US: CLICK HERE
Find “The Garden of the Soul” on Amazon UK: CLICK HERE
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 Selfwhen 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