Meditation 28: Aesthetic Awareness
from “Lessons from the Iris: the Principle of Receiving”

Aesthetics are the subtle qualities of beauty, originality, ingenuity and artistry that surround us at every moment in the world. They are not things that can be defined or quantified with any kind of measurement. They speak to us at an intuitive level, and can be found both in nature, as well as in the creations of humankind. After all, humankind is also a vital part of the Natural World, even if we sometimes lose sight of our connection to it.

Aesthetics surround us at every moment. When we feel moved by a sunset or other natural wonder, cry when we hear a particular song, feel a lump in our throat over a work of art of any kind, or find ourselves affected in an inexplicable way by the poignancy, perfection, or uniqueness of anything we witness or experience, we are in touch with the subtle realm of Aesthetics. There is something undeniable about our experience that touches us at the deepest level, but to try to pinpoint what precisely makes it so powerful is as impossible as trying to capture the substance of a rainbow. The magic of an Aesthetic experience lies within its ephemeral nature, and the fact that we are experiencing a unique moment in time and space, and feel connected to it at the heart and soul level. And while many people enjoy the intellectual pursuit of analysing artistic merit, it is important to understand that if we attempt to connect to our aesthetic experiences purely from an intellectual platform, we are apt to lose the essence of their magic, and we deny ourselves the full experience of connection to them.

In The Garden of the Soul, the Iris is the mentor of Aesthetic Awareness. She teaches us how to be inwardly silent, and fill up completely with the moment. Together, we stand with her, appreciating fully the unlikelihood of a triple rainbow, and the fact that we have come together at that particular point in time and space to witness it together. She models for us how to become receptive to the Aesthetics that surround us at any given moment, and thus develop our Aesthetic Awareness, which is an attribute of the Principle of Receiving. In order to Receive, we must first empty ourselves of any intellectual or emotional obstructions. We must become like an empty pitcher ready and waiting to be filled with nectar, or a flower bud that simply allows the rays of the sun to bathe it before it can blossom. If we are full of our own mind-games, judgements or limiting beliefs, very little of the nectar or the sunlight is likely to fill us. When we become empty and ready to receive, we become able to see and taste fully all the subtle qualities of the world around us at any given moment. This is the essence of Aesthetic Awareness.

When we develop this Awareness, a sense of Awe, Gratitude and Appreciation became almost uncontainable inside of us. Aesthetic Awareness, therefore, is the doorway to many other Attributes of the Principle of Receiving. In other words, only when we become truly empty, do we become truly full. When we master the art of true emptiness, we finally become able to taste the nectarean pleasure of Divine Aesthetics.

Enquiries to cultivate this attribute

1. What kinds of things would I love to empty from my heart and mind?

2. What subtle beauty, wonder and uniqueness do I become aware of when I am empty?

3. What would be the best thing about life if I were truly Aesthetically Aware at every moment?

Many thanks to Andrew Mondia, a Canadian actor currently living in London, and a Facebook fan, for selecting the magic number 28 for this week’s meditation. This meditation was read on the air on “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul Radio Show” on Wed 11 Nov 2009.

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

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Meditation 61: Serernity
from “Lessons from the Lily: the Principle of Being”

Serenity is that state of Being in which we feel most balanced and connected to Self. When we are serene, the ups and downs of life do not disturb the flow of our lives. Some people believe Serenity to be that quality of not being upset by loss or sadness, but actually it is equally true that the serene person is also not imbalanced by what appears to be gain or happiness. When we are full of Serenity, we become able to hold the entire World within our arms, carry everything with equal strength and inner satisfaction. And when we are able to carry all there is, without a view to whether it is positive or negative, we become both inwardly quiet, and outwardly invincible…

In The Garden of the Soul,  the Lily is the perfect example of Serenity, which is an attribute of the Principle of Being. She stands without need for shelter, companion or status, in a continual state of song and praise for the Universe around her. She stands in the exact middle of the Garden, showing a complete balance of Self, reminding us that when we stand in our centre, the path to any destination in life is equidistant. In other words, when we are perfectly serene within our own centre, any differences between what we once thought was joy and sorrow, or positive and negative, vanish completely. When we become experts at returning to our centre, regardless of time or circumstances, we have mastered Divine Serenity.

Enquiries to cultivate this attribute

1. What people, circumstances or thoughts do I allow to knock me off centre?

2. When in the past have I been fully centred and serene?

3. What would my life be like if I were to step fully into my Divine Serenity?

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The above excerpt is from my upcoming book The Companion Guide to the Garden of the Soul. Have you picked up your copy of the original book The Garden of the Soul yet? It’s an Amazon bestseller in spirituality, mind-body-spirit and self-help. Check it out on Amazon or on the official book website.

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

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Meditation 4: Love
from “Lessons from the Rose: the Principle of Giving”

Love is the energy that enables us to connect to Self, other and the Universe. Like any energy, Love can propel both motion and action. And also like any energy, it creates heat. It is this heat of Love that attracts us; it is also what generates Life itself. But heat and energy alone do not create Love. For energy to be Love, it must be free-flowing, easy and without force. Consider this: when we release the energy of a deposit of oil and natural gas from the depths of the Earth, it results in a massive quantity heat and of energy. But because these deposits are under so much natural pressure, the process requires an enormous amount of force. The force results in an explosion of pressure so great, that it can easily go out of control and even become dangerous.

Many of us have experienced so-called “love” in much the same way. We might believe we have fallen in love with someone or some idea. But we soon find the object of our love to be difficult to capture, and we resort to some sort of force to acquire it by all means. That force could be as simple as silently wishing for the object of our affections to be something other than it is by nature. Just like the oil well that requires great pressure to release its energy in such an unnatural way, when we similarly try to force Love to come unnaturally, our relationships and personal endeavours can become volatile and even heartbreaking. Thus, the key to mastering the energy of Love is to understanding that it must, at all times, flow freely and unconditionally from the heat of one’s heart. And the secret to knowing how to allow love to flow unconditionally is this—that Love has nothing whatsoever to do with the object of your affections; it only has to do with you.

In The Garden of the Soul, the Rose is the mentor of Love. She teaches us that Love is an attribute of the Principle of Giving, and therefore it is not something that you can “find”, for you already possess it. True Love, she teaches us, is the uncensored expression of who we truly are. To look for Love is futile, for True Love is simply a matter of allowing your true Self to blossom fully, thorns and all. As long as we maintain some judgement about ourselves, and continue to try to force ourselves to be what we are not, we will also set these same kinds of conditions upon others. But when we fall fully and unconditionally in love with Self, we become able to Love the rest of the World, because we know that everything—both Self and other—is Divine. When we see all around us with Divine Eyes, we finally become able to harness the enormous energy of Divine Love, and create Love in all we meet.

Enquiries to cultivate this attribute

1. How have I tried to force Love in my life?
2. What about myself have I yet to learn to love?
3. What will my life be like when I feel Divine Love for everyone, including myself?

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The above excerpt is from my upcoming book The Companion Guide to the Garden of the Soul. Have you picked up your copy of the original book The Garden of the Soul yet? It’s an Amazon bestseller in spirituality, mind-body-spirit and self-help. Check it out on Amazon or on the official book website.

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

Meditation 65: Wisdom
from “Lessons from the Lily: the Principle of Being”

Wisdom is the natural energy that flows through us when we surrender our ego so we may establish our connection with the Divine. Wisdom does not come to us as the result of learning. It is not something can be increased by any type of effort. Wisdom is Eternal, Infinite and Absolute. It belongs to no one and to everyone, simultaneously and equally. When we imagine that we can capture Wisdom via our own efforts, we are operating from the platform of ego, wherein we imagine that there is a limited amount of Wisdom to be gained in the Universe, and that it can be controlled and conquered by our own efforts. If this were the case, then the Universe would be a merciless and poverty-stricken place, as only the strongest or most intellectually gifted would ever have access to Wisdom. But the Truth is the Universe is infinitely opulent and full of mercy. Wisdom is the birthright of all living entities, and no effort is required to manifest Wisdom other than to allow it to enter us, without ego blocking its way.

In The Garden of the Soul, the Lily is the bearer of Wisdom. She stands alone, allowing the light of the full Moon to bathe her with its illuminating rays, Without effort, she absorbs whatever Wisdom is shone upon her, and then creates a mesmerising diamond-like mandala of light and reflection around her so that others may be able to see and delight in what she knows intuitively. She does not block the rays via any kind of shade or cover. She allows all of them to shine upon her equally, without judgment or preference. Like this, when we allow ourselves simply to receive the illumination of Divine Wisdom, we shine like a lustrous diamond amidst the darkness of the rest of the world, and help others to see themselves within the light of that Divinity. Without the interference of our own self-judgments or the judgements of others, we allow all Wisdom to enter us and be seen by our Hearts and Souls. Thus, Wisdom is an attribute of the Principle of Being, for it is the force that allows us to know who we truly are. When we surrender all false attachments to who we think we might be, or who we think we should be, and simply allow our True Self to sing, we begin our eternal dance with Divine Wisdom.

Enquiries to cultivate this attribute

1. How do I resist my own Wisdom?

2. What are the messages I hear but do not trust?

3. What will change for me when I learn to dance with Divine Wisdom?

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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!”

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.

Poise, therefore, is not the absence of emotions, but the strength of their authenticity. We can be poised even when our emotions appear to be very powerful. Some of the most poised people in history are those who have wielded their genuine anger, grief or passion with creativity, honesty and fearlessness. When we are poised, we are most able to express all the colours of our Heart and Soul.

In The Garden of the Soul, the attribute of Poise is listed under the Principle of Receiving because it creates the space within us to allow emotions, events and thoughts to come into us and flow through us. The Iris in The Garden of the Soul, is the embodiment of Poise because she stands beautifully in the darkness of the hidden cave, through dawn and dusk, through storm and sunshine, allowing all of life to fill her senses so she can feel and understand life to the fullest. She never runs from the darkness; she never loses an ounce of her beauty, no matter how much darkness surrounds her.

Like the Iris, when we find ourselves in a situation where the world around us is shifting and changing, the true test of our Poise is not that we can restrain our emotions, but that we can truly feel them, understand them, and express them effortlessly from the core of our Authentic Self. But it is important to remember that authenticity and awareness are the keys to that unlock our Poise. When we are cut off from our authenticity, and we throw our emotions around without self-awareness, it is like taking buckets of paint and tossing them around the room, only to create havoc. But when we use our emotions like the colours of an artist’s palette to paint an honest masterpiece of what we are genuinely seeing, thinking and feeling, we are poised. When we are able even to express the most shadowy of emotions with delight and joy, we know we have stepped into our Divine Poise.

Enquiries to cultivate this attribute

1. What emotions do I repress in order to appear poised?
2. What are the beliefs I have about how I express myself?
3. How will I move, speak and feel when I step fully into my truly poised Self?

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!”

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.

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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. We battle first against our true nature when we believe the answers to our own meaning lie outside ourselves and that we must struggle to find them. We do this because we believe ourselves to be inadequate. Feeling inadequate, we battle against the rest of the world, as we futilely attempt to fit within layers of external meaning that actually have no connection to our true Life Purpose. We seek to find it through study, career, achievements or intimate relationships, and eventually find that something is always missing in them. What is missing is our Purpose. Life Purpose is neither fate nor something earned by any of these things. It simply is. You might think of it as our spiritual DNA, in that it is so much a part of who we are, we cannot really separate ourselves from it. Our ultimate happiness lies in our ability to feel our Purpose, love our Purpose, express our Purpose and bring that Purpose tangibly into the world.

In The Garden of the Soul the Rose is the mentor of Life Purpose. She lives and expresses herself fully according to her nature, which is a perfect balance between sweetness and ferocity, gentleness and passion. She does not strive to be any of these extremes. They are simply who she is. And by being who she is, she provides a home to the ladybirds, sweet nectar to the bees and butterflies, and sensual pleasures to the human being. Thus, by allowing her whole self to be expressed openly, she fulfils her Life Purpose, and is in perfect harmony with the Divine. Living fully on purpose, the Universe that surrounds her treats her like royalty, as it serves her every desire with joy and delight. Similarly, when we step fully into our Life Purpose, the Universe serves us to ensure that this Purpose is fulfilled, for in doing so, we fulfil the greater purpose of the Universe itself.

Enquiries to cultivate this attribute

• What is the greatest message or gift I have to share with the rest of the World?
• How will the World change, when I live for the Purpose of sharing this?
• What will happen if I do not?

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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.

I read this selected meditation (and announced Lisa’s name on the air) on Wednesday 5 August 2009 on my weekly broadcast of “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul on Blog Talk Radio. It really fit with the theme of my guests, Tina Turbin and Glenna Edwards, who were both children’s authors talking about how powerfully literature can affect our children’s view of life. You can listen to the show on demand at http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn. (While you’re there, mark the show as your favourite!).

Next week, I will be away so the next show is Wednesday 19 August with special guest Reggie Odom. Be sure to tune in to find out what our 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 from 1 – 80.

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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!

• Every Wednesday through Sunday, just send me a number from 1 – 80 that you pick intuitively.
• I will put all the numbers into a “hat” and chose one at random.
• I will publish the correlating “meditation” for that number on the following Friday.
• 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.
• 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:

• Sending me a message on my Facebook group at http://www.facebook.com/LynnSerafinn
• Posting it on the wall of 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.lynnserafinn.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

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

• Day 75: Self-Awareness, selected by Kristina Berglund
• Day 11: Boldness, selected by Kate Parker
• Day 13: Vitality, selected by Callie Carling
• Day 48: Discovery, selected by Geoff Laughton
• Day 54: Rebirth, selected by Cindy Papale
• Day 45: Growth, selected by Jude Jennison
• Day 23: Elegance, selected by Callie Carling, Cindy Papale and Lynn Jaussi Rush
• Day 77: Continuity, selected by Shannon Jackson and Callie Carling
• Day 19: Life Purpose, selected by Lisa Lauffer
• 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