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 he is.

Tony Juniper

On Wednesday 20 January, at 6pm UK/1pm EST, I will be hosting campaigner, writer, sustainability adviser and one of the UK’s best known environmentalists, Tony Juniper. A dynamic and inspiring speaker, and often referred to as an “Eco Hero”, Tony has worked for the last 25 years for change toward a more sustainable society at local, national and international levels. Amongst his almost endless list of personal and professional experiences, he has served as Vice-Chair of Friends of the Earth International, and is currently Special Adviser to the Prince of Wales Rainforests Project, Editor-in-Chief of National Geographic’s new Green Magazine supplement, and is the Green Party Parliamentary candidate for Cambridge, England.

On this very special anniversary edition, Tony and I will discuss his thesis of “Harmony” as taken from the upcoming book of the same name he is currently writing with Prince Charles and Ian Skelly, and is scheduled for publication by Harper Collins in autumn 2010. Tony will tell us about the present state of environmentalism, what we’ve achieved and not achieved, and what’s next for humanity at this time in history, and explain how the solutions to the ecological and economic problems we now face at a planetary level are not due so much to our political, technological or corporate systems, but rather to the fundamental fact that we as a culture have become disconnected from the Earth, and are illiterate as to how nature works and how we as humans fit into the natural order on a cosmological and spiritual level.

On the air, Tony will offer us some easy, joyful and practical ways to re-engage and reconnect with our planet and re-establish the true, holistic harmony that is meant to sing within every human soul.

You absolutely will NOT want to miss this most important and truly inspiring show.

In keeping with the theme of the show, I will also read the “Harmony Meditation” from my upcoming book, “The Companion Guide to the Garden of the Soul”.

Listeners can listen LIVE or “on demand” any time at
http://ow.ly/UvBM

You can also subscribe to the show via iTunes. Just look for Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul on BlogTalkRadio
http://blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn

VIDEO: The Known Universe by American Museum of Natural History

This is simply awesome. And I mean that in the literal sense. It fills me with complete awe and really puts existence in perspective. What an amazing Universe we live in! Felt it had to go on my site. I call this my “cosmic universe” after all! Hope you enjoy it.

Please let your comments below and share with others.

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

Whether we are aware of it or not, the members of the Initiating Group (IG) at Transition Bedford are now evolving from the “forming” stage into the “storming” stage. Can you feel it? Entering the storm means we are making real progress, even if it seems unclear right now. So, at this important juncture, in hopes of taking us even further into the eye of the storm, I’d like to share some ideas which have been swirling about in my mind ever since my Transition Training in London. It has to do with media, our responsiveness to it, both conscious and unconscious, and our role as leaders in the community. After much reflection, I believe in our work within the Transition network, it is essential that we bear in mind

1. That we as an initiative will need to understand and address public emotions that may be stirred up by the media in all its forms (TV, film, radio, newspapers, magazines, books, pop culture, music, advertising, Internet, social media, etc)

2. That we will also need to become acutely aware of how WE ourselves are impacted by media, whether consciously or unconsciously

3. That we will need to know how to protect ourselves against succumbing to any unconscious unwanted impact, so we do not become “reactionary machines” instead of creative, resilient human beings, both individually and collectively.

4. That we will also need to become acutely aware of our own impact upon our community as we reach out to them.

5. That we will also (and most importantly) understand how to avoid unintended impact upon the community.

It is important to understand that these statements do NOT mean that we, as part of the Transition Network, are not entitled to our emotions. It would be an unreasonable expectation to think that we as humans should never feel angry, overwhelmed, grief-stricken, bitter, hopeless or cynical, especially when we are facing issues of such importance as climate change. Nor is it true that, by being part of a Transition Town initiative, we are expected to become super-humans or non-humans.

In fact, the truth is exactly the opposite.

We have to become human, pure and simple. And human means to understand emotions and how they impact us, so we can use them for our own expression, rather than feeling used by them. To be human does not mean controlling or suppressing emotions. Rather it means learning how to express them openly so that others also feel safe to express their own emotions in our presence. For in this process, trust is activated. And if our ultimate goal is to create community, trust is the most essential ingredient. Without it, there can be no community. Without community there can be no consensus. And without consensus, there can be no effective transition.

So if trust is the move essential ingredient, what does it mean to “protect ourselves” against unconscious impact? Doesn’t this sound like the opposite of trust? Not at all. Protecting ourselves means to be able to trust our own selves—our instincts, our feelings, our thoughts and our actions. It means knowing with certainty whether our actions are true responses to what is needed, or simply autonomous reactions to our own fears. And when we are able to make this distinction, and be truly confident in our self-trust, we have found the difference between enslavement and freedom.

But that works at an individual level, but what about at a community level? How does a community learn to trust itself? I have spoken with many other TT groups, and the question always comes back to, “How do we convert the unconverted?” In other words, “How do we get one part of the community to trust and believe another part of itself?”

If we ourselves are, consciously or not, enslaved by our own emotional reactions, caught in a web of our own fears, anger and frustrations over the state of the World, we would be hard-pressed to find anyone who would wish to come within 10 paces of our energetic range. And really, why in the world would they? If we flood people only with urgency, they will either swing towards us in a panic, or they will swing away from us in a panic. But if we stand powerfully within our own peacefulness combined with passion, love combined with laughter, optimism combined with sense of ongoing purpose, chances are far greater that people will learn to trust us just enough to listen to the more “urgent” message we might also wish them to hear, so they understand the matter fully. The answer to the question of converting the unconverted therefore is simply this: we will create precisely the energetic reaction in others that we ourselves project. If we wish to bring people into our wonderful vision of the future, we must first and foremost create the energy of that vision within ourselves. But if we are holding only the vision of what we wish to avoid and fear most, it will only drive people away from us. If we TT groups end up frustrated, wondering why we are having so much difficulty expanding their community, the first place to look should be our own emotional state. Within that lies the seeds of the impact we are creating in our community, whether intended or not. Our first responsibility, therefore, is to cultivate our own self-awareness. Without this, no action can take root in any lasting, effective way.

How do we start building this self-awareness? One way to start is simply by observing the energy shifts that media and other influences create both upon the public and upon ourselves. For instance, I notice that since I stopped watching television in Feb 2008, my anxiety about the economy has decreased radically, while many others around me (who watch the news on TV regularly) appear to be more stressed than ever. Of course I am not suggesting that everyone stop watching the News; I am merely noticing the impact. And in this noticing, I have valuable information upon which I can base my decisions for how I wish to communicate with others, and respond to the issues around me.

That is a very simple example, but the deeper we look, the more subtleties we will find and the more aware we will become. And as we become more aware, we become better at standing neutrally within our circumstances without impulsively reacting to them. By observing, we eventually will come to know what needs to be done and when in order to make the system work. With time, we will learn that it is sheer futility to try to nullify negative energy by pushing against it, and that if we do, we are only allowing our own energies to be drained away in the process. For the secret I have learned over the past months is this—the Transition Town movement is not only about creating sustainable energy for our technologies; it is also about creating sustainable energy for our hearts and minds. It is about creating a World and a lifestyle in which we ultimately feel more alive.

And what we might find in our quest for aliveness might surprise us. Falling back on the old “familiar” systems of fund-finding, establishing registered charities and other bureaucratic models may or may not result in breathing life into our community. We may feel these work well for us, or we might choose to toss them out altogether and create entirely new models. In the words of Buckminster Fuller, “You can never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete.” So the really important question for us now, as we begin to start the process of change together, is this: “How much fear are we ourselves holding onto that is preventing us from diving fully into the chaos of true creation?” It is vital that we deeply understand our own self-imposed limitations before we attempt to go out into society and expect it to change.

With regards to taking action, it was emphasised in the TT training, and I agree 100%, that while it is an easy temptation for us in new Initiating Groups to default into “jumping into action”, the more important thing is to understand ourselves first. If we jump into action primarily because our anxieties are being triggered, then we are simply reacting as a means to remove or avoid a discomfort. While emotions like anger or fear can stir us into action in the short term, they are not sustainable sources of energy. We risk burnout; and when we do burn out, we will find ourselves at the other extreme of passivity and apathy. When we simply react to stimuli, we get caught in the relentless pendulum swing between passive and aggressive. And we all know that a pendulum just keeps going over the same ground again and again, never really moving anywhere. It’s just like political systems that move continuously between Conservative and Liberal year in and year out. Reaction is not action, because it doesn’t take us anywhere.

To be effective as a Transition Town, we must learn deeply about the inner mechanisms that propel us to act or to react, both as individuals and as a community. It is only via this understanding that we can begin making a real “transition” away from the old paradigm and into the new. Our TT trainers stressed this over and over again and I would be remiss, especially as a life coach, if I didn’t hold the stake for this vital point.

And while I agree that “talk is cheap” if not backed by action and commitment, it is also not enough for us to jump into action, even if these actions bring about some degree of good. Everything we do inevitably creates an impact both in our local communities and on our Planet. Let us choose our impact carefully and not be satisfied merely with an endless stream of reactions. Let us create a legacy that results in the long-term transformation we envision.

So, as we begin our journey together into the eye of the storm, I encourage us to take time and care to really “land” this concept. If we want to make lasting change—and I know we do—we must first learn to operate within a new paradigm wherein we no longer simply react to stimuli, but we understand our own inner workings, and create vibrant solutions to the problems we may face. Ironically, to do that, in the beginning it will actually be necessary to take our focus away from the issues of climate change and peak oil for a little while, and to look first at who we are as human beings and what intrinsically joins us together beyond the “crisis”. This is not merely my own belief. Our trainers Nick Osborne and May East made expressed similar beliefs during our TT training. I don’t think I would be here at Transition Bedford if this were not the underlying ethos of the Transition Network.

I know some of my points may sound like “waffle” to some people. I know it might even create impatience, restlessness and irritability. And that is ok. All of that is symptomatic of the “storming” and “chaos” (to use M Scott Peck’s term) in the inevitable evolution of Transition Bedford becoming an actual community. I have faith in the process. I hope you do too.

Earth ~ Humanity ~ Connection

Warm wishes,

Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC
Author, Transformation Coach, Trainer and Speaker
“Turning up the volume of the music in your heart!”

Lynn Serafinn’s Cosmic Universe (main site)
www.lynnserafinn.com

Training for the Inner Transition:
www.lynnserafinn.com/transition-trilogy-2009.html

To illustrate Bedford’s intelligence and to increase public awareness on these important issues, Transition Bedford will be hosting a free viewing of the film “In Transition” at the Ent Shed on Castle Road, MK40 3QY, on Wednesday 9 Sept 2009 at 7.30pm. Special guest at the event will be Chris Keene, a member of the “Zero Carbon Caravan”, a troop that is currently cycling and sailing from Wales to the UNFCCC talks in Copenhagen.

BEDFORD, BEDFORDSHIRE – 1 September 2009 – Former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott thinks Bedford is “stupid.”

At least that is what he was quoted as having said in a recent article published by Business Green and The Evening Standard. According to the article, Mr Prescott said the planning committee in Bedford, whose wider borough is estimated to have a population of more than 150,000 people, should be given a “Stupid Award” (named after the recently released environmental film “The Age of Stupid”), calling the committee, “stupid nimbys” and saying “I hope they get upset about it.”

But a group of local Bedfordians, who are members of the recently formed initiative Transition Bedford, invite Mr Prescott to look a little bit deeper, beyond the surface of local planning committees, to see the real Bedford.

“And if he does,” says current Chair of Transition Bedford initiating group, Lynn Serafinn, “he would see an informed, passionate and proactive side to Bedford, where people are at the cutting edge on the issue of climate change.”

Transition Bedford is a part of the larger Transition Town Network, founded in 2006, which is now comprised of thousands of other towns, villages and urban neighbourhoods who are taking definitive, community driven, grass-roots action in response to climate change and the impending impact of peak oil upon our lifestyle. They describe themselves as a “social experiment on a massive scale” saying, “if we wait for the governments, it’ll be too little, too late; if we act as individuals, it’ll be too little; but if we act as communities, it might just be enough, just in time.” Their ultimate aim is to move from oil dependency to a “low energy, highly vibrant and fulfilling future.”

“Although Transition Bedford is a newly formed initiative,” says Ms Serafinn, “Bedford has been acting on these issues for some time now. Over the past few years, local groups like Zero Carbon Castle (founded in 2006) have really raised awareness and made great changes in the area of local carbon emissions, and various local permaculture experts and food growers have helped residents understand how and why it is vital we know about growing and harvesting local food sources.”

Ms Serafinn, a Bedford-based life coach, personal development trainer and bestselling author, also speaks about what the Transition Network refers to as “the inner transition.”

“What is important to understand,” she explains, “is that no one is going to agree to make changes to their current lifestyle unless they have a compelling reason to do so. Feeding people scary statistics about climate change may motivate some, but it is more likely to turn off others and make them apathetic or perhaps even hopeless. And while government action is certainly very important, truly lasting social change cannot occur simply via planning initiatives. The most effective means to lasting, positive change is to raise public awareness and to help re-establish people’s emotional connection to the planet on which we live, so they will want to make the transition out of a genuine sense of desire and purpose, rather than from a feeling of panic and need. The issue of climate change is an opportunity for all of us to educate, re-skill and reconnect our communities, and create a more meaningful and harmonious world.”

When asked how she will personally be involved in Transition Bedford, Lynn says that her primary focus will be on the “inner” side of this initiative, dealing with people, beliefs and wellbeing. Many others in the network are experts in the “outer” transition, being highly skilled experts in skills such as developing new energy sources, transport, conservation, food production, permaculture and other key areas.

One such expert on the Transition Bedford panel is Shane Hughes of Carbon Accounting Systems, and one of the initiators of Zero Carbon Castle. About the current and future state of local awareness in Bedford Mr Hughes says, “One of the smartest things that the Bedford Borough Council is currently proposing is a renewable hydro-electric energy project, which, if successful, could benefit the town in diverse ways. It would not only create a massive carbon saving for the town, but it would also be of great educational value as an exemplar for people around the country to appreciate and imitate. But in addition to that, we hope to turn the project into a truly innovative investment fund in which people of the town can become share-holders, creating a flowing and renewable fund of money that can be re-invested in other zero-carbon energy projects. This is the kind of community-driven creativity that the Transition Town Network, and Transition Bedford, is all about.”

Mr Hughes continues, “Something I would like people to realise is that Transition Bedford will not just be looking at ways to become carbon-neutral. We will also looking at how our local economies can become more sound and self-reliant. A recent study done down in Totnes, Devon (the original Transition Town), has revealed that if we made the shift of ensuring that even a small percentage of our building materials for new housing projects came from local sources, millions of pounds would go into our local economies, while at the same time reducing carbon emissions. Again, it is this kind of win-win scenario that Transition Bedford hopes to create here in the town of Bedford in every aspect of life.”

Ms Serafinn adds to this, “And the ultimate irony of Mr Prescott’s comment is that Shane’s Bedford-based company Carbon Accounting provided the makers of the film “The Age of Stupid” with their carbon auditing services. If you go to the bottom of their web page on their 14 March entry, you will see Shane’s company name right there. In fact, their whole media angle of the UK premier being a 1% carbon event is based upon Shane’s audit.

“So the bottom line is, people really should take the time to look a little deeper, and you’ll always find that there is more to any story—or to a town.”

Transition Bedford, whose official launch will be announced early in the New Year, will be working closely together with groups like Zero Carbon Castle, Sustainable Oakley, Goldington Golden Gardens, the Global Wellness Circle, Mile End Allotments and many others, as well as with Bedford College through their Education for Sustainable Development programme. The long-term goal will be to develop educational programmes, skills training and community projects that will not only raise public awareness, but will also help the town make the transition towards a more vibrant and self-reliant community in such areas of food and energy production, natural health, economy and environment.

Transition Bedford invite any and all members of the greater Bedford community, whether individuals, groups or businesses, to contact Shane Hughes at shane@carbon-accounting.com and get involved. You can also visit their blog at www.transitionbedford.wordpress.com.

To show just how “smart” Bedford is on the issue of climate change, Transition Bedford is hosting a viewing of the film “In Transition”, which is an uplifting rebuttal to the sense of hopelessness and helplessness many feel when they think about the challenges of climate change. The film offers a healthy dose of inspiration about what communities of people, just like the people in Transition Bedford, are doing all across the globe to make the transition towards a sustainable, resilient and vibrant society, to restore our balance and harmony with the Earth.

“In Transition” will be shown at the Ent Shed (next to the Gordon Arms) on Castle Road, MK40 3QY on 9 Sept 2009. Doors open at 730 PM, and discussions and drinks will follow at end of programme. While this programme is free and open to the public, donations will be gratefully accepted to help cover the cost of room hire.

In addition to the film, special guest at this event will be Chris Keene, a member of the “Zero Carbon Caravan”, a troop that is currently cycling and sailing from Wales to the UNFCCC talks in Copenhagen. Mr Keene says, “We are making our way to Copenhagen without using fossil fuel transportation. Along the route we’ll connect with local groups to establish an itinerary of ‘zero carbon conferences’ to build momentum for zero carbon awareness.” Bedford is one of those local groups.

That’s very smart of you, Bedford.

###

ARTICLE REFERENCES
Charlsworth, Andrew. 26 August 2009. “Prescott proposes stupidity awards for wind farm ‘nimbys’”. Accessed from Business Green website at http://www.businessgreen.com/business-green/news/2248512/prescott-proposes-stupidity

Evening Standard. 26 August 2009. ‘Prescott Slams “Nimby” Councils’ Accessed from Evening Standard website at http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard/article-23736980-details/John+Prescott+slams+%27nimby%27+councils/article.do

TRANSITION BEDFORD CONTACT INFO:
Contact: Shane Hughes or Lynn Serafinn
Email: shane@carbon-accounting.com (Shane Hughes)
Email: lynn@lynnserafinn.com (Lynn Serafinn)
Web: http://www.transitionbedford.wordpress.com
Forum: http://groups.google.com/group/transition-bedford
Tel: 44+ (0)7809 882 077 (Shane Hughes)
Tel: 44+ (0)845 880 25 28 (Lynn Serafinn)

TRANSITION TOWN NETWORK:
Web: http://www.transitionnetwork.org

FILM “IN TRANSITION”
Web: http://transitionnetworknews.wordpress.com/2009/06/08/film-in-transition-online-preview/

BEDFORD VIEWING OF “IN TRANSITION”
Web: http://transitionbedford.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/free-film-premier-in-transition/

FILM “THE AGE OF STUPID”
Web: http://www.ageofstupid.net/

SHANE HUGHES CONTACT INFO (Carbon Accounting)
Email: shane@carbon-accounting.com
Tel: 44+ (0)7809 882 077

LYNN SERAFINN CONTACT INFO (AUTHOR, SPEAKER, TRAINING):
Email: lynn@lynnserafinn.com
Web: http://www.lynnserafinn.com
Phone: 44+ (0)845 880 25 28 (business)
Mobile: 44+ (0)771 84 94 234

LYNN SERAFINN COACHING AND TRAINING ENQUIRIES:
Email: info@create-a-life.co.uk
Web: http://www.create-a-life.co.uk

ZERO CARBON CARAVAN (Norwich Team)
Contact: Lesley Grahame or Chris Keene
Web: http://zerocarboncaravan.net/wordpress/
Email: lesley7railway@yahoo.co.uk (Lesley Grahame)
Email: chris.keene@zerocarboncaravan.net
Tel: 01603 920 801
Mobile: 07711 298 214

- END –

• One-Pager Media info sheet PDF file (Author bio, book summary, story angles, media contact, ISBN, etc)
• Complete media/press kit (bio, book info, interview questions, reviews, etc)
• Promotional Video 1: Book Trailer
• Promotional Video 2: Song of the Rose (excerpt of book read by the author)
• Notes for video trailers
• High resolution jpg of book cover 
• High-resolution author headshot
• Book excerpt: “Entering the Garden” (introduction to the book)
• Press releases
  • Bedford Author Amazon Bestseller (April 2009)
• Press/media coverage
  • New Writing Aiming to Inspire us to be Heroes (Bedfordshire on Sunday, 19 April 2009)
• Podcasts and radio broadcasts

Promotional Video 1: Book Trailer
View video below or right click HERE to download

Promotional Video 2: Song of the Rose
View video below or right click HERE to download

Title: “Song of the Rose” from the book “The Garden of the Soul” by Lynn Serafinn
Description: Excerpt from the book “The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self” by Lynn Serafinn, as read by the author. This poem, which bridges both sensuality and spirituality, gives you some idea why one reader described this book is being “as spiritual as Deepak Chopra and as magical as Paulo Coelho.” While this substantial 400 page work is comprised primarily of narrative stories, each section of the book begins with a poem or “song” sung by one of the four flowers. This “song” is called “Song of the Rose: Maysong.” The Rose is the teacher of the first of the four principles in the book, “The Principle of Giving”, which encompasses attributes such as passion, self-expression, boldness and life purpose. “Song of the Rose” gives you a glimpse into the sensual undertones of the teachings of the Rose, who later takes the author on a journey through the stories of her own life, to explore her own connection to the many colours of passion, from the sacred to the profane. Set to an uplifting instrumental soundscape by London-based band Bleep Test, and illustrated with brilliantly captivating nature photography by Sheila Finkelstein, Lynn’s uniquely lyrical and rhythmic approach to reciting poetry evokes an understanding within the listener that goes far beyond the mere meanings of the words.

PRODUCTION NOTES:
Video, audio mix, poem and spoken word copyright 2009 Lynn Serafinn
Photography by Sheila Finkelstein, www.sheilafinkelstein.com
Song “Tilted” by Bleep Test, www.myspace.com/bleeptestmusic

Podcasts and radio broadcasts

Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul (BlogTalkRadio show)

Author and Personal Transformation Coach Lynn Serafinn hosts a range of inspiring topics and special guests, exploring personal empowerment, life purpose, balance of mind, body and spirit, and how to tap into the inner hero that lies within every human being.

• Air time: Weekly on either Wed or Thurs at 6:30 PM UK tme
• Live show: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/Lynn-Serafinn
• Download/subscribe to podcast RSS:
• Listen now:

 “The Bigger Game of Self” with host Lola Fayemi 
Coach Lola Fayemi interviews Lynn in Part 1 of a series of teleseminars entitled “The Bigger Game”. Lynn and Lola discuss what it means to step into authenticity and the concept of “the path of least resistence to the Self.” Some aspects of the book The Garden of the Soul are discussed, especially with regards to the principle of “giving”. Broadcast 26 February 2009. Click here to download… 

To be uploaded soon: March/April 2009 interviews with hosts Katherine Reschke, John Levine, Stephanie Bell and Joe Rumbolo. 

Be sure to subscribe to our FEED
so you can be informed when new media is uploaded to the site.

For book information or public speaking enquiries:
Please write to info@give-receive-become-be.com.

For coaching or training enquiries:
Please write to lynn@create-a-life.co.uk

For Global Wellness Circle enquiries:
Please write to circle@global-wellness-circle.com