Lynn Serafinn's Cosmic Journey

Recipe for raw cream of asparagus, tofu and fennel soup – a spiritual delight

You’re probably wondering what the heck this has to do with anything. Why is Lynn suddenly publishing a recipe? Well, I think the fact that when I tasted this I thought I had gone to heaven might be reason enough. But if we need another reason, I can think of several, which I shall share with you AFTER the good stuff… the SOUP!

Equipment
The good news is, you don’t need any fancy equipment for this one. I am using a Tribest “personal” smoothie maker, and I imagine a good blender would also do the trick. For me, my personal smoothie maker is perfect because I live alone, and there is no waste or leftovers. It’s also extremely energy efficient because it is tiny, and you only need to run it for a few seconds to make your soup. The recipe below is for ONE serving (about 12 oz/400ml). If you have a larger blender/smoothie maker, and want to make more soup, just increase the amounts as desired.

Note: If you don’t have organic veg, or you don’t have whole spices to grind, you can still make this recipe, but really the taste is completely different. And if you think you don’t have time to make this, my TOTAL preparation time was LESS THAN 5 MINUTES!

Ingredients
First of all, I highly recommend getting your produce from a local organic farm. I just started ordering a weekly fruit and veg box from Riverford organic. They deliver it fresh right to your door. I have to tell you, the asparagus was SO tender, it was like eating a completely different vegetable from anything I’ve ever had before (and the humus I got from them was simply to die for!).

• 50 gm organic tofu (about 1” x 3” x 3” block)
• 6-8 stalks organic asparagus
• ¼ bulb organic fennel
• ¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
• ¼ teaspoon Himalayan salt
• ¼ teaspoon whole cumin seeds
• 1/8 teaspoon powdered kelp (optional; I add this to boost my sluggish thyroid as it’s rich in iodine)
• 1/2 teaspoon extra virgin organic olive oil
• 1/2 cup water. The water should either be room temperature or slightly warm, if you prefer warmer soup. Do NOT use very hot or boiling water, as it will expand in the blender AND it will also kill off the nutrients.

How to make it:

• Grind peppercorns and cumin seed with a mortar and pestle (you can use powdered, but it simply isn’t the same!). Set aside.
• Cut tofu into 1/2” chunks and put in blender cup. Put in just enough water to cover them.
• Blend tofu until it is a smooth cream.
• Chop asparagus and fennel into small enough chunks to get around the blade of the blender. Put into blender and pulse until chunky.
• Add ground pepper, salt, cumin, kelp and olive oil. Blend for 30-40 seconds.
• Your soup is READY to eat! If it’s too thick, and some water (slightly warm if you want warmer soup).

This is awesome with a couple of slices of toasted no-yeast rye bread with humus. What a TASTE!

Ok… so why am I REALLY talking about soup?

Environment: Earlier this year, I took a “10/10″ pledge in which I vowed to cut my fossil-fuel consumption down by 10% in the year 2010. You might think reaching this goal is a diffcult thing to acheive, but something as simple as making raw organic asparagus soup can help you get started. How?

• If you buy your organic produce from a local farm, like I did, you are saving on “food miles” as they are not being flown to you from the other side of the planet. It’s even BETTER if it comes from your OWN garden.
• Coming from the local farm, and not the local supermarket, there is NO packaging or waste at all. Even the little bits of veggies that I didn’t throw into the smoothie maker I put into my compost bin, and it will be helping to grow vegetables in my back garden later this summer.
• Running a little 200 watt blender for 40 seconds takes a LOT less energy (and costs a lot less money) than cooking a pot of homemade soup on the hob for 20-30 minutes, so it’s very economical, too.

Health: Eating veggies that are local means they are fresher, and packed with nutrients. The longer the gap between when your fruit/veg has been picked and when you consume it, the more nutrients are lost. Also, eating with the seasons (as organic farms provide you only season produce) will also improve your health, as it puts your body “in synch” with your environment, giving your greater immunity.

Spirituality: There is something very spiritual about getting closer to Source by eating organic, local, fresh and uncooked. I don’t think I will ever go 100% raw, but I have to tell you, when you eat something like this, you feel like you are tasting the Sun and the Earth, and that’s pretty special. It helps you feel connected, and lets you know that you are safe in this big, vast Universe.

Fun and Creativity: It’s actually pretty cool to make up new concoctions. I make up something new every day. I had a delicious melon and plum smoothie before. Sheer nectar! In fact, what’s so neat is that just about ANYTHING you toss into the smoothie maker can be turned into something really tasty and interesting. Experiment and set yourself free!

Closing thoughts
Today, I found out another close friend of mine has breast cancer. Mind you, this particular woman is one of the most health conscious people I know, so if it can happen to her, it can happen to anyone. I do believe the high incidence of cancer in today’s world is due to us being just so disconnected from the Source of life, both in our food, and our state of being in general. Our failing health is a symptom that we human beings are craving a return to a more natural state of living in harmony with the Earth. And the good news is, I firmly believe it is “do-able.”

I took the 10/10 pledge because I love our Planet, and I also believe our dependency upon petroleum is simply a recipe for disaster, for so many reasons.

Let’s not consume THAT recipe. Instead, let’s start (un)cooking up our own recipes. I’ve done many things this year to make good on my 10/10 promise. If you do only one thing this year and nothing else, start off by making a pledge to buy local produce. Or better yet, how about starting a vegetable garden in your backyard? I’ve just done this with the help of a neighbourhood woman, as part of the new “garden share” project we at Transition Bedford are hoping to get going this year. But more on that another day.

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Lynn Serafinn is a transformation coach, book promotion coach, radio host and author of the mind-body-spirit bestseller, The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self. She is the recipient of the Bedfordshire Businesswomen Award for working with a community group for her work with Transition Bedford, part of the Transition Network, a grassroots initiative to build a sustainable future. She is also the founder of Spirit Authors Virtual Coaching and Learning Experience, which offers training, community and support for aspiring and established mind-body-spirit authors. She also works as a campaign manager for book launches, and has produced two number-1 selling authors in 2010 so far. Coaching, training and campaign enquiries may be submitted at http://spiritauthors.com/contact.

Reconnecting Humanity and Earth with Eco Hero Tony Juniper

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 he is.

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

Bestselling Author’s Work with Transition Town Awarded

PRESS RELEASE: WOBURN, BEDFORDSHIRE – 18 November 2009 – Today at Woburn Sculpture Gallery, Bedfordshire Businesswomen (BBW), a not-for-profit networking organisation for women who live and/or have business interests in the Bedfordshire area, now in its 21^st year, announced their annual business awards for outstanding achievement in various categories. Amongst the six winners for the 2009 awards, which were sponsored by Barclays Bank, was Lynn Serafinn, a Bedford-based community leader, transformation coach, personal development trainer, public speaker, radio host and bestselling author of the book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self. Ms Serafinn received the BBW award for “Working within a Community Organisation or Not-for-Profit Organisation” owing to her work as Founder of the Global Wellness Circle, and also as the Chair of Transition Bedford, a new initiative that is part of the worldwide Transition Network addressing climate change and fossil fuel dependency.

In spring 2008, Ms Serafinn noticed that there was a large faction of practitioners in the holistic health and wellbeing industry who felt isolated both professionally and socially, having no way to promote their businesses or to educate the public about the benefits of living a more natural, holistic lifestyle. In response to this, she formed Continue Reading…

Moving into the Storm – from enslavement to freedom

The following blog post was originally written for Transition Bedford site at http://www.transitionbedford.org. I decided to include it here on my own blog because, although it makes references to working within the Transition Network, the key points are relevant to everyone who wants to understand more about what it means to be free at an inner level, and to understand more about why they may not always be creating the impact in the world they desire to create. I welcome your comments and feedback, as I spent  significant amount of time writing it, lol! Hope you enjoy it. –Lynn

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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. Continue Reading…

Stepping into the Transporter- Change, Transformation and the Inner Transition

(Be sure to find out about how you can join me on an exciting transformation journey. See info at the end of this post, or click HERE to find out more ).

There is no denying that we live at a time in history when much of the world around us is changing. The currently fluctuating economy is proving to be challenging for many, causing us to change our spending and saving patterns. Climate change and the need to move away from fossil fuel dependency are becoming more and more apparent, making it necessary to make rapid decisions about how to address the issues, and to reflect upon how we need to change as a society. Technology is also rapidly changing the way we interact, and we frequently find ourselves on the one hand more able to communicate at a virtual level, but also feeling more and more isolated from one another in the flesh. Over the past few decades, we have become increasingly disconnected from the sources of our own sustenance (such as food production) and more and more dependent upon our own technological creations for survival. To see how dependent we actually are, imagine how vulnerable you would feel if tomorrow morning you woke up to find you had no internet or other telecommunications systems, had no access to electricity, oil or petrol, or you were unable to obtain food, clothes, medicine and other necessities from outside sources.

And here is the paradox: that feeling of vulnerability is one of the things that make us tolerate all these sociological changes, even if we intuitively know these changes are ultimately making us feel more and disconnected, and ultimately more vulnerable. Continue Reading…

The Transformation Trilogy is Coming

Hi everyone,
Lynn Serafinn from Create-a-Life here. There is no denying that we live at a time in history where much of the world around us is changing. The changing economy is proving to be challenging for many. Climate change and the need to move away from fossil fuel dependency are becoming more and more apparent. At the same time, we are also seeing more and more people moving away from old ways of thinking, and shifting towards a more holistic and spiritual approach to life, embracing the values of personal growth and self-awareness.

Yes, we can see that society and the world at large is truly “in transition”. Transition brings change, and change brings regeneration– a chance for new beginnings. And while the prospect of change can be exciting, going through the process of change can also be daunting.

But what if the change were a beautiful journey? And what if at the other end of that journey, you found you were not only able to face your fears and stand powerfully amidst the changes, but you were also able to discover your life’s calling, see your personal impact in the world, and claim a lasting legacy that says “I was here”?

This is the journey of Transformation.
And I would like to invite you to join me on it.

ANNOUNCING…
THE TRANSFORMATION TRILOGY
WEEKEND WORKSHOPS

Bedford, Bedfordshire (Oct, Nov, Dec 2009)
Totnes, Devon (Nov, Dec 2009, Jan 2010)

Bedford replies: ‘We are NOT stupid, Mr Prescott.’

In a recent article, former Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott was quoted to say that the Bedfordshire town of Bedford, should be given a “stupid award” owing to its local planning committee opposing the construction of wind farms on aesthetic grounds. While the implications of this opposition are duly noted, the recently formed community initiative Transition Bedford, part of the larger Transition Town Network of over 1500 local initiatives worldwide, replies, “Look deeper, Mr Prescott, and you will find that the people of Bedford are not at all stupid in matters to do with climate change and peak oil.”

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 Continue Reading…

Lynn on Southside Radio

Title: Lynn on Southside Radio
Location: Online
Link out: Click here
Description: Lynn returns to Southside Radio this Saturday. This week, she’ll be talking with host Alex Lewczuk about the Transition Town movement, and the “inner transition” that is required in society to address the greater issues of climate change and overall social reform.
Date: 2009-Aug-08
Start Time: 11.00 am (UK time)
End Time: 11.30

Awareness Raising and Inner Sustainability

Awareness Raising and Inner Sustainability
by Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC
Coach, author Lynn Serafinn dicusses the inner work needed before Transition Town groups embark on awarness raising, to ensure personal and societal resilience. For more information on Transition Beford go to http://transitionbedford.wordpress.com, or visit the Transition Network at http://www.transitionnetwork.org

It’s a paradox. Effective “awareness raising” is in many ways “awareness grounding”.

What I mean by that is that we tend to think that “raising” awareness in people is a matter of telling them facts and details so they may understand the urgency of an issue as crucial as climate change and peak oil. But it is my observation that when people become over-saturated with sensory and mental data, far from this raising their consciousness, they actually go numb. It’s called “overwhelm”. I used to be that way earlier in life (and I get back there occasionally when I don’t take care of myself). When the issues of life became too much for me to bear, I became numb, disconnected and resigned. This is a spiritual tragedy for any individual. But when an entire culture becomes numb, it is not only a tragedy, it is a recipe for societal self-destruction.

My good friend Karen Maycey, who came from Manchester to speak at the Bedford Wellness Circle on Monday, went through this process of overwhelm when she was first diagnosed with stage-2 breast cancer last year. Karen has always been a very active “go-getter” in her work as a coach and workshop leader, and prior to that as an international tour guide. She had always been on the constant run all over the planet. But shortly after she was first diagnosed, and via a very intense group healing session in which I participated, she intuitively came up with a motto for herself, which was, Continue Reading…