Last year, I had the great pleasure of being one of the dozens of holistic and creative teachers at the annual One World Summer Festival in the UK. Since 1996, thousands of holistically-minded adults, teens and children have enjoyed the uplifting vibes, wonderful macrobiotic food, arts, entertainment, world-class transformational workshops and warm community for which the One World Festival is known. Personally, what I loved most about teaching there was that everyone who attended the workshops was 100% ready for a truly life-changing experience. It made my role as a workshop leader a truly uplifting experience. I also loved the fact that all the workshops were included in the cost of the festival, so people were free to pick and choose whatever they liked. This meant you got to meet new people every day of the festival. Another thing I loved was that we teachers got to attend as many workshops as we liked when we were not teaching (which was most of the time!). All in all, the workshops were life-changing, the food was delicious, the venue (last year it was in Bath) was stunning, and the people-well, they are what made the festival wonderful. Even the weather was perfect. For me, it was the most fabulous “working holiday” I could have ever imagined. I knew I would return this year. I wouldn’t miss it!
This year, the 15th Annual One World Summer Festival is coming to Great Malvern, England August 9th – 15th, 2010. I will again be teaching at this wonderful event, offering daily mini-workshops “Becoming the Hero of Your Own Life”, “The Garden of the Soul” and “Spiritual Marketing.”
The festival will also be held in Tuscany during the first week of September, but apparently the Italian festival is already sold out! (but I WILL be there!… how lucky am I?). That just shows how popular this event is.
Over the past 15 years, thousands of people have benefited in body, mind and spirit from coming to One World, but THIS YEAR, we are giving everyone a taste of this fabulous festival right from the comfort of your own home at a unique event called…
The One World VIRTUAL Festival
Tues June 29, Wed June 30, Thurs July 1
TIME: 8pm-9.30pm UK time / 3.00pm – 4.30pm Eastern
ADMISSION: FR*EE!
A mini-fest of FR*EE online classes in holistic health, spirituality and overall wellbeing by NINE internationally acclaimed experts
Simulcast! Take your pick:
Listen via webcast OR telephone conference line
DATE: Tuesday, June 29th
TIME: 8pm-9.30pm UK time / 3.00pm – 4.30pm Eastern
DAY 1 GUESTS:
1) Christian Kyriacou RIBA MCSD – Ki Architect and House Whisperer. Christian will be talking about the Ki Signature of buildings, House Whispering, Feng Shui, Vastu and Geomancy.
2) Zascha Brésilley – Spiritual Teacher. Zascha will be talking about increasing our “Spiritual Footprint” in the world.
3) Steven Acuff – Nutritional consultant and therapist, author, teacher. Steven will give an introduction to healing with food, including acid/alkaline balance, and other vital information.
DATE: Wednesday, June 30th
TIME: 8pm-9.30pm UK time / 3.00pm – 4.30pm Eastern
DAY 2 GUESTS:
1) Simon Brown – teacher, consultant, healer, therapist. Simon will be taking you on an introductory exploration into macrobiotics, feng shui, face reading, chi, healing and wabi sabi.
2) Maria Gillott – Macrobiotic Coach, co-founder of the One World Summer Festivals. Maria will give a sneak peek into the Macrobiotic cooking workshops she delivers for parents, showing how to cook for children through the various stages of childhood.
3) Lynn Serafinn – coach, author, radio host, spiritual marketing consultant. Lynn will talk about becoming the hero of your own life, the four Principles from her book The Garden of the Soul, and a new paradigm for spiritually-focussed businesses.
DATE: Thursday, July 1st
TIME: 8pm-9.30pm UK time / 3.00pm – 4.30pm Eastern
DAY 3 GUESTS:
1) Julie G. Silver – Nutritional Therapist, Natural Health & Stress Management Consultant. Julie will be talking about “Nutrition for the Now”, and how to cultivate your intuitive, spiritual connection to nutrition.
2) Verne Varona – Author, film director, nutritional consultant and researcher. Verne will introduce you to the art of self diagnosis and disease reversal.
3) Samantha Terry – Acupuncturist, Aromatherapist, Chinese medicine practitioner. Sam will talk about understanding your health from a holistic perspective, and the art of vibrational healing.
YOUR HOSTS THROUGHOUT VIRTUAL FESTIVAL
Lynn Serafinn – coach, author, radio host, spiritual marketing consultant
Kyle Nash – One World Festival Promotion Team
There will also be a bit of time on each broadcast to ask questions, both over the phone OR via the webcast.
Warm wishes,
Lynn Serafinn, MAED, CPCC
Transformation Coach, Book Promotion Coach, Author, radio host
About Lynn Serafinn, Creator of Spirit Authors
Lynn Serafinn is a transformation coach, book promotion coach, radio host and bestselling author of the book The Garden of the Soul: lessons from four flowers that unearth the Self. She also works as a campaign manager for mind-body-spirit authors and has produced two #1-selling book campaigns, and another #2-selling campaign, in just the past 4 months. She created Spirit Authors to offer training, coaching, business-building and inspiration for mind-body-spirit authors, whether established or aspiring. She’s also in Round 2 of the Next Top Spiritual Author contest! To check out Lynn’s video entry, brand new book proposal and read 80 pages from her book The Garden of the Soul, go to http://www.NextTopAuthor.com/?aid=2016. A free gift awaits you when you cast your vote.
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.
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.
“Imagine a life through which you managed to rise above the fears and concerns that always linger faithfully in the background, haunting us with their song of intended safety, always with the purpose of keeping the status quo. Imagine a life without those messages you tell your Self about what you can’t do, or those messages that diminish the brilliance of who you are in any way. You know the voice I mean.
“Imagine that you integrated those voices in such a way that they no longer gripped you but rather informed you about interesting and relevant conditions to pay attention to.
“And now, as you are no longer held in false constraints, you are free. Free to listen and respond to the wisdom of the moment. Free to wonder what is possible in creating more beauty and dreams. Free to respond to the yearning of your heart that knows that more is possible…”
These are the opening words of a most inspiring new book by Patrick Ryan called Awakened Wisdom – A Guide To Reclaiming Your Brilliance. The first chapter is called “A Life Well-Lived”, and as we read it, we cannot help but think to ourselves, “Yes! I want to know how to have that!”
In his book, Awakened Wisdom, Patrick Ryan says a life well-lived is an awakened life, in which we shift away from our “distorted self” and connect with our “Divine Essence”, and allow that wisdom to guide us.
But how precisely do we DO that?
Fortunately, Patrick Ryan gives us a formula: the Eight States of an Awakened Life”.
Patrick explains the “Eight States of an Awakened Life” in great detail in his book Awakened Wisdom. He says, for our awakening to unfold, we must come into a “good state” of relationship with our understanding, our intention, our words, our being, our purpose, our effort, our practice and our doing. And when we are in a “good state” with all these things, we are able to see life clearly, and our decisions and actions in life become purposeful, powerful and meaningful.
It sounds very inspiring, doesn’t it? It is. But what I really like about Patrick’s book is that it is also a practical manual. There are dozens of affirmations and practical exercises to help you learn and master each of the Eight States, to help you begin to create your own well-lived life. It’s great to see such a spiritual book come down-to-earth so we can actually apply the teachings within our daily lives.
Awakened Wisdom – A Guide To Reclaiming Your Brilliancecomes out on Amazon on April 20th, 2010. To expand the giving and receiving of this wisdom I am giving away FOUR free audio mediations from my Garden of the Soul Workshop to everyone who buys Patrick’s wonderful book with the first 24 hours of its release. I’ve never offered these meditations before, as they have only ever been available to those who have attended my live Transformation workshops.
AND… In addition to my gift, there are over 40 other wonderful gifts being offered by mind-body-spirit teachers, authors, coaches and healers from around the planet when you purchase Awakened Wisdom – A Guide to Reclaiming Your Brilliance on April 20th.
AND… Patrick is giving away an EXTRA special gift of his own: An AWAKENED WISDOM VIRTUAL EXPERIENCE, a 2-day global event where you can learn the Eight States of an Awakened Life directly from Patrick himself after you have bought the book. I’m really lucky because I’ll be hosting that event!
To find out how you can buy this book on April 20th, claim your free admission to the Awakened Wisdom Virtual Experience, and receive over 40 other gifts, just click HERE
Many thanks to Abbe Armband Henkel, an old High School friend of mine and Facebook fan, for selecting the magic number 61 for last week’s meditation. This meditation was read on the air on “Lynn Serafinn’s Garden of the Soul Radio Show” on Wed 4 Nov 2009. If you would like to help me write my upcoming book “The Companion Guide to the Garden of the Soul” and possibly have your name listed in the acknowledgements of the book, and announced on my weekly radio broadcast, just select a number from 1-80 and post it in the comments below.
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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…
Rarely do I feel moved enough by a video to put it on my blog, but this one was so captivating and moving that I simply had to. It is a pictorial journal by Hans Silvester, who photographed the people of the Omo River in Ethiopia. They treat their bodies as artists’ canvases, clearly expressing their feelings of connection to and love for Nature. Take a few minutes to be amazed at the stunning beauty and complexity of the artwork, the intense emotion that comes through their expressiveness, and the sheer freedom you feel as you watch a whole culture of people letting go of inhibitions and ego and simply expressing the Art of Creation itself. If you happen to have read my book The Garden of the Soul, the Omo people are the perfect expression of the “Principle of Giving”, which is the unfettered outward expression of the Authentic Self. Surely we could all learn a lot about our real relationship with the Earth by meditating upon these jaw-droppingly beautiful images. Enjoy this!
Many thanks to Simon Ireland-Davies of ID Coaching, Liverpool, who selected the number 65 for this week’s meditation. If you would like to help me write my upcoming book “The Companion Guide to the Garden of the Soul” and possibly have your name listed in the acknowledgements of the book, and announced on my weekly radio broadcast, just select a number from 1-80 and post it in the comment thread below.
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. Continue Reading…
Last year, I had the great pleasure of being one of the dozens of holistic and creative teachers at the annual One World Summer Festival in the UK. Since 1996, thousands of holistically-minded adults, teens and children have enjoyed the uplifting vibes, wonderful macrobiotic food, arts, entertainment, world-class transformational workshops and warm community for which the One World Festival is known. Personally, what I loved most about teaching there was that everyone who attended the workshops was 100% ready for a truly life-changing experience. It made my role as a workshop leader a truly uplifting experience. I also loved the fact that all the workshops were included in the cost of the festival, so people were free to pick and choose whatever they liked. This meant you got to meet new people every day of the festival. Another thing I loved was that we teachers got to attend as many workshops as we liked when we were not teaching (which was most of the time!). All in all, the workshops were life-changing, the food was delicious, the venue (last year it was in Bath) was stunning, and the people-well, they are what made the festival wonderful. Even the weather was perfect. For me, it was the most fabulous “working holiday” I could have ever imagined. I knew I would return this year. I wouldn’t miss it!
Lynn Serafinn is a transformation coach, book promotion coach, radio host and author of the mind-body-spirit bestseller, 
Meditation 61: Serernity
