Interview by Tabby Biddle

“I think we all know our country at this time is experiencing adversity and change. The majority want change and many people are reflecting on this need for change in themselves. We want to know more, we want to understand more, and we want to better ourselves. I think it’s an awe-inspiring time, and I am thrilled to be part of culture that wants to transform at this level.”

-- Lynn Zavaro

Writer, Artist, and Creator of The Game of You™

Lynn Zavaro is a Goddess of guidance, truth, and trust in the creative process!

Through her brand, The Game of You™, Lynn has emerged as a defining voice in the art of guiding others to know themselves and create the life they want through the lens of spiritual psychology and the creative process.

She is an artist, writer, teacher, and has a Masters degree in Counseling Psychology. Through an integration of her skills and life experiences, Lynn has created a book, card set, and game for others to have fun while discovering themselves on their creative life paths.

Tabby: Why is it so important to know our authentic or "true" selves?

Lynn: I believe when we develop an on-going relationship with ourselves we can have better, more fulfilling, and intimate relationships. Knowing who we are keeps us awake to our inherent true nature and what we are capable of so that we can get clear about what we want, move beyond resistances or obstacles and receive our highest good. When we know who we are and what our values are, we are reminded that we can make the most out of our lives if we make ourselves a priority.

Tabby: What have you found are some of the main impediments that keep women from knowing their authentic selves?

Lynn: Women feel a huge sense of personal responsibility. We have businesses to run or day jobs to do, we mange our families, and we look for deeper intimacy in our relationships -- not only in our marriages or partnerships, but also with our friends. Because of the nature of the feminine we are more willing to look inward and develop self-awareness, and talk about our feelings. We desire self-discovery. But, since most of us are on the go and have little time to focus on ourselves, I believe our greatest impediment is finding the time for ourselves to do our inner-work and make our inner-growth and self-discovery the priority.I also think sometimes women can fear that the process of self-discovery can be humbling, at times painful or sometimes, even too much to digest it all.

Tabby: So what is your best advice to a woman who is teetering on the edge of opening up to her journey of self-discovery?

Lynn: I would say first that this process can be fun and inspiring. When we work our tools, we discover we have more energy and a stronger foundation to do what we need to do best in our busy lives.But I think that there needs to be a willingness to want to know more, to develop more, to understand more. Once that willingness is there, it’s sort of like the teachings and the tools begin to come to you. You start to find them in your daily life. But there needs to be an intention to want to discover that for yourself. Once that intention is there, you are then the driving force in which to make change in your life. That intention sets the action in motion.

Tabby: What is spiritual psychology?

Lynn: Spiritual psychology is a term being used more and more today by various types of people. For example, I know some rabbis and priests who are referring to themselves as spiritual psychologists. I also know many psychologists that have seen how the spiritual can take people to a whole new level in their therapy.But for me, spiritual psychology basically teaches that we have to move beyond the cognitive mind. Our mind can be a teacher to greater wisdom and self-awareness, but many times the mind is a thief robbing us of our true inherent nature. Within the mind on the relative level, we hear voices like the “inner critic” or “judge” or even the voice that wants to tell us how important and special we are. But when we are able to connect to our true selves, we have the capacity to meet a wider, more expansive point of view. It’s like when we have an AHA moment. In that AHA moment, it’s as if the mind is suspended for a second and we meet space. It’s in this spaciousness where we can move beyond our usual limitations.

I think it’s been oversimplified giving it a label such as “spiritual.” These moments can be found in our daily lives. They can be found in meditation when we are concentrated and relaxed, but they also can be found in our creativity when we are concentrated on the creative process, or the creative unfolding of our lives.

Tabby: It is your artwork on all of The Game of You products. Tell me about your life as a painter.

Lynn: When I sit down to a blank canvas, I follow three major rules: One, to not get trapped in meaning, concepts, or identities in order to move out of the mind and into the heart of the creative process. Two, to surrender to the dragon of control, and be free, play and wild again like a child would without constraints or conditioning, and three, to let go of the attachment to the results of the product.

These rules are as important to creativity as they are to life. I go to a color that draws me and then see where it would like to go. Then, simply go to the next color. I don’t stand back and look at the painting ever. When it’s finished I put it away and don’t look at it until two or three months have passed.But if a judgment comes up while I paint, like lets say, “It’s ugly,” then I ask myself, “What if it could be ugly? What if this was my ugliest painting EVER?” Two or three months later I look at it and think, “Why did I think this was ugly? It has so much energy.” That’s what I care about it: If it has energy then it is a true expression of me.

"Painting is like returning to the fun and play of being a child again … It is where I feel I can tap into my free, authentic self-expression with total permission to be whomever and however I want in the moment."

Tabby: Talk more about The Game of You.

Lynn: Sure. After over 15 years on my spiritual path, I felt led to organize and synthesize the many teachings that changed my life dramatically into a fun, creative and empowering way for others to experience.

“I had a myriad of spiritual, creative and psychological tools I wanted to organize in a “manual” so to speak to teach how we can make the most of our lives. Yet, I thought to myself, Who wants a boring, dry manual to refer to that will ultimately collect dust on the shelves? So I decided to make it FUN, a GAME, because that’s what life is: A big game that we learn how to play and how to move all the pieces around.”

The Game of You offers a really magical support system to receive guidance and to resolve issues on all four levels of consciousness – the mental, the spiritual, the emotional, and physical. It teaches inner as well as outer tools to know our fullest potential in order to meet adversity and acknowledge the desire for change in our lives. It supports everyone, women and men, to draw upon their own inner resources and tools to truly know who they are and stand in that, empowered.

Tabby: I have played the free sample game on your site several times. Whenever I play, the cards are always SO right on. Do others tell you this?

Lynn: Yes, I get feedback like,“Wow! I can’t believe how this meets my present moment.” And then there are some who are skeptical saying things like, “Why if I flip open a card is that really going to meet where I am right now?”What I tell people is that The Game of You card deck was inspired by the structure of the Tarot. It is not the Tarot, but it was inspired by the mystical and magical properties that the Tarot carries. I don’t like calling it the Tarot because the Tarot is focused on New Age fortunetelling and psychics, and future-focused oracle readings. This is not what the Game of You is about. The Game of You is a contemporary learning approach through the lens of spiritual psychology. It meets the current needs of people, and supports one in looking at themselves in present time.

Tabby: What have been some of the major challenges in running your business?

Lynn: So far, I have been lucky enough to experience an organic flow around the unfolding creative process of the business. I come to the business in the same way that I approach my teachings and tools in The Game of You and I am amazed by how it continues to magically build and expand because of the wide array of tools The Game of You offers to approach life’s issues. I have been very inspired by looking at business in the same way I approach any creative endeavor. I continue to feel tremendous energy and enthusiasm about the process of building this business.

Tabby: That sounds nice! What about other challenges?

Lynn: If I have a frustrating day, feel stuck, get tense or worried about a certain issue, I return back to my tools. I draw a card almost every day for myself, and if I find myself needing extra help I play with my own spreads and take the time to really work the tools. I believe that in order to teach anything, “we must walk our own talk,” so I work my tools, continuously. This not only supports me personally, but gives me the opportunity to keep updating and upgrading the tools as I work on them.

Tabby: If your voice could reach every woman around the world, what message would you want to impart?

Lynn: The message I’d like to impart is that we are all innately creative. We have the inner resources and abilities to create what we want in life. The Game of You supports women empowering themselves to do just that.

***The Game of You™ Book and Card Deck is scheduled for release in the late fall. To play a free sample game, go to Lynn’s website, www.gameofyou.com. You can also be guided in The Game of You™ on Lynn's blog, where she shares insights, stories, and delicious recipes, www.thegameofyou.blogspot.com.

TTabby Biddle, M.S. Ed., is a writer, writing coach and reporter dedicated to amplifying the voices of women changemakers. She is a regular contributor to the Huffington Post on issues affecting women and girls, and has been featured by the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, NPR, Current TV and other popular media. She lives in Santa Monica, CA with her husband. Learn more at tabbybiddle.com

Lynn Zavaro is Goddess of the Week!