The Death Throes of the Empire

March 27, 2023March 26, 2023 / Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

First a few definitions:

Patriarchy: a system of society or government where control and power held by men is of a disproportionately large share.

Hierarchy: the classification and privileging of a group of people according to economic, social, or professional standing.

Death Throes: the violent movements and noises that are sometimes made by a person who is about to die.

Thank you Merriam-Webster!

Witnessing the Collapse of an Empire

The patriarchal, hierarchical system, which for 5000+ years has ruled through fear-based manipulation to gain control, is dying. This death is perhaps most keenly felt and most clearly observed as in the United States which has acted as if it were the ruling world empire since the day of its inception. The symptoms of this dying are almost too numerous to mention. For those with eyes to see, the signs of impending death are obvious. Those who are clinging to the dying system and the perceived power they have obtained through that system, however, are clearly blind, deaf, and dumb to the obvious truth around them.

Instead of acknowledging that the system upon which they have built their (perceived) power is imploding upon them, they are desperately grasping after legislation and other means to maintain their perceived control.

Legislating Drag

Certain legislatures in certain states have recently passed laws that make dressing in drag illegal. The pressure to legislate a certain kind of costumed theatrical performance was pushed for by a very vocal minority. If this isn’t grasping at straws, I don’t know what is! I can 100% guarantee that the vast majority of people don’t have an opinion about drag, let alone consider it to be of any moral consequence. Who cares!? Other than the vocal minority desperately trying to find something to control, no one. No one cares! Legislating drag is a symptom of a system in its death throes.

Banning Books

Haven’t we gone through this shenanigan already in the history of Western culture? Has banning books ever been successful in accomplishing the goal of those who want to ban them? As one who writes banned books, I say to those banning books, “Good luck with that.” Those with half a brain will go right out and purchase these books and read them to find out what the fuss is all about. I remember when a local Catholic school tried to ban The Golden Compass, I went right out and bought it. I immediately saw what disturbed the magisterium of the Catholic Church as the villain of The Golden Compass was called the magisterium! Intentional? Coincidence? You be the judge. My point is that banning books is simply another example of the dying patriarchal system in its death throes.

Transgender Phobia

All I can do is roll my eyes here. The psychologist in me sees right through the uproar over gender correction. The only people who would be threatened by a child or young adult identifying with a gender other than the one assigned at birth are those who are insecure in their own sexuality, or who falsely judge transgender to mean homosexual, thereby revealing their own homophobia. It is ludicrous to me that anyone would be threatened by gender correction and it boggles my mind that some are attempting to legislate gender correction treatment, surgery, and even bathrooms. These legislative attempts are at once a symptom of the death throes of the patriarchy, and proof of the deep homophobia and transphobia that still exists in our nation – phobias based on sexual repression and a serious lack of understanding.

The War on Women

In one fell swoop, the overruling of Roe vs. Wade put the United States right back into the dark ages. Now women no longer have access to important, and sometimes life-saving medical care and treatment. With the overturning of RvW, one state after another has rushed in to further deprive women of healthcare options related to reproduction. How did we get here? 1) A very loud vocal minority of individuals attempting to impose their religious beliefs on the rest of the nation through legislation. 2) The patriarchy unconsciously realizing that they are swiftly losing power and projecting the blame upon women instead of taking responsibility for their own failings.

The Tic Tok Drama

I don’t use Tic Tok, but my kids do. Tic Tok is owned by a Chinese company. Said company gathers data from Tic Tok subscribers. SO FUCKING WHAT? I don’t see how Tic Tok could possibly be a threat to anyone regardless of how much and what kind of data is being collected. As I have often said:

the only people afraid of surveillance are those with something to hide!

Is there something to fear or is this just another symptom of an empire in its collapse grasping at straws? Mostly, as it relates to Tic Tok, I’m concerned for the business owners who have found in Tic Tok a way to make a living. Shutting down Tic Tok will deprive likely thousands of their livelihood. Who does that serve?????

Banking Collapse

OMG! We’ve already been down this road! Did the US learn NOTHING from 2008? Apparently not. When the greedy get greedy and find the ear of those in perceived power, protections put in place after the 2008 collapse are rolled back. Then the greedy get even greedier and ignore sound banking practices, leaving themselves vulnerable to collapse. Like a game of dominoes, one falls, then another, then another. Serves them right for being irresponsible (though my heart goes out to honest people who could not access their deposits while the collapse was taking place). But then someone steps in and bails out all the banks! And again, nothing was learned. Another symptom of an empire and the system it is built on in collapse.

What Do We Do About It?

There are again, too many symptoms to count. The bottom line is that the empire is in full fledged collapse. The question that arises for us, is:

What do we do about it?

The short answer is NOTHING – at least as it relates to the dying empire. The empire is beyond repair. It was faulty to begin with and now it’s time for it to pass away. Our job is to get out of the way and let it die. Our time of being hospice to the dying world is over. There’s nothing that can be done to stop the death. Instead, it is now our job to get to work creating the new world that is going to take its place.

What part are you playing in creating the new world?

Creating a New World

begins with our own inner healing and transformation:

Unraveling from fear-based conditioning.
Learning to identify unhealed wounds.
Discovering effective practices for inner healing and transformation.
Exploring physical, emotional, and mental symptoms related to deep spiritual wounds.
Growing in inner freedom.

Learn more and enroll HERE

Building the New World Starts with You

March 5, 2023February 20, 2023 / Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

Building our new world begins with ourselves and the choices we make around how we want to live our lives and what we want our new worlds to look like. For those who have found their way to the Soul School community, the world we build will be reflective of our individual temperaments and desires yet rooted in our unique calling to be of service to the betterment of our world. But again, bettering our world, begins with us and with the choices we make around how we want to live our lives.

I cannot speak for others, but for myself, the new world of which I want to be a part is quieter, simpler, gentler and kinder than the world we have been living in. It is a world that treats our planet gently and with great honor, acknowledging that it is only in treating the earth as sacred that She might produce the fruits that we need to survive. It is a world in which every human being is honored as holy and sacred and where diversity is not only honored but celebrated. It is a world that supports the full development of every single human being by providing the resources we need not only to survive, but to thrive.

Yes, these are big dreams, and I know this is possible when we begin to make these choices for ourselves. When we as individuals live simply, gently, quietly, kindly; when we treat our world as sacred – taking only what we truly need while sharing the surplus with others; when we treat other human beings with dignity, honor and respect and when we work to insure the needs of all humans are being met to not only survive (food, clothing, shelter, safety, healthcare), but also to thrive (education, enrichment, self-development, etc.) then it can be done. But again, it starts with US.

Over the past several years, I have been taking the steps to building my own new world, steps that I have found to be very simple:

Laying the Foundation:

The foundation of my life has always been my relationship with the Divine. In my NOW and into my NEW world, this foundation will continue and as I have witnessed, deepen. I begin my morning with my spiritual practice and return to it frequently throughout the day. This simple time dedicated to myself and the Divine of my understanding is the foundation out of which the rest of my life unfolds. Everything I need for guidance, inspiration, understanding and to find a place of comfort and safety in an insane world, I find within these moments. Even when I’m not in a time of dedicated meditation and prayer, the fruits of my practice continue to unfold. With this I have come to understand Paul’s invitation that we “pray without ceasing.” When this relationship is the foundation of our lives, everything becomes a prayer.

Building the Supports:

Cultivating well-being. My physical and emotional health are critical to me. With this I make healthy choices. I choose healthy foods. I enjoy gentle exercise (yoga and walking). I take supplements and my prescribed medications. I do what I need to do to keep my mind and my spirit healthy (meditation, yoga, setting healthy boundaries, honoring my need for solitude, choosing how and with whom I want to spend my time).

Ongoing learning: As part of my temperament and passion, I have been given the gift of learning. I love to learn. As such, I take time each day to cultivate learning. I learn. I study. I explore.

Time for enjoyment: “All work and no play makes Lauri a dull girl.” I’m kind of boring anyway and I like boring, but that is not to say I don’t have enjoyment. I take time to read for pleasure and I love a good movie or binge-worthy television series. The more magical or mystical the better, but even a good piece of historical fiction can whet my appetite.

Don’t Forget the Aesthetics:

Our new world is meant to be enjoyable and to have beauty. This will mean different things to different people, but to me, my world has beauty when I am nurturing, cultivating and sharing my gifts – for my own fulfillment and in service to the betterment of the world. As such, this is about:

Taking time to CREATE: I write. I draw. I publish books. I develop and share curriculum. I cook. I clean. I nurture my children. I show kindness and am a listening ear to those I meet. I nurture my friendships – old and new.

Being a Source of Support for Others: Making myself available for guidance and support for others through my books, online classes and services, local gatherings and one-on-one support through Reiki and Spiritual Counseling.

Questions for your own reflection:

What is the new world you want to create for yourself?

What steps are you taking in support of this new world?

Chronic Illness and Modern Monasticism

March 3, 2023 / Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

There is an interesting correlation between the modern monastic calling and chronic illness. When I look at the community of women (and a few men) who have found their way to my offerings, it is uncanny how many of them are struggling with some sort of chronic, often debilitating, condition. It is also curious how many of these chronic conditions defy modern medicine – either eluding diagnosis or resisting treatment.

Case in point. I have a long list of chronic conditions: polycystic kidney disease, Epstein Barr, a form of PTSD, chronic vestibular neuritis, migraines, anxiety, depression, and panic disorder. This smorgasbord of intermittent symptoms has forced me to prioritize self-care and has removed me from “regular” employment. The capitalistic model of drive, strive, and achieve are no longer options for me. Neither is the 80 (or even 40) hour work week.

Privileging self-care confronts the western cultural paradigm, especially when the reason for self-care falls into the stigmatized category of chronic illness.

Our conditioned way of being (work hard and make money) no longer works for many who struggle with chronic illness (if it ever really did) and forces us to explore other ways of being..

The capitalistic model of drive, strive, achieve, and cajole, where success is measured by money, status, and power, simply does not work for those called to the contemplative life. Furthermore, our world has become too loud, too bright, too violent, too divisive, too……everything…..for the sensitive, empathetic, and compassionate nature for those called to modern monastic living.

In this age, the monastic calling doesn’t present itself directly. Instead, it becomes apparent because all other options have failed.

There is nothing in our upbringing that prepares us for the possibility of a contemplative calling. Instead, we are forced to flail about in the darkness until we find what our souls have been seeking all along. Chronic illness is one of those conditions that helps us find our way. I have often wondered if the chronic conditions that many of us face are simply for the purpose of leading and supporting us in choosing the contemplative life and that this calling has become necessary in a world that has simply become too violent. It cannot be an accident that many of us who are called to a more monastic way of being are empaths, highly sensitive people, intuitives, and introverts. Perhaps we are here to show the world another way.

When the world has become out of harmony with itself, Love sends gentle and contemplative souls to bring the world back into alignment.

Perhaps we are those souls – sent to find a way to live in greater alignment with the truth of our Souls, while showing the world there is another way.

Excerpt from the Whispers from the Cave interactive web series. Learn more HERE.

Questions for Reflection:

How has the “modern” world contributed to or caused your chronic illness?
How has self-care become more of a priority in your life?
How has chronic illness supported you in finding a gentler, more easeful way of living in the world?
What inner resources have awakened in you through your experience with chronic illness?

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Conditioned by Shame

January 4, 2023January 3, 2023 / Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

Shame is one of the forces of manipulation that we are currently unraveling from at this stage in our cultural/spiritual evolution. Specifically – the shame we have been conditioned to feel by the patriarchal/hierarchical power structures who for the past 5000 years have ruled our world. These power structures, which are rooted in fear, power and control, have fashioned “rules” from which they benefit while the rest of us suffer. Shame is the tool they use to get us to comply with their rules. Let me offer a few examples:

If you anger, disappoint or turn away from “god” you will go to hell and here are the ways you will anger and disappoint “god.”
If you don’t dress a certain way, carry a certain purse, if your body isn’t a certain size, people won’t love you.
If you don’t succeed in school, you are a failure.
If you didn’t learn the lesson, or if you did learn it but can’t communicate it in the way we expect you to, you will get a bad grade.
If you don’t pay your bills on time, you will be punished.
If you don’t make a certain amount of money, you are a failure.
If you are sick and need medical care, but don’t have money to pay for it, you are lazy.
If you are a working mother and can’t get to work on time because you have to take your child to work, you will be fired.
If you got pregnant out of wedlock, you are a whore.
If you are having sex outside of marriage you are also a whore.
If you are raped, it’s your fault.

The list goes on and on and on.

These are the threats that have been doled out to us by the existing power structures to imprison us with fear and manipulate us with shame.

NO MORE!

It is time for us to unravel from this shame by:

Refusing its power over us.
Taking back our own power.
Healing the wounds that have been implanted within us by this shame so that we are less likely to be vulnerable to shame’s manipulations.

Join us for our first Master class of 2023:

Freedom from Shame

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

6:30 – 8:30 pm central time

LIVE via ZOOM

Learn more and enroll HERE

Enrollment limited to 25. Register now and reserve your seat.

Full Moon Report

December 7, 2022 / Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

The energies leading up to this full moon have been intense to say the least. Reports from the field include: headaches, vertigo, INTENSE fatigue, nausea in some, physical pain, an inability to focus or maintain attention to ANYTHING. For me this has included “death chills” (I’m not sick!).

On an individual level, for many, this is the final death moon – putting closure on our karmic missions and sealing them up for the crypt. We are done. We’ve done our inner healing and clearing. We’ve done our karmic service to the world. It is now time to put that to bed, shake the dust from our feet, and walk away. The walking away is from all that is no longer life giving. As we allow ourselves to LET GO, we are creating space for the new to come into being. It is time to be open to the new – a new that is life-giving, joyful, fulfilling, and (gasp) FUN! This is the final dying. Now it’s time to live!

Nationally we are seeing another kind of karmic death. Karma is finally being meted out, wrongs righted, and we are witnessing a return to reason. For many, this feels like a victory, a breath of fresh air, and the restoration of hope. For others, I’m feeling a strange kind of grief/shame – specifically from those who did not see and who now have no choice but to see. Along with this is an undercurrent of confusion. The big question here is “Who do we follow/listen to if those we took to be our leader turn out to be liars?” Some will seek another outside perceived authority. Others will simply repress the anxiety/confusion/shame which will then likely come out sideways. Those who are ready, will begin the difficult task of unraveling from outside perceived authority to discover and cultivate the authority within.

On a global level, we stand at a place of decision. Some literally holding the destruction of the world in their hands while others look on holding their breaths. Will someone step in to intervene? Will reason prevail? This presents a bigger question – who is “someone?” I have to wonder if the world is waiting for this someone to come forth or if humanity will realize that WE ARE THE SOMEONE WE ARE WAITING FOR!

As many have reiterated – today is not a day for doing. It is a day for being. Be quiet. Be still. Go inward. Be with the moon and whatever it is inviting you to!

Love,
Lauri Ann Lumby
www.lauriannlumby.com

This Week’s Videos

October 27, 2022 / Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

It has been a productive week at Soul School as I prepare for some big bold moves. Fueling the big and the bold are this week’s video/podcast episodes. If you find these videos helpful, please share them with your friends! Let’s share the love! ❤

Soul Tending with Lauri includes:

Personality, Temperament, and Gifts Assessments.
Exploration of the Soul’s calling.
Uncovering and transforming the obstacles to living out that calling through a variety of mindfulness, creativity, and shamanic practices including Lauri’s trademarked Authentic Freedom™ protocol.
Depth work – identifying ungrieved losses, unhealed wounds, past traumas, ancestral trauma, and learning shamanic practices for transforming and releasing them.
Shadow work – uncovering the unintegrated and often rejected parts of self and bringing them into wholeness.
Ongoing support.

Learn More HERE

Devils and Doorways

September 5, 2022 / Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

This morning in my meditation, I pulled the “Devil” card. While some might cringe at the sight of the “devil,” this is actually one of my favorite cards (second only to Death), as it represents EMERGENCE. Specifically, emergence out of and from a time of difficulty, struggle, challenge, and yes, temptation. The Devil card represents the successful completion of a particular stage of initiation. The Devil literally depicts the exiting through the narrow gate – as St. Margaret here is doing after vanquishing her own inner fears, obstacles, and hindrances to her Soul’s emergence. From this perspective, the Devil is not the enemy, but is instead the friend that provides the resistance we need to grow and to reach our Soul’s maturity. Hurray! (thank you sir, may I have another?!)

The Devil’s emergence is not only for me, it is for all here who have been doing this deep work – tending to the voice of the Soul, moving through inner and outer obstacles to the Soul’s fulfillment, and doing it in the face of certain resistance from the material world, the expectations of others, and our own “status quo.” Reports from this community are providing direct examples of our efforts making a difference, not only for ourselves, but for the world at large. Examples from the world at large are perhaps the easiest to see as they are sooooooooo loud in their resistance!

The empire (the world based in fear, power, oppression, and control) is collapsing and those who have benefitted from the (now) dying world, are crying out in terror. The way I’m most frequently hearing it described is this:

People are losing their shit!

Those who are deeply mired in the status quo, who have benefitted from a system that privileges them and remain imprisoned by the toxic conditioning that has separated them from their own truth are losing their shit. These are the ones that have no idea what to do with the anxiety that arises in the face of a system that is destroying itself, so instead of acknowledging the anxiety and doing something about it, the anxiety comes out in disproportionate actions and behaviors – fear coming out sideways. Grasping for control. Making ridiculous requests. Having tempter tantrums. Acting like children.

A New World is Being Born and Those Clinging to the Old are Freaking Out!

It’s a normal reaction to change, albeit an unhealthy one. I take these increasing, and growing louder examples as signs of positive change and a growing collective that is by our actions, and intentions, hastening the death of the old while giving birth to the new. The empire is facing its own “Devil’s journey” and we get to be on the other side watching it and cheering them on. Hopefully with love!

Need Help With Your “Devils?”

Lauri Ann Lumby, MATP, Has over twenty-five years of experience as a soul-tender, educator and guide. She has supported hundreds through her one-on-one guidance, books, workshops, retreats, over thirty online courses, and online community.

Email lauri@lauriannlumby.com to schedule a one-on-one session today!

My Name is Truth

August 26, 2022 / Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

My Name is Truth

In my depths, I understand the fullness of my purpose,

and my new secret name is

Truth.

Seeing Truth.

Listening for Truth.

Hearing Truth.

Speaking Truth.

Living from Truth.

The Truth attested by the ancients:

Tao that is the way.

Tav that protects one from death.

Tau that leads us to life.

The Truth that sets us free.

Another name for that Truth is Love.

My second name is Love.

copyright Lauri Ann Lumby

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Announcing Podcasts!

August 24, 2022 / Lauri Ann Lumby / Leave a comment

The Way of Love Video and Podcast

The Way of Love with Lauri Ann Lumby is an inspirational journey into the ultimate purpose of our lives – to remember our true nature as Love. Gathering wisdom and insights from ancient wisdom traditions, Lauri pieces together the knowledge and tools needed to transcend division and return to Love. What begins as an individual journey blossoms into a movement that has the potential to change our whole world.

Be that Love. Be the Change!